All Pears, No Partridge
August 15, 2024 7:56 AM Subscribe
I recently came into the possession of 12 freebie pears. I could probably eat them fresh, but I've never cooked or baked with pears in my life and would like to try doing so. Pear aficionados of MeFi, what are your best pear recipes and food ideas?
I don't have a specific recipe, but pear almond tarts are always my favorite use for not-perfect pears.
posted by cobaltnine at 8:05 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
posted by cobaltnine at 8:05 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
Pear and almond tarts are great.
Somewhat simpler would be pears poached in wine. This recipe is a little fancier than what I've had, but is the same general idea.
posted by adamrice at 8:12 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
Somewhat simpler would be pears poached in wine. This recipe is a little fancier than what I've had, but is the same general idea.
posted by adamrice at 8:12 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
It might be too early for cranberries, but I'm a big fan of this pear, cranberry, gingersnap crumble
posted by Jeanne at 8:18 AM on August 15
posted by Jeanne at 8:18 AM on August 15
So this pear- blue cheese focaccia only uses two normal-sized pears, but it is amazing.
posted by metasarah at 8:34 AM on August 15
posted by metasarah at 8:34 AM on August 15
Can't find the recipe right now but we do a pear and blue cheese tart with a walnut nut crust that is really good (and gluten free!). Really, the combination of anything creamy and nutty works great with ripe pears.
posted by graphweaver at 8:38 AM on August 15
posted by graphweaver at 8:38 AM on August 15
The SeriousEats recipe for fruit tarts (less a recipe than a 'follow this general path') is a very flexible one. In short:
1. Roll out a pie dough into a large rectangle
2. Poke it a bunch with a fork, & sprinkle sugar over it (maybe add cinnamon or other spices if you'd like)
3. Bake at 350 until golden brown, & let cool
4. Cover with a spread (whipped cream or something fancier)
5. Slices of pear over the top
A different recipe for plum tarts is also very flexible, if you want the pears themselves baked. Stella Parks' Pear Galette writeup includes a lot of useful tips for baking with pears.
posted by CrystalDave at 8:43 AM on August 15
1. Roll out a pie dough into a large rectangle
2. Poke it a bunch with a fork, & sprinkle sugar over it (maybe add cinnamon or other spices if you'd like)
3. Bake at 350 until golden brown, & let cool
4. Cover with a spread (whipped cream or something fancier)
5. Slices of pear over the top
A different recipe for plum tarts is also very flexible, if you want the pears themselves baked. Stella Parks' Pear Galette writeup includes a lot of useful tips for baking with pears.
posted by CrystalDave at 8:43 AM on August 15
for a non-alcoholic recipe, pears are pretty good poached in maple syrup
posted by HearHere at 8:48 AM on August 15
posted by HearHere at 8:48 AM on August 15
Pear tarte tatin.
posted by slkinsey at 8:53 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
posted by slkinsey at 8:53 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
Pears poached in wine sauce
2 cups (or more) dry red wine, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 cup sugar
1 whole star anise
1 x 7cm cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split
2 Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled, cored, cubed
Cook the pears
Combine the wine, sugar, star anise, cinnamon and vanilla bean
in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
Add the pears and bring to the boil.
Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer, turning occasionally, for 1 hour or until pears are tender.
(Check at 50 minutes)
Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a plate.
Reduce the sauce
Increase heat to high and bring the syrup to the boil.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly.
Pour over the pears and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4 hours to chill.
Notes:
Buy pears a couple days ahead of time so they can ripen a little.
Extremely sweet, so not much is needed. 1/2 pear per person.
Cut into small (1/2") squares
Can be used as an accompaniment with meat. Chicken works, but pork would seem to be ideal.
Sweet potatoes complement the pears well.
Can be dessert. Serve on top of vanilla ice cream. Add pistachios.
posted by falsedmitri at 9:34 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
2 cups (or more) dry red wine, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 cup sugar
1 whole star anise
1 x 7cm cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split
2 Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled, cored, cubed
Cook the pears
Combine the wine, sugar, star anise, cinnamon and vanilla bean
in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
Add the pears and bring to the boil.
Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer, turning occasionally, for 1 hour or until pears are tender.
(Check at 50 minutes)
Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a plate.
Reduce the sauce
Increase heat to high and bring the syrup to the boil.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly.
Pour over the pears and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4 hours to chill.
Notes:
Buy pears a couple days ahead of time so they can ripen a little.
Extremely sweet, so not much is needed. 1/2 pear per person.
Cut into small (1/2") squares
Can be used as an accompaniment with meat. Chicken works, but pork would seem to be ideal.
Sweet potatoes complement the pears well.
Can be dessert. Serve on top of vanilla ice cream. Add pistachios.
posted by falsedmitri at 9:34 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
Christopher Walken Shows You How to Cook Chicken & Pears
posted by glibhamdreck at 9:58 AM on August 15
posted by glibhamdreck at 9:58 AM on August 15
Pears work well in quick breads. I would also be interested to see whether one could adapt the Smitten Kitchen apple cake to pears.
I have also just inherited like 40 free pears lol and am actively researching recipes so I'll return to the thread if I find anything great!
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:00 AM on August 15
I have also just inherited like 40 free pears lol and am actively researching recipes so I'll return to the thread if I find anything great!
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:00 AM on August 15
I love this cake- simple, travels well, doesn't require decoration but still looks special:
Upside-Down Pear Cardamom Cake
For caramelized pears:
4 firm-ripe Forelle or small Bosc pears
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
For cake batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
3/4 cup whole milk
Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream (not required but does go great)
Steps
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Make caramelized pears:
Peel pears, then halve lengthwise and core. Spread sugar on a plate, then press cut sides of pear halves into sugar to coat, reserving remaining sugar.
Melt butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Reduce heat to low and arrange pears, cut sides down, decoratively in skillet. Sprinkle reserved sugar all around pears. Cook pears over moderately low heat until sugar begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes, and remove skillet from heat.
Make cake batter:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, mixing each addition until just combined.
Spoon batter over pears in skillet, gently spreading evenly and being careful not to disturb pears (batter will NOT cover tops of all pears). Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool cake in skillet on a rack 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge and invert a plate over skillet. Invert cake onto plate (wearing oven mitts), keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Replace any fruit stuck to bottom of skillet if necessary.
Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
posted by aint broke at 10:00 AM on August 15 [2 favorites]
Upside-Down Pear Cardamom Cake
For caramelized pears:
4 firm-ripe Forelle or small Bosc pears
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
For cake batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
3/4 cup whole milk
Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream (not required but does go great)
Steps
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Make caramelized pears:
Peel pears, then halve lengthwise and core. Spread sugar on a plate, then press cut sides of pear halves into sugar to coat, reserving remaining sugar.
Melt butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Reduce heat to low and arrange pears, cut sides down, decoratively in skillet. Sprinkle reserved sugar all around pears. Cook pears over moderately low heat until sugar begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes, and remove skillet from heat.
Make cake batter:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, mixing each addition until just combined.
Spoon batter over pears in skillet, gently spreading evenly and being careful not to disturb pears (batter will NOT cover tops of all pears). Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool cake in skillet on a rack 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge and invert a plate over skillet. Invert cake onto plate (wearing oven mitts), keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Replace any fruit stuck to bottom of skillet if necessary.
Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
posted by aint broke at 10:00 AM on August 15 [2 favorites]
Simple is it's own reward.
drizzle balsamic vinegar on a well chilled pear
posted by hortense at 11:09 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
drizzle balsamic vinegar on a well chilled pear
posted by hortense at 11:09 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
Depends on the type of pear, but I like to make a pear soup in cool weather. It's a dessert thing, fairly simple. Simmer some sugar, water and a cinnamon stick for a bit. Remove the cinnamon stick, add pear slices. Simmer just until pears get a little tender, but not until they're falling apart.
Optionally, top it off with a shot of pear or apricot liqueur when serving.
posted by gimonca at 11:21 AM on August 15
Optionally, top it off with a shot of pear or apricot liqueur when serving.
posted by gimonca at 11:21 AM on August 15
This happened to me recently, too. I plan to juice them.
posted by wheatlets at 11:35 AM on August 15
posted by wheatlets at 11:35 AM on August 15
I like a ginger pear cheese cake, with ginger in the batter, but baked in a crust made of crushed ginger cookie crumbs.
posted by Jane the Brown at 1:14 PM on August 15
posted by Jane the Brown at 1:14 PM on August 15
Pear pizza (pear slices as the base topped with blue cheese and pecorino). YUM!
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 2:43 PM on August 15
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 2:43 PM on August 15
I just came in here to recommend the Marcella Hazan cake that Bella Donna mentions — it's so good in a way that's disproportionate to how simple the ingredients and effort are. I would add though that in the book version I have she has you stud the top with whole cloves at the step when you dot it with tiny butter cubes, and it brings it all up another level to have that little hint of spice. (remove cloves before eating slices obviously)
posted by felix grundy at 6:24 AM on August 16 [1 favorite]
posted by felix grundy at 6:24 AM on August 16 [1 favorite]
On a grilled cheese with brie and sage.
posted by slateyness at 8:41 AM on August 16 [3 favorites]
posted by slateyness at 8:41 AM on August 16 [3 favorites]
Similar to aint broke, but I love my pear upside down cake to use gingerbread cake. I use Smitten Kitchen's Gramercy Tavern gingerbread cake, but be aware that the recipe makes a very large cake. Make 2, or cut in half.
posted by CathyG at 10:29 PM on August 18
posted by CathyG at 10:29 PM on August 18
Response by poster: Yesterday I used Marcella Hazan's recipe to make 28 muffins. I used all 12 pears and doubled the cake ingredients, then added an extra half cup of milk because the batter was so thick. The result was a batch of small, very dense muffins that are almost more pear than muffin and taste yummy.
Thank you all for your suggestions.
posted by orange swan at 11:58 AM on August 19 [1 favorite]
Thank you all for your suggestions.
posted by orange swan at 11:58 AM on August 19 [1 favorite]
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posted by Bella Donna at 8:05 AM on August 15