Baked Oatmeal with Roasted Pears

Today I made a breakfast dish that actually makes me excited about getting out of bed for breakfast.  Baked Oatmeal with Roasted Pears was definitely worth getting up for.  This is another recipe from Not Without Salt, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite food blogs.  

This wonderful breakfast (or brunch, if you like to sleep in) dish is compared to dessert, and indeed, it is good enough for dessert!  I knew this would be delicious, but I was still surprised at how amazingly good it was.  I love recipes like this, that are easy to prepare and don't include obscure ingredients available only at specialty shops.  I had everything I needed in my fridge and pantry.  It took only a few minutes to throw together.  The hardest part was waiting the 45 minutes it took to bake.

Just a note: I changed only one thing.  I left out the nutmeg.  I really don't care for it. Oh yeah, and I left out the rosemary, but that was an optional ingredient, so I don't know if that counts as a change.  And I put pecans in the crumble because that's what I had.

Here is the masterpiece upon its exit from the oven:

Impressive, no?

And here it is again in my bowl:

I drizzled a tiny bit of maple syrup over the top, but I think it would have been flavourful enough on its own.  The first bite, oatmeal, pear, pecans and syrup, was delightful!  It reminded me a bit of bread pudding, but with a slightly different texture.  The combination of cinnamon and vanilla was perfect.  The pears were perfectly roasted in their little oatmeal beds.  Mmmm....actually, I can't wait to get out of  bed tomorrow so I can have some more.  And maybe eat more for an afternoon snack.  And dessert.  If there is any left by that time!

Kim, you must try this one.  You won't be disappointed.  I money-back-guarantee it.  And if you don't like it, well, you'll just have to come all the way over here for your money back.  :)