Pears With Herbed Ricotta And Honey Food

ROASTED PEARS WITH RICOTTA AND HONEY

Steps:

• Place ricotta in cheesecloth-lined strainer set over medium bowl. Fold cheesecloth over; drain overnight in refrigerator.
• Puree drained ricotta, 1 tablespoon sugar, vanilla, and lemon peel in processor until smooth. Transfer ricotta mixture to small bowl. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in small skillet. Add almonds; toss until golden, about 3 minutes. Add maple syrup and sprinkle with salt. Stir until coated and slightly darker brown, about 1 minute. Spoon mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Separate nuts. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line another rimmed baking sheet with foil. Grind fennel seeds in mortar or spice grinder. Transfer to small bowl. Stir in remaining 4 tablespoons sugar. Cut pears in half; using melon baller, scoop out core. Transfer pears, cut side up, to prepared baking sheet. Press remaining 3 tablespoons butter onto cut side of pears. Mound fennel sugar over, dividing equally.
• Roast pears until tender and juices on baking sheet begin to caramelize, spooning juices over pears every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes total.
• Place 1 pear half on each plate and top with scoop of ricotta mixture. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with caramelized almonds. Serve warm.

RICOTTA PEAR DESSERT

Steps:

• Core pear from bottom, leaving stem intact. Cut in half vertically. Slice pear, but not all the way through, leaving slices attached at the stem. , In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and 1 teaspoon honey. Place pear halves on dessert plates; fan slightly. Spread ricotta mixture over pear slices. Drizzle with remaining honey; sprinkle with walnuts. Serve immediately.

HONEY-RICOTTA PEAR

Steps:

• Halve and core the pear, then cut into slices, leaving the stem-end intact and not cutting through to separate the slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over the cut side of the pear halves.
• Season the ricotta with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then place in 2 mounds on a plate. Top the ricotta mounds with the sliced pear halves, gently fanning out the slices. Drizzle the pears with honey and sprinkle with the pine nuts.

ROASTED PEARS WITH HONEY-HERB YOGURT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Quarter the pears lengthwise and remove the cores with a paring knife.
• Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, then stir in 1 tablespoon of the honey and the cinnamon. Turn off the heat and add the pears, turning to coat. Arrange cut-side-down and roast, turning once, until golden and tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir the yogurt, mint, thyme and the remaining 2 tablespoons honey together in a small bowl. Serve the warm pears drizzled with some of the cooking liquid from the skillet, a dollop of the yogurt, and a small mint leaf.

BALSAMIC ROASTED PEARS WITH PEPPER AND HONEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Melt butter in an 8-inch square glass baking dish in middle of oven, about 3 minutes.
• Arrange pears, cut sides down, in 1 layer in butter and roast in middle of oven until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Pour vinegar over pears and roast 5 minutes more.
• Transfer pears, cut sides down, to serving plates with cheese and spoon some of juices from baking dish over pears. Drizzle pears and cheese with honey and sprinkle with pepper.

RICOTTA WITH RAW HONEY AND PEARS

Steps:

• Blend ricotta, honey and vanilla extract in a food processor until smooth; transfer to a bowl.
• Cover bowl and refrigerate until ricotta mixture is slightly set, about 2 hours.
• Just before serving, slice pears lengthwise into wide sections; gently toss pear slices in a small bowl with lemon juice.
• Divide ricotta mixture among 6 wineglasses.
• Top with pear slices and serve.

HERBED CHEESE WITH PEARS, PINE NUTS, AND HONEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ricotta in a fine sieve set over a bowl; let excess liquid drain, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, spread nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until lightly browned, tossing occasionally, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool.
• In a food processor or medium bowl, mix together goat cheese and drained ricotta until creamy and thoroughly combined. Stir in thyme, parsley, and lemon zest; set aside.
• Slice each pear into six wedges. Divide herbed cheese among four serving plates, spooning it into mounds. Arrange three pear wedges next to cheese on each plate. Sprinkle with nuts; drizzle about 2 teaspoons honey over each portion of cheese and pears. Serve immediately.