7 Bento #194 - Last School Bento of 2010/11 Year

This is the last school bento of the 10/11 school year!  It's not that fancy...I was busy making a bunch of cupcakes for the last center I was doing, which was decorating them.  Tomorrow's officially the last day of school, but it's a half day so there's no lunch.  

Bento #194 - Four cheese ravioli with herb butter, organic pear, romanesco and cauliflower.

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.