Baked Pears
13 December 2007 by Jean Johnson
This time of year cues to chow down on sugar+butter are as ubiquitous as canned holiday music. So if you’re trying to keep things under wraps and still want something oh so luscious, try baked pears. D’Anjous are my favorite to bake because they hold their shape. And when I was at the store recently, they were 50 cents a pound cheaper than the other varieties as well.
Baked Pears
Recipe Note
Bake whole pears in a slow oven with a rimmed pan for catching the juices that will escape. For the ones pictured, I used a slower than normal oven which was around 300 or so. I think the pears were soft to the tip of a paring knife after 30 to 45 minutes, depending on who if anyone was timing.
To serve, split them open for two to share. Every morsel is a festive mouthful whether you enjoy them in their own syrup with a fresh grating of nutmeg, stained with a splash of ruby port and dusted with cardamom, or garnished with a polite gob of some decadently creamy cheese.
