All you need to have on hand to make this delightfully simple and relatively wholesome dessert are two ingredients—pears and sugar (plus water). A melon baller makes quick work of coring pears, but a small spoon can be used instead.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　4 ripe but firm red Bartlett pears

　　1/3 cup sugar

　　1/2 cup water, plus more if needed

　　

Step 1

Halve pears lengthwise; remove cores. Place sugar on a plate.

　　

Step 2

Heat a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium. Press cut side of each halved pear in sugar, then place, cut side down, in skillet (fit will be snug). Cook (uncovered) until sugared sides are beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Pour water into skillet. Cover; simmer until pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 5 to 10 minutes (depending on ripeness), adding more water if sugar begins to burn. Remove pears from skillet with a slotted spoon.

　　

Step 4

If liquid in pan is thin, simmer until thickened to a sauce-like consistency; if it is very thick, add more water. Serve sauce over pears.

　　Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2010 by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Published by the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Martha Stewart Living magazine was first published in 1990. Over the years, more than two dozen books have been published by the magazine’s editors.Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of best-selling books on cooking, entertaining, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the successful daily syndicated television show.