Welcome back to Just Five, a column where we share recipes for refined and delicious dishes that use just five ingredients, excluding butter, oil, salt and pepper, of course. There’s just one rule of thumb: Always choose the highest quality ingredients, as each will stand out in the recipes we feature. My childhood friend Amy lives in New Orleans and, thanks to the power of Facebook, we’ve reconnected. For me, catching up with people that I went to see Duran Duran and Stray Cats concerts with – or that I used to hang out with at Bijou Collectibles and The Varsity Theater – is a kick. But what’s even more fun is that many of us have become surprisingly productive members of society and really excellent cooks. Recently, Amy shared a recipe for her pear-cardamom-pistachio crisp with me that has now become my favorite winter dessert. With a little creative editing, it works very nicely as a delicious baked dessert.
Baked Pears with Pistachios and Cardamom Serves 6
Adapted by Dee Ryan from a recipe by Amy Farrington, originally published at Cakewalk New Orleans.
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
¼ cup quick-cooking oats
¼ cup chopped pistachios
1 tsp. ground cardamom
3 pears (not too ripe), peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cored
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a small bowl, mix together softened butter, syrup, oats, pistachios and cardamom.
• Divide the mixture evenly among the 6 pear halves (about 2 heaping teaspoons on each), spreading it over the pear.
• Place pear halves in a lightly oiled baking dish and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife goes into the pear easily.
Other pear recipes
This article appears in March 2011.