William-Sonoma's Honey-Pecan Roast Pears

For an easy, old-fashioned dessert, serve these crunchy-topped, honey-coated pears with whipped cream. You may use plums or apples in place of the pears. Update 1/15/09: I made this recipe last night for the first time and found that in order for the pears to soften it is really important that they are all in one layer. I think that next time I make this rather than cutting them into slices I may just leave them cut in half and cored and then add a little more orange juice and cook them a little while longer as well. I think that this would probably be a prettier presentation anyways!

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6  large  firm yet ripe pears (such as Anjou, Bartlett or Bosc)
• 1  lemon, zest of, grated and fruit cut in half
• 4  tablespoons  fragrant blossom honey (such as clover or wildflower)
• 2  tablespoons  orange juice
• 1  cup pecan halves
• 1  cup  mixture toasted granola cereal, wheat and oat flakes
• 1⁄4 cup  firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract (to taste)

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
2. Peel the pears, cut in half lengthwise and core.
3. Immediately squeeze the lemon juice from both halves over the pears.
4. Cut the pears lengthwise into thick slices and arrange in a baking dish or pie dish large enough to hold them in a single layer.
5. Drizzle 1 1/2 to 2 Tbs. of the honey over the top and add enough orange juice to form a light film on the bottom of the dish.
6. Roast the pears for 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a dry small fry pan over high heat, toast the pecans, shaking the pan constantly, until they are aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and reserve several pecan halves for garnish. Transfer the remaining nuts to a food processor and chop coarsely.
9. Add the cereals, lemon zest and brown sugar and process until evenly chopped and well mixed.
10. Spoon the cereal mixture over the partially roasted pears, forming a “crust.”.
11. Drizzle with 2 to 3 more teaspoons of the honey.
12. Continue to roast until the crust is browned on top and the pears are tender when pierced, 15 to 18 minutes more.
13. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the remaining 1 Tbs. honey into the cream. Beat until soft peaks form, then fold in the vanilla.
14. Remove the pears from the oven. Spoon a dollop of whipped cream on each serving, garnish with the reserved pecan halves and serve immediately.