Pear

Pick it!

• Choose firm pears with no soft spots and let the pears ripen at home.
• Check near the stem daily for ripeness; when the pear yields to gentle pressure, it is ready.
• If desired, pears can be stored in a paper bag at room temperature to shorten ripening time.
• Once ripe, the pear can be stored in the refrigerator until eaten.

Try it!

• Pears make a great snack right off the counter but can also be used much like apples.
• Sliced pears are often used to liven up salads, as a side to sandwiches and as a topping on cereals.
• Pears are great baked into cobblers, but also provide great flavor in fruit salsas.
• Try sandwiching the fruit slices between graham crackers and peanut butter.
• They are tasty glazed, sautéed, poached, and pickled, too.

Ingredients

• Pears (1 pear = 2 servings)
• For each pear half:
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon warmed or softened butter
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • Sprinkle of cinnamon
  • Dollop of fat-free vanilla yogurt

Directions

1. Cut pears in half. Using a spoon, scoop the core out of the pear halves.
2. Using a spoon or butter knife spread a small amount of butter on the pear flesh.
3. Top the butter with the brown sugar using more or less as desired.
4. Bake the pear halves on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 7 minutes. Then, if desired, turn on the broiler and let the pear tops caramelize for one more minute.
5. Remove from the pan and top with a teaspoon or two of nonfat or low-fat vanilla yogurt.