Sad Winter Fruit Is Meant to Be Roasted

While it can be tempting to forgo the sweetener element altogether, it’s essential to help get the caramelization started in the oven. Give your fruit a taste: If it’s especially tart (a mouth-puckering Granny Smith apple, for example), you’ll want a little more than, say, some overripe nectarines that could do with a spoonful or two of granulated sugar. Liquid sweeteners and syrups such as honey and maple syrup are delicious, but keep in mind that they get darker faster than white sugar in the oven.

For another layer of flavor, add anything from floral extracts, citrus zest, and sprigs of fresh herbs like hardy rosemary or summer basil (you’ll want to pull these out after they bake), to ground or whole spices (like crushed cardamom pods, whole cloves, or a cinnamon stick), to a splash of vanilla or almond extract. A few of my favorite combinations:

• Apples + maple syrup + cinnamon
• Peaches + agave + lavender
• Strawberries + brown sugar + crushed cardamom pods

Toss it all together in a large bowl, then spread in a single layer on a sheet pan or in a baking dish and roast at 350°. Start checking after 20 minutes to decide if you want them syrupy and jammy, or if you want to continue roasting for more caramelization. If you’d like to stave off more moisture while also halting more darkening, you can lower the temperature and keep baking. Or, if you’re a fan of a little bit of char, turn your broiler on for the last couple minutes and keep a close eye until the fruit is the color you’re looking for.

From there, it’s up to you how to use your bounty: Toss baked pears into winter salads with a zippy vinaigrette and crumbly cheese, spoon roasted strawberries over your morning oatmeal, top saucy cherries on a scoop of ice cream, fold fragrant peaches into quick-bread batter before baking, mash and spread cooked apples between cake layers, or stir apricots into yogurt and granola—with Hot Fruit, you’ve got a world of fruitful possibilities lined up. Who needs pie dough?