While there's nothing wrong with an occasional over-the-top indulgent dessert, sometimes a light, sweet treat can be just the thing everyone wants at the end of a meal.
Behold the roasted (or poached) pear! It stands up at attention with an elegant air and is sure to illicit "oohs" and "ahhs" from dinner party or holiday guests. The fact that it's a healthier dessert than most is just a bonus.
Here's how the magic of this seemingly simple dessert works: The heat of the oven softens the pears and brings out their natural sweetness, and they only need a few accompaniments to make them truly shine. First, a basting or poaching liquid maintains their moisture while cooking and infuses the fruit with flavor. We went with a syrup made from apple juice, maple syrup, brown sugar, butter and warm spices like cinnamon and clove. Next, a touch of something creamy always goes well with cooked fruit, and this simple lemon cream made from yogurt and cream cheese does the trick while also adding a subtle zing from the lemon. Finally, a nutty, crunchy element like a sprinkle of these candied pecans take the dessert to another level with texture and even more flavor.
Roasted Pears With Lemon Cream And Candied Pecans
Yield: 8 servings
(Downloadable/printable pdf version of this recipe)
Ingredients:
Lemon Cream
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Candied Pecans
Vegetable oil cooking spray
5 teaspoons sugar
5 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
Roasted Pears and Syrup
Juice of 1/2 lemon
8 medium Bosc pears
3/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl, combine cream cheese, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest and powdered sugar. Blend thoroughly with a hand mixer. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.
Spray a sheet of aluminum foil and 2 spoons with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside. Combine sugar, water, corn syrup, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl and stir until all ingredients incorporated. Add pecans to a small sauté pan. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and slightly toasted. Add the cinnamon sugar mixture and stir with a heat-resistant spatula to coat the nuts. Stir continuously for another 5-10 minutes or until deep golden brown and shiny. Turn out onto prepared foil. With the two oiled spoons, spread nuts apart to cool.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Squeeze lemon half into a large bowl half full of cool water. Peel pears, leaving stems, and cut a thin slice off bottoms if needed to help them stand upright. Submerge pears upright in water as you work. In a saucepan, combine apple juice, maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Cook over medium-high heat and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Pat pears dry and arrange upright in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour syrup over pears. Roast in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown, basting with syrup occasionally.
To serve, arrange pears on dessert plates or a platter. Drizzle with remaining syrup. Place one Tablespoon of lemon cream next to each pear and sprinkle each serving with a Tablespoon of candied pecans.
Nutrition Information Per Serving: 331 Calories; 10 grams Fat; 3.5 grams Saturated Fat; 16 mg Cholesterol; 198 mg Sodium; 58 grams Carbohydrates; 1 gram Fiber; 4 grams Protein
Looking for more info and want to make an appointment with a registered dietitian? Call 1-855-434-5483 or visit Nutrition Services on henryford.com.
