Älplermagronen with pear slices

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 250 g potatoes
• 150 g pasta (magrones, alternatively pasta shells)
• 150 g mountain cheese or other spicy cheese
• 150 ml cream
• 75 ml milk
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg
• 3 large pears, ripe
• 125 ml pear juice, alternatively cloudy apple juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ vanilla pod(s)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 onions
• 1 tbsp clarified butter
• some flour
• e.g. butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Peel the pears and slice them into wedges. Bring to a boil along with the pear juice, sugar, scraped vanilla pod, vanilla seeds, and lemon juice, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Let them cool in the liquid. Preheat the oven to 100°C. Peel and dice the potatoes. Cook in boiling salted water for about 9 minutes, then add the macaroni (cooking time 7-9 minutes; adjust accordingly if using other pasta) and cook. Grate the cheese and slice the onions. For the topping, briefly bring the cream and milk to a boil and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Drain the pasta and potatoes, let them drain, and then layer them alternately with the cheese in buttered baking dishes. Pour the topping over the top. Place the dishes in the oven until the cheese is well melted (about 10 minutes). Meanwhile, sauté the onions in clarified butter, dusting them with a little flour towards the end, and continue frying. Remove the dishes from the oven. Sprinkle the Älplermagronen with the onions and serve with the pears as a side dish.