Hasselback Asian Pears with Rosemary Syrup

This Asian Pear dessert recipe is as delicious as it is pretty. Slow roasted in Rosemary simple syrup, the Hasselback pears are super tender and loaded with sweet earthy flavors. They're brilliant for holiday entertaining or for any dinner party during the fall and winter months.

Idaho potatoes have inspired many recipes for me, but this is the first one that doesn't include potatoes.

Have you ever had a Hasselback Potato?

Who knew a potato would inspire one of my Asian pear recipes!?

This impressive pear dessert is actually quite easy to make. The rosemary syrup only takes a few minutes, and once the pears are prepped, the work is over.

Because of their size and texture, Asian pears lend themselves to the Hasselback technique, and they make for a really beautiful, delicious and unique dessert when you roast them in Rosemary syrup.

The Ingredients

• Asian pears - Asian pears are known under several names, including Sand pears, Apple pears, Nashi pears, Chinese pears, Japanese pears, and Korean pears. They're available in most major grocery stores from late-October through Mid-March. They will almost always come wrapped in netted foam to keep them in their pristine condition. Be sure those you choose are firm without any soft areas.
• fresh rosemary - If rosemary isn't growing in your yard, it likely is in a neighbor's. Otherwise it should be available year round in all markets. Look for perky bunches that are not too stiff, with soft stems.
• granulated sugar
• water
• pure vanilla extract - I like this one.
• lemon juice - I always use Meyer lemons over regular lemons when given the option. Meyer lemons are a touch less tart and a touch sweeter. And with a thinner skin and fewer seeds, they are incredibly juicy.

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions and Variations

• Asian pears. If you'd like to use another pear variety, Bosc is the best choice, as they are very firm and tend to hold their shape well when cooked. You can also try the recipe with apples -- only very firm varieties, like Granny Smith or Honey Crisp.
• Fresh rosemary. If you'd like to try another fresh herb, thyme would be my second choice.
• Pure vanilla extract. You can use a vanilla pod instead of the extract if you'd like. Use paring knife to slice one pod in half, lengthwise, and then use the back of it to scrape the vanilla beans, from both halves, into the saucepan with the water and sugar.
• Lemon juice. If you don't have lemon juice, grapefruit juice or orange juice are good substitutes.

Recipe Tips

• I find a long slicing knife is best for making the slits in the pears. They're typically thin and long enough to make just one cut without moving the knife in "sawing" motion.
• Don't skimp on the basting every 15 to 20 minutes or so. This is what makes the pears so amazingly flavorful.
• If the tops of the pears are not golden by the time they're done baking, you can put them under the broiler for about 30 seconds or so. Watch them closely so they don't burn. (This isn't necessary, but they look extra tasty with the golden color, and the touch of crispness is fantastic.)

How to Make Them

- Preheat the oven to 400°F, adjust a rack to the center of the oven, and line an approximately 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

- In a small saucepan combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, rosemary and vanilla. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. Stir to ensure all of the sugar has dissolved.

- Peel the pears and then cut them in half, lengthwise.

- Use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds from each half, and then use a paring knife to cut out any remaining stem and skin.

- Coat the bottom of the parchment-lined pan with a thin layer of the syrup, and place the pear halves in, round sides up, as you prepare them, spooning some of the syrup on top of each one. (This is to prevent them from turning brown.)

- Now, one at a time, remove the pear halves from the pan and use a slicing knife to cut as many slits as you can, and as thinly as you can, horizontally, into the round side of the pear half. Don't cut all the way through the pear! Your knife should stop about about 1-inch from the bottom.

- Return the sliced halves to the pan as you go, round/sliced sides up.

- Pour the remaining rosemary syrup over them. The pears should be well coated. Use the tip of a knife to open each slit slightly to be sure the syrup goes inside. There will be excess syrup in the bottom of the pan that will go about ¼ to ½ way up the sides of the pears. This is perfect, as we'll be basting with that during the roasting process.

- Place the pears in the preheated 400°F oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Use a small ladle or a soup spoon, to baste the pears, again getting the syrup into the slits. (The slits will become more open as they roast, and it will therefore become easier to do this.)

- Continue to set the timer and baste every 15 minutes, until you've reached 1 hour. Then roast for another 30 minutes or until the pears are very tender), basting generously at that time.

- If they are not golden on top, place them under the broiler for about 30 seconds. (Watch them carefully so they don't burn.)

What are Asian Pears?

• Asian pears are also called Sand pears, Apple pears, Nashi pears, Chinese pears, Japanese pears, and Korean pears.
• They're grown with extreme care, and the result is a very clean, blemish-free fruit.
• Unlike Western pears, Asian Pears are very round and large in size.
• They're firm pears with light, brownish-yellow, speckled skin, which is where the name Sand pears comes in. The interior is bright white.
• What do they taste like? Asian Pears are crisp, crunchy, juicy and sweet, with a subtle honey flavor.
• When are they in season? Asian pears are in season from approximately October through March.

What does Hasselback mean?

• Hasselback refers to a classic preparation of a potato. And in this Asian pear recipe, we're applying the same technique.
• The technique is to make a series of evenly spaced, very thin slices that go all the way across, but not quite all the way through the potato, or in this case, the pear.

Serving Suggestions

• Absolutely divine on their own, the hasselback pears are also excellent served with vanilla bean or cinnamon ice cream. If they're still a bit warm, they'll turn the ice cream into sauce and it's magical.
• With the rosemary syrup drizzled over them, the pears are delightful served with cake or sweet bread that will soak it up. A plain pound cake or Glazed Pineapple Guava Bread would both be excellent.
• The pears are also wonderful with Greek yogurt!

More Asian Pear Recipes (Sweet and Savory)

• Asian Pear Mrainated Steak
• Honey-Baked Korean Pears in Wonton Crisps

Can you make them ahead?

• You can make the rosemary simple syrup up to a couple of days ahead of time, storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before using it.
• The pears are best served the day they are made, ideally about 10 minutes after they're removed from the oven.
• However, they will still be tasty for a few days, but not quite as pretty, and any crispness on the top of the cuts will likely be lost. (Keep them refrigerated in an airtight container.)

Enjoy! I hope you love my Hasselback Asian Pears as much as my family and I do.

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.