Ingredients

The following ingredients have 3 Servings
  • 3 medium pears, about 3” by 2”, not too firm, not too ripe
  • 3 sturdy 3½“ cinnamon sticks, or strong maple or oak twigs
  • 8 ounces good-quality caramels (I use Werther’s)
  • 4 teaspoons heavy cream
  • coarse sea salt, or have your salt grinder at the ready
  • three 4½” squares of waxed paper

Instruction

  • Wash pears and dry very well. Pinch off the stems. Carefully push cinnamon sticks into tops of pears. Set aside.
  • Line a cookie sheet or large dinner plate with parchment paper and set near saucepan.
  • Place salt in a small shallow dish and set near saucepan.
  • Place caramels and heavy cream in small saucepan and melt over low heat.
  • When caramel is smooth, take one pear at a time and as deftly as possible, dunk into caramel, tilting saucepan and spooning mixture as needed, covering ¾ of the pear. It looks nice if some of the green/red skin is showing.
  • Quickly lean your pear into the salt, covering just a small area. Don’t overdo the sea salt. Gently run a spatula under bottom of pear to scrape off excess. Place pear on parchment. Repeat with remaining pears. Or, instead of dipping into the coarse salt, you can grind a dusting of salt over the coated pear for a finer finish, which I prefer.
  • Pour any leftover caramel onto some waxed paper, grind some salt over, and refrigerate until firm. This is the cook’s treat.
  • Chill pears in refrigerator for about an hour. Transfer each pear to a wax paper square and place on serving plate.
  • Happy Hallowe’en!