I’m dedicating this article and recipe to my friend, Gene, whom I believe is a fan of my roasted red pears. I prepared some for him and his wife for breakfast one day when they visited us, and they were a big hit. Gene, I hope you like this recipe. I think I finally perfected it. I’ve made them often, but have never written down the exact measurements, etc. You’ve inspired me so this time I did. I hope you like it.

We have always enjoyed some fruit for breakfast, and were getting bored with the same choices available. Several years ago, I was reading through some of my cookbooks and found some articles on roasting fruits. One article especially impressed me. It described how the roasting process caramelizes the natural sugars in the fruit, and the flavor becomes more intense. I have baked apples, apricots, figs, peaches, plums and even pineapple. While they were all delicious, I found that one of the easiest—and by far—the quickest to roast and serve was the pear. Any variety works well. I’ve tried several and while they are all good, the red ones retain their deep maroon color and look prettier on a serving plate. They are delicious either for breakfast or as a light dessert.

If you plan to serve them at breakfast, they can be ready and on the table in about 15 minutes. In fact, if you start them first, they can be baking while you’re making the coffee, pouring the juice or preparing whatever else you plan to serve along side.

 Roasted Red Pears

4 red Anjou pears

1 T melted butter

1 T sugar

½ t cinnamon

1 shake of salt

Preheat oven to 425º

Wash and dry the pears, and remove the stems. Core halfway down with either an apple corer, or a small paring knife. You don’t have to be exact; the purpose is just to make a small hole on the top to hold the cinnamon mixture. Place the pears on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Melt the butter in a small dish in the microwave. Rub the pears gently all over with the butter. Next, combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt. With a small spoon, carefully distribute the mixture over the top of the pears.

Place the pan in the middle rack of your oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. You can tell when the pears are ready when you can easily insert a toothpick or skewer. That’s it. Your 15 minutes of preparation time is over. Ready to serve. (Note: the baking time will vary with the size of the pears and the number you choose to roast at a time.)

For a dessert course, they can be baked ahead of time, allowed to cool a little, and topped with a dollop of sweetened or plain sour cream, a little whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or even simply a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a sprig of mint. You could also arrange them on a flat plate sitting on small pool vanilla sauce, or in a pretty glass dish with a splash of liqueur and a topping of cream. They provide a beautiful, light and sweet finish to a meal.

Enjoy!