Pears are a wonderful fruit to enjoy due to their delicious taste and beautiful form, and they work well with many flavors, such as chocolate, caramel, almonds, and ginger. With the abundance and many varieties of seasonal pears, enjoy these
special recipes.
Pear Salad
¼ cup sugar
1 cup pecan halves
2 pears, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup lemon-lime soda
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
½ cup raspberry vinaigrette
In a skillet over medium heat, stir together sugar and pecans until sugar is melted and pecans are caramelized. Transfer to wax paper to cool. Place peeled pears in soda. On each plate, place 1 cup spinach, cranberries, cheese, pecans, and pears. Drizzle with vinaigrette.
Yield: 4 servings
Fresh Pear Cake
4 cups peeled, cored, and chopped pears (5 to 6 pears)
2 cups sugar
4 egg whites
2/3 cup canola oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a medium bowl, combine pears and sugar and let stand for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly beat eggs. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, and pear mixture. In another large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Stir pear mixture into dry ingredients until combined. Pour into a greased tube or Bundt pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before removing from pan. Drizzle cake with glaze made from ½ cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon milk stirred until smooth, or dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Yield: 12-16 servings
Rustic Pear Tarts
1 (14-ounce) package ready piecrusts
4 ounces cream cheese
5 tablespoons whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe pears, peeled and cored
1/3 cup chopped pecans
½ cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 teaspoons sugar
Caramel ice cream topping for drizzling
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll both piecrusts on a floured surface. With a sharp knife, cut each crust into 3 circles using a saucer as a guide. Transfer 6 rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together cream cheese, 4 tablespoons cream, and vanilla. Spread mixture equally in center of each tart, leaving a 1-inch border. Cut each pear into quarters. Cut each quarter into 3 wedges. Place wedges equally on cream cheese layer in tart shells. Sprinkle each tart with pecans and cranberries, and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Turn borders up around edges of tarts, leaving center uncovered. Brush crusts with remaining heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fruit is tender. Cool a few minutes before drizzling with caramel topping and serving with whipped cream or ice cream.
Yield: 6 servings
Pear and Almond Tart
½ (14-ounce) package ready pie crusts
6 ounces almond paste
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ stick salted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 egg
1 egg white
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup apricot jam, divided
2 (15-ounce) cans pear halves, drained and patted dry
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fit piecrust into removable-bottom tart pan, pressing up sides; chill. For filling, with mixer, beat almond paste with sugar and flour until smooth. Gradually beat in butter; then beat in egg, egg white, and almond extract. Spread ¼ cup jam on bottom of tart shell, then spread almond cream on top; chill for 15 minutes. Arrange pear slices on almond cream; place tart on rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cream is set. Transfer tart to a wire rack; cool in pan. Remove tart from pan. Melt remaining jam; brush over tart. If desired, sprinkle with almonds.
Yield: 8 servings
Poached Pears with Chocolate and Almonds
1 quart water
1¼ cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 split vanilla bean
4 Bosc pears, peeled, with stems left intact
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
4 ounces dark chocolate
4 ounces chocolate almond bark
To poach pears, in a large saucepan, heat water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, and vanilla bean. Core pears with a melon baller from bottom, stopping about 1 inch from the top. Add pears to liquid. Simmer pears until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and let pears cool in liquid. Chill pears in juice in a covered glass bowl overnight. Heat remaining juice on high until syrup consistency. Cool and chill syrup. Toast almonds on baking sheet in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; set aside. To serve, heat chocolate and almond bark in microwave at 1-minute intervals until melted. Dip bottom of each pear in chocolate and roll in almonds. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and chill 30 minutes. Drizzle with pear syrup just before serving.
Yield: 4 servings
