Sauteed Pear Parfaits

Serves 4

Buy pears that are ripe but still firm so they don't get too soft while cooking.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 large Anjou or Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, quartered, and cut into 1/4" thick slices
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 ounces sour cream or creme fraiche
1 teaspoon amber crystal sugar, for garnish, (optional)


1. Melt butter and granulated sugar in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the sugar begins to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Add the pears and rosemary; raise heat to high; cook, stirring occasionally, until pears are browned and caramelized all over, about 5 minutes. (If pears begin to burn, reduce heat to medium.) Remove the pears, and spread out on a plate to cool.

2. return skillet to high heat, stir 1/4 cup water into the browned sugar and butter. Cook, stirring and swirling the pan, until reduced to a thick syrup.

3. Arrange a layer of pears in four glasses. Spoon sour cream over each. Repeat with reamining pears and sour cream. Drizzle with syrup, sprinkle and crystal sugar, if using and serve.


** The Jen review: I made this tonight and it sure did TASTE good, but I am sure it didn't look as good it could. next time the syrup will maybe be syrupy and not hard pieces of sugar floating in not-syrup.

spicy

I just went over to the Penzey's Spice store on 82nd. They've only been there about 3 months, and it is their first west-coast store. It is so nice! They have a lot of really wonderful things. I'd been reading about them as a good mail-order resource for spices, but now they are just a trip up beautiful 82nd Avenue away. Anyway, I thought you guys might like to check it out.