5 Citrus-Maple Baked Pears

Kinda early in the season for baked pears, right?  Well, those of you in colder climes might enjoy this little comfort until the green shoots of spring decide to poke their bonny tips through the frost.  

I got this idea from my Thai cooking class with Chef John Wilson a few weeks ago, and I've tweaked it a little here.  The recipe couldn't be simpler, there really is no measuring involved so you can't go wrong.

You'll need:

Firm baking pears (like Bosc)

chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts

chopped dried fruit like cranberries, figs or dates

orange juice

maple syrup or honey

salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

First, scoop out the cores with a melon baller or spoon.  Arrange the cored pears in a baking dish sprayed with a little cooking spray.  Then add the tiniest sprinkling of salt over the pears.  It helps bring out the flavor. 

Put an equal amount of nuts and fruit in the hollowed out cores, and then drizzle into the cavity equal parts maple syrup and orange juice.  What I have pictured here is way, way more than you will actually need.

Make sure it stays in the hollow, otherwise it will burn in the pan.  I know this, because I tried poaching them in orange juice.  Let's just say it doesn't work too well, and your elbows will be hurting from all the scrubbing you'll have to do afterwards.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the center can be easily pierced with a fork.

Serve with some delicious vanilla bean ice cream!

Citrus-Maple Baked Pears

You'll need:

Firm baking pears (like Bosc)

chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts

chopped dried fruit like cranberries, figs or dates

orange juice

maple syrup or honey

salt

-Preheat oven to 350F.

-First, scoop out the cores with a melon baller or spoon.  

-Arrange the cored pears in a baking dish sprayed with a little cooking spray.  

-Then add the tiniest sprinkling of salt over the pears.  It helps bring out the flavor.  

-Put an equal amount of nuts and fruit in the hollowed out cores, and then drizzle into the cavity equal parts maple syrup and orange juice.  Make sure it stays in the hollow, otherwise it will burn in the pan.  

-Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the center can be easily pierced with a fork.

9 Bento #145 - Shapes

Today's bento was all about basic shapes.  Circles, squares, ovals, triangles, etc. which E thought was quite fun and enjoyed identifying them all.  She had a big appetite today since she skipped snack and ate everything except most of the zucchini bread. We'll save that for after her nap, just before we head to ballet, when something small to snack on invariably puts her in a better mood after she wakes up.

Bento #145 - Spinach ravioli, mini meatballs, homemade zucchini bread, stewed cinnamon apples with honey, ranch dip and cheese cubes.

0 White Russian Apple Pudding

Why do I call this "White Russian"?  Because it's got Kahlua!  This is definitely a decadent dessert, or perfect with a hot cup of coffee to enjoy with friends.

For the apples
4-5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup honey or brown sugar
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs lemon juice
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

For the custard
1 loaf (5-6 cups) of stale bread cut into cubes - French, sourdough, whatever you like
1 cup heavy cream or almond milk
1 cup milk
4 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt


Topping
2 Tbs room-temp butter
chopped pecans (optional)
maple syrup (optional)

First you need to make the apples to later add into the custard.  In a medium heavy lidded saucepan combine all the apple ingredients over medium heat.

Cover and simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes...

...until it looks about like this, the apples are cooked down and the sauce has thickened.  If it's still a little watery, just uncover and simmer another 5ish minutes to reduce.  Take it off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, get started on your custard.  Mix together everything in the custard category except for the bread cubes and Kahlua.

Next, add the apple mixture.  If it's still hot, make sure you temper the custard as you're adding to it.  Just add one spoonful of the hot apples first, and quickly whisk it together.  Keep adding the apples in this manner until you get about half way through, and then add the remainder and whisk together thoroughly.  If you add them all in at once, you will scramble the eggs!

Now, add the Kahlua to the warm custard.  Half the Kahlua was cooked down in the apples, and the other half is being added to the custard now.

Next, in a large bowl pour the custard mixture over the bread cubes.  I used my homemade bread I made last week for this recipe.  Gently combine and let the bread and custard sit for at least 30 minutes (or overnight.)  When you're ready to bake, lightly grease a baking dish with cooking spray or butter and pre-heat the oven to 375.  Pour the soaked bread cubes into the dish.

For the topping, sprinkle the chopped pecans all over the top, if using, and dot the top with bits of the butter.

Place into the 375 degree oven and bake for about an hour.  The top will get slightly crispy, and the middle will be creamy deliciousness.

At this point, I always drizzle a healthy amount of maple syrup all over the top, and it soaks in.  With every bite you get tender chunks of apple and the sweetness of the Kahlua.  So good!

0 Bento #36 - Nuggets & Tomatoes

Miss E must have been really hungry at lunch today, because although I worried I was sending too much food, she came back with her entire bento empty, except perplexingly enough the strawberry cream cheese, which she didn't touch.

Bento #36 - CFA chicken nuggets on skewers, grape tomatoes, cheese crackers (Trader Joe's), apple & strawberry cream cheese.

I was on an apple roll today - for dessert I made baked apples, sans sugar (not allowed on my diet.)  I peeled and sliced one Honeycrisp apple per person and squeezed the juice of 1/2 a lemon, some apple cider vinegar (1 tsp), cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice in a casserole dish, along with about 1/2 cup water.  Popped it in the oven covered, and baked at 400 for 30 minutes.  They were beautifully tart, and naturally sweet, but I imagine it would be amazing with a little maple syrup or honey drizzled on top.