Pear and Ginger Cranberry Sauce

Pear and ginger are a great contrasting pair, and worked very well in this cranberry sauce variation.

Ingredients

serves serves 8, active time 15 minutes, total time 45 minutes

• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Procedures

1. Combine cranberries, pears, white sugar, water, brown sugar, orange juice, grated ginger, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until berries start to pop, about 5 minutes. Press berries against side of pan with wooden spoon and continue to cook until berries have broken down and sauce thickens to a jam-like consistency, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Adjust consistency with water as needed. Stir in crystallized ginger. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Can be served cold or reheated.

Pear and Gruyere Tart

Simple fall flavors inspire this easy brunch-friendly tart made with pears, gruyere, and puff pastry.

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 15 minutes, total time 35 minutes

• 1 pound puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 red pears, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound gruyère cheese, grated

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 400°F. Divide puff pastry into 4 rectangles and place on 2 baking sheets.
   
2. Melt butter in a medium stainless steel skillet over medium high heat. Add pears and thyme and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
3. Divide pear mixture between puff pastry, then top each tart with shredded cheese. Bake until tarts are golden, rotating the sheet trays half way through, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Meat and Pear Open Ravioli

tweaks: You could certainly play with the combination of meats used here, but I'd suggest making the dish as written first.

Ingredients

serves serves 4, active time 30 minutes, total time 30 minutes

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 ounces (60g) pancetta or bacon, diced
• 1 sweet sausage
• 4 ounces (115 g) roast beef, thinly sliced then cut into strips
• 1 large pear, thinly sliced with peel left on
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 3 to 4 small fresh sage leaves
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound (455 g) calamarata or other tube pasta, preferably Garofalo
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Grana padano or other aged cheese
• Ground cinnamon
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• Minced fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 to 3 amaretti cookies, crushed, optional

Procedures

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the casing and crumble it into the pan; cook until browned. Add the beef, pear, raisins, garlic and sage. Cook the mixture until the pears are soft.
   
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water until it is almost al dente. Drain and toss into the sauce along with a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Stir well and cook, adding more cooking liquid, if needed, until the pasta is al dente. Stir in the zest and season with grated cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, and parsley to taste. Season with salt and pepper and serve the pasta topped with a sprinkling of amaretti crumbs.

Make-Ahead Harissa Couscous With Pear, Kale, and Lemon

Ingredients

serves Serves 2, active time 20 minutes, total time 20 minutes

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon harissa (see note above)
• 1 Bosc pear, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2/3 cup couscous
• Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
• 2 cups roughly chopped kale (tough stems removed)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large radishes, very thinly sliced

Procedures

1. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add harissa and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add pears and cook, stirring, until coated and just beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in couscous to toast, 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, the lemon juice, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then quickly cover and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add kale, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until wilted and starting to crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover couscous, fluff, and gently fold in kale, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the lemon zest. Fold in radishes. Serve immediately, or let cool and then refrigerate until ready to eat.

Jenny McCoy's Pear-Cranberry Strudel

Ingredients

serves makes 12 servings, active time 20 minutes, total time 40 minutes

• 6 ripe Bartlett Pears
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for topping
• 4 1/2 ounces (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 cup cranberries, sliced in half
• 12 sheets (about 6 ounces) fresh or frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• Granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Procedures

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Cover a large, flat work surface with 2 sheets of parchment paper. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
2. Peel, core, and dice the pears into 1/4-inch cubes. Gently toss the pears, lemon zest, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl until evenly combined.
   
3. In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the pear mixture and cook over high heat until just softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to a shallow dish and discard the excess liquid. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the cranberries, gently stir to combine, and set aside.
   
4. Place the stack of phyllo sheets on one of the sheets of parchment that is on your work surface and cover with plastic wrap to prevent the phyllo dough from drying out. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter over low heat.
   
5. Arrange 1 sheet of phyllo on the second sheet of parchment, with the long side of the sheet parallel to the edge of the work surface. Lightly brush the entire surface area of the phyllo with melted butter, starting from the center of the sheet and working outward to prevent tears. Lightly sprinkle the entire sheet of phyllo evenly with a few pinches of granulated sugar and top with another sheet of phyllo, taking care to line up the corners of each layer. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and repeat with 2 more sheets of phyllo to create a four-layer stack.
   
6. Using a pizza wheel, and the straight edge of a ruler as a guide, cut the buttered and sugared phyllo stack in half widthwise. Then cut the 2 pieces in half again, creating 4 strips. About 2 inches from the bottom edges of the 4 strips, evenly divide one-third of the pear-cranberry filling,  fold the edge over the filling, and tightly roll up. Lightly brush the entire exterior surface of the rolled strudel with melted butter and sprinkle the tops of the assembled strudel generously with turbinado sugar and ground cinnamon. Repeat two more times with the remaining 8 sheets of phyllo and the remaining two-thirds of the pear-cranberry filling to make 8 more strudels.
   
7. Sprinkle the tops of the assembled strudels generously with turbinado sugar and cinnamon and bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

Apple and Pear Hand Pies

Special equipment

Baking sheet

Ingredients

serves Makes 8 pies, active time 20 minutes, total time 25 minutes

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 Bosc pears, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 recipe Easy Pie Dough
• 1 egg, beaten

Procedures

1. Heat butter in a non-stick skillet until melted, add apples and pears and cook until fruit begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over mixture and continue to cook stirring often until fruit begins to lose its juices. Mix together cornstarch and lemon juice and add to pan. Simmer until mixture has thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
   
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 375[°]. Line a baking sheet with foil. Divide dough into two pieces and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Divide dough into 4 squares, place a tablespoon of filling near the bottom right corner of each square. Brush edges of pastry with beaten egg and fold over pastry to cover filling. Seal by pressing a fork into the edges then place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry.
   
3. Cut steam vents into the tops of each pie with s sharp knife, then brush with remaining egg. Bake until pastry has browned, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Rum and Pear Pancakes

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 45 minutes, total time 45 minutes

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for serving
• 2 semi-firm pears, grated, about 1 cup total
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup rum
• 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Maple syrup

Procedures

1. In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Add grated pear and cook, stirring often, until pear begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add sugar and rum and cook until liquid has evaporated and pears are soft, about 6 minutes. Allow to cool.
   
2. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, whisking to smooth out the lumps. Add pear mixture and whisk to combine.
   
3. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Add batter using a quarter cup measure to ladle it out. Cook until bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the pancake, about 3 minutes, flip pancake and cook until pancake is browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Repeat with remaining butter and batter until all the pancakes are cooked. Serve hot with butter and syrup.

Pear Frangipane Croustade

 

Ingredients

serves serves 8

• Pastry
• 1lb/500g ready-made puff pastry
• beaten egg, to glaze
• icing sugar, for dusting
•  
• Filling
• 8 small ripe pears
• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4oz/125g butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1fl oz/30ml dark rum or Cointreau
• 3oz/75g caster (superfine) sugar
• 7oz/200g ground almonds

Procedures

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
   
2. Peel and core the pears and slice each one into 8 lengthways. Place the slices in a bowl and toss with the lemon zest and half the lemon juice. Beat the butter in a bowl until softened and then beat in the egg, rum or Cointreau, caster sugar, ground almonds and remaining lemon juice.
   
3. Cover a large baking tray with parchment paper. Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured surface until about 3mm/1/8in thick and cut out a 27cm/10 1/2in circle using a plate as a guide. Lay the pastry on the baking tray. Spread the almond mixture on the pastry circle up to 2.5cm/1in from the edge. Top with the sliced pears.
   
4. Roll out the remaining pastry to a 28cm/11in round. Brush the edge of the pastry base with beaten egg, then carefully lay the pastry lid over the filling. Press the edges firmly to seal and scallop the edge of the pie decoratively, using a knife to make the indentations.
   
5. 
   Brush the top with beaten egg to glaze and use a sharp knife to make faint lines radiating out from the centre to the edge in semi-circle patterns. Bake for about 30 minutes until well risen and golden. Dust the top generously with icing sugar and serve warm with cream or ice cream.