Roasted Pear & Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt

One of my latest ice cream obsession is Häagen-Dazs's Caramelized Pear & Toasted Pecan. I have become an instant fan,literally on the first lick. Little did I suspected that caramelized pear would taste so delicious in ice cream. No wonder it has won the Häagen-Dazs flavor search in 2007. I couldn't get enough of it, and even though the weather has cooled down considerably- indication of time to put my ice cream maker to rest until next summer, I find myself churning out a batch of roasted pear & vanilla bean frozen yogurt. I couldn't help it. My favorite Greek yogurt is on half price and the gorgeous pears have just graced the farmer's stand, surely this is a SIGN!

Instead of caramelizing the pears, I choose to roast them along with the vanilla bean I found lying around. It was done while I was cooking dinner on a Sunday night. A few basting and 40 minutes later, before the season premiere of Desperate Housewives, the roasted pears were ready and left to cool at room temperature.

On the brief advertisement break before Brothers and Sisters, I processed the roasted pears with one 17.6 oz container (2 cups) of Greek yogurt in the blender before churning the mixture in the ice cream maker. Although 1.5 cups of Greek yogurt might be a better ratio for the recipe, I was too lazy to measure that out. Plus I prefer my frozen yogurt on the tangy side. I think adding a tablespoon or two of honey may be a good idea if you like it sweeter. As with other icy dessert recipes, taste and adjust the sweetness according to your preference.Have total control and personalize- That's the beauty of homemade ice cream! Just remember to make it slightly sweeter than how you'd like it, as the chilling will dull the flavor later.

I leave out the nuts because I don't have any on hand. And quite honestly, I am too lazy to roast and chop them, even if I have them handy. With the weather cooling down, my body is craving for soups, cookies and tarts. So watch out for those recipes in the coming months!

Roasted Pear & Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
3 firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored (about 1 pound)
1 vanilla bean
1 17.6oz (2 cups) Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the pears cut side up in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Add the water into the dish and sprinkle sugar, butter and scraped vanilla bean on top of the pears. Bake until the pears are crisp-tender and beginning to brown, basting occasionally with the juices, about 35-40 minutes.

Let cool on a cooling rack. When the baking dish has cool down,cover with saran wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least half an hour, or up to a day.

Using a blender, process the roasted pears, with its juice and the yogurt until smooth. Transfer to the freezer bowl of your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.