Baked Pears w/ Currants & Walnuts

this is so ingenious, i am obsessed with neat desserts like this

FROM BLUE KITCHEN (blue-kitchen.com)

(serves 4)
4 firm, ripe Anjou pears

1/4cup sugar

1/4cup [packed] dark brown sugar

3/4tsp cinnamon

1/4cup dried currants

1/4cup chopped toasted walnuts [or pecans]

1/3cup water [or more]

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Using a vegetable peeler or apple corer, core pears. I started at the base, working around the blossom end with a vegetable peeler. Then I worked around the stem at the top. When I pushed from the bottom of the pear, the core easily slid out. Don’t peel the pears, but slice a bit off the bottom so they’ll stand straight in a baking dish. I also trimmed a little off the tops to give them a clean edge. Set pears in an 8×8-inch glass baking dish.
3. Mix sugar, brown sugar & cinnamon in a medium bowl. S

4. Stir in currants & walnuts.

5. Fill cavities of pears w/half the sugar mixture ( I made a cone from a sheet of paper to help me do this step).

6. Stir the water into the remaining sugar & pour it around the base of the pears.

7. Bake pears uncovered until tender, about 50min, basting occasionally with pan juices. Juices will become syrupy as they cook down. If they become too thick, add water, about 1/8 \cup at a time. By the time the pears were done, I had added about 1/4 cup of water.

8. Transfer pears to individual serving plates, slice in half and spoon syrup around them. Serve.

*NOTES:

PEAR. I specified Anjou pears for this recipe, has more to do with their barrel-like shape than their flavor.

TOASTED NUTS. walnuts, pine nuts, pecans—just throw shelled nuts into a dry nonstick skillet and toast them over a medium flame, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. For walnuts or pecans, probably 3 to 5 minutes. For pine nuts, which are smaller, less time is needed. Just be careful not to burn them. Transfer to a plate to cool. You can also throw nuts on a cookie sheet and toast them in the oven. This works particularly well for thick-bodied nuts like cashews and almonds.

http://www.blue-kitchen.com/2008/10/22/you-can-keep-your-apples%E2%80%94baked-pears-make-for-a-great-seasonal-dessert/