You Had Me at Holidays... Pizzelles Bakery

Today's  post if from Brandi of Pizzelles Bakery and Not Your Average Ordinary. I stumbled upon NYAO a long, long time ago, before I even knew what Google Reader was, and fell in love with the ethereal images that Brandi includes in many of her posts. To my utter amazement, Brandi somehow makes the time to blog at Pizzelles Bakery as well, which is a foodie's dream. She's here today to tell you about one of her cooking endeavors.

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There are few things I adore more than a really versatile dish. These vanilla roasted pears are
one of those: they’re perfect on their own or on top of ice cream. They would even be a delicious addition to a cake, French toast, oatmeal... The autumn may belong to the apple, but the pear ismy winter fruit.

I made this dish for the first time last winter, when I was home from San Diego and was spending some time with my boyfriend and his family at their home. At this point, I get full run of the kitchen when there’s something I want to make, and they benefit by being my test subjects on many new recipes.

Everything about these pears was delicious. They were warm enough to sweep that winter chill away and sweet enough to be dessert without being overly sweet. The best part? The recipe is also phenomenally easy. I think you’ll fall in love.

Vanilla Roasted Pears
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
1 1/2 pounds (about 4-5) ripe and fragrant but still firm, medium Bosc pears (any variety will
work but Bosc are my favorite; halve them through the stem and core)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons water
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, place the sugar. With a sharp knife, split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out into the bowl, stirring them into the sugar. In a baking dish, arrange the pears with the cut side up. Sprinkle evenly with lemon juice, then with the sugar. Cut the vanilla bean half you used in half lengthwise again and then in half widthwise. Hide these pieces in among the pears. Pour some water into the baking dish and put a small amount of butter onto each pear.

Roast the pears for 30 minutes, spreading the pan juices over them every 10 minutes or so. After that time, turn the pairs over and roast for another 20 to 30 minutes, brushing them with the pan juices regularly. Finished pears should slice easily when cut a knife.

(recipes originally discovered on Smitten Kitchen, slightly modified)

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Hello, tastiness! I hope you'll try Brandi's recipe, and go visit her blogs to find more! Come visit here tomorrow for another YHMH post.