The autumn issue of the Donna Hay magazine had some wonderful pear recipes in it and since we are in the same season as the Australians it made sense to try her recipe for Verjuice, Thyme and Cinnamon Roasted pears. From which I deviated quite a bit and ended with this recipe for Pears Roasted in Cider. (And from the images you can see I added some apples as well.)
I did not have any verjuice and never have for that matter so the idea came to me that roasting apples and pears in cider could work really well. I popped into Roeland Liquors as they have an extensive selection of local craft beers and ciders. There are a quite number of local craft ciders available now which I think is great news. The craft ciders made by local producers are crisp and dry, far removed from the overly sweet stuff that has always been available. I don’t think it really matters whether you use apple or pear cider as long as it is a dry cider.
I added bay leaves to the mix for an added layer of flavour. None of the herbs or spices overwhelm and with the added butter the roasting liquid becomes a delicious toffee sauce. The dessert is tangy, sweet and buttery with melt in the mouth fruit. Oh, and the house smells amazing while the fruit is roasting. Serve hot or cold with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Some good news to those readers who have asked, our next Food Photography Workshop will take place on Saturday the 23rd of September 2017. It falls on a long weekend so I hope it will make it easier to fit in with busy schedules. Our goal for the day is to create a space where we all can play, learn from each other and have a lot of fun doing it. Come be inspired, get creative, get more comfortable with your camera and most importantly play. All the details can be found here and do let me know if you would like to join us for the day at the most beautiful location.

Pears Roasted in Cider
Ingredients
- 8 pears halved
- 340 ml pear cider room temperature
- 200 g demerera sugar
- 50 g butter chopped
- 6 sprigs of thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped .
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C
- Place all the ingredients in a roasting tray and toss to coat
- Cover with foil and roast for 25 minutes
- Remove the foil and roast for another 50 - 60 minutes until caramelised and golden
- Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream
Here are a few more of my favourite desserts for winters :
Boozy Chocolate Coffee Puddings
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