Recipe

Baked Pears with Vanilla Cream and Rum

Name: Baked Pears with Vanilla Cream and Rum
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 4 medium firm but ripe pears (about 180 g each); ½ lemon; 20 g butter; 25 g brown sugar; 3 tablespoons water (45 ml); 400 ml whole milk; 3 egg yolks; 45 g sugar; 18 g cornstarch (about 2 level tablespoons); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml); 1 pinch salt; 15 ml aged rum (optional)

Fresh pears baked with butter and brown sugar, served over a smooth vanilla cream with an optional touch of rum. Dessert for 4.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

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Preparation20 min
Cooking40 min
Total time1 h 10 min
Servings4 servings (2 pear halves per serving)
DifficultyEasy

In Cocina al minuto (1956), Nitza Villapol and Martha Martínez collected a recipe for Rum Cream Pears, a dessert made with canned pears and a rum-scented cream, very much in line with the homemade sweets served in Cuba after Sunday lunch.

This Cuban Cuisine version takes that idea but goes in a different direction: we use fresh pears baked in the oven with butter and brown sugar, and serve them in individual dishes, two golden halves over a smooth vanilla cream. The rum is optional; without it, the dessert works just as well.

Method

The pears

Preheat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F) with the rack in the center. Grease a baking dish about 20 x 30 cm with a little butter.
Squeeze the lemon into a bowl. Peel the pears, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the core with a small spoon or melon baller, along with the fibrous part going toward the stem. Dip each half in the lemon juice.
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Place the halves in the dish cut side down, in a single layer with some space between them. Sprinkle the brown sugar, distribute the butter in small pieces, and pour the water and any remaining lemon juice into the bottom of the dish.
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Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the dish, turn the halves over, and baste them with the juices. Return to the oven for another 10 to 20 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife, lightly golden on the edges, and still intact. Very ripe pears may need less time; firm ones, a bit more.
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Let the pears rest in the dish for 10 minutes; the juices will thicken slightly as they cool.

The cream (while the pears bake)

In a medium saucepan, off the heat, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add 100 ml cold milk and whisk until no lumps remain. Incorporate the yolks and whisk again.
Heat the remaining 300 ml milk in another saucepan until steaming and small bubbles appear at the edge, without bringing it to a boil. Pour it gradually over the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper them.
Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a whisk or spatula, covering the bottom and sides, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cream thickens and begins to simmer gently. Keep it bubbling for 1 minute without stopping stirring: it should coat the back of the spoon and fall in a thick, smooth ribbon.
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Remove from heat and add the vanilla and, if using, the rum. If it seems too thick, thin it with 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and let cool for about 15 minutes; stir before serving.

Assembly

Divide all the cream among 4 dessert plates and spread it slightly with the back of a spoon. Place two pear halves on top, cut side up, and baste them with a tablespoon of the baking juices.
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Tips and variations

Pear doneness. The time depends greatly on size and ripeness. Very ripe pears may be ready in about 20–25 minutes total; firm ones may require 40 minutes or more. Guide yourself by the knife: it should enter with little resistance without the pear falling apart. If the bottom of the dish dries out too early, add 1 tablespoon of water.

Varieties. Conference and Bosc hold their shape well in the oven. Juicier, softer pears like Williams also work, but they tend to soften sooner and may deform; watch them from 15 minutes on. If you prefer to leave the skin on, the pear holds its shape better, although Bosc skin can be somewhat tough.

Alcohol-free. Omit the rum. If your cream turns out a bit thick, thin it with 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk. The rum is added off the heat, so it retains practically all its alcohol; if serving children or those who do not drink alcohol, use the no-rum version.

Vanilla. You can substitute the extract with half a vanilla bean split open, infused in the milk while heating and removed before tempering the yolks. The aroma varies depending on the quality of the bean, so taste and adjust. Avoid highly concentrated artificial essences: a few drops are enough.

If lumps appear. Pass the hot cream through a fine sieve and stir well. Once thickened, do not continue boiling it for much longer than the indicated minute, as the cornstarch may lose its power.

Storage. Store the pears with their juices and the cream separately, covered and in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days. The cold cream becomes firmer: stir it well or thin it with a splash of milk before serving. The pears can be warmed for 10 minutes in the oven at 160 °C (320 °F).