374068 Thu Feb 22 23:36:50 -0800 2007 21 31 Home Cooking 0 2321124 For company tomorrow. Ideally, not individual servings (poached pears etc) - more like a pie or cake or tart or the like. Suggestions needed....thanks! Thu Feb 22 23:36:50 -0800 2007 66659 tastytamarind 1 2321179 Pear Clafauti. I've never made it but i saw Ina make it, apparently, it's pear with a pancake type batter baked on top. It got good ratings and Ina is always solid. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31682,00.html Fri Feb 23 00:25:07 -0800 2007 2321124 58855 digkv 1 2321183 Instead of a Dutch Apple Pancake, sub in pears. I also have a recipe in my Williams-Sonoma pie cookbook that is for an apple and pear tart, which could easily go just pear... It's on their website too I believe. Fri Feb 23 00:34:22 -0800 2007 2321124 15572 Emme 1 2321212 almond and pear tart, pastry case filled with frangipane and quartered pears then baked, either glazed with loosened apricot jam or dusted in icing sugar. Lovely. (I do this more often with raspberries than pears but it's delicious and you don't have to bake the pastry blind first.) Fri Feb 23 01:08:37 -0800 2007 2321124 24646 ali patts 1 2321326 My favorite and easiest pear recipe that always gets rave reviews, is a pear almond tart. I got the recipe off epicurious, but I use a roll-out pastry. Then I made the frangipane in a food processer (it's made from skinless almonds, butter, sugar, an egg, and I think some vanilla). Then I used pears canned in juice and pat them dry, slice them and fan them over the filling. Bake it. Cool it. Serve it. And then people go crazy. Seriously. It's the best and really easy! You can get the frangipane recipe by searching for pear almond tart on epicurious. Good luck! Fri Feb 23 05:02:26 -0800 2007 2321124 19900 jenhen2 1 2321404 That recipe sounds amazing, but for that I'm a poor student without a food processor. I really need a food processor. Fri Feb 23 05:50:29 -0800 2007 2321124 66659 tastytamarind 2 2321828 no you don't. I make mine with ground almonds in a mixing bowl. (And I do have a food processor!) It's not epicurious' recipe but probably very similar - and all pastry is made by hand... Fri Feb 23 08:07:00 -0800 2007 2321404 24646 ali patts 1 2321414 I have a cream cheese tart recipe where you lay the sliced pears in a pretty pattern on top before baking. I can post it if you'd like. I have made it w/out a food processor but two knives take a LONG time to cut the butter into the flour. Making a pie or tart crust would be so much easier with a food processor if you can borrow one. Fri Feb 23 05:55:15 -0800 2007 2321124 39874 chowser 2 2321449 I usually use a fork for cutting in butter in pastry dough- I don't like the extra dishes the food processor creates for this task! It doesn't take so long with a fork. Fri Feb 23 06:15:01 -0800 2007 2321414 12813 Katie Nell 3 2321488 It's always been time consuming for me to cut cold butter into flour, even with a pastry cutter. When I finally got a food processor, I thought--wow, what time saving. I just pop it all in the dishwasher afterward. Fri Feb 23 06:32:26 -0800 2007 2321449 39874 chowser 1 2321651 If you've got a bit of time to devote to it, the poached pear tart with caramelized pistachios on epicurious is also very nice, and pretty. (As is the pear & almond tart from Feb 2005 Bon Appétit, but that one requires a food processor) Fri Feb 23 07:25:35 -0800 2007 2321124 49653 another_adam 1 2321664 I can't believe no one has mentioned galleygirl's amazing pear tart. It's absolutely killed delicious - definitely more than the sum of its parts - and couldn't possibly be easier. Do a search for it on this board and you'll find many many references to it. I make it regularly and everyone asks for the recipe when I do. Fri Feb 23 07:28:42 -0800 2007 2321124 12383 Nyleve 2 2321785 I was just going to ask why no one mentioned GG's pear tart! Fri Feb 23 07:57:21 -0800 2007 2321664 10285 Candy 3 2321808 And it is really attractive, too, with the pears circling the tart. I run it under the broiler for a minute or two at the end, and that really makes it beautifully brown without overcooking it. Fri Feb 23 08:02:28 -0800 2007 2321785 10697 AppleSister 2 2321934 With all the recommendations, I had to check this out. It seems really simple--I'll have to try it. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/298807 Is there a specific pear recommendation? Fri Feb 23 08:34:41 -0800 2007 2321664 39874 chowser 3 2322068 I've used starkrimson to great effect, but I think any kind of pear will work as long as they're very juicy. I'd be a little wary of Asian pears, as they have such a different texture. Fri Feb 23 09:06:43 -0800 2007 2321934 10697 AppleSister 4 2322307 You can use ripe bartletts or anjou pears. The important thing is that they should be really ripe and fragrant. I've never made it with boscs but I think it could work as long as they are nice and ripe. Definitely not Asian pears - not only are they quite different in texture, but they really don't have the aroma. Fri Feb 23 09:57:25 -0800 2007 2322068 12383 Nyleve 1 2322052 I made Ina's Pear Clafouti last weekend, with a little overripe pears, using orange controu(sp.?) and orange zest instead of lemons. It was amazingly simple to do, very pretty and yummy. Holds well in refrigerator, we had it for leftovers second day with a minute heating in the microwave. Doll it up with ice cream, but it's made with cream so that's overkill. A little mint sprig is all it needs for company. Fri Feb 23 09:02:17 -0800 2007 2321124 13263 Ginger Wolf 1 2322192 Pear & Frangipane Tart is the way to go. Poach the pears in red wine with mulling spices. It makes beautiful red fruit that flashes the creamy white inside when you cut and fan them out overtop the batter. It's beautiful .The poaching liquid goes in a mason jar in your fridge and can be used over & over. Use ground almonds for the frangipane. Make a short bread crust using a pastry cutter, 2 knives or a fork. Use a tart ring on a cookie sheet for the crust. Low and wide is better and more dramatic (can also squeeze two extra pear "fans" on top). This isn't a difficult recipe: Poached Pear and Frangipani Tart Sweet, short pastry for 1 pie shell 1/4 cup butter, room temp 1/2 cup sugar + 2 tbsps 2 large eggs, room temp 1/4 lbs ground almonds 1 tbsp white flour 1 oz Rum or Amaretto 1/4 cup slivered, blanched almonds 3 large pears red wine cinnamon stick cardamon pods cloves Peel 2 pears, slice in half and core. Place in a sauce pan, cover with red wine, sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar on top, add 1 cinnamon stick, 1 cardamon pod and 2 cloves (lemon or orange peel can be added too). Poach gently for 20 mins until pears are tender and bright red in colour. Drain (saving poaching liquid for other recipes) and cool pear halves. When cool, slice each half, five or six times, almost through leaving slices joined at top. Fan out. Pre-heat oven to 300 Line a tart pan with the pastry, prick and wash with egg or cream. Puree remaining pear. In mixer, cream butter and sugar, add eggs and ground almonds.. Mix in pear puree, flour and liquor to make a paste. Spread mixture in pie shell. Carefully arrange the fanned-out pear halve evenly on top of batter, cut side down. Sprinkle with almond slices. Bake 30 ñ40 mins until centre of paste is set. Cool. Dust with icing sugar. Fri Feb 23 09:34:33 -0800 2007 2321124 22115 Da_Cook 1 2325672 i'm gonna have to make GG's pear tart next time, sounds amazing -- I ran out of time and just ended up making a molasses cake in a springform with pears arranged on the bottom (and then inverted it to serve) -- I just added pears sauteed in butter, brown sugar and mulling spices to the batter and it came out great. thanks for all the suggestions. one question: pear clafouti - breakfast food or dessert? Sat Feb 24 11:57:48 -0800 2007 2321124 66659 tastytamarind 1 2325763 Clafouti is a dessert but whoever said you couldn't have dessert for breakfast. Sat Feb 24 12:42:48 -0800 2007 2321124 58855 digkv 1 2326523 http://www.beaskitchen.com/blog/2006/05/25/gateau-au-gingembre-frais-et-aux-poires-pear-cake-and-fresh-ginger/ awesome cake Sat Feb 24 18:30:28 -0800 2007 2321124 10681 piccola