LITTLE PEAR TARTS FOR KINFOLK

I mentioned last post that I am crazed about pears this time of year. Well, I couldn't resist another pear recipe for you....

Ever since we removed wheat from our kitchen four years ago, I've been making all sorts of almond shortbread. Almond meal and butter make such a delicious team - who needs wheat anyway. Now that it's pear season... an herbaceous pear tart with a buttery almond crust seems just the thing to satisfy, so this is just the recipe I though to share in the autumn issue of Kinfolk and I wanted to share with you too!

Using rosemary in the tart dough, and bay in the pear compote, we end up with a good hit of garden herbs. Keep in mind, that both the almond tart crust and the pear compote are wonderful eaten separately as well.

AUTUMN BREAKFAST PORRIDGE

For me, fall feels official after we've had our first fire in the fireplace. I love long summer days, but sitting around with friends, chatting by the warmth of a fire on a dark evening makes saying goodbye to summer okay by me.

Autumn mornings are another story. There's something painful about dragging ourselves from bed before the sun rises. We all need a little extra help to wake our sleepy bellies and eating something warm and cozy like this oatmeal does help to put all of us in a good mood for the day. (I must confess that I also need a few cups of really strong coffee to get myself going!)

What's your morning routine these days?

My Baba was big into a warm bowl of Cream of Wheat in the morning. Even though wheat is no longer part of my life, I still like a hearty bowl of warm grains. Baba always chopped up dates and tossed them into the bowl - this tradition I happily continue. The carmely dates add a nice chewy, sweet bite and I like to add a few other of my favorite goodies to the mix. Slices of ripe juicy pears, toasted hazelnuts, along with cream and maple syrup, transform a simple bowl of oats into a full meal packed with complex flavor, texture, nourishment, and comfort - a very good was to start the day.

Pears are ridiculously good this time of year and I'm eating them every which way I can. How about you?

PEARS POACHED IN LILLET

I have an insatiable appetite for pears this time of year.  I eat them sliced on my oatmeal, tossed into crisps, and just eaten solo.  All sorts of pears make me happy, but one in particular is my favorite.... Warrens. There is something magically perfect about the Warrens - their flesh is juicy, silky, sweet, and firm all at the same time.



I've been wanting to share a poached pear recipe for a while now and with Thanksgiving fast approaching, I can imagine these pears as a fresh and light option for ending the day's feast. When I got a precious box of Frog Hollow Warrens, I knew I had to use something special for poaching liquid - it would be a shame to overpower the luscious pear-ness of the fruit. Lillet, an aperitif of Bordeaux wines and citrus liqueurs, and its light fruity fragrance seemed a decadent, yet subtle choice.

Lillet - on the rocks with a generous orange twist - is one of my favorite summer cocktails. Here, those sunny flavors meld with the perfect fall pear and I have to tell you... it's damned good!


INGREDIENTS
(printable recipe)

• 1 bottle of White Lillet ( 3 cups)
• juice and zest of one Valencia orange
• 2 small tangerines or 8 kumquats (sliced thin, with the peels still on)
• 8 black peppercorns
• 10 sprigs thyme, fresh or dry
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 just-ripe Warren Pears (others pears, like D'Anjou or Bosc would also work in this recipe)
• parchment paper

Place all ingredients, except the pears, into a 4 quart saucepan.  Heat liquid over medium high heat  for a few minutes until sugar dissolves.

In the meantime, peel your pears and cut a bit off the bottom of each pear to make it flat and able to stand without falling. (Come serving time, you will appreciate a pear that can stand up.) Keep the stems intact.

Submerge the peeled pears in the poaching liquid and return to a simmer. Cut out a circle of parchment to cover the pears and the liquid. Place a plate or small pot lid over the parchment-covered pears to keep them submerged. If your pears are not totally covered by liquid, you may want to add a bit more water or just rotate the pears periodically to insure even cooking.

Simmer covered pears for 30 minutes. ( If your pears are a little under-ripe, you may want to add 10 or so minutes of cooking time. If the pears are very ripe, 20 minutes of poaching could be enough.) To test for doneness, a sharp knife should be able to pierce the pear without effort.  Remove pears from the stove top. Let pears sit covered and submerged in poaching liquid for another 15-30 minute before serving.

Place each pear in a small pretty bowl or glass.  Strain poaching liquid and keep all the goodies, setting them aside for garnish. Pour some of the strained liquid over each pear. Add a couple of the poached citrus slices, a twig of two of thyme, and some orange zest to each bowl.

If you want to serve the pears later, place them in their cooking liquid, in the fridge for up to a day. The poached pears are delicious served cool as well as warm.



makes 4 large servings (or if you want this to be a smaller dessert, and enough to feed eight, you can cut the pears in half before serving)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

Pear Tart Tatin

Pears and caramel.... yummmmmmm.


For Valentine's Day, I made a pear tart tatin for my mom and P. They loved it but I wasn't satisfied with the consistency of the caramel (too runny). I scratched that recipe and rethought the sugar/butter ratio and out came a rich, deep, sticky caramel, tender pears, and a dreamy, flaky crust. I am not exaggerating when I say... I think this is the best thing I've ever made.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 4 medium pears, peeled and sliced  
• 1/2 flaky pastry dough recipe (frozen puff pastry would also work well here)

Preheat oven to 400.

Roll out dough into a large circle about 11 inches in diameter. Put back in fridge to keep chilled.

In a 9 inch cast iron skillet, heat sugar and butter over med high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until caramel thickens and becomes rich amber color. Take off heat and let cool.

Peel and slice pears, then arrange in a circular pattern over the top of the caramel.

Lay pastry dough over top of pears. Trim and tuck under excess dough. Slice a few vents into the dough to let the steam release during baking.

Bake 30-40 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Let cool for 10 minutes. Then use a knife to make sure that the dough is not stuck to the sides of the pan. Place a plate over the top of the pan. Flip the tart onto the plate. If any pear slices remain in the pan or are misplaced during the flip, just rearrange them while the tart is warm. Serve warm or at room temperature with a generous serving of whipped cream.

Pear Jam with Cinnamon and Red Wine

It's Paul here. Log-in woes have me writing from E's account, but this is my latest jam post, the second pear recipe stemming from the bounty of fall and the beautiful coastal town of Bolinas. The pear base for this jam came from some gnarled old trees in Bolinas, and the red wine is from the town's most famous wine maker, Sean Thackrey. This one is his red blend called Pleiades. It is delicious and balanced: a great wine for drinking. The jam from this recipe is so flavorful, with a gorgeous, deep red color.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 pounds ripe, but still firm pears
• 3 cups agave nectar or 4 1/4 cup of sugar
• Juice from one small lemon
• 1 1/4 cups red wine
• 1 cinnamon stick

Peel the pears, remove the stems, halve them, core them, and cut each half into slices. In your jamming pot, combine the pears, agave or sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, then pour the scrumptiousness into a bowl. Cover with parchment paper and put into the refrigerator overnight.

Next day, bring the jam to a boil, while you sterilize your jars and lids. Skim the surface of the jam to remove the foam. Bubbles are not a problem, you just want to get rid of the foam. Add the red wine and return the jam to a boil and continue cooking at a boil for about 10 minutes, stirring gently. Skim as you go, as necessary. After 10 minutes of cooking, gently lift out the pear slices and cinnamon stick. Divide the pear slices into your jars. Boil the syrup for about 5 minutes. Finally, fill the jars with the syrup and seal.

As you can see, we have already tried the jam on waffles. We did not get the picture, but substituting yogurt or creme fraiche for butter with the waffles and jam is an amazing variation on this theme. Sooo good.

This recipe is from Christina Ferber's wonderful book of jam recipes, Mes Confitures.

Pear Jam with Ginger

My mother-in-law lives out by the beach, and she has a neighbor with a very happy pear tree. "You should come out and pick some pears, you guys. They are delicious." So she kept telling us for few weeks. Free pears, picked ourselves... sounds like another jamming opportunity. Out we go, with my copy of Christine Ferber's jam book, and a box full of half-pint jars and lids. With the pears safely in hand, it was time to chose some recipes. I decided to make two different jams, and I will share the first today.


Ingredients

2 3/4 pounds pears
1 3/4 cups agave nectar (or 2 3/4 cups of sugar)
7 oz local honey (I used some made by hard-working Sacramento Delta bees)
Juice of one small Meyer lemon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons pectin (I use Pomona's Universal)
2-3 tablespoons sugar (to use as a mixer for the pectin powder)



Prepare the pears by peeling, coring, and removing their stems. To core them, I sliced them into quarters and quickly cut out the core, seeds and all. Next slice each quarter thinly, against the grain, making short rather than long slices. In your cooking pot, combine the pears, agave, honey, lemon juice, and grated ginger. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Turn off the heat and pour the sweet goodness into a bowl. Cover with parchment paper and put in the refrigerator overnight.
Next day, pour the mixture back into your cooking pot, and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the pectin, mixed with a few tablespoons of sugar, to keep it from staying chunky in the jam. Bring your jam back to a boil and cook it on high heat for about 5 minutes. Remember, you want the jam to reach 221 degrees to insure a nice set. Feel free to skim off any unsightly foam from the top of the jam. If you do, return the jam to a boil before carefully pouring the jam into your jars. This recipe should produce about 3 pints of jam.
As you can see from the photo above, we are enjoying the jam with warm biscuits (gluten-free, of course) right out of the oven.

Pear Galette with Almond

Remember my galette obsession? Here we go again.

My mom's friends Michael and Sharyle grow these spectacular pears and were kind enough to share some with us. A pear galette seemed a fun way to make them into an easy dessert. Plus, Paul was inspired to make pear jam, two ways. Keep an eye out for those recipes coming soon.


Ingredients

1/2 Galette dough recipe (see First Fall Galette )
5 ripe pears, peeled and sliced thin
a handful of crushed almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar

Roll out galette dough between 2 pieces of parchment. Arrange pear slices in center of rolled-out dough, leaving 2 inches of crust as border. Remember to overlap pear slices to assure a fruity, moist tart. Mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds, and Turbinado sugar. Sprinkle over the top of the galette. Fold in sides of crust to shape edge.
Bake for 45-50 minutes in 400 degree oven. Serve with generous dollop of gently whipped cream.

Serves 4