Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Lisa Cherkasky; for The Washington Post
In this luscious autumnal dish, a medley of fall fruit is tossed with a mixture of balsamic vinegar, honey and ginger, then roasted until the fruit, softened and warmed, is coated in a glorious sweet-tangy glaze. Enjoy it as a dessert or brunch dish by itself or with a dollop of creamy yogurt. Be sure to use thick, syrupy balsamic vinegar and not the more acidic kind you might use for salad dressing. The fruit can be roasted up to 2 days ahead. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
Roasted Fall Fruit With Balsamic-Ginger Glaze
Ingredients
Cooking oil spray or olive oil, for the pan
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
3 firm, ripe pears, unpeeled
2 cups red grapes, sliced lengthwise
8 fresh figs, preferably Black Mission, stemmed and halved lengthwise
Greek yogurt (full- or low-fat), for serving (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle. Spray or brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil.
In a large bowl, stir together the balsamic vinegar, honey, ginger and salt to combine. Taste and season with more salt, if needed. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the mixture to a smaller bowl.
Quarter the pears lengthwise; then, using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop the core out of each piece. Leave the stems intact if you’d like. Place the pears and grapes in the bowl with the balsamic mixture and toss to coat, then transfer them to the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
Toss the figs with the reserved glaze in the smaller bowl. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and give the pears and grapes a gentle toss. Turn the pears so that they are cut-side down, if they are not already. Add the figs to the sheet and return to the oven until the fruit has softened but retains its shape and the glaze has begun to caramelize, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Let cool slightly before serving as is, or with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Makes 6 servings
Serving size: 1 heaping cup
Per serving: Calories 130; Total Fat 0g; (Sat Fat 0g); Protein 1g; Carb 35g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 25mg; Total Sugar 29g (including 5.6 g added sugar)
