This is a serious topic at my house—knowing when to cut into a perfectly ripened piece of fruit. There is a fine line between unripened and overripe. Here are a few ideas that may help widen that window of use for your pears. Are you ever stuck, trying to make a different salad? Try slicing a ripe pear with feta or blue cheese. Has that pear on the counter over-ripened? Don't fret, chop it up and add it to a spicey soup or make a decandent dessert like my Roasted Pears with Raspberry Sauce which is ideal during the holiday season!
Roasted Pears and Raspberry Sauce
by George Hirsch | 4 Four Servings
4 ripe Bosc or Anjou pears
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 Tablespoons orange juice
4 sprigs of fresh mint
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut pears lengthwise into half, remove the cores. Grease a non stick pan with butter. Place quartered pears in pan and top with cinnamon sugar. Cover pears and bake for 8-12 minutes or until slightly soft. The time will vary according to level of ripeness. Remove from oven and cool.
In a sauce pan simmer three fourths of the raspberries, the preserves, and orange juice for 4-5 minutes. Press the sauce through a strainer, discarding the seeds.
Pour the sauce evenly onto four dessert dishes, topping each with two pear halves. Add the remaining raspberries on top of pears. Top with fresh mint leaves.