Pears are one of a delicious fruits that make an excellent healthy dessert. Enjoy this Reisling Baked Pears recipe from Eating Well:

4 servings

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Low calorie | Low cholesterol | Low saturated fat | Low sodium | Heart healthy | Healthy weight | High fiber | Gluten free |

View Our Nutrition Guidelines »

Ingredients

• 4 ripe pears, preferably Bosc, with stems, washed and dried
• 2 cups Riesling or other fruity white wine
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 strips orange zest, (see Tip)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each pear, so they will stand upright. Arrange the pears in a 9- to 10-inch pie pan or similar baking dish. Whisk wine and honey in a medium bowl until well blended; pour over the pears. Add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and orange zest to the wine mixture around the pears.
3. Roast the pears, basting every 15 minutes, until they are wrinkled and tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the type of pear used.
4. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to shallow dessert bowls. Pour the wine mixture into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Drizzle over the pears and garnish with the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and orange zest. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

• Tip: Scrub the orange first—and if it’s an organic orange, so much the better—then use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of orange zest, leaving behind any of the bitter white pith.

Nutrition

Per serving: 241 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 43 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 4 g fiber; 2 mg sodium; 176 mg potassium.

3 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 fruit, 2 other carbohydrate

Juicing for Health explains the nutritional benefits of eating pears:

Health Benefits

Pears are often recommended as a hypo-allergenic fruit that is high in fiber but less likely to produce adverse reactions.  Pear juice is safe to be introduced to infants as they are mild, yet healthful. 

Blood pressure:  Pears have anti-oxidant and anti-carcinogen glutathione which help prevent high blood pressure and stroke.

Cancer prevention:  The high vitamin C and copper content act as good anti-oxidants that protect cells from damages by free radicals.

Cholesterol:  The high content of pectin in pears make it very useful in helping to lower cholesterol levels.

Colon health:  When not juicing, eat the pear whole for its precious fiber that are highly beneficial for your colon health.

Constipation:  The pectin in pears is diuretic and have a mild laxative effect.  Drinking pear juice regularly helps regulate bowel movements.

Energy:  You can get quick and natural source of energy from pear juice, due largely to its high amounts of fructose and glucose.

Fever:  The cooling effect in pear is excellent in relieving fever.  Best way to bring a fever down quickly is by drinking a big glass of pear juice.

Immune booster:  The anti-oxidant nutrients in pears are critical in building up your immune system.  Drink pear juice when you feel a cold coming.

Inflammation:  Pear juice has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps relieve sufferers of much pain in various inflammatory conditions.

Osteoporosis:  Pears contain high level of boron.  Boron helps the body to retain calcium, thus prevents or retards osteoporosis.

Pregnancy:  The high content of folate (folic acid) prevents neural tube defects in infants.

Shortness of breath:  The summer heat may cause children to have shortness of breath with excessive phlegm.  Drink pear juice during this period to help clear the phlegm.

Throat problem:  The pears are in season during the summer for a reason.  Drinking pear juice every morning and night helps to cool your body down during this time.  It nourishes the throat and helps prevent throat problems.

Vocal chord:  Boil two Chinese pear juice with some raw honey and drink warm.  This is extremely healing for the throat and the vocal cord.