284819 Wed Apr 26 16:40:26 -0700 2006 18 31 Home Cooking 0 1523795 Standing at Wholefoods yesterday, I stared glumly at the dwindling range of cooking apples. We're in between seasons (summer and 'storage'!) right now, and it's getting harder to find interesting apple varieties for my pies and tarts. But on the other hand, there are lots of different types of pears on offer. So it got me to thinking; why don't we bake much with pears? I've seen pear tarts very occasionally, but other than that, people seem to poach pears more than anything else. Why? Is it because they have a milder flavour than apples? Do they not cook as well? Or have I somehow missed out on a world of pear pies that everyone else knows about? Educate me, please! Wed Apr 26 16:40:26 -0700 2006 0 Gooseberry 1 1523797 We have a pear tree in our yard to I use them all the time. Have used them in cakes, quick breads, tarts and the usual poaching. I find they cook just fine. Wed Apr 26 16:43:21 -0700 2006 1523795 0 Monty 1 1523802 I made a pear crisp last weekend and it was pretty good... I hate crisps or cobblers when the apples are too hard, so the softer pears were nice in it. Wed Apr 26 16:52:52 -0700 2006 1523795 0 Katie Nell 1 1523805 I have made mincemeat from pears at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can post a recipe if you would like. It is very good and I can post the recipe if i can figure out what I did with it. Wed Apr 26 17:08:36 -0700 2006 1523795 0 Candy 2 1523819 the recipe would be appreciated - thanks Wed Apr 26 18:38:20 -0700 2006 1523805 0 socapam 1 1523825 Many regular readers of this board (including me) are very fond of the "Galleygirl pear tart." I've made it a number of times with different sorts of pears, and it's always delicious. Since I like baked goods containing apples, I also tried that recipe with apples and was disappointed. Wed Apr 26 19:09:03 -0700 2006 1523795 0 DS 2 1523837 Love Galleygirl's pear cake. This weekend I also made pear clafoutis using the Joy of Cooking recipe, with amaretto instead of rum and a little almond extract. Yummy. Wed Apr 26 19:54:45 -0700 2006 1523825 0 Pia 3 1523853 Ooohhh...I nearly forgot about Clafoutis...if you want to switch it up again, trying subbing pear brandy...it's excellent. Wed Apr 26 22:06:38 -0700 2006 1523837 0 Aaron 1 1523829 I love baking with pears. This season I've done a pear tart, caramelized pear upside down cake, pear coffee cake, and pear muffins (though I used dried pears for that). I think they are sometimes overlooked because of the excessively high water content of some varieties...but that goes for apples as well, so there shouldn't be cause to shy away from the whole lot. Wed Apr 26 19:24:34 -0700 2006 1523795 0 Aaron 1 1523836 There's a wonderful recipe for a cake in Marcella Hazan's "Essential Classics of Italian Cooking" called A Farm Wife's Fresh Pear Tart. My husband makes it often. And following up on Candy's post about the pear mincemeat at Thanksgiving, we were at her house for T'giving dinner and according to my husband that was the best part of the meal. Once you start baking with pears you'll have all sorts of new ideas. There's a depth to them you just don't get with apples. Wed Apr 26 19:42:58 -0700 2006 1523795 0 jillp 2 1523845 Well there are those cabernet cranberries too. Wed Apr 26 20:57:09 -0700 2006 1523836 0 Candy 3 1523892 After that last crack, I'm surprised you're still talking to her. TeeHee Thu Apr 27 08:28:59 -0700 2006 1523845 0 yayadave 4 1523898 Oh, that was no crack - that mincemeat was awesome! Thu Apr 27 10:16:27 -0700 2006 1523892 0 jillp 1 1523844 I promise to post the pear mincemeat recipe tomorrow. It goes well with ginger ice cream which I can post too. Wed Apr 26 20:56:19 -0700 2006 1523795 0 Candy 1 1523851 OK, so it's just me, then! Will have to remedy this oversight... After some varieties preferred for cooking? And do you wait until the pears are perfect for eating out-of-hand, or do you cook with them while they're still hard? I can't decide if cooking would intensify the flavour (like tomatoes), or whether the flavour needs to be there to begin with (Driscolls strawberries at the moment :( don't let me get started...). Link: http://www.capegooseberry.blogspot.com/ Wed Apr 26 22:01:30 -0700 2006 1523795 0 Gooseberry 2 1523854 It depends on the application, but most of the time I use Bosc pears. They don't break down like say a bartlet. The apple equivalent is say a granny smith vs. a mcintosh (in texture that is). Again, depending on the application, but most of the time I use them when they are ripe-hard. That seems like an oxymoron, but it means that the pear is still hard, but has begun to sweeten...it comes a bit after the rock hard, but well before the "leaves an imprint". Wed Apr 26 22:11:33 -0700 2006 1523851 0 Aaron 1 1523880 Pear crisp is really the best. Something I've been loving since my mom used to make it when I was a kid, is Julia Child's pear gratin, from "Mastering the Art" Volume I. It's a glorified crisp with a little extra flavor, and it's fine with even the juiciest pears. Paraphrased: Fill a buttered baking dish with peeled, cored, sliced pears. Sieve some apricot preserves, mix it with white wine or vermouth, and pour it over the pears. Crumble some macaroons and sprinkle the crumbs on top. Dot with butter. Bake at 400 until the top has browned some. Serve hot, warm or cold, and don't even hope for leftovers. Thu Apr 27 01:00:17 -0700 2006 1523795 0 heidipie 1 1523972 Well, you got a lot of good recipes but only one response that took a stab at answering the question. That got me thinking too ... why no pear sauce? And how about the opposite ... there are canned pears, peaches and apricots, but the only canned apples you see are for pie fillings. One of the few mentions on the web that addressed this said "pears are not consumed in the same quantities as apples because they are not as hardy. Their texture becomes mealy if they are left to ripen on the tree and have a much shorter storage life than apples." Nice pear info here too: http://www.tonytantillo.com/fruits/pears.html Another site said that pears release too much juice when cooking. So, that's probably why fewer pear pie recipes. An apple will keep in cold storage a lot longer than a pear without the texture changing. They may rot, which is easy to see, but they don't turn mealy. Also, apples can be canned and hold up to baking in a pie. Try canning a pear and then baking it in a pie and you'd have pear sauce pie. That being said, if you google "pear pie" there are lots of pearlicious recipes out there ... Pear pie with a flaky walnut pastry crust Fresh Pear Pie With Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream Apple-Pear Pie with Cheddar Crust Sour Cream Pear Pie The list goes on. It seems it is better to use a firmer pear like a bosc or anjou or to use green versions of pears like bartletts to preserve texture. Lots of recipes for pear sauce too if you google with a good many combining pear and ginger. Link: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/lc_general_food_info/article/0,2041,DIY_14005_2275801,00.html Thu Apr 27 15:45:47 -0700 2006 1523795 0 rworange 2 1524006 I love pear sauce. That is something we made in Foods and Nutrition in college. Really yummy stuff and 30 years I have not tired of it. Thu Apr 27 18:51:10 -0700 2006 1523972 0 Candy