Recipe: Roasted pears exude the taste of autumn

Crackling leaves and nippy mornings early sunsets and football games These are sure signs of fall But it s a walk through a farmer s field or the aisles of a supermarket s produce section that fires up my longing to cook autumn-style dishes Autumn s pear crop is invariably a showstopper Initially it s their voluptuous contours that captivate The long slender necks and arched stems of Bosc pears the round silhouette of Comice The gentle curves of the bell-shaped Bartlett In the marketplace the bulk often they are as hard as boulders They feel more like baseballs than fruit Not a whisper of sublime sweetness Not a whiffet of sensuous aroma They are picked mature but before ripened then kept in controlled-atmosphere storage Tree-ripened pears get mushy because they ripen from the inside out But ripening pears at home isn t tough you just need to plan on buying firm pears three to five days before you plan to eat or cook with them The bag-ripening process works like a charm Place those ever-so-firm pears in a paper bag and loosely fold the top closed Let them sit at room temperature checking them every day until the area at the base of the stem slightly yields to gentle pressure Pears ripen from the inside out so they usually are ready when there is only a slight give Then either use or refrigerate them Roasted Pears Roasted pears are delicious used in both savory and sweet dishes They pair irresistibly with pork serve them alongside broiled or sauteed pork chops topped just before serving with chutney or chopped macadamia nuts Or for dessert serve them with ice cream salted caramel and butter pecan are favorites Or for an appetizer serve them sliced atop toasted baguette slices spread with goat cheese Yield halves INGREDIENTS tablespoons fresh lemon juice tablespoon sugar teaspoon ground cinnamon teaspoon ground cloves tablespoons vegetable oil divided use ripe but not squishy pears such as Bosc Bartlett D Anjou or Comice peeled cut in half lengthwise DIRECTIONS Adjust oven rack to middle position Preheat oven to degrees In a medium bowl stir together juice sugar cinnamon and cloves Set aside Coat a medium-sized rimmed baking sheet with half of the vegetable oil Toss pear halves in juice-spice mixture and place cut-side down on prepare baking sheet Drizzle remaining oil on top Roast until caramelized on bottom and tender about to minutes roasting times will vary depending on ripeness and size of pears Remove from oven and allow to cool Serve at room temperature Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks including Best Plants on the Planet Follow her at CathyThomasCooks com Related Articles Recipe Kids can help make these tasty Halloween mini cupcakes Five Weeknight Dishes Kids love this cheesy gnocchi with corn and pesto quick easy pasta recipes you should memorize Quick Fix Moroccan Chicken Pair tart apples with chicken and fennel for an easy fall dinner