Roasted Pears with Coconut Butterscotch Sauce and Toasted Coconut

I had some friends over for homemade pizza on Sunday night.  I wanted to serve a dessert that wasn't too rich and filling.  

Going through my recipe box, I found this idea for roasted pears.  I love coconut and butterscotch, and the idea of coconut milk in the sauce was a novel idea.  

Roasted peeled, and quartered pears, coated in brown sugar and butter at 500 degrees for 20 minutes.

The sauce was easy to make as well.  Just melted brown sugar with water, coconut milk and a pinch of salt and then cooked on medium-high until thickened to sauce consistency.

photo

This warm, cozy dessert was delicious.  Buttery, warm, sweet pears, topped with a slightly coconut flavored butterscotch sauce and a little crunch from toasted coconut.  Fruity and satisfying but not overly rich or heavy.  Give it a try.

from the NY Times

Roasted Pears with Coconut Butterscotch Sauce and Toasted Coconut

4 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and quartered lengthwise

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, divided

fine sea salt

black pepper

1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

2 cups coconut milk (I used just 1 can, 13.5 oz of lite coconut milk, lots fewer calories)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. In a bowl, toss together the pears, 1/4 cup brown sugar, pinch of salt and pepper.  Roast on a baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until pears are tender and golden, 15 - 20 minutes.

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the coconut until golden.

In a separate skillet, combine 1 cup brown sugar, and 6 tablespoons water.   Cook over medium heat until sugar melts and loses its sandlike consistency.  Whisk in the coconut milk and a pinch of salt.  Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer until sauce reaches a consistency between that of heavy cream and butterscotch sauce; this could take 10 minutes or longer.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and lemon zest.  Spoon sauce over pears and garnish with toasted coconut.  

Yield 4-6 servings

Monday Inspiration

Happy Monday.  I hope your weekend was filled with delights.


Here is a little something to ponder about as we start a new week.  

Source: tabletonic.blogspot.com via Deborah on Pinterest

A Little Romance

Valentine's day is next Tuesday. 

Don't let a date on the calendar keep you from a little romance this weekend.

Scanner App Worth the $2

For the price of sending one fax from your local copy store, you can download this app and scan and fax to your heart's content.

TurboScan

Hubby read about this app in the NY Times  and sent me a link to download the app.  I gave it a try and it is a cinch to use.  The app prompts you to take 3 photos of the document you wish to "scan".  You are then able to center the document and play around with the darkness.  You can create a pdf or jpeg, and then fax, email, print or store your image.  

This would be a fabulous tool for a business person traveling to keep track of expenses.  I may be able to get rid of my lousy fax machine that drives me crazy.  For $2, give it a try.  I think you'll like it.  

Book Suggestion: The Sense of an Ending

I have a book suggestion, The Sense Of An Ending.  

The Sense Of An Ending  Julian Barnes

If you are in the mood for a contemplative read, please think about reading The Sense Of An Ending.  Not a beach read or action-packed thriller, this is a thoughtful read.  At just 163 pages, this brief book is a tightly written novel by British author, Julian Barnes.  This is the author's fourteenth novel and his first Man Booker award win. (2011)

The story it told to the reader by a divorced, middle-aged man, Tony Webster, who is retired, volunteers and is still friends with his ex-wife.  For all intents and purposes, he has an uneventful life.  This changes when he receives a  bequest of 500£ from the mother of a college girlfriend.  This causes Tony to get in touch with the long-ago girlfriend, Veronica, and to explore relationships of the past.  His memory is challenged for what actually transpired and how he perceived the past to have been.  Did he really love Veronica?  How genuine were his relationships with his boyhood friends?  Inquiries about the bequest of money leads Tony on a mystery to find out why he was to receive money and the promise of a friend's diary. What had become of Veronica, his old school mate, Adrian and other classmates?  How had his words made life changing decisions for his friends?  

Well, you'll just have to read and find out, won't you?  

Valentine Dessert

Valentine's Day means a good excuse for a rich, decadent chocolate dessert.  

Chocolate Pots de Creme is the ideal choice.  This recipe makes enough for just two...the perfect Valentine number.  In this version, chocolate is accentuated by the addition of coffee in the form of espresso powder.

Just a few wonderful ingredients make a fantastically rich dessert...for two!  

3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon instant expresso powder

1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about 1/4 cup)  can use semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Bring 3/4 cup cream, espresso powder and vanilla to a simmer and then pour over chocolate in a bowl.  Let stand for 3 minutes and then whisk until smooth.  

In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk with sugar and a pinch of salt.  Add about 1 tablespoon of warm chocolate mixture to egg to temper it (so you don't have scrambled egg) and then stir into bowl of chocolate.  Mix well.  

Divide chocolate custard between two tea cups.  Set the tea cups in a baking pan and fill pan with very hot water to reach halfway up the sides of cups.  Cover pan with foil and poke a few holes in the foil.  Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until custard is set around the edges and a bit wobbly in the center.  Remove cups from pan and allow to cool.  Refrigerate for 4 hours and up to 2 days.  

Whip some extra cream into soft peaks and top the pots de creme.  

Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Monday Inspiration

Happy Monday!

Did your team win?  What was your favorite commercial?  Favorite junk food?

I wanted to share this lovely image.

Y is for Yellow Julee Dyer  warmhotchocolate

This photo is by a fellow "classmate" in an online photo class I'm a part of.  I thought you'd enjoy this charming photo on a Monday.  Hope it makes you smile.  

Click here to view my guest post at ElleSees from Saturday.  Hint, it was about scarves.