Juicy pears take center stage in this simple and delicious Roasted Pears with Browned Butter recipe! A honeyed and spiced browned butter is smeared on hot, griddle-roasted pears, then sprinkled with cinnamon toast crumbs and served alongside creamy mascarpone for a treat worth savoring all autumn and winter long. Whipped up on the Cuisinart 360° Griddle Cooking Center, this dessert is ready in a hurry, to serve just a few or a whole party of friends and family. Grab the season’s best pears and enjoy a wholesome dessert today!
Autumn Is Here!
Well, in theory, anyway. We actually froze over the weekend, the snowflakes were flying. It’s not totally unusual to have snow this early, but after several days of near-70 degree weather, it was quite the change!
But you know a little cold and wet doesn’t stop me from breaking out my fave Cuisinart 360° Griddle Cooking Center to make some deliciously epic noms, like my epic zucchini fritters, maple-bacon breakfast burgers, and calabacitas with quesadillas.
I hit up the store and picked up a variety of bartlett, bosc, and red anjou pears for this dish to please every palate, and with a quick roasting on the griddle’s surface, each pear lends a unique flavor to this recipe!
What Pears Should I Use?
I personally used a variety of bartlett, bosc, and red anjou pears, but here a rundown of their characteristics if you’d like to pick one up that best suits your tastes:
- Bartlett: best consumed when fully-ripe and gives to gentle pressure, features the classic pear shape with a smooth texture, aromatic, and with the classic pear flavor.
- Bosc: brownish flesh, sweet-spicy flavor that can be consumed even when underripe. Most often used in baking.
- Red Anjou: a popular variety of the traditionally green Anjou, with a mild, pleasantly sweet flavor and creamy texture. Very juicy when ripe.
How To Make Griddle Roasted Pears
This is the main reason I love my Cuisinart 360° Griddle Cooking Center! I can roast my pears in minutes on the 22″ cooking surface instead of rotating two-three pear-halves at a time in a skillet on the stove.
But not just that, since there are two heat zones, I can work on the pears on one side and toast my bread for the sprinkles on the other, at a different temperature! Huzzah!
Steering away from traditional roasting, we turn the griddle up to medium, medium-high heat and coat the cooking area with a neutral oil such as flaxseed. Place each halved pear cut-face down and let cook for 3-4 minutes, or until very golden crisp and softened, then flip and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
That’s it!
How To Make Browned Butter
Now, this isn’t just any ol’ browned butter goodness. We’re kicking it up a notch with some creamy honey, a smidge of vanilla, and the spiciness of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.
Just try to not lick it all up before you finish the pears. Seriously, super hard to resist.
The great thing about this browned butter is that you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge like you would traditional butter. Simply let it come back up to room temperature before slathering onto your cooked pears.
- Melt butter over medium heat, and stir occasionally, until the butter darkens and a nutty aroma evolves. That’s all there is to it, really. But you do need to watch it because browned butter can become burned butter quite quickly. You can make browned butter in just a couple minutes at a higher heat, but the risk of burning it increases, so I always prefer to make it at a lower heat, taking about 10 minutes instead of 3-4.
- Once nicely browned, you add it to a little heat-proof jar and add honey, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk it thoroughly. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am!
- If you make it right before the pears, you can simply drizzle it over them, but if you make it in advance, use a butter knife to smear a nice dab on each pear and let it naturally melt into the cooked pears.
Roasted Pears with Browned Butter, Mascarpone, and Cinnamon Toast Sprinkles
Dessert never looked so good, especially when you whip up these magical Roasted Pears with Browned Butter! With honey, cinnamon, and vanilla, these juicy pears are perfection with a dab of mascarpone, and a hearty sprinkle of crunchy cinnamon toast crumbs. Get out your Cuisinart 360° Griddle Cooking Center and whip up the best dessert around!
You May Also Like…
Roasted Pears with Browned Butter, Mascarpone, and Cinnamon Toast Sprinkles
This easy dessert takes just minutes to make and features the best fall flavors, so whip up these Roasted Pears with Browned Butter, Mascarpone, and Cinnamon Toast Sprinkles today!
For the Browned Butter
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
For the Cinnamon Toast Sprinkles
- 2 slices thick Texas toast or brioche
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (or more as needed)
For the Roasted Pears
- 4 pears (halved and cored)
- 4 ounces mascarpone (for serving)
-
Add butter to a small skillet melt over medium heat. Once melted, stir occasionally until butter darkens and smells nutty and toasted, around 10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat-proof container. Stir in the honey, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.
-
Preheat Cuisinart 360 Griddle Cooking Center to medium-high one side and medium-low on the other. Butter toast slices and cook on the medium-low side until browned and crisp, around 2-3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and let cool, then break into crumbs by hand or by pulsing in a food processor. Set aside.
-
Brush the medium-hot side of the griddle with a neutral oil, then add the pear halves, cut-side down and roast, untouched for 3-4 minutes, or until dark brown and just beginning to blacken at the edges. Flip and cook the skin-side for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
-
Drizzle browned butter over each roasted pear half, smear with a dab of mascarpone, then sprinkle generously with the cinnamon toast crumbs. Serve immediately. Store excess browned butter in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
