pears baked with amaretto
‘It is, in my view, the duty of an apple to be crisp and crunchable, but a pear should have such a texture as leads to silent consumption’. ~Edward Bunyard
‘There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat’. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I tend to agree that pears have a very limited ‘window of consumption opportunity’, and as a result I prefer them cooked. That way they pretty much always taste good.
Peel, quarter and de-cor about 4 pears (or however many you need). Place in a small oven proof baking dish with a lid. Pour over the Amaretto (I used about 80ml (1/3 of a cup) for 4 pears. Sprinkle over 2 Tbsp brown sugar. Mix a bit and then pop into a hot or moderate oven (180 – 200 degrees) for about 10 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, pouring the sauce over and then sprinkle over a generous amount of toasted flaked almonds.
I love hot and cold together and soft and crunchy, and with this recipe, the pears are warm, sweet and soft, the ice cream is cold and the nuts are crunchy. So perfect.
Hi, how cooked do you expect the pears to be? I made this last night, and cooked it for longer than the 10 minutes stipulated. The pears were warmed through, but extremely al dente, and not really cooked? Is this how they should have been? It was a delicious dessert none the less, but I would cook the pears for longer the next time. The toasted almonds on top were definitely a winner…
Hi Bridget, the pears need to be cooked but still have some texture (ie not fall apart) – it also depends on what type of pear or how ripe they are. This makes a big difference. A ripe pear will cook quickly and 10 minutes is more than enough time. The thing to do with all cooking / baking is to trust your own instincts and just do what you like / feel is best. Also how big you slice the pear will also affect the cooking time. Cook them until you think they are ready.
Best
Sam