I love pears, and I love raspberries and cherries, so this recipe combines these ingredients in a perfect composition of harmonic bliss. I call these pears “magic” because they tend to disappear almost instantly after you take them out of the oven!

SERVES 4.

Ingredients:

For the stuffed pears:

2 large pears, washed and with the skin on

1 cup finely chopped apples (try to get the sweetest apples possible)

1 cup chopped, pitted cherries (fresh or frozen and thawed)

¼ cup raisins

1 cup apple juice (or water), divided

⅓ cup old-fashioned oats (not instant oats)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the sauce:

1 cup fresh raspberries or strawberries

½ cup of apple juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon chia seeds (if needed)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Cut the pears in half lengthwise. With a melon baller, scoop out some of the flesh of the pear and place it in a bowl. Take enough out so that you can stuff as much filling into the pear as possible.

3. Place the four pear halves with the carved part facing up in a baking dish just big enough to keep them close to each other. Add some water or apple juice to the pan to prevent burning. Set them aside.

4. For the filling, add the apples, the cherries, and the raisins to the bowl with the scooped-out pear. At this point, add just ½ cup of the apple juice or water. Place the mixture in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and add the remaining ½ cup of apple juice or water along with the oats, the cinnamon, and the vanilla. Cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring the mixture often so that it does not burn.

5. While the filling is cooking, make the sauce to pour on top of the pears for serving. Place the raspberries or strawberries (or both) into a high-speed blender with ½ cup apple juice and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla and blend it for about 30 seconds. If the consistency is too watery, add the teaspoon of chia seeds and blend again.

6. By now, the pear mixture should be thick and ready to fill the pears. With a big scoop or tablespoon, take the mixture and stuff the pears all the way to the top. You will have mixture left over, which you can put on top of your oatmeal in the morning—or just eat it by itself!
This amount of filling can fill up to 8 pear halves.

7. Bake, uncovered, for 35–40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

8.             To serve the pears, place one half of a stuffed pear on a plate and drizzle with raspberry sauce.

Chef’s Note: These pears are especially delicious when topped with an all-fruit raspberry sorbet or any kind of dairy-free, sugar-free nice cream.