From start to finish

This pair of delectable dishes comes to us from Times Food section staffers who recommended them as beautifully executed examples of quintessential Italian recipes. La Terza’s meltingly soft roasted peppers, seasoned with garlic and anchovies, make a wonderful appetizer. Pecorino’s pear gratin, which layers crisp cookies and poached pear with a luscious almond cream, is a showstopper of a dessert.

La Terza pepperoni arrostiti

Total time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10 appetizer servings

Note: From Gino Angelini at La Terza

3 red bell peppers

3 yellow bell peppers

3 green bell peppers

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 anchovy fillets, cut into

small pieces

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1. Heat the oven to 550 degrees. Wash and dry the peppers. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning every 10 minutes until the skins are browned and wrinkled.

2. Remove the peppers from the oven and place them in a bowl. Cover them with plastic wrap or a towel and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Peel and remove the seeds. (Do not rinse.) Cut the peppers into julienne slices.

3. Place the slices in a clean bowl. Add the salt, olive oil, anchovies and garlic and mix well. Place the seasoned pepper slices in a baking pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until very soft, about 1 hour. Cool and serve as an appetizer. Makes 4 cups.

Each serving: 82 calories; 2 grams protein; 7 grams carbohydrates;

2 grams fiber; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 mg. cholesterol;

324 mg. sodium.

**

Pecorino’s pear and almond gratin (gratin di pere e mandorla)

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 10

Note: From Raffaele Sabatini at Pecorino. Savoiardi cookies are available at Italian markets.

7 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 cup almond flour

2 eggs

1 cup water

2 cups white wine

1 strip lemon peel

5 Bosc pears, peeled, cut in half, cores removed

30 Savoiardi cookies (crisp

ladyfingers)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and one-half cup sugar. Beat in the almond flour. Add the eggs one at a time, beating constantly until smooth. Refrigerate the batter.

2. Combine the water, wine, lemon peel and remaining one-half cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the pears, in batches if necessary, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Drain the pears, reserving the liquid. Thinly slice the pears, but keep the slices together in the form of the half pear. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

4. For each serving, use an individual ramekin or gratin dish (about 1 by 4 1/2 inches or twice the size of a pear half). Line the bottom of each dish with 3 cookies to form a base. Saturate the cookies with several tablespoons of the syrup from the cooked pears.

5. Place 1 pear half on top of the cookies, fanning the slices slightly. Spoon 3 tablespoons almond batter over each pear half. Just before serving, bake at 450 degrees about 7 minutes. Brown the tops under the broiler for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

Each serving: 431 calories; 7 grams protein; 58 grams carbohydrates;

4 grams fiber; 17 grams fat;

7 grams saturated fat; 184 mg. cholesterol; 67 mg. sodium.