It’s a pear recipe! And I liked it!
What you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup water or milk of choice*
- juice of 1/2 an orange, or about 1/4 cup’s worth
- 1/2 (or a full) a pear, diced into 1/2″ cubes
- 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- pinch of salt
- handful of raisins or cranberries (optional)
- pepitas, for topping (optional)
How to make it:
- Add water and orange to a saucepan over medium heat. Add in cubed pear.
- When liquid comes to a low boil, add oats, and reduce heat to a simmer. (If you’d like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
- While oats are cooking, smash some of the pear pieces with your spatula.
- Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add allspice and salt. If using, also add raisins. Stir.
- When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice, a sprinkle of pepitas, and any other additional toppings (coconut, pecans, nut butter, etc.).
Just an FYI:
*You can make this with rolled or quick oats by increasing the liquid to 3/4 cup and the oats to 1/2 cup.
The “smashed pear” effect, made possible by mashing some of the pears with a spatula while they were cooking, created a cohesive and close-to-creamy porridge (similar to grating apples).
Second of all, the subtle hit of orange added just the right flavor to give these pears some much-needed brightness and punch, yet it still tastes distinctly pear-like.
Finally, the allspice rounds it out. Cinnamon felt too expected, so I went with allspice, which kind of tastes like a lovechild of cinnamon + nutmeg. A 1/4 teaspoon feels kind of like a lot when you’re mixing it in, but once it’s thoroughly combined, it really is the perfect amount. It remains a background flavor while lending a helping hand to the otherwise bland (*ahem*) pear.
I went with pepitas because it felt perfect for this autumn breakfast, but pecans would have been great, too.
