Simply Roasted Pears
Pears sit among my favourite fruit - you will often see me using pears in recipes. A Packham pear would be my go-to pear, but there are many other worthy varieties too.
Along with tomatoes and avocados, pears need to ripen. Unripe pears are very firm, gritty and dry so do buy ahead and ripen your purchase.
A pear ripens from the centre so keep an eye out and your sense of smell sharp. As a pear ripens is becomes fragrant, so sniff away. Ripe pears are juicy and buttery and there is nothing better than eating a perfectly ripe pear with its juice running down your hand.
3 ripe Beurre Bosc pears or other russet-coloured pear varietal
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
a good drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground white pepper
a few sprigs fresh thyme
100ml white wine
a good squeeze of lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a large roasting tray with baking paper.
Thickly slice the pears lengthwise. You should get 4 slices from each pear. Place in a single layer in the prepared tray.
Sprinkle over the brown sugar, drizzle over the oil and grind over some pepper. Scatter pears with thyme. Mix together the wine and lemon juice and drizzle over the pears.
Place in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes until just tender. I like to remove from the oven and baste pear slices in the roasting juices halfway through roasting. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Serve roasted pears on a cheese board. Use with blue cheese, a vintage cheddar or goat’s cheese.
Add to a salad using leafy greens, blue cheese, toasted sourdough bread and nuts.
Or simply eat on their own to finish your meal.
A note on the wine – in the fridge was an opened bottle of Marlborough Pinot Gris so used this.