Roasting is a dry, high-heat method of cooking in an oven. I differentiate between roasting and baking in part because roasting generally employs slightly higher oven temperatures, but also because it is a method applied to large cuts of meat, coated in oil, butter, or ghee, then deliciously caramelized as they cook.
Roasted vegetables take on a distinctive caramelized personality when cooked in this way, bringing out the natural sweetness of winter squash and carrots, dampening the sulfurous personality of broccoli and cauliflower, and transforming the flesh of eggplant into silk.
Anytime of year, but especially in the autumn and winter, I love roasted fruits: Their mild sweetness calls out for spices and a touch of honey. Favorites noted here include fresh figs, apples, pears, and plums.