Roasted Pears With Hazelnut Syrup And Candied Hazelnuts Recipes

PAN-ROASTED PEARS WITH HONEY, HAZELNUTS AND STILTON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Place the nuts between 2 kitchen towels and rub to remove as much skin as possible. Coarsely chop the nuts and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium-size cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pears and cook until caramelized on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the honey to the skillet. When the honey melts, turn the pears to coat them on both sides. Cover and cook until the pears are tender but not too soft, about 5 minutes.
• Cut each pear half across into 1/4-inch-thick slices, but keep the shape intact. Place each pear half onto 1 plate and fan it forward. Place a piece of Stilton beside the pears and scatter each plate with some of the hazelnuts. Serve immediately.

HAZELNUT-STUFFED PEARS WITH MAPLE GLAZE

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Place nuts in plastic bag; crush coarsely with rolling pin. Transfer to bowl. Mix in sugar, butter, flour and liqueur.
• Using melon baller, core each pear half, creating cavity. Arrange pears, cut side up, in 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Mound nut mixture in cavities, dividing equally and pressing to compact. Pour apple juice into dish around pears. Drizzle pears with maple syrup.
• Bake pears until tender when pierced with small sharp knife, basting occasionally with juices, about 45 minutes. Transfer pears to plates. Drizzle with juices.

ROASTED PEARS WITH HAZELNUT SYRUP AND CANDIED HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan simmer water with 1 cup sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. (Syrup may be made up to this point 2 days ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered.)
• Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly butter a shallow baking pan.
• Coarsely chop hazelnuts. Stir nuts into syrup and simmer 1 minute. With a slotted spoon transfer nuts to baking pan, arranging in one layer, and reserve syrup. Cut butter into pieces. Bake nuts in middle of oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Immediately add butter to nuts, tossing to coat and separate, and with a spatula transfer nuts to a plate to cool (nuts will crisp as they cool). (Nuts may be candied 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Reserved syrup may be kept, covered and chilled, 2 days.)
• Lightly butter a shallow ovenproof kettle or casserole dish (about 12 by 2 1/2 inches). With a sharp knife trim a very thin slice from bottom of each pear to enable pears to stand upright. Dip and roll each pear in reserved syrup to coat completely. Transfer pears as coated to kettle, standing them upright, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Add liqueur, lemon juice, and vanilla to remaining reserved syrup and pour down side of kettle or casserole.
• Roast pears, uncovered, in middle of oven until undersides are tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
• Arrange pears on a serving platter. Spoon syrup around pears and sprinkle with candied nuts. Serve pears warm or at room temperature.