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.
- Total:
- Serves: 8 persons
Ingredients
- 12egg whites
- 1box Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 8Bosc pears, ripe but still firm, with stems intact
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 275.Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy and tripled in volume.Step 3
Stir in kosher salt, and mix well with a stiff whisk until slightly clumpy.Step 4
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.Step 5
With a sharp knife, trim a sliver, as needed, from the bottom of each pear so they stand upright on their own.Step 6
Pack the salt mixture around each whole pear, including the bottom, to create a thin and even encasement.Step 7
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.Step 8
Pears can be held warm in the oven at the lowest possible setting until ready to serve.Step 9
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).