Baked Pear with Caramel Sauce

Baked Pear with Date Caramel Sauce and Toasted Almonds

by

This simple yet sophisticated dessert brings some of my favorite fall flavors; warm baking spices, ripe juicy pears, and the indulgence of smooth caramel without all that refined sugar and cream. Back in Culinary School, French Cuisine was one of my favorite classes. Learning all the old classic techniques and flavor combinations it had to offer was fascinating to me. In this class, we did several classic pear desserts. Drawing on that inspiration, I have made an SCD friendly version of Poires Belle Helene (poached pears with chocolate). I have replaced the chocolate with date caramel sauce and added some fall spices as well as toasted almonds. This is a more modern approach, but I have kept the spirit of the dish in mind while making it a bit easier to make by baking the pear rather than poaching. All together these flavors sing in harmony and coat your palate in creamy rich date caramel sauce layered over warm baked pear, topped with crunchy toasted almonds. This dessert is as easy to whip up on a weeknight as it is for last-minute dinner guests, and might just become a family favorite! Don’t take my word for it, try it out for yourself today!

Baked Pear with Date Caramel Sauce and Toasted Almonds

Serves 4
Prep: 25 min
Cooking: 30 min
Total:  55 min
Beginner

Ingredients:

4 Bosc pears, firm but ripe, peeled, halved, and cored 

2 Tbsp. butter, unsalted 

¼ tsp. ginger, ground 

¼ tsp. nutmeg, ground 

½ tsp. cinnamon, ground 

8 large Medjool dates, pitted and soaked 

¼ cup honey 

½ cup almond milk 

¼ cup almonds, toasted and chopped 

  Method Of Prep:

  1. Gather and prep ingredients.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. Peel pears, and then half. Once cut in half remove the seeds by cutting a small circle around the seeded area with a knife or using a melon baller, scoop it out and discard.
  4. Place pear halves in a single layer, facing up into a baking dish. Add ½ tablespoon of butter to each pear where you cut out the seeds.
  5. Then add ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a small dish and combine.
  6. Using a sifter, sprinkle the spice mixture over the pears.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
  8. While the pears are baking, we will make our date caramel sauce.
  9. Begin by placing dates in a medium bowl.
  10. Bring at least 2 cups of water to a boil, or enough to cover dates.
  11. Pour boiling water over dates. Let dates sit for 12 minutes.
  12. Set up your high-speed blender with the standard blade attachment.
  13. Once time has elapsed, drain dates and add to the blender with honey and almond milk.
  14. Blend until fully incorporated.
  15. Add date caramel mixture to a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, set aside.
  16. Next, chop up almonds and add to a small dry sauté pan over low heat.
  17. Slowly toast almonds for 2-5 minutes or until turning golden, set aside.
  18. Remove pears from the oven when done to cool slightly.
  19. Now we are ready to plate and serve! Grab 8 plates or bowls.
  20. Carefully place a half pear on each.
  21. Drizzle caramel over each pear and top with toasted almonds. Enjoy!

                                                                                                                          

Nutrition Facts: (½ Pear with caramel sauce and toasted almonds) 
Calories- 188
Carb- 40.4 g
Fat- 4 g
Protein- 1.5 g