Perfect Baked Pears Recipes

BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place pear halves, cut side up, in a shallow 1-qt. baking dish. Place butter in the center of each; drizzle with lemon juice. , Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pears. Top with marmalade. Bake, covered, until heated through, 15-20 minutes.

CREAMY BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar into buttered dish.
• Rub remaining 1 tablespoon butter over pear halves; arrange pears cut sides down in prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Pour cream over pears and continue baking until tender, about 20 minutes more.

SALT-BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy and tripled in volume.
• Stir in kosher salt, and mix well with a stiff whisk until slightly clumpy.
• When too difficult to whisk, use your hands to blend the salt mixture until it becomes uniformly wet, heavy and slightly sticky. In other words, like the worst snow-shoveling day of your life.
• With a sharp knife, trim a sliver, as needed, from the bottom of each pear so they stand upright on their own.
• Pack the salt mixture around each whole pear, including the bottom, to create a thin and even encasement.
• Gently place the pears on a lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Use a cake tester to test for doneness, piercing through the very top of the pear at the stem. We like the pears a little al dente - cooked through but with some tooth. We don't want applesauce.
• Pears can be held warm in the oven at the lowest possible setting until ready to serve.
• To serve, crack the salt crust and discard. Take care to brush off any clinging salt with a clean dish towel, and serve the roasted pear with wet black walnuts (see recipe).

BAKED PEARS WITH BROWN SUGAR AND BUTTER

Steps:

• Prep: Preheat oven to 400F. Line a 10"x7" or a 9"x9" baking dish with parchment paper if you prefer easier cleanup, or spray it with nonstick spray. If doubling the recipe use a 9"x13" baking dish or any other rimmed baking dish that will fit pears snugly to each other (see Note 1 at the bottom).
• Peel & Core: If using a firm pear variety like Bosc, peel them. Remove the core with a melon baller or a small spoon. Leave the stems on for better visual appeal. If you're using softer pears like Anjou, keep the skin on to help them keep the shape as they bake.
• Add toppings: Set the pears cut side up inside the pan. Drizzle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixed with nutmeg and cinnamon (if using). Arrange the cubed pieces of butter on top of the pears. Drizzle with vanilla extract.
• Bake for 30 minutes cut side up. Turn the pears cut side down. Spoon the caramel over the tops to prevent browning. Bake for another 20-50 minutes or until the pears are soft, and the caramel is thickened. The pears will shrink consierably if baked until the caramel is very thick.Bosc pears will take the longest to achieve the candied translucent look and caramelized taste. Other more delicate pear varieties will take less time to soften (Note 2 & 3).
• Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, or a sprinkle of roasted walnuts or sliced almonds. Spoon the caramel over the pears.

PERFECT BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350. Drain pear halves on paper towels. Place pears, cut sides down, in pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches. Drizzle caramel over pears. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until warm. Spoon topping in pie plate over pears and sprinkle with cinnamon.

BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut top quarter of pears off; create a well by scooping out the core, being careful not to puncture the bottom of the pear. Arrange pears in a shallow baking dish.
• Drizzle maple syrup over pears. Place 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter in each pear; sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Bake in preheated oven until pears are easily pierced with a fork, 35 to 50 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

BAKED GLAZED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cut the pears in half, core them and place them in a shallow baking dish, slightly overlapping if necessary. Squeeze with lemon juice and add water to come halfway up the pears. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until the pears are soft and the water and sugar have reduced to a golden glaze (one to one-and-a-half hours). Serve hot or at room temperature.

BAKED PEARS WITH CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Fill a large bowl with cold water, and squeeze the juice from the lemon quarters directly into the water; add the rinds. Slice pears 3/8 inch thick; add to acidulated water.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and brandy in a large bowl until the batter leaves a ribbonlike trail on the surface for 3 seconds when you raise the whisk. Slowly add hot milk to egg mixture, whisking constantly, until milk has been incorporated.
• Using a slotted spoon, lift pears from the water, and blot dry with paper towels. In a 10-inch-round pie plate, arrange pears in a circular pattern. Pour milk-and-egg mixture over pears.
• Place pie plate in a shallow baking pan, and fill the pan with enough boiling water to cover the pie plate halfway up. Transfer to oven; bake until the custard has set and is just brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.