Pomegranate Glazed Pears

Ingredients: 

4 firm pears, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, and cored

1 orange, for zesting

¼ cup walnuts, toasted

2 ½ Tbsp fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Pomegranate Sauce

1 cup pomegranate juice

¾ cup brown sugar

4 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

Directions: 

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• 2. In a small sauce pan, bring pomegranate juice, brown sugar, cloves, and cinnamon stick to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until sauce has slightly thickened. Stir sauce as needed to prevent burning.
• 3. While sauce is cooking, zest 8 strips of orange rind that are each large enough to place in the center of each pear half.
• 4. Peel, slice and core pears. Place 1 strip of orange zest in the center, cored area of each pear half.
• 5. In a large baking dish, place pear halves with orange zest cut-side down. After sauce has thickened, pour over the pears.
• 6. Bake pears for 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes to prevent dryness.
• 7. While pears are baking, crumble goat cheese. Toast chopped pecans in a sauce pan for about 2 minutes to enhance their flavor.
• 8. Remove pears from oven; serve cut side up with a sprinkling of goal cheese and chopped, toasted pecans.

Yield:   8 pear halves

Nutrition information per serving: 117 calories, 1.2 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 3 g total fat with 0.7 g saturated fat, 1.3 mg cholesterol, 2.9 g dietary fiber, 15 mg sodium

Exchanges per serving: 1 fruit, 1 starch

Source:  Recipe by Marianne Wetherill, RD/LD  St. John Medical Center