Baked Stuffed Pears

4 large pears, washed

½ cup sugar

6 ounces sweet marsala wine, divided

4 ounces amaretti cookies, crushed

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large baking dish.

Cut the top off each pear and remove the core. Sprinkle sugar inside of each pear and fill with cookie crumbs and 1 ounce marsala wine. Top each with a pat of butter and sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbles.

Stand pears upright in cooking dish and add remaining marsala liquid to the pan. Cook until pears are golden in color and are tender, 35-45 minutes. You will see the skin start to tear.

Spoon some pan juice over each pear. Serve hot or room temperature.

Serves four.

Tim Hoffman, Buffalo Grove