Honey Roasted Pears With Brandy Vanilla Ice Cream

The pears are roasted with spices and honey, they come out with a beautiful golden crust. Even without the ice cream they have a sophisticated flavor and presentation. Adapted from a recipe of Patina Restaurant in Los Angeles.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  quart vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1⁄4 cup  good-quality brandy
• 4  firm ripe pears (Bosc, Bartlett, D'anjou)
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• 1⁄4 cup butter, melted
• 1⁄4 cup honey
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1  tablespoon orange zest, grated
• 1  tablespoon lemon zest, grated
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon allspice
•  orange slice, and
•  lemon slice, for garnish

Directions

1. For the brandy ice cream:
2. Stir together the ice cream and the brandy until well blended. Freeze until serving time.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. For the pears:
5. Halve, peel and core pears. Immediately sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. In a large, rimmed baking pan, mix the remaining lemon juice with the butter, honey and vanilla. Stir in the orange and lemon zest, and the spices. With a small, sharp knife, score the rounded part of each pear half diagonally in one direction, then the other, to form a diamond pattern. Place pears cut side down in baking pan. Spoon honey mixture over pears.
6. Bake pears 40-45 minutes, basting them with pan juices every 10 minutes or so, until the are very soft when pierced. Place one pear half on each plate and place scoops of ice cream around them. Garnish with the lemon and orange slices.