Vanilla Roasted Pears

In celebration of fresh seasonal dishes, we teamed up with Sylvie from the amazing food blog Gourmande in the Kitchen to share a recipe for bringing out the delicious flavor of pears. Sylvie is masterful at creating fast and fresh recipes that focus on the quality of ingredients, while only needing minimal preparation time. She understands the simplicity of pairing flavors while starting with the best ingredients possible. 

Gourmande in the Kitchen is a food blog devoted to recipes free from gluten, refined sugar, and processed ingredients with many paleo, vegan, raw and allergy-friendly options as well. Sylvie's approach is all about celebrating and embracing the clean, natural foods that our bodies crave and are the most delicious too!

One of the many delights of autumn is the pear's peak of flavor and juiciness. Perfect in salads, smoothies, oatmeal and in this case roasting for dessert, the pear is packed with healthy benefits. One of the highest fiber fruits, the pear is also rich in antioxidants (vitamin C), flavonoids and a host of vitamins (C, K, B2, B3, and B6 and folate) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese). Not too shabby!

Vanilla Roasted Pears with Bourbon Cream and Glazed Pecans 

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Serving Size: Serves 8

Buttery pears are roasted in the oven with a vanilla scented caramel and served with a bourbon spiked coconut whipped cream and buttered pecans.

Ingredients

For the Glazed Pecans:

• 1 cup/ 120g pecans 
• 1 Tablespoon/15ml raw wildflower honey (use maple syrup for vegan version)
• 1 Tablespoon/14g butter (substitute coconut oil for vegan version)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the Roasted Pears:

• 4 ripe but firm bosc pears, cored, peeled and halved or quartered
• The juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 Tablespoons/30g of filtered water
• 1/4 cup/60ml raw wildflower honey (use maple syrup for vegan version)
• 4 Tablespoons/56g butter (use coconut oil for vegan version)
• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• pinch of sea salt

For the Coconut Whipped Cream:

• 1 can of regular coconut milk chilled overnight in the fridge (or use chilled good quality heavy cream instead if you’d like in place of the coconut whipped cream for a non-paleo non-vegan version)
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons raw wildflower honey (use more if you like your whipped cream on the sweeter side) (use maple syrup for a vegan version)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons bourbon (or substitute Cognac for a non-grain based alcohol or vanilla extract)

Instructions

Make the Glazed Pecans:

1. Melt honey, butter and salt in a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, add pecans stirring to coat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the syrup reduces and thickens, and coats the nuts (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat; scrape onto baking sheet and let cool until dry (about 30 minutes).
2. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. 

Make the Roasted Pears:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. 2. Arrange the pears in a single layer in a medium oven proof baking dish follow and set aside while making the sauce.
3. 3. In a small saucepan or skillet follow over low heat, whisk together the honey, butter, lemon juice, water, vanilla seeds with the bean and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until it starts to thicken (about 2 minutes) and pour over pears.
4. 4. Roast pears for 30-35 minutes until tender, flipping the pears halfway through spooning the dish juices over occasionally.
5. 5. Divide the pear halves among serving dishes. Serve warm with the sauce at the bottom of the dish, the whipped coconut cream (recipe below) and buttered pecans (see above).

Make the Coconut Whipped Cream:

1. 1. Open and scoop the solidified cream that has risen to the top of the can of coconut milk, discarding the clear liquid underneath.
2. 2. Transfer coconut cream to a pre-chilled mixing bowl and beat on low with the honey and bourbon with a stand or hand mixer until lightened. Increase speed to high and continue beating until thick and creamy.
3. 3. Serve with the roasted pears and buttered pecans. ENJOY!