3 Bartlett pears, cut lengthwise into eighths, seeds removed
¾ teaspoon of salt
¼ cup maple syrup
5 tablespoons of salted butter, softened
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Vanilla ice cream
Toss pear slices in a bowl with ½ teaspoon of salt and the maple syrup. Dump the mixture into a pie dish. Using the same bowl, mix together the butter, dark brown sugar, oats and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. I use my hands to grind the sugar and oats together with the butter, creating a thick, rough paste. Crumble this on top of the pears in the pie dish, and bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for 40 minutes more. Easy, right? Serve hot with vanilla ice cream. Serves 4.
