One of the reasons Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday is that it's the one when the dessert makers come out of the woodwork and produce their absolute best pumpkin pies, pecan pies, sweet potato pies, fruit cobblers and other traditional family favorites.

It's sort of a challenge to do it better than last year.

People rarely experiment, relying instead on old standbys to finish off the meal. It's what everyone expects, and no one likes to disappoint. You make what you know best, and it's the one you're least likely to mess up.

I take a different approach.

I like to try interesting desserts from interesting places, and I find Thanksgiving to be the perfect day to do it.

For example, I love the Moosewood vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, N.Y., close to Cornell University. The restaurant is represented by a dozen wonderful cookbooks, starting with the original, "Moosewood Cookbook," and they've become staples in our kitchen. I go back to them over and over when a special occasion calls for a special recipe.

On the front page of today's Alive section, I wrote about cooking for a healthier Thanksgiving holiday, and detailed light and low-fat recipes designed to lighten up the holiday meal. Having lost more than 30 pounds, I find that I just don't want to give up the momentum I've gained over the past six months, and I can't bring myself to overeat the way I have on other Thanksgivings.

So this year, I've cut back on things like stuffing and gravy made with buckets of turkey drippings.

So that I can eat dessert.

Because I'm a sucker for dessert.

In the spirit of my approach to this Thanksgiving, I'm going with portion control. One dessert we'll make this year is a crustless pumpkin pie made in ramekins. Another I've chosen from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates," a sinfully sweet and slightly tangy dessert using fresh pears baked in honey and balsamic vinegar, which are then reduced to intensify the flavor. This one is so sweet and delicious that one half pear, topped with a bit of yogurt, is enough to satisfy the sweetest tooth.

And there is no need to load up on lots of dessert after eating a wonderful meal with your family.

Try this simple-to-make, sweet and elegant dessert, and you'll make it a regular part of your holidays.
HONEY ROASTED PEARS
8 large ripe pears, preferably Bosc or D'Anjou
2 cups pear nectar
1/2 cup mild sweet honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sweet butter
Vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt
Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex-type baking dish, or two 9-inch pie pans.

Cut each pear in quarters lengthwise and remove the core. Place the pears skin side up in the prepared baking dish or pie pans. In a medium bowl, combine the pear nectar and honey. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, ginger and cinnamon. Mix well and pour evenly over the pears. Dot the pears with butter.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes, uncover and bake another 5 or 10 minutes until the pears are tender. Transfer the pears to a serving platter, cover and set aside.

Pour the pear sauce into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half and beginning to caramelize. Drizzle the syrupy sauce on the pears.

Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with a dollop of vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt.

This dessert can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. If you plan to make it ahead and refrigerate, reserve the butter dots when baking, and add them when reheating. It can be reheated in the oven or the microwave briefly until the butter is melted.