Baked Pears

BAKED PEARS

10 fresh hard pears
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup lentils
½ tsp salt
1 cup beef broth (or water)
¼ cup dates, pitted, finely chopped
½ tsp died sweet basil, crushed

1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tbspoon brown sugar or honey
¼ cup + 1 tbs water


Cut pears in half longwise.  Carefully scoop out the pit and core leaving a uniform ½-3/4 inch wall.  Coat with lemon juice to prevent browning.  Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.  Bake at 350 5-10 minutes, allowing pears to go from hard to firm.  Do not let them get soft.  Set aside to cool.

Wash lentils and place them in a deep pot with salt, dates, basil and broth to cover by 2 inches.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 15-20 minutes.  Add more broth or boiling water if needed. Lentils should be just tender but double their raw size.

Wash berries and remove any extra stems. In a deep pot, bring berries, sugar and water to a quick boil.  Berries will rise and pop. (be careful, berries pop high and hot).  Remove immediately when 1/3 of the berries have popped.  Cool.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of lentils into the pears; top with one teaspoon of raspberries.