Maple-sauteed pears

I've had this post on my mind for the last few days, mostly because a food processor is the one big thing I'm going to buy for myself after the move and I keep daydreaming about all of the fabulous things I'm going to use it for. With a write-up like that one, obviously I have to include chicken liver pate on that list. And aside from the fact that the timing is perfect for incipient food-processor ownership, I love the rest of the menu, the combination of sophistication and homeyness, the grown-up-ness of it, and the perfect balance between what my friend Karen used to call the lardy and the fruity elements of the meal.

So when I was kicking around a friend's kitchen Sunday morning while she cooked up some thick-cut bacon and gorgonzola scrambled eggs and baguette with pesto for us (because I'm the luckiest girl alive), I thought back to Sarah's note that the maple apples would be equally good with pears and made these happen.
We ate them plain with the rest of our breakfasts, but both agreed that they'd be outstanding with plain yogurt and a little granola for less indulgent mornings. Or with cake. Or cooked down a bit more and spread on toast. If you have access to grade B maple syrup, use it. It's sometimes sold as baking or cooking maple syrup and is darker and more intense than the grade A stuff. But it doesn't really matter — just don't use the fake stuff.

Maple-sauteed pears
more or less from Pink of Perfection

5 ripe pears, cored and sliced into 16ths (that is, each quarter quartered)
2 T butter
maple syrup
juice of 1/4 lemon
pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the pears. Stir to coat. Drizzle maple syrup over the top. I use a light hand here, but if you like things sweeter, by all means add more. Stir and let cook over med-low heat until the fruit softens. Add the lemon juice and salt and take off the heat.