Roasted Fruit

In days gone by, roasting chestnuts evoked memories of the holidays. Create a new nostalgia by gracing your table with roasted fruit this holiday season and for years to come.

During the summer months, grilled fruit is often a tasty end to the cookout. Grilling caramelizes the fruit’s natural sugars and brings out the sweetness. During the winter months, continue that same process indoors by roasting and broiling fruit in the oven. You’ll enjoy the rich flavors that browning imparts to fruit. Try these dishes to delight your family and guests.

Broiled Grapefruit. Even your grandmother knew this trick to make grapefruit sweeter to eat. Slice a grapefruit in half and cut all the way around the grapefruit between the pulp and the rind. Place grapefruit halves, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes, just until the top is lightly browned. Optional: lightly sprinkle grapefruit with sugar before broiling to create a crunchy topping.

Roasted Grapes. For a twist on the usual roasted chicken with vegetables, consider grapes instead! Remove grapes from their stems and toss with just enough olive oil to coat lightly. Place grapes, along with onion wedges, around boneless, skinless chicken pieces and season with pepper and herbs. Roast at 375° F for about 30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° F and grapes skins begin to shrivel.

Fruit … UnCobbled. If you don’t have the time or the inclination to make pies for the holiday dessert, try roasted fruits instead. Think cobbler without the topping or pie without the crust. The end result can be just as festive and seasonal with the addition of holiday spices. You’ll not only save time but you can also serve a lighter dessert with a fraction of the sugar and butter, which can provide the right ending to a sumptuous meal.

Recipe

Roasted Winter Fruits
Makes 4 servings, 1 cup each
Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 apples
• 2 pears
• ½ cup cranberries
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Tablespoons turbinado or brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F. Slice each apple and pear into 8 wedges and remove cores. Place apples, pears and cranberries in a large bowl, add lemon juice and toss to coat evenly. Place butter on a medium baking sheet with sides and place in oven for about 1 to 2 minutes, just until butter melts. Remove baking sheet from oven, add fruits to melted butter and toss to coat evenly. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over fruits. Bake for 20 minutes, carefully turning fruit with spatula once or twice during baking. Serve warm, as is, or with vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt and walnuts.

Nutrition information per serving: 170 calories, 3g fat, 2g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 30mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 28g sugars, 1g protein

Sylvia Emberger, RD, LDN
Corporate Nutritionist
Ahold USA