Caramelized pear bread pudding

Ingredients

1. 12 ounces sturdy whole-grain bread (including crust), cut into 1-inch cubes
2. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3. 2 tablespoons canola oil
4. 3 large, ripe firm pears, peeled, halved, cored and sliced
5. 2 pinches of allspice
6. 2 3/4 cups 1% milk
7. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
8. 3 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
9. 2 tablespoons honey
10. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12. 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

Heat oven to 350 F.

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

In a large nonstick frying pan, melt half the butter over medium heat until frothy. Stir in 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Add half the pear slices to the pan and saute until evenly brown. Sprinkle a generous pinch of allspice onto the pears and remove from pan. Repeat with remaining pears.

Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange half the toasted bread cubes evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the sauteed pears and remaining bread cubes. Set aside the rest of sauteed pears.

In a large bowl, combine milk, eggs, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves. Whisk until well-blended. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes, pressing down very gently every so often until the bread absorbs the milk.

Remove the plastic wrap and arrange the rest of the pears on top. Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar. Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

This recipe is one of 150 recipes collected in "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook," published by Mayo Clinic Health Information and Oxmoor House, and winner of a James Beard award.