Sherry Roasted Pears
Make roasted fruits part of your weekly repertoire. It’s one of our most useful waste hacks to revive the average tasting pears in the fruit bowl, the withering grapes in the back of the fridge or the couple of wrinkly apricots you forgot to eat.
Roasting not only hides all the imperfections, it also intensifies the flavour of the fruit, and by adding a little oil, a sprinkling of sugar, salt and pepper and a generous splash of good quality vinegar, you can turn boring old fruit into a tangy, sweet and salty flavour sensation.
In winter, we roast pears with our favourite vinegar, Lirah’s Grand Reserve Sherry Vinegar (it really is the best vinegar and the only dressing vinegar you need in the pantry). We then toss them through rocket or radicchio with a little hard cheese, through grains like barley or couscous, we served them with grilled meats, squish them into a fancy cheese toastie, or serve them on a cheese board with a glass of wine.
Ingredients:
For every 2 pears:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
½ a teaspoon of salt
½ a teaspoon of pepper
½ a teaspoon of sugar
1-2 tablespoons of good quality vinegar (we love Lirah Grand Reserve Sherry Vinegar)
optional: a good pinch of spice: ground cumin, fennel, cayenne pepper, chopped rosemary or lemon zest etc
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Cut pears into wedges, a little like potato wedges, leaving the skin on, but removing the core. Pop the pear wedges into a baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, sugar and spices (if using). Generously splash with the vinegar and mix well with your hands to combine.
Slide into the hot oven and roast for 10 minutes, then shake the pan and roast for another 5-20 minutes until pears are glossy and slightly caramelised.
Use right away, or store in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature or warm slightly before serving.
And don't forget to save the cores for vinegar making! See recipe here