Coconut-stuffed Port-baked pears
Port-baked pears
The only downfall of this recipe is remembering to brush the pears with port every ten minutes. Yes, it is just a tad of a hassle, but don’t stress yourself out with fancy timers and what not. The main reason for the “ten minutes” is firstly to make sure the pear does not “dry out” too much and secondly, so that you keep an eye on your pears and don’t completely forget about their existence, resulting in a “ What is that burnt smell?... Oh no!” situation.
While there are many different types of ‘Port’ or Port wine, depending on the types of grapes used and the method of ageing, Port is generally said to *originate* from Portugal! Aah! Yes! Did you too only just spot the link between the names Port and Portugal? Very imaginative naming really. Imagine if Australia had a major export drink named Austral! Oh the cogs in the clocks are turning! It’s a wonder that that name has not been copyrighted already! But back to the port-baked pears! They have quite a strong port flavour, but this helps to enhance the sweetness of the pears. And it goes great with vanilla ice-cream!
Port-baked pears
Ingredients: 1 egg white lightly beaten, 1/3 cup caster sugar, ˝ cup desiccated coconut, 2 pears halved and cores removed, 1 cup port
Steps: Preheat the oven to moderate, 180 degrees Celsius. Place the egg white, sugar and coconut in a bowl and stir well to combine, Spoon 1 tbsp coconut mixture into the centre of each pear and place in a 3L baking tray. Pour half the port over the pears and bake for 45-50 minutes, brushing with port every 10 minutes, or until the pears are tender and the coconut is golden. Serve hot! Drizzle with extra port or serve with ice-cream!
Serves 4
