Caramel Pears With Rosemary Honey And Walnuts Recipes

CARAMEL PEARS WITH ROSEMARY, HONEY AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Choose a baking dish or roasting pan large enough to hold pears in one layer, or use 2 pans. Scatter star anise, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds and cloves on bottom of dish.
• Put pears in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, raisins, rum and lemon juice. Coat pears evenly with mixture. Transfer to baking dish, cut-side down, in one layer. Dot with butter.
• Bake, uncovered, until pears are soft and well caramelized, about 45 minutes. Remove pears from oven, and let them sit at room temperature. Shortly before serving, drizzle the pears with honey, and sprinkle them with rosemary leaves and chopped walnuts. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve warm with plenty of sauce from the baking pan.

ROASTED PEARS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a baking pan large enough to hold the pears in a single layer: set in the heating oven until it melts.
• Sprinkle sugar over melted butter, then place pears, cut side down, on top. Bake until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, turn pears over and baste with pan sauce. Return to oven; bake until golden and glossy, about 10 minutes longer.
• Let cool slightly. Transfer pears to dessert plates or bowls. Top each with dollop of sour cream, drizzle with caramel pan sauce, sprinkle with nuts and serve.

PEARS IN HONEY AND PINE NUT CARAMEL WITH ARTISANAL CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook unsalted butter in large nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat until beginning to brown. Add pear halves, cut side down, to skillet. Drizzle honey over pears and swirl pan slightly to blend butter and honey. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until pears are tender when pierced with paring knife, swirling skillet occasionally and adding a few tablespoons water to skillet if caramel sauce turns deep amber before pears are tender, about 12 minutes.
• Transfer pears, cut side up, to serving platter. Top pears with cheese. Return skillet with caramel sauce to medium-high heat; add pine nuts to skillet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Cook until sauce in skillet is brown and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Spoon sauce over pears and serve.
• WHAT TO DRINK:
• Finish this meal on a sweet note with a late-harvest dessert wine. The honeyed pear and quince flavors of the 2006 "Le Vol des Anges" ($30) from California's Bonny Doon Vineyard are perfect with this dessert. Plus, the Roussanne grapes the wine is made from are produced using biodynamic practices.