Ricotta & Caramelised Pear with Poppy Seed Yogurt

Caramelised pear and creamy ricotta are lush and satiating together.  It can be served as a delicious sweet treat or a special breakfast. It does contain dairy (it’s not 100% paleo) and honey so if you avoid either of those, stick with some eggs and bacon. When I need a break from eggs for breakfast or I am ravenous after a workout, I often have ricotta with some fruit and nuts to fuel my body with fats, carbs and protein all in one meal.

If you’re wondering whether you should have ricotta cheese or not, keep in mind that it contains mostly whey protein as most casein is gone during the making process and is therefore very low in lactose, less than 1 gm per 100 grams. If lactose (a form of sugar) and casein (a form of protein) are the problematic substances for you when it comes to dairy, then ricotta might be a pretty healthy option for you. It’s high in protein, good saturated fat, calcium and vitamin A. Read more about dairy and Paleo on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Pear is a lovely, low GI fruit like berries and apples and contains a lot of vitamins and fibre. Plus, it tastes heavenly sweet and has a beautiful aroma. I used a little honey to help with caramelisation.

The dish is finished off with a dollop of natural, unsweetened yoghurt, which is full of probiotics. You can replace the ground poppy seeds with ground hazelnuts or coconut flakes. I love the colour and texture contrast it brings to the dish.

Ricotta & Caramelised Pear with Poppy Seed Yogurt

• Author: Irena Macri
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 5
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x
• Category: Dessert, Breakfast

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 Williams pear, large

1 tbsp honey + a little extra to drizzle at the end

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Ghee or butter

2 cups full-fat ricotta, organic if possible

3 tbsp full fat natural Greek yoghurt, unsweetened

1 + 1/2 tbsp ground poppy seeds

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Instructions

Slice the pear into thin slices, leave the tails and seeds as they are. We want to preserve the outline of the pear for the presentation. If you don’t care about the looks, slice the pear any way you like.

Mix the honey with lemon juice and coat the pear slices, letting them marinate for a few minutes.

Heat a frying pan with a little ghee or butter to medium-high. Place pear slices and fry for two and a half minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Build a stack with ricotta and pear slices as shown in the pick. Mix the yoghurt with poppy seeds and serve on the side. Drizzle with a little extra honey, if you like.

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