roasted pears w/ raspberries, blackberries & ricotta

Today we have the rarest of all types of posts here on BonChap - dessert! I'm not a huge dessert person in general, usually I'll just have a yogurt or piece of fruit. Which, now that I've typed that, I see that this recipe is just a baby step away from that. Still - baby steps! It's a great dish that actually fills you up. Best of a night when you've had an early dinner and need something to hold you over 'til bedtime. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 unpeeled pears (I used half Bosc and half Bartlett), quartered, cored
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 12-ounce package frozen blackberries and raspberries (or really any frozen berry combo)
• 1 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese (it'd be perfectly tasty with vanilla ice cream as well)

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Cover a large baking sheet with tinfoil and generously butter. Toss the pears, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl. Transfer the pears, 1 of the cut sides down (if you quarter them, each slice will have two cut sides, one side with skin), to the baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the pears, placing other cut side down. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and roast 20 more minutes. Turn pears again, placing the skin side down. Preheat your broiler. Sprinkle the pears with 1 tablespoon sugar. Broil until the pears begin to caramelize, about 5-8 minutes. Arrange the berries around the pears and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Broil until the berries begin to release juice, about 2-3 minutes.

Divide the pears, berries, and juice among bowls and top with a dollop of ricotta and serve.

Bon Chappétit!