Baked Pears

Fall has arrived in Lancaster county.  Signs of Fall are everywhere – the colors: rusts, reds, yellows, and shades of orange and greens, pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, mums…clear blue skies with crisp breezes.  What a lovely time of year!  Fall fruits are great and my favorite is the pear.  So let me share one of my most requested recipes here at the Bowman House…Baked Pears.

For this recipe 1 pear will serve 2 people.  First, choose your favorite variety of pear.  Personally, I most often use Bartlet. Although they sometimes lose their shape during baking, I find these pears the most tasty!  Whichever type you choose, the pears should be ripe, but not overly ripe.  Next, cut each pear in half and, using a melon baller, core them and place the cored side down in a prepared ramekin.

Add sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Bake for about 20 min (or if you are like me, till you remember them when the aroma wafts through your kitchen!)

Remove the ramekins from the oven and spoon the excess juices over the pears.  Add heavy cream to the ramekin and return the pears to the oven.  The cream will mix with the juices to form a wonderful carmel-flavored sauce.  Remove from oven.  At this point I like to flip the pear so there is a cavity to squirt some Reddi Whip into.  Sprinkle with toasted almond slices and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Voila…A tasty, beautiful dish!

Baked Pears

2 fresh pears

1 cup sugar

4T vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup heavy cream

Spray 4 ramekins with a nonstick spray.  Peel and core pears.  Into each prepred ramekin, place ¼ c sugar and a pear half.  Pour 1 T vanilla and ¼ tsp almond  extract over each pear.  Bake for 25 min in a 350 degree oven.  Remove from oven and spoon some syrup over pears.  Pour ¼ cup heavy cream over and return to oven and bake an additional 20-30 min.  Remove from oven and cool for several minutes.  Top with toasted almonds and whipped cream.