Cheese flan. Guava pastries. Rice Pudding. Every Christmas in Puerto Rico we face a parade of amazing desserts one party after the next. But, there’s always this one dessert we look forward enjoying: Titi Ivonne’s Creamy Gelatin Dessert with Pears. It's so addictive! Nabol can’t recall how long it’s been since his aunt started making this dessert, but it's a recipe she found on the back of a Carnation Milk Can. We could honestly eat the whole thing. It's that good.

And it’s so simple too. It’s creamy and comforting, and you could probably change the pears to another type of fruit — although why would you?! It looks very elegant with the pears and you can always add color with berries or fruity reductions. Here’s how to make it!

Creamy Pear Gelatin Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 Package of cream cheese (8 onz)
• 1 Cup of organic sugar (a little less will work too)
• 2 Packets of gelatin
• ½ Cup of water
• 1 Can of organic pears
• 1 Can of evaporated milk
• Personal size molds

Takes 2 hours and 20 mins, serves 4-6.

Instructions

1. Blend the milk, sugar and cream cheese in the blender.
2. Heat the water with a little bit of the pear juice from the can. Add the gelatin and whisk until it dissolves.
3. Mix gelatin blend with cheese blend.
4. Place a little of the fruit in each mold. Add some of the mix and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Serve with fruit.