Perfect Pear: Simply Delicious Meals In A Snap Pearsare a delicious, nutritious way to get your daily servingsoffruit. (NAPSA)—The hubbubof the holidays shouldn’t mean taking a break from healthful eating. Fortunately, no matter how hectic your schedule becomes, there’s always time for working some delicious fruit into yourdiet. Pears can be a great place to start. Besides being delicious, they’re wonderfully nutritious—an excellent source of dietary fiber that contains vitamin C andis also a source of potassium, with only about 100 calories per serving. Pears are great anytime of the day: Try pear halves with yogurt for breakfast. Pack one with your lunch. Cut one up over a dinner salad. Or top a dish of ice cream for dessert. In addition, there are many varieties to enjoy throughout the year: Bartlett, Anjou, Bose and Comice. Each has a distinct texture, color and flavor that can be made into savory snacks, main dishes, appetizers, salads and desserts. And remember: Adding pears to a main dish gives food a burst of flavor while helping your family get the recommended five to nine daily servingsof fruits and veggies. The following quick-and-easy recipe does not use a traditional sauce, letting the juicy pears bring a sweet balance to the Parmesan and prosciutto’s more salty flavors. Using a prepared pizza crust makes this an effortless meal or a beautiful and savory appetizer. Savory Pear Pizza 1 prepared pizza dough crust (such as Boboli) 3 T. extra virgin oliveoil 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 oz. grated, fresh Parmesan cheese 3 oz. chopped prosciutto or thinly sliced cured ham 1 red Anjou pear, cored and sliced very thinly 1. Preheat oven to 450F. 2. Place pizza crust on baking sheet. 3. Spread olive oil and garlic over the pizza crust. 4, Top with cheese, prosciutto and pearslices. 5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 6. Slice and serve. Serves6. For more delicious pear recipes, visit www.usapears.org.
