Pears Baked with Marsala

 PEARS BAKED with MARSALA

Marsala baked pears are from my time at Chez Panisse and were later featured regularly at my restaurant, Eccolo. After spending many years in Italy learning the cuisine, the flavors of the Italian kitchen had come to define my palate. To match the menus I was writing then, I asked Chez Panisse’s pastry cooks make specific Italian desserts to complement my food. It was sometimes a push. Simple Italian desserts were controversial in a kitchen steeped in French tradition. This recipe, though not original, still appears in the writings, blogs, and books of many cooks. It’s a good and easy dessert in which the sweet Marsala sauce is offset by the tartness of crème fraîche which I suggest you serve a dollop of alongside the pears. Together, the sauce and crème fraîche balance the nuance of the soft, delicate, well-roasted pears. The pears can be served slightly warm or at room temperature.

Madeira and medium-dry sherry are good substitutes for sweet Marsala. If you cannot find any of them, a red wine is an easy substitute, just double the granulated sugar.  

Makes 6 servings

6 ripe, firm pears – Bosc and Bartlett are perfect choices, and Anjou works well
1 cup (240 ml) sweet Marsala
1 ½ tablespoons (45 ml) honey
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped into the Marsala
Crème fraîche, for serving  

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F (190° C)

  2. Trim the bottom of the pears so they stand upright in the baking dish. The dish should be large enough to hold the pears, with
    space between them to for the pears to breath. Butter the dish and place the pears side-by-side in the dish.

  3. Pour the Marsala over the pears and drizzle them with the honey. Sprinkle the pears with the sugar.

  4. Bake the pears for about 55-60 minutes, basting them every 10 minutes or so with the liquid. Use a turkey baster or a sauce spoon.

  5. As you approach the end of the cooking, baste the pears more frequently. They will begin to turn mahogany in color and their stems will brown. Test the pears early with a small knife in a discrete place on their lower side so they do not overcook – the knife should pierce the pear with little resistance.

  6. Remove the dish from the oven onto a cooling rack. Baste the pears a few times as they cool. The sauce should be reduced to a light syrup.

©2026 Christopher Lee