Roasted Pears with Sweet Ricotta Cream

Last week, on the heels of my Fresh Direct over-order, I was itching for something sweet. Typically, fruit just doesn't cut it in my list of desirable desserts. Occasionally I'll dabble in some berry ridden whipped cream and that's how I got the idea for some brown sugar basted pears. Yup, you read that right. Sweet pears roasted and basted with a brown sugar sauce. And while whipped cream from a can is always a staple in my fridge (though my love for it has dwindled since I discovered homemade mint whipped cream), I wanted some sort of thick cream for these sweet delights but also something that was not completely terrible for me. So I turned to ricotta, a versatile and delicious Italian cheese that's used in everything from lasagna and mixed into spaghetti to sweetened and dolloped over fruit. Though this dish isn't exactly the pinnacle of health, it's lighter than my favorite cupcakes and fulfills any sweet tooth...oh and gives a healthy dose of fruit to boot.

Roasted Pears
*Adapted heavily from Bon Appetit, circa 2007
2 Anjou pears
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel pears, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the cores. In a mixing bowl, coat the pear halves with lemon juice and vanilla. In an ovenproof skillet (stainless steel, no rubber handles), heat the butter until melted. Add brown sugar and mix into the butter. Place the pears cut side down into the skillet, pouring remaining lemon juice mixture over the top. Cook in the skillet until the sugar dissolves and the mixture bubbles, spreading some of the mixture over the top of the pears. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the pears and soft, about 15 minutes. Top with sweet ricotta cream.

Sweet Ricotta Cream
1 C part-skim ricotta
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a food processor or blender, combine the ricotta, honey and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the cream can thicken. Serve over roasted pears.

So there you have it...a semi-healthy dessert that's quick and easy without sacrificing an ounce of sweet flavor. But what I want to know is, what is your thought on fruit as dessert? Do you have favorite way to sweeten the deal?

Brunch at B Bar

There are few things in this world that I love more than brunch. Of course Shaun tops the list, but following him...let's just say that brunch is high on the list. So on a rainy Sunday morning I planned to meet my sister Kimberly for brunch at Clinton Street Baking Co. After catching a glimpse of their highly acclaimed blueberry pancakes on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay, we thought it would be the perfect place for a rainy Sunday (and the perfect opportunity to see how my own Lemon Blueberry Pancakes measured up one-on-one).

Since the title of this article isn't Brunch at Clinton Street Baking Co., you're correct in assuming that we in fact never made it to brunch at Clinton after finding out that it was a stomach-turning 3 hour wait. Oh, and no, they don't take reservations.

Feeling defeated and with stomachs growling, we began a hunt for the nearest delicious brunch locale, not relishing braving the stormy weather on the Lower East Side, a neighborhood we were less than familiar with. To make matters worse, Kimberly was a little scared/turned off by Katz's Deli - not sure if it was the massive lines, the abundance of wood paneling or the wall of meats. So we made our way over to the Bowery and saw B Bar in the distance. Though I hadn't been there since my NYU Communications Department graduation party in '04, I have such fun memories of B Bar - the party, meeting my dad for dinner in college and mostly their juicy, cheese-covered burger served on an English muffin. Yum.

Anyhow, back to brunch. B Bar boasts a trendy yet relaxing vibe with reasonable prices and a serious outdoor patio. Greeting us the table was a little wooden cutting board with sliced banana bread. Though it gave my version a major run for its money, it was missing the super delish brown sugar crust on top. But I let it slide because the bread was moist perfection.

In addition to downing large amount of B Bar coffee, I went with my favorite unsweet brunch meal, Eggs Benedict. Served with jalapeno Hollandaise sauce and some of the best home fries I've tasted, this Eggs Benedict surpassed many others that came before it. I mean, doesn't it just look good enough to eat?

If you have the means, I highly recommend giving it a visit. But I want to know about your brunching habits. Do you go out or stay in? Do you go for sweet or savory? Dish on some of your favorites in the comments!

Groceries on demand

I did it.

After two years of glimpsing longingly at the Fresh Direct truck as it rode around my tiny Jersey City neighborhood delivering boxes upon boxes of groceries, I gave in. I placed an order.

I have been regaled with tales of Fresh Direct as friends and family (even our realtor!) sang its praises over the last months, but always had an itty bitty pang of guilt at the thought of having my groceries delivered. Doesn't grocery shopping come with the being-a-wife territory? And that's how the guilt always got me. After all, I don't reeeally have a good excuse as to why I can't take time out of my day to grocery shop. It's not that I mind food shopping. I generally like it...and at times, I even love it. I enjoy trolling the aisles for fun new foods, filling up my cart and subsequently my fridge and pantry...and, oh yeah, eating up the goods. However, quite honestly? The thought of giving up even a moment of my precious weekend hours, which are typically spent getting our apartment in order, writing away and getting to spend some fun time with the husband, for grocery shopping just became too much to bear. Not to mention the annoyance of carting groceries up to our apartment. So last week when I realized that this weekend would need to be a grocery shopping extravaganza, I decided to give Fresh Direct a try.

I scoured the website, filling up my cyber shopping cart with fruits and veggies galore (I admittedly may have overbought), sticking to my general shopping technique of purchasing what's in season and on sale. I found giant packs of chicken breasts, frozen shrimp and lean ground beef - my usual staple proteins. Most of my favorite name brand products were available and for similar, if not lower prices than in store. Not only did I score better deals on cold cuts and vegetables (which lead to my fabulous grilled zucchini) than at my local A&P, but I hunted down an electronic coupon which scored me a sweet 25% off my order bringing my order total to way, way less than what I'd usually spend on a bi-monthly shopping trip. Oh, and the fact that much of the produce is grown locally, with plenty of organic options, is just the icing on the proverbial cake.

So that nagging pang of guilt at the thought of delivered groceries? Let's just say, like many things in life, its been zapped away by convenience and low prices. Now it's the thought of ever having to visit a grocery store again that gives me an itty bitty pang of anxiety.

So what's your thought on the groceries-being-delivered movement? Are you on board? Resisting? Waiting for it to come to a neighborhood near you?

*Images borrowed from FreshDirect.com