The Fall Fruits You Should Be Roasting, But Aren't

In our book, apples are just one of the unofficial Big Five Fall Fruits that home cooks should be roasting (but probably aren't). Along with apples, our luscious roasted fall fruit lineup includes pears, pomegranates, figs, and persimmons. Roasted pears make for an irresistible autumn dessert and are the unsung Ophelia of the fall season's cornucopia. To make them, peel and halve the pears, remove the seeds and core them, and then bake them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes until they're soft. You can also add other flavorful ingredients like dry white wine, cinnamon, or sea salt to the roasting pan to customize the flavor of this highly adaptable fruit. 

The best pears for roasting are those that are firm but ripe; Bosc and Anjou pears work especially well. Roasted pears function beautifully in this sweet-savory roasted pear and Manchego salad, but are also great on their own or over vanilla ice cream. If you're feeling ambitious, you could even make this fall jewel stretch into the winter months by turning those roasted pears into a flavorful spiced jam with star anise.

It's also good to know how to eat and cook with pomegranate seeds (aka arils). These tasty morsels can be roasted on a sheet pan over low heat for a quick stint in the oven, bringing out their natural sweetness and adding a texturally pleasant crunch. Use those roasted pomegranate seeds to garnish an autumnal salad. Or, you could swap out the blueberries for pomegranates to make an elevated version of these cardamom blueberry muffins. On the savory end, roasted pomegranate seeds would also make a colorful relish atop sweet, skillet-roasted carrots, glazed salmon with shallots and fennel, or these apple chutney-stuffed pork chops.

Fresh figs are often sold by weight, and can be roasted with nothing more than a little olive oil, making them the perfect easy addition to all of your seasonal recipes. Just halve 'em, brush 'em with oil, and roast 'em for around 10 minutes. You can also roast them with flavorful herbs like cinnamon or rosemary. Or, you can even roast figs and chicken in the same pan for an easy dinner on a crisp fall night. Tender roasted figs also pair great with pot roast, or work well as a topping to gooey baked Brie for an appetizer. You could even wrap them in prosciutto before roasting them for a legendary hors d'oeuvre at your next dinner party. We also love sweet roasted figs alongside peppery arugula, gamey goat cheese, and savory cured meat on this salami and fig flatbread.

And last but not least, you should try roasting persimmons. If you've never worked with this fruit before, this season is the time to start. Persimmons feature a sweet honey-apricot flavor, soft flesh, and tomato-like shape. They're almost inedibly bitter when under-ripe, which is why the fall season is such a gem for enjoying this less-popular beauty. To roast them, first choose the perfect ripe persimmons from the grocery store. Then, peel and slice the fruits into ½-inch thick slices, drizzle them in neutral oil, and bake them over low heat until they're soft and slightly browned — roughly 20 minutes. You could use these roasted persimmons to top a yogurt bowl, shrimp salad, burrata, chai-spiced oatmeal, or elevate any charcuterie board.