Nourish: This healthful pear recipe can start your day or sweeten the end of it
This dish of warm, cinnamon-scented pears with a nutty crumble topping makes you feel good before you even take a bite. Its homey aroma fills your kitchen as it bakes so you can't help but smile with anticipation.
The dessert delivers completely when you dig in, too, not only because it hits the spot as a comfort-food classic but also because it achieves that goal in a healthier way. Rather than being loaded with added sugar, the natural sweetness and subtle flavor of ripe pears shines through, enhanced with a little maple syrup and gently spiced with ground cinnamon and ginger.
And instead of leaning on butter, white flour and sugar for the crumble topping, this one is centered on the nutty crunch of ground almonds (or almond meal) with healthy oil and two kinds of whole grains: oats and whole-wheat flour. The recipe has just the right level of sweetness to satisfy as a dessert, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt on top, but not so much that it would be out of place for breakfast. I can tell you firsthand that, with a dollop of yogurt, it is a lovely way to start the day.
• Ellie Krieger is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and author who hosts public television's "Ellie's Real Good Food." She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.