A cold morning and a ripe pear were the inspiration for this breakfast. In summer, I'm likely just to opt for the fruit on its own, since hot cereal doesn't hold that much appeal when it is muggy outside, but when the weather turns colder, I like to start my day off with hot food. Pear and Maple Oatmeal takes advantage of seasonal flavors, since maple syrup is often included in fall recipes, and is so delicious that it almost tastes like dessert. On top of that, it's incredibly easy to make in the microwave, which makes it an easy breakfast to whip up on a busy weekday morning.
The trick to this recipe, which is after the jump, is to add in half of the pear before cooking and half after. The pear that is cooked will become very tender and almost melt into the oatmeal. The rest of the pear will soften only slightly from the heat when it is added just before serving, adding a lovely texture to the cereal.
For one serving of Pear and Maple Oatmeal, peel and dice 1/2 of a large, ripe pear. Add half of the diced pear (1/4 of the total pear) into a microwave safe bowl and top with oatmeal, milk and/or water according to oatmeal directions (usually 1/2 cup oats and 1 cup water). Add in about 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and a few drops of almond extract, along with a pinch of salt. Microwave according to oatmeal directions until cereal is creamy and oats are tender (2-5 minutes, depending on type of oats). Stir in remaining diced pear, top with maple syrup and serve.
Recipe by Nicole Weston.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-16-2006 @ 7:52AM
ginger said...
Yum!!! Eating it right now :9
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10-16-2006 @ 10:27AM
eric said...
sigh...sounds wonderful. i wish i were near a pear and some oatmeal.
sadly, the only things nearby are staples and liquid paper. which just wouldn't be the same....
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10-16-2006 @ 12:39PM
Vanessa Balchen said...
Sounds good, but from looks of it and from the instructions I'm going to assume you used rolled oats rather than steel-cut. I'll try it with steel-cut.
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10-16-2006 @ 2:10PM
ben said...
god...i totally agree - nothing soothes the cooling temperatures of winter like hot oatmeal. i have gone for oatbran hot cereal, rye meal, steel cut oats, etc., but NONE seem to have the total comfort effect of plain old oldfashioned rolled oats. the one that is perhaps best represented by quaker. although mentioned in the original post, oatmeal with some sweetener added can help out with dieting by actually replacing a 'bad' dessert in the evenings. just replace the chocolate cake or what haveyou with a maple or honey-sweetened oatmeal. the calories are still probably there but at least youll get some insulin-controlling fiber, etc:)
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10-16-2006 @ 2:17PM
RobynT said...
yum! i've been looking for ways to get more fruit into my diet and i eat oatmeal almost every morning from... october thru april! i usually put cranberries or raisins and some kind of nuts or peanut butter. and sometimes cinnamon.
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11-03-2006 @ 7:07PM
Gluten-Free By The Bay said...
Amazingly, I made this breakfast this morning without having ever seen this entry! (Pears and maple syrup in my oatmeal, but no flavorings). It was so amazingly good. Great minds think alike.
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