Quinoa pudding with pear compote

I don’t usually cook a lot with quinoa, but a friend just passed me her supply after she found out she’s allergic to it so, I thought I’d make pudding that could double as dessert or breakfast.

You already know I love rice pudding with cardamom, but this one is a little different, sweetened with honey and roasted bosc pear.

There is a lot of natural sweetness in the pear so this recipe does not require a lot of sugar.

You’ll need:

• 1 bosc pear
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 2 T dark honey
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom seeds
• 2 cups skim milk
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup quinoa

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Wrap the whole pear in foil, just leaving the stem sticking out. Roast for about 30 minutes – depending on the ripeness of your pear – until softened and fragrant.

2. In the meantime, bring quinoa and 3 cups milk to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until tender.

3. While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together sugar, honey, cardamom, and eggs in a bowl.

4. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly stir in the egg mixture into the quinoa. Stir constantly!

5. By now, your pear should be ready – chop it roughly. You can add the chopped pear right on top of the pudding once it is set – 2-3 hours in the fridge – or mix it in while it is in the final stages of cooking.