Served warm, these roasted pears are the perfect dessert for cool or cold weather.

Roasted Caramelized-Honey Pears with Honey-Butter Sauce
Adapted from The Last Course

Yield: 6 servings

For the roasted pears:

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 medium ripe but firm pears, such as Bartlett (if pears are overripe, their sweetness will overwhelm the taste of the caramelized honey)
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme

For the sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large, ovenproof skillet, bring 2 tablespoons honey to a simmer over medium-low heat.  Turn heat to low and simmer until honey starts to reduce and caramelize, about 10 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, peel, halve, and core pears.
  4. Once honey has begun to caramelize, add pears cut side down.  Simmer over medium-low heat until they start to turn golden-brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.
  5. Turn pears cut side up, top each with half a sprig of thyme, and transfer skillet to oven.
  6. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until pears are tender.  You should be able to poke a fork through them.
  7. Remove from oven and transfer to a plate to cool slightly.
  8. Make the sauce: Put 2 tablespoons honey and 2 sprigs thyme in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.  Stir in butter, followed by salt.  Remove from heat and keep warm.
  9. Put pears on serving plates and drizzle honey-butter sauce over them.  Serve hot or warm.
  10. To store: Put leftover pears and sauce in separate airtight containers and refrigerate up to 1 day.  Reheat pears in a 300 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes.  Microwave sauce to reheat.
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