SALT-BAKED PEARS

Salt-Baked Pears image

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

Ingredients

12 egg whites
1 box Diamond Crystal kosher salt
8 Bosc pears, ripe but still firm, with stems intact

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