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Once again the produce people are delivering three-pound bags of pears to us, often before I’ve finished using the last bag. Just this week I baked a double batch of Butter-Oat-Pear Crisp. At first glance this didn’t fit in with our food focus: grilled food. But with the summer of expensive lettuce suddenly turning into instant rainy autumn, we haven’t been doing much barbecuing lately, and as my thoughts drifted over what can be grilled under the broiler, it occurred to me that fruit could.
This Organic Life article by Emily Main doesn’t list pears as one of its “most grillable fruits,” but it mentions how good apples taste when they’re done this way, and I decided the two were close enough. The article also has lots of other good ideas on grilling fruit — I’d like to try the bananas some time soon. The idea of getting some of the taste of pear pie or pear crisp without having to make a crust or topping — or, to look at it another way, without including so many carbs — has a lot going for it.
You could, of course, try using apples in the recipe, maybe using cinnamon instead of ginger. This would also be fine with just butter and sugar, no ginger, though that does give the somewhat bland pears a little zing. If you’re avoiding sugar, maybe try just broiling buttered fruit.
When slicing the pear vertically, cut a little circle off the bottom first for a flat base. This circle can be broiled and eaten. Of course, any slices that are all skin on one side should be broiled skin side up first, and the sugar etc. should go on the cut side.
If a little bit of the edge of the core ends up in one of the slices, that’s okay. It’ll soften as it cooks.
Editor’s Note: While grilling remember fire safety, and we are celebrating Fire Prevention Week on our sister site, Holidays Helper. Read one of these books with the kids while you enjoy your pears.
- 1 ripe pear
- 1 teaspoon butter, melted (plus more for greasing)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Ground ginger for sprinkling
- Preheat the broiler.
- Butter a piece of aluminum foil or a baking sheet.
- Wash the pear and cut, vertically, into quarter inch slices, avoiding the core.
- Arrange pear slices on the foil or baking sheet, not overlapping.
- Brush with half the melted butter.
- Broil for five minutes.
- Turn over.
- Brush the other side with the rest of the butter.
- Sprinkle on the sugar and a little ginger.
- Use the brush to spread them evenly.
- Broil five more minutes or until sugar melts.
