Grilled Piqa Boo Pears with Mascarpone, Maple & Cinnamon Almonds
Recipe @cookingwithmaddog
A simple and delicious dessert with the perfect balance of sweet, warm fruit and crunchy, nutty texture. I used Piqa Boo pears for their natural sweetness, but feel free to substitute with any pear variety if needed.
Serves 2–3
Ingredients
- 4–5 Piqa Boo pears, halved, seeds removed
- 3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
- 2 tbsp quality maple syrup
- ⅓ cup cinnamon toasted almonds, roughly chopped (from The Nut Market)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Flake salt
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Heat a griddle pan on high and a flat-based pan on medium.
- Place half the pears cut-side down on the griddle pan. Press lightly for char lines.
- In the flat pan, add butter and olive oil. Once melted, add remaining pears cut-side down. Keep heat moderate to avoid burning butter.
- Cook both sets of pears for around 20 mins and allow to build colour. Turn them once browned. Begin basting pears in butter pan.
- Flip and baste until golden. Transfer both pans to the oven.
- Roast until pears soften slightly but still hold shape. Keep basting to avoid drying or burning.
- Once done, toss griddled pears into butter pan. Add a pinch of flake salt over the pears.
To plate:
Spread mascarpone in a line on the plate. Arrange pears, alternating griddled and buttered. Drizzle maple syrup generously and top with cinnamon almonds.
Serve warm & enjoy immediately.
