Pomegranate, Gouda And Pear Quesadilla With POM Salsa

Quesadilla:

Prepare fresh pomegranate arils, if necessary.* Reserve 1/2 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.) Place 2 strips of cheese on each tortilla Using fingers, press 1 teaspoon of arils into cheese. Add 2 slices of pear, sprinkle with sugar. Fold tortilla in half. Add 1/2 teaspoon oil to a nonstick skillet and heat. Place folded tortillas in the pan and brown lightly; turn over and cook until crisp. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil if needed. Cut each tortilla into halves and serve this pomegranate recipe with POM Salsa.

POM Salsa:

Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.** Reserve 2 cups of the arils from the fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.) Thoroughly mix to combine all ingredients. (Salsa will keep covered, in the refrigerator, for 2 to 3 days.)

*To prepare fresh pomegranate arils, score 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl.

**To prepare fresh pomegranate juice, cut 2–3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.