Roasted Pears

INGREDIENTS

1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
1.5 lbs slightly-under-ripe, fragrant medium pears, peeled if desired, and halved though the stem
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the sugar in a small bowl. With a thin sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Stir the seeds into the sugar.

Arrange the pears in a large baking dish, cut-side-up. Drizzle the lemon juice evenly over the fruit, then sprinkle with the vanilla sugar. Nestle the vanilla pod among the fruit. Pour the water into the dish. Dot each pear with some butter.

Roast the pears for 30 minutes, brushing them occasionally with the pan juices. Turn the pears over and continue roasting, basting once or twice, until tender and caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes longer. They are done when a paring knife poked into the thickest part of the pears meets with no resistance. Serve warm.