Recipe: Maple Baked Pears

Maple Baked Pears

4 servings

There's something refined about baked pears. The subtle maple flavors suits them perfectly.

4 to 5 medium firm pears, preferably Bosc
1/4 cup maple syrup
Cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. F.

2. Quarter the pears lengthwise, and remove the cores and stem ends. Cut each quarter in half lengthwise. Arrange in a 9 by 9-inch nonstick baking pan.

3. Drizzle the syrup over the pears, and sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Scatter the walnuts over the pears.

4. Bake until the pears are tender but not overcooked, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir the mixture well about 5 minutes into the baking time. Serve warm in shallow bowls or over frozen yogurt if desired.

Variation: Omit the walnuts; sprinkle the pears with about 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips once out of the oven.

Calories: 221, Total fat: 4 g, Protein: 2 g , Carbohydrate: 42 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 4 mg.

Buy the Book!

The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet
250 Simple Recipes and Dozens of Healthy
Menus For Eating Well Everyday
By Nava Atlas
Broadway Books, June 2001
Paperback, $15.95
ISBN: 0-7679-0690-X
Recipe reprinted by permission.