SALT-BAKED PEARS
The salt crust encasing these pears - a method most often used with whole fish and some poultry - does what salt always does: It amplifies. In this instance, the sweet, juicy peary-ness of the pear. Ideally, these should be slipped into the oven after pulling out another dish in order to minimize time in the kitchen. As a dinner party dessert, it's a perfect punctuation mark.
Provided by Gabrielle Hamilton
Categories dessert
Time 1h30m
Yield Serves 8
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 275.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy and tripled in volume.
- Stir in kosher salt, and mix well with a stiff whisk until slightly clumpy.
- When too difficult to whisk, use your hands to blend the salt mixture until it becomes uniformly wet, heavy and slightly sticky. In other words, like the worst snow-shoveling day of your life.
- With a sharp knife, trim a sliver, as needed, from the bottom of each pear so they stand upright on their own.
- Pack the salt mixture around each whole pear, including the bottom, to create a thin and even encasement.
- Gently place the pears on a lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Use a cake tester to test for doneness, piercing through the very top of the pear at the stem. We like the pears a little al dente - cooked through but with some tooth. We don't want applesauce.
- Pears can be held warm in the oven at the lowest possible setting until ready to serve.
- To serve, crack the salt crust and discard. Take care to brush off any clinging salt with a clean dish towel, and serve the roasted pear with wet black walnuts (see recipe).
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 147, UnsaturatedFat 0 grams, Carbohydrate 31 grams, Fat 0 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 5 grams, Sodium 531 milligrams, Sugar 20 grams
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