Sounds lovely doesn't it? When I think of the holidays I think of pears, cranberries and yummy cheeses. So what's to special about pears? I think it's the first fruit most kids gravitate too. My parents had this itty bitty tree in the back yard when I was growing up. I am pretty sure it only ever yielded about 6 pears in total, but they were special and lovely and they tasted so good.
Not only are pears beautiful sitting in a bowl on your kitchen table, they have some really great health benefits. Pears are apart of the rose family. Pears are full of flavonoids, phytonutrients and anti-inflammatory benefits and have special properties that help control blood sugars, so they are a good choice for those with diabetes. Most say that the skin of the fruit is important to ingest, that the vitamins and minerals are in the peels, in the case of pears this is especially true. Pears hold almost three times as much phytonutrients in the flesh, and the important ones that help reduce the risk of cancer, not to mention the fact that it is one of the best fruits for fiber intake. We are so lucky that in the United States our grocery stores are stocked with many varieties.
The list below describes some of the more commonly enjoyed varieties of pears:
- Bartlett: best known of the pear varieties in the U.S., and most often the variety found in cans. Bartletts are yellow/green and speckled, and sometimes called Williams pears
- Bosc: cinnamon brown-skinned pears with long tapered necks with a honey-like but complex flavor
- Comice: round, short pears with either green and red coloring, or sometimes almost completely red with especially soft and juicy flesh
- Concorde: tall, skinny, and golden/green pears with flesh that is firmer and more dense than many other varieties
- Forelle: red/green and speckled like a trout, and thus the name, meaning "trout" in German. A small-sized pear that yellows as it ripens.
- Green Anjou: a widely available, compact, and short-necked pear. It doesn't change color much while ripening, so you'll need to use the stem test described in our How to Select and Store section.
- Red Anjou: very much like its green counterpart, except a rich reddish maroon in color and higher in anthocyanins (which is the main reason for its rich red color)
- Red Bartlett: very much like its yellow/green counterpart, except with an all-round bright red skin, they sometimes feature light vertical striping, and like Red Anjou, they are rich in anthocyanins
- Seckel: smallest of the commonly eaten pears, usually yellow/green or olive green in color, and mixed with broad patches of red
- Starkrimson: bright crimson red color, more narrow-necked that Red Anjou, but equally rich in anthocyanins and especially gorgeous in a salad
For those of us who are gluten free, dessert can be a challenge. Thanksgiving is here, and all of us celiac's are scrambling to find dessert recipes that are gluten free and healthy too. Here are a few.
Caramelized Spiced Pears 6 servings
3 ripe but firm pears (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/4-inch slices1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons granulated or light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of salt
Toss pears with lemon juice in a medium bowl. Melt butter in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat; stir in the pears. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring once halfway through, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile combine sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a small bowl. After 10 minutes, stir the sugar mixture into the pears. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the pears are tender and glazed, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the type and firmness of the pears. Serve warm with a little whipped topping on top and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
These muffins are awesome for breakfast. I even let one sit out on the counter and harden over night and I crumbled it into some almond milk. So good!
1½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
1 egg
½ cup coconut milk (unsweetened trader joes)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup diced pear
½ cup diced candied ginger (save half of this for topping)
¼ cup of sparkling sugar or sugar sprinkles
In a small bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, beat together the egg, coconut milk, brown sugar, and butter. Then add in dry ingredients and mix well.
Fold into batter the dice pear and ¼ cup of the candied ginger.
Divide batter into muffin cups using a spoon. (The foil-lined muffin cups work best for retaining their color and not sticking to the muffin.)
Sprinkle sugar and remaining ginger on top of the muffins for decoration (and a sweet crunchy top).
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy!
Does this look freaking good? I need my own personal bakery with a baker that is.
Pear, Almond and Cardamom Torte
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| Recipe courtesy of An Amazing English Kitchen |
2 TBS butter, softened for buttering the dish
4 large firm, ripe pears
1/2 cup of butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup of super fine sugar
1/4 tsp ground cardamom*
pinch salt
2 medium free range eggs
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
icing sugar to dust
pouring cream or vanilla ice cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 400*F
Butter an oven proof dish with the soft butter.
*if you don't have cardamom on hand or feel it is too expensive, which it is, you can use a mixture of nutmeg and cinnamon to substitute. The torte will have a completely different taste, but it will still be lovely.
Peel your pears, core them and then cut them into thick wedges. Arrange the wedges in the prepared baking dish and then pop them into the heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, while you mix together the batter.
Cream together the butter and caster sugar until light. Stir in the ground almonds, cardamom and salt. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the lemon juice until the mixture is smooth and combined. Remove the baking dish from the oven and spread the almond batter over top of the pear wedges.
Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes.
Dust the warm cake with some icing sugar and serve either on it’s own, or with some pouring cream or vanilla bean ice cream.
Caramelized Pear & Walnut Topped Baked Brie
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| Photo and Recipe from Mydailyrandomness |
Ingredients
1 large wheel of brie
3 ripe pears (I used Ontario Bartlett)
Handful of chopped walnuts
1/4 raw sugar
Cut the rind off the top of the wheel of brie. Place cut side up in brie baker.
Wash, and slice pears into 1/2 inch thick slices.
In a large frying pan, over medium heat, cook sliced pears until they start to release moisture, about 1-2 minutes. Add raw sugar. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another 4-5 minutes.
Once sugar starts to thicken and coat the pears add the walnuts. Continue to cook until most moisture is evaporated and pears and walnuts are lightly coated.
Pour mixture over brie, or if you want to get fancy, layer each individual piece of pear around the top of the brie and scoop walnuts on top.
Once you arrive at your final destination, or if you are preparing this at home, pop brie baker in a 350C oven just until the brie starts to bubble and melt.
Serve with crackers or baked baguette slices.
Enjoy!
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