By Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator for The Food Co-op

Porridges belong in the front line of breakfasts. We know about oatmeal, but we can make porridges from any starchy plant that’s cooked down into a comforting mush. Forget the lumpy glue of your childhood! I’m talking creamy grains, with sophisticated flavors and crunchy toppings. I’m talking YUM! Let’s explore pairing porridges with pears and see where it takes us?   

Porridge in the Instant Pot

You can cook many cereals in the Instant Pot, and if you use a steamer basket insert lined with parchment paper, its hands-off with no pot to scrub. I use a Salbree stainless steamer basket for the 6 quart Instant Pot. Add 1 ½ cups of water in the inner pot, then scrunch parchment paper and line the basket. I measure my ingredients into the basket with added water, close the lid and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes with a natural release. When it’s done, I lift the basket out and use the parchment paper to slide the finished cereal into a storage container. I eat some of it hot and store the rest in the fridge to reheat for breakfasts for the rest of the week. I like to reheat in a flat bowl in my air fryer at 390 F for 4 to 5 minutes. It gets a crunchy top that’s great with butter and milk.

What you can make into porridge

Oats, barley, rye, wheat, millet, rice, corn, teff, amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat. Additions: coconut, seeds, nuts and fruits. Buy in bulk and mix and match for designer porridges with your favorite spices and additions. Go farther with your grain cooking in the Instant Pot with “The Instant Pot Cookbook” by Laurel Randolph 

Roasted Pears

A perfectly ripe autumnal pear diced on top of your porridge needs no other gilding, is perfect, and also the easiest option, so it’s a win-win. But, there are other options: try roasting unripe pears, dotted with butter and sprinkled with the spice blend in a 425 F oven for 15-20 minutes or until soft and sweet. You can do up a whole baking sheet and warm up this roasted pear compote for the rest of the week to top your porridge.

Pear Porridge Spice Blend

Grind the following into a powder using a spice grinder: 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3 allspice berries, 2 whole cloves, ½ teaspoon dried ginger, ¼ teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon decorticated cardamom, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds. If you don’t own a spice grinder, my recommendation is the Secura Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder with 2 Stainless Steel Blades Removable Bowls. I own two of these and would never go with any other model.     

Flavors that go well with pears and porridge

Allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, star anise, fennel, vanilla, dried cranberries, dried figs, dried apricots, raisins, prunes, dates, smoked almonds, toasted walnuts, toasted pecans, roasted hazelnuts, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, liquid monk fruit. Mild yogurt, butter, whole milk

Pear and porridge morning combos

Raisins + walnuts + honey

Cranberries + pecans + maple syrup

Figs + almonds + honey

Hazelnuts + dried apricots + brown sugar

Savory pears and porridge ideas

Honey + rosemary

Stilton cheese + hazelnuts + balsamic vinegar

Gorgonzola + walnuts + olive oil

Bacon + goat cheese

Pears and Porridge

Instant Pot Makes 4 cups

⅓ cup quinoa, rinse if unwashed

⅓ cup raw buckwheat groats, not roasted kasha 

⅓ cup amaranth, whole not flakes

⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

⅓ cup hulled sunflower seeds

⅓ cup dried cranberries

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 ½ cups water

Pinch of sea salt

Roasted Pear Compote

4 not quite ripe pears, chopped

1 tablespoon of pear spice mix (recipe in article)  

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup pecans, chopped

Maple syrup for serving

1. Add 1 ½ cups water to the bottom of an Instant Pot. Line an insert basket with parchment paper, wad it up and unfold so it fits in easier. Add the quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, cinnamon, pinch of salt and water to the basket.

2. Set to high pressure for 10 minutes with a natural release.

3. Lift the basket out and use the parchment paper to lift the porridge out and into a serving bowl.

4. While the porridge is cooking, preheat the oven to 425 F Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lay the pears on the sheet pan with butter and spice mix scattered in. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until the pears are delicious. Add the chopped pecans during the last 4 to 5 minutes and allow them to get hot and toasty.

5. Serve the porridge hot, with milk, maple syrup and a dollop of the pear compote with toasted pecans.   

Pear and Blueberry Buckwheat Breakfast Bake

Makes 9x13 casserole

For Buckwheat

1 cup dry hulled buckwheat groats (not toasted kashi)

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 cups water

For Crumble  

2 cups pecans 

½ cup hulled raw sunflower seeds

¼ cup ground flaxseeds

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup pitted dates, chopped 

For Fruit

3 cups chopped pears

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 

¼ cup tapioca flour

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons liquid monk fruit, or sweetener of choice (for cane sugar, use 2 tablespoons per cup of fruit= ¾ cup)

1. Line the casserole with parchment paper. I scrunch the parchment into a wad and unfold it, so that it’s easy to fit into the shape. 

2. In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add 1 cup buckwheat groats and ½ teaspoon salt, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let stand with the lid on for 20 minutes. Drain the cooked groats in a colander.

3. While the buckwheat is cooking: grind the flax in a spice grinder. Using a food processor — pulse the pecans, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, salt and ground flax together. Make small pieces, but not a paste, so try 5 to 6 pulses. Pulse the chopped dates separately in the same way.

4. In a work bowl, mix the blueberries, pears, sweetener of choice, vanilla and tapioca together.

5. Divide the buckwheat into two bowls. Mix half of the nut and seed crumble mixture into each bowl and all the dates into one.

6. Press the mixture with the nuts, seeds and dates into the bottom of the prepared casserole. Add the fruit to the middle, and top with the seed, nut and buckwheat mixture.

7. Bake in a preheated 375℉ oven for 40 minutes. If you want the casserole sweeter, or to have a baked sugar top, sprinkle on a handful of brown sugar during the last 10 minutes of baking. 

Serve warm, or allow to cool. I think the casserole gets better as the flavors develop. We warm individual slices, or eat them cold. 

Pear Tart with Crumble Crust

Makes one 9-inch tart with enough for some extra smaller tarts

Simple, elegant pear tart with rosette of pear slices.

Pear Ingredients

10 medium pars

Use 6 to make compote

Use 4 for pear slices on top of tart

½ teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon powdered stevia

1 tablespoon whole cane sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions for pear compote

Preheat oven to 425 F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Small dice pears, combine dry ingredients and sprinkle over pears and dot with butter

Roast for 20 min. Stir the pears and roast for another 15 minutes. Cool and puree until smooth.

Instructions for Pears

Quarter, core and slice pears thinly ⅛ inch

If they break too easily when you’re forming the tart, blanch them for 1 minute  

Crumble Crust Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup gluten-free flour or flour of your choice

1 cup walnuts

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup unsalted cold butter cut into small cubes

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon quatre epices or pie spice

¼ cup whole cane sugar

¼ teaspoon stevia powder

Instructions for crumble dough

In a food processor, combine all crumble ingredients and pulse until they come together like a cookie dough.

Constructing and Baking Tart

Press crumble dough ½ inch thick firmly into the bottom of a round 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom and chill while preparing pears

Preheat oven to 375 F

Layer pureed cold pear compote over the crumble crust about ½ inch thick

Starting on the outside of the tart overlap by ½ the pear slices with peel side up and bottom stuck into the sauce as an anchor. Keep going around forming a rosette until you reach the middle of the tart. Use your thumb to hold the slice before in place as you add the next one. In the center, fold two slices ends towards each other to fill in. Brush the pears with melted butter.

Bake for  30 minutes or until the apples are cooked as liked.