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Baked Pear and Chai-spiced Oats
Updated: Oct 5
Warming chai-spiced oats with soft, juicy, oven baked pears. Absolute perfection!
I love the cool autumn mornings, dressed in a few extra layers, eating a warm bowl of oats and a view of the changing trees on the hills which are slowly revealing the houses standing between them.
The smell of the chai-spices and freshly ground coffee filling our little home is comforting and inviting.
Currently we have a big bowl sitting on our table filled with these beautiful bronze-coloured pears which remind me of autumn leaves. In my opinion these are perfect to use in this autumn breakfast.
I am telling you the chai flavours with the sweet pears and the warm porridge is just incredible!
WHAT IS CHAI AND WHAT ARE ITS BENEFITS?
The origin of chai dates back over 5000 years in India and was created as a medicinal, healing spiced beverage. The spices varied from region to region and depended on climate and the different health benefits the spices provided.
For this recipe I used only ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg, but feel free to add a pinch of cloves, cardamom or star anise.
CINNAMON
health benefits include:
cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants
may reduce inflammation.
may reduce the risk of heart diseases
GINGER
health benefits include:
may lower blood sugars
loaded with antioxidants
may reduce the risk of heart diseases
may reduce muscle soreness and pain
may reduce inflammation
NUTMEG
health benefits include:
promotes healthy skin
may boost immune system functions
sooth indigestion
may strengthen cognitive function
PEARS
Pears are one of my favourite fruits and are currently in season here in the UK, which means they are so much tastier, so juicy and freshly sweet.
Not only delicious, but pears provide essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium and also small amounts of calcium, iron and magnesium.
For these oven baked pears, I suggest using soft pears, as that will speed up the cooking time. If the pears are very firm, you might have to bake the pears a bit longer until completely soft.
OTHER BREAKFAST RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
ROASTED PEAR & CHAI-SPICED PORRIDGE
Sweet and full of flavour. The perfect comforting autumn porridge.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 min
Cooking time: 25 - 35 min, depending on the softness of the pears
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PORRIDGE
1 cup rolled oats, gluten-free if needed
3 cups water/unsweetened almond milk * (the amount of liquid will depend on your preference of the consistency)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
a good pinch of fine sea salt
maple syrup or a mashed banana to serve**
FOR THE PEARS
2 fresh pears (I used Bosc pears - which I absolutely love!)
half a tbsp maple syrup
TO SERVE (optional)
toasted hazelnuts
oat yoghurt
chocolate granola
additional cinnamon
maple syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE PEARS
Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius.
Cut the pears in half and remove the core.
Place the pear halves cut side down in a small over-proof dish and add 2-3 tablespoons of water.
Cover the dish with aluminium foil and place in the oven.
Bake the pears for about 25 - 35min - The cooking time will highly depend on the type and the softness of the pear.
In the meantime, start cooking the oats as per instructions below.
After 20 min test the softness of the pears with a fork and add more water if needed.
This next step is optional: Once the pears are cooked fry them cut-side down in a hot pan with a splash of water (or coconut oil/vegan butter) and half a tbsp of maple syrup to caramelize the pears.
Once caramelized, remove them from the pan and serve hot with the cooked oats.
FOR THE OATS
Add all the porridge ingredients to a saucepan or small pot and cook for about 10 - 20 min on low heat, stirring constantly (or as per packaging instructions). I suggest starting with 2 and half cups of liquid and add more during the cooking process if needed. The cooking time highly depend on the consistency you like. I cooked the oats for about 15 min and used 3 cups of liquid.
Serve immediately with the cooked pears and a drizzle of maple syrup. I added a dollop of oat yoghurt, toasted hazelnuts and buckwheat groats.
NOTES
*I used half water, half almond milk.
** You can use a mashed banana instead for sweetness. Simply add the mashed banana to the oats for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. It will make the oats even creamier.
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