Recipe for baked pears on a barbecue

It’s nice to have something sweet to eat when camping. That sugar hit seems restorative after a day usually spent walking, swimming, and the like. If you’re into out of season camping, this recipe from Chef Skye Gyngell is a wonderful winter warmer. It’s also great fun to make if you like to cook at the allotment. You can change it up a little by using apples stuffed with dates, which is equally delicious. Take care not to burn the pears (or apples) with too fierce a heat.

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Baked pears with honey, marsala and bay (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients

• 8 firm pears (Martin Sec, Comice or Conference)
• 600ml marsala
• 220ml fragrant honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
• finely pared zest of 1 lemon
• sprig of bay leaves (4 or 5 leaves)

Method

1. Place pears in a clay or roasting dish with a lid (or cover with tinfoil) in which they fit quite snugly with stalks uppermost.
2. Pour over the marsala and drizzle over the honey, then add cinnamon stick, vanilla pod, lemon zest and bay leaves.
3. Place dish on or near the embers or a dying fire (or in an earth oven once it’s lost some of it’s heat) and roast for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for a further 20 minutes. Check it’s not cooking too quickly or it will burn. The pears should be soft and the skin slightly wrinkly.
5. Serve warm (not hot) with the marsala and honey syrup spooned over. Add crème fraiche if you fancy. Although they are good enough on their own.