Pears in Caramel Cream Sauce

Falls brings lots of fresh fruit - apples, plums and pears. I use uncooked pears in salads, but they're also great as a cooked dessert. A caramel cream sauce would go well on most any fruit, but over pears it's also delightful.

These can be served by themselves, over shortcake, or ice cream.

Canned pears may be used, but because they're already tender, the caramel cream sauce can be made with some pear juice on the stove top, then the pears added and basted.

Pears in Caramel Cream Sauce
6 medium ripe, but firm pears
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups of water mixed with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Chopped nuts, or whipped cream, optional for garnish
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Peel the pears, split in half lengthwise, and remove cores. Place in in a bowl with lemon juice water to prevent browning and drain. Pour and brush butter in a large flat baking dish then arrange pears flat side down in a layer.  Sprinkle sugar on top; or prepare in individual ramekins.

Bake about 35 minutes. The sugar dissolves in pear juices and cooks into a caramel sauce, as the pears become tender.  If pears seem hard, bake another 5 or 10 minutes. If sugar caramelizes before pears are tender, add 1/2 cup water to prevent caramel from burning during the extra cooking time. 

If pears are cooked before the syrup  caramelizes, remove pears to a plate and continue to reduce the juices until it caramelizes. Add cream to the dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, basting the pears every 5 minutes. The sauce should reduce and thicken. Let cool. 

Serve pears cooled at room temperature, in individual dessert dishes with sauce on top, and if desired add additional garnish toppings. Serves 6-8.
Estimated cost. $4.00 or less.

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