pears baked in cream

Happy November!  To celebrate, Mother Nature is sending us another nor'easter in the next day or so, and I heard the *snow* word for the first time on the weather report.  I rearranged my cookbooks the other day, in part because of the changing season, but also because I never seemed to be able to find the one cookbook I was searching for. 

Flipping through Martha Stewart's Quick Cook, I was struck by a gorgeous photograph of fresh pears baked in cream.  I had a pear in the fruit bowl, and I had heavy cream, so of course I made it.  I am so familiar with Martha's recipes and way of cooking, I felt comfortable making a few changes as I went along, but the kudos belong to her.

Pears Baked in Cream

2 Bosc pears, unpeeled, halved, and cored (I use a melon baller for that)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of kosher salt
a few sprigs of thyme

1/2 cup heavy cream
a drop or two of good vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter an ovenproof baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.  Sprinkle the bottom of the dish with 1 tablespoon of the sugar.

Place the cored pears, cut side down, in the dish.  Arrange the thyme sprigs around the pears, then sprinkle the pears with the salt and the last tablespoon of sugar, and dot the pears with the remaining butter.

Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Mix the cream and the vanilla together and pour over the pears.  Return the pears to the oven and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes.  Serve warm in shallow bowls with soup spoons - the creamy, sweet sauce is SO good!  Even better, this is a great gluten-free dessert for the chilly months ahead.

Have a wonderful weekend!