Roast Caramelized Pears

Adapted from Jacques Pepin

Encore with Claudine

 

4              Anjou or Bartlett pears of equal size

2 tsp       unsalted butter

1 tbsp      lemon Juice

¼ cup      sugar – white or demerara (sugar in the raw)

3-4 tbsp   water or fruit juice (orange juice works well)

3 tbsp      sweet liquor (Maderia, port, Pear William etc)

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°
  2. Peel the pears leaving the stems.  From the base, use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop out the seeds. Trim the bottom of the pear so it stands up straight.
  3. Melt the butter and stir in the lemon juice.  Coat the pears with the lemon butter and stand them up in an ovenproof shallow baking dish.  Pour in any remaining butter. Sprinkle the pears with the sugar.
  4. Add some of the juice or water to the dish and bake for an hour.  Baste the pears with the cooking juice every 15 minutes. If the butter is burning in the dish add more liquid.  The pears are done when they can be easily pierced with the point of a knife and have rich brown color.
  5. When the pears are done, take them out of the dish to cool and stir the liquor into the cooking juices.
  6. Serve at room temperature with the accumulated juices.

 

Note:  Pepin calls for Maderia, a sweet fortified wine. It would be great, but I don’t usually have that on hand.  Port would be good, but will give the sauce a red color.  Any sweet liqueur, particularly fruit flavored ones like Pear William, will be fine.  

I made this with a quarter inch sweet cider in the baking dish at the start and a splash of ginger liqueur at the end.  Tasted great!

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