Pear Bake

I came home with several bags full of pears today and it seemed that the only appropriate thing to do was prepare and bake them. I read an article that said if you bake pears, they should be firm, or they'll turn to mush. Basically, not as ripe as needed for straight-up eating. The one's I had were perfect.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized pears, sliced
2-3 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp coconut sugar
1 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup maple syrup (real maple syrup, not Mrs. Butterworths)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin layering pears in a small round baking dish. I used a 6" ramekin. When there are 2-3 layers, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and coconut sugar.

See those little brown flecks in the picture? That's how much sugar you're sprinkling on. Not much at all.

I know it seems weird to put lemon juice on fruit, but the lemon juice and little bit of sugar will bring out the flavors and natural juices of the pears.

Continue layering the pears and every 2-3 layers sprinkle with juice and sugar. At this point, the pears and juice will start smelling AMAZING :)

In a separate bowl, mix together oats, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt. Pour on top of mixture in ramekin.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until pears tested with a fork are soft and topping is browned. This is scrumptious by itself or with a small scoop of coconut milk ice cream. Sometimes I save these bakes and eat them for breakfast as a special treat.