Roasted Pears with Golden Raisins and Hazelnuts

By DreiFromBK

Roasted fruit can easily become colorless and mushy or burned and crunchy without a correct method. By starting our fruit over direct heat we were able to evaporate some of the juices released by the fruit that would otherwise get in the way of proper caramelization. Finishing the fruit in the oven allows the ambient heat to cook through the fruit while the fruit continues to darken in color.

Ingredients

• Serves 4 to 6
• Select pears that yield slightly when pressed. We prefer Bosc pears in this recipe, but Comice and Bartlett pears also work. The fruit can be served as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.
• Ingredients
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ripe but firm Bosc pears (6 to 7 ounces each), peeled, halved, and cored
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, plus 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/4 cups dry white wine
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped

Details

Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Melt 1½ tablespoons butter in ovensafe 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place pear halves, cut side down, and ginger slices in skillet. Cook, without moving them, until pears are just beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Transfer skillet to oven and roast pears for 15 minutes. Using tongs, flip pears and continue to roast until fork easily pierces fruit, 10 to 15 minutes longer (skillet handle will be hot).

3. Using tongs, transfer pears to platter and discard ginger slices. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add wine, raisins, sugar, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bring to vigorous simmer, whisking to scrape up any browned bits. Cook until sauce is reduced and has consistency of maple syrup, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice and grated ginger.

4. Pour sauce over pears, sprinkle with hazelnuts, and serve.