Roasting is a wonderful method to coax out the natural sweetness of fruit and enhance its flavor. Apples and pears are excellent candidates for roasting, as many varieties keep their shape without dissolving into mushiness during the cooking process. This recipe relies on the sturdy pear, but apples can be substituted.
The flavors of this dessert may be likened to a fruit crumble, which is a squidgy chopped-fruit dish seasoned with sugar and spice and finished with a streusel topping.
In this recipe, the pears are not chopped, but remain intact. They are simply halved and cored, which creates a handy and tasty vessel for the oat and walnut streusel topping mounded in their centers. They are then baked until fork-tender but still firm. The results are wholesome — but not overly so, with a shower of warm spices and a crunchy crumble topping.
To serve the pears, you can lean healthy and top them with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey; for a richer dessert, top them with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Baked Spiced Pears With Walnut Streusel
Yield: Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 ripe but firm pears, such as Bartlett or Bosc
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Pinch of kosher salt
Whole-milk Greek yogurt, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk the 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, the cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl.
3. Cut the pears in half lengthwise and remove the cores. Lightly brush the cut sides of the pears with some of the melted butter. Evenly sprinkle the spiced sugar over the pears.
4. Combine the oats, walnuts and salt in a bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and the melted butter to the bowl and stir to blend.
5. Snugly arrange the pears in a baking pan, cut sides up. If they are wobbly, slice a thin piece from the underside of each pear to keep them level. Spoon the oat streusel into the centers of the pears. Transfer to the oven and bake until the pears are tender, but not mushy, when pierced with a knife, and the streusel is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the firmness of the fruit. (Apples will take slightly longer to cook.)
6. Serve the pears warm, simply on their own, or top them with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Garnish with any remaining streusel and juices in the baking pan.
Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer, cookbook author and recipe developer, and authors the blog TasteFood, More recipes can be found at chicago.suntimes.com/taste.