Ingredients:

The Pears

1 Bosc pear, firm and well shaped
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup orange blossom honey
1 teaspoon dried lavender (ground in mortar & pestle)
1/3 cup water

Cheesecake

4 extra large eggs (at room temperature)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons dried lavender, ground in mortar & pestle
1 teaspoon pure orange extract
1 pound cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Cut a piece of aluminum foil 2 feet long by 1 foot wide and double it twice lengthwise to create a strip for moving the pan to and from the cooker. Set Aside.
2. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the inside bottom of the pan. Cover the exterior bottom and sides of the pan with a large sheet of aluminum foil so that no water can seep in. Set aside.
3. Slice the pear lengthwise with a knife or mandoline about 1/4 in thick. Cut through the seeds and all leaving the pear in one well-shaped form. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter. Add the pear slices single file over the surface. Sauté, turning to brown evenly. Add some the sugar toward the end to obtain a nice lightly brown look. When colored, remove the pear from the skillet and cool. Add the remaining sugar, honey and lavender. Simmer to reduce. When slightly syrupy, remove and transfer to a small covered dish. Reserve until serving time.
4. Carefully place each piece of pear on the parchment-lined bottom of the cake pan. Place the best side down.
5. In a food processor, blend the eggs, cornstarch, sugar, lavender and orange extract. Add the softened cream cheese and sour cream, process until smooth. Open the bowl; scrape down the sides. Pour the mixture carefully over the arranged pears. Cover with buttered foil so that the foil fits tightly around the sides but allows some room on top for the cheesecake to expand. Set a trivet or rack on the bottom of the cooker. Pour in 3 cups of water. Place on the foil strip and gently lower it into the cooker. Loosely fold the ends of the foil strip over the top of the pan.
6. Lock the lid in place and over high heat; bring to high pressure. Adjust the heat to maintain pressure and cook for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure drop naturally. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. Remove the foil lid; blot up any excess water from the top of the cheesecake with a wad of paper towel. Cool completely, then chill.

Final Assembly

1. Remove the cooled cheesecake from the pan by running a sharp knife along the sides. Release the spring. Place a serving plate on the surface of the cake. Reverse the cake. With the tip of a small sharp knife, remove the bottom of the cake pan from the surface. Peel off the parchment paper. Use the reserved lavender honey to lightly glaze the pear pieces. The sauce should be room temperature and will be slightly runny.

Notes:

For a different style of serving, you can prepare extra sauce by doubling all the sauce ingredients except the pears. Top the cake to finish off and plate up a slice with a little pool of extra sauce to the side.
This recipe is from the *April 2002 Chef of the Month interview with Arlene Ward.