Honey Oat Roasted Pears

Ok, I confess, I'm back on my Anna Olson kick (again)!! I've been making so many of her recipes lately. :) Its just that every time I start making her recipes they turn out SO GOOD, every. single. time! Now that I've made my confession, I can start my post!

I'm sure you've eaten a lot of food this Thanksgiving weekend (I know I have). And I'm sure you've done some much needed reflection on all you have to be thankful for. I know I'm extremely thankful to have a job, supportive family, delicious and abundant food, and great friends (I could go on and on). We're just so fortunate and blessed to live where we do and we tend to take it forgranted so easily. So I love this time of year, because it tends to bring me back to reality and to realize how lucky I am. That being said, I'm sure most of you are (or soon will be) pretty sick of the rich, fat-laden foods that are traditional on Thanksgiving weekend! A dessert that is a little lighter and healthier may well be in order. Hence the Honey Oat Roasted Pear recipe I've chosen to share with you today. :) I hope this will be a welcome break for you from the rich and heavy food consumed this weekend.

Honey Oat Roasted Pears

Recipe from Anna Olson's cookbook Fresh, p 120

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted, plus extra for brushing
• 4 bartlett or bosc pears
• vanilla yogurt and honey for drizzling

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Toss the oats, brown sugar, almonds and cinnamon to combine. Stir in melted butter until everything is roughly combined.
2. Cut the pears in half (don't peel them) and scoop out their cores. Lay the pear halves in a baking dish and brush their tops with more melted butter. Press some oat filling into the center of each pear. Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes, until pears are tender and the oat filling is lightly browned.
3. Serve warm, drizzled with honey and a dallop of vanilla yogurt on the side.
   

I hope you enjoy this simple and delicious recipe. I know I definitely did! Once again - Happy Thanksgiving to all of you Canadians out there. I had a wonderful weekend spent with friends and family. Back to reality tomorrow!

Happy Baking my Friends!