Natalie of Good Girl Style is back today to share a cinch of a wintry dessert that’s luscious without being decadent. Perfect for January, in other words. Natalie joins us each month to share incredible desserts with Big Girls, Small Kitchen readers–desserts that are entirely gluten-free, but not like obviously gluten-free. That means no specialty flours or hard-to-find ingredients, just good old-fashioned butter, sugar, chocolate, cream, and one of the only fruits worth eating this time of year-pears. Don’t miss her first two posts, about Frozen Hot Chocolate and Flourless Chocolate Cake.
Pears. They tend to be a love-hate sort of fruit. But roast them with butter, brown sugar, spices, and a splash of lemon, and they turn into something caramely and undeniably loveable.
Roasted Spiced Pears are a satisfying, easy, and inexpensive dessert to impress your friends after game night or your parents after a nice meal.
Any variety of pear will do for this recipe, though Bosc will roast up firmer than D’anjou. You can peel the pears if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. The caramel sauce that amasses on the baking sheet is so delectable you may wish to double the sauce ingredients for extra pear-caramel sauce! Pour sauce and scoop pears onto a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Save the leftovers to eat on your oatmeal or to fork into your mouth straight from the fridge.
**Recipe**
Roasted Spiced Pears
By Natalie Wise
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 pears (I use D’anjou or Bosc)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cup brown sugar
2/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 clove star anise
Splash of fresh lemon juice
Vanilla ice cream, for serving, if desired
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Heat the butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, and splash of lemon in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter and sugar have melted. Quarter and core the pears, and arrange the pieces on a high-rimmed cookie sheet or in a baking dish. Pour the hot liquid over the pear quarters, tossing so the slices are fully coated with the liquid. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pears are tender. Remove pears from the pan and pour the remaining liquid caramel sauce from the pan into a pitcher. Serve the pears warm, plain or over ice cream, drizzled with the sauce.
