Firm allotment pears bake until tender with a spoonful of blackberry, hazelnut and oat filling. The pears make individual portions and the juices form a simple fruit sauce in the dish.
Ingredients
- 4 medium, ripe but firm Pears
- 150g, fresh or frozen Blackberries
- 50g Rolled oats
- 40g, roughly chopped Hazelnuts
- 35g Light brown sugar
- 35g, cold and cubed Vegan block butter
- 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 100ml Water
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Halve the pears lengthways and scoop out the cores with a teaspoon. Arrange them cut-side up in a baking dish that holds them snugly.
- Toss the blackberries with the lemon juice. Mix the oats, chopped hazelnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, then rub in the cold vegan butter until clumps form. Fold the blackberries through gently.
- Spoon the filling into the pear cavities and around the tops. Pour the measured water into the base of the dish, avoiding the filling.
- Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 8–10 minutes, until the pears are tender when pierced and the filling is crisp at the edges.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving with plant cream or yoghurt. Spoon the warm blackberry juices from the dish over the pears.
Allotment tip
Choose pears that are fragrant but still firm; very ripe fruit can collapse before the topping browns. Covering the dish for the first part of baking keeps the fruit moist.
Ingredient swaps
Use walnuts instead of hazelnuts, or omit the nuts and add 20g extra oats. Apples can be baked in the same way, but check tenderness before serving as cooking time varies by variety.
Allergens: Hazelnuts (tree nuts) and oats. Check the oats for gluten cross-contact and the vegan butter label for other declared allergens.
Storing leftovers
Cool leftovers promptly, refrigerate within two hours and eat within 48 hours or freeze. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.