Cold weather is here and so are the pears. This is a favorite dessert at our house and so easy to prepare. Only a touch of honey or maple syrup sweetener is used and the roasting process with the ghee makes the pears silky and decadent. You can also make it with zero added sweetener, which I often do. If you do not add the sweetener, expect less caramelization.
Here goes:
- 4 Pears (Bosc, Anjou, or Asian best) ripe, but still firm
- 2 Tb. of ghee (my favorite is 4th and Heart Vanilla Ghee) If you don’t tolerate ghee, coconut oil is a great choice.
- 2 Tb. raw, local honey or maple syrup (or NO sweetener at all)
- Pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon to taste
- A splash of Amaretto or Frangelico (optional and not safe for those with nut allergies)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put ghee in a roasting pan and melt it in the oven. Wash and dry the pears and then cut, core, and peel (optional) them into quarters or halves.
Place them into the heated roasting pan with the ghee. Toss the pears so they are coated in the melted ghee. Drizzle the pears with 2 TB of honey or maple syrup.
Roast the pears. This takes about 15 minutes. Time will vary depending on how you cut them, type of pear, and how firm they are. You can see in the picture that they have browned (caramelized) a bit. Just don’t roast so long they become mush. If desired, add a splash of Frangelico or Amaretto and then cook for a few minutes more.
You can really dress these up by serving with your favorite ice cream and/or spiced nuts.
Enjoy!