Roasted Pears
OK, brace yourself. I warn you: I wasn't prepared for this.
Roasting? Pears? I know about poaching. And just eating them raw. But roasting?
Apparently, Bruce got this idea from Chanterelle, the long-lamented, there-forever-but-somehow-goon-too-soon, five-star restaurant in New York City. Chef David Waltuck was kind enough to give us a quote for the back of our HAM tome. And these were apparently quite the hit in the restaurant. I wouldn't know. I just know Bruce's morphed version. And wow, I wasn't ready.
Hope you are. . . .
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375F. Peel and core eight pears. Tedious, for sure. I did the peeling with a vegetable peeler. (Chef Bruce rolled his eyes at me. You know those chefs. They have to use knives. The bigger, the better. I'm surprised he didn't insist I peel the pears with a Chinese cleaver.)
Bruce did the coring. Believe it or not, he used a melon baller. He sliced off a bit of the bottom of each pear, then hulled out the bottom, removing more seeds and fibrous membranes.
Put all the pears in a big bowl and drizzle 2 tablespoons toasted walnut oil (yum!) over them. Rub and roll them around to coat them very well, then stand them up in a baking dish.
Whisk 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl until the sugar and honey dissolve. Pour this around the pears in the baking dish and put the whole thing in the oven.
Now the hard part. Roast for 1 hour. OK, that's not hard. But baste them every once in a while, maybe four times during the first hour.
First?? Yep. Continue roasting for 1 more hour. And here's where it gets a tad ridiculous. You must tip them over, this way and that, basting them often with the honey syrup, on this side and that, until they're tender when prodded with a fork. In other words, you can't go run an errand. (Not that you would with the oven on.) You have to stick around.
But that's it. All you need is some vanilla-scented whipped cream, or vanilla-scented marscarpone, or even vanilla ice cream. Stand them up on plates and drizzle any remaining syrup around them. And the final result? Ready?
dessert, fruit desserts, pears, roasted, roasted pears
Reader Comments (6)
Actually, funnily enough, I do believe in roasted pears, I just never thought of them as a dessert. I've been doing them as a side-dish. I saw a recipe somewhere long ago for sliced, roasted pears with rosemary, dots of butter, oil and s & p. I actually served them for lunch with a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin the other day. Nom nom nom.
Though, vanilla marscarpone? You may have just made my day. And I have many vanilla beans just sitting around just smelling gorgeous..... (Of course, if you have any unique ideas for them, speak up! lol)
oh,looks delicious!a great way to eat pears!
Nik: Easy for the cheese. Just mix mascarpone with a little confectioners' sugar and some vanilla seeds. Let it sit overnight for the best flavor. Crazy and good.
Thanks, Alison. It is a great way to eat pears. And Nik's idea above, to serve them this way as a sort-of-savory side dish is brilliant!
M.
Pears roasted for two hours? They look luscious, and I'm so impressed they haven't disintegrated into nothing. And I'm with you on this one - if I peel with a knife, there's no fruit left by the time I'm finished. Or skin on my fingers for that matter. :)
I made the pears today. I didn't have walnut oil and had forgotten to get it at the grocery store, but they were tasty none the less. Basting the pears wasn't a big deal and my son enjoyed watching the liquid roll down the pears. I made a whipped cream with a splash of homemade vanilla that I had been making since June. The pears were scrumptious, and even my husband who is not into deserts (not like me) is ready to have them again tomorrow night for desert. Thanks for another fun, easy, and delicious recipe.
Dawn
Aren't they fantastic, Dawn? Somebody suggested butter. Nik? I'm always on the alert for butter. And a little melted butter wouldn't be a bad thing. But the walnut oil offers them a nutty taste, quite nice for the fall. I'm also thinking toasted pecan oil would be a fine addition. Or Bruce says that next time he might drizzle a little syrupy balsamic over them as a finish--although I'd never turn down whipped cream.
M.