Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Pears, the Perfect Food
Late summer and early Fall are season for welcoming juicy, sweet pears to your farm markets. Turn the crispy fruit into hot crisps, flakey pies, jams, and hearty salads. Generally, pears are in season in Eastern North Carolina from about August to October. If you have a pear tree in your yard or on your farm, cherish it. The weight of the fruit combined with the strong winds brought in by hurricanes and other storms, can really do some damage pear trees, especially aging ones.
Fun fact, pears are one of the few fruits that do not actually ripen on the tree, if left too long on the tree the texture becomes mushy and grainy, very undesirable.
Check the Neck!
Press the neck – push gently with your thumb near the stem.
Underripe – if the neck feels hard and firm, leave the fruit on your kitchen counter a few days to soften.
Ripe – if the neck gives slightly to gentle pressure, the pear should be sweet, juicy, and ready to eat.
Overripe – if the neck feels very soft, use the fruit for baking, smoothies or jams.
Store ripe pears in the refrigerator for three to five days, and store firm unripe pears at room temperature until they ripen.
Pears are well known for their health benefits, some of which include; they contain antioxidant functions, which fight against risk of cancer, and heart disease, they are a great source of dietary fiber, dietary fiber which reduces your risk of gut-related conditions, such as diverticular disease and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), and they contain antidiabetic benefits which assist in lowering the absorption of glucose or sugar in the bloodstream.
In addition, pears contain anti-inflammatory benefits, they lower inflammation which can also lower your risk of heart disease or autoimmune disease, and they lower the concentrations of lipids or fats in your blood, including cholesterol. This helps lower the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.
Fresh ripe pears are delicious when eaten raw, but can also add a juicy sweetness to salads, desserts, sides, meats, and cocktails. Here are some fun ways to use pears.
Old Fashioned Pear Crumble
5 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar (can use granulated sugar if preferred)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, diced
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Place the sliced pears in the baking dish, and drizzle the lemon juice over the top.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Work the diced butter into the flour mixture with your fingers, until pea-sized lumps form.
Pour the flour mixture over the pears. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crumble is beginning to turn golden brown on top and the pear mixture is bubbling.
Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of cream or half & half.
Serves 6, each serving contains: Calories 383, Carbohydrates 71g., Protein 2g., Fat 12g., Cholesterol 30mg., Sodium 111mg., Fiber 5g.
Baked Brie with Fresh Pear Topping
2-3 fresh pears (the recipe recommends red Anjou Pears)
2 pounds (wheel) brie cheese
½ cup pomegranate seeds
10 sprigs thyme
½ cup honey
1 baguette
Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Set the brie out to warm to room temperature.
Add honey to a small bowl. Remove the leaves from the thyme stems and muddle them into the honey with a spoon. Note: if your honey is solidified, submerge in hot water until liquid, about 5 minutes.
Place the brie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until liquid in the center.
While the brie is baking, slice pears into thin wedges, removing the seeds and core.
Remove brie from the oven and carefully transfer the brie onto a serving platter. Arrange the pear wedges on top of the brie, sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the pears, and drizzle evenly with honey.
Enjoy right away by slicing wedges into the brie and dipping the pears into the melted brie or spooning the brie and toppings onto slices of baguette.
Serves 12.
Chicken Salad & Pear Lettuce Cups
1 fresh Anjou USA Pear, diced into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
2 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
20 butter lettuce leaves
¼ large ripe avocado, mashed
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or use plain yogurt as a substitute)
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Dice pear into small pieces and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine mashed avocado, Greek yogurt, and light mayo and stir until smooth.
Add chives, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper and mix well.
Fold in chicken, walnuts, and diced pears, and gently stir everything together until it’s evenly coated.
Spoon a small amount of chicken salad into each lettuce cup and arrange on a platter. Serve immediately.
20 servings.
Pear Power Protein Smoothie
1 medium Bartlett or Anjou pear
1 cup soy milk
½ cup vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh spinach
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chia seeds, topping
1 cup ice
Place the pears, milk, yogurt, protein powder, spinach, grated ginger, cinnamon and ice in your blender and blend until smooth.
Serves 2, each serving contains: Calories 160, Fat 3g., Sodium 85mg., Carbohydrates 25g., Fiber 5g.
Easy Crockpot Pear Butter
8 pears (about 4 pounds), Bartlett or Anjou
1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice
1½ cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
Peel and core pears. Cut them into quarters or eight segments. Cooking time is for eighths. Quarters will take 1 hour longer.
Place the pears in a 6-quart slow cooker and toss with lemon juice. Add sugars and remaining ingredients and toss well.
Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or until apples are very soft and mash easily. Stir once halfway, if desired.
How to Blend or Mash the Pear Butter
If using an immersion blender, let the pear mixture cool at least 30 minutes. Be careful to not raise the hand blender while it’s on. It will splatter the hot mixture.
If using a stand blender, let hot mixture cool at least 1 hour. Blend in batches in the stand blender with the lid slightly ajar. If mixture is too hot, the heat might push the lid up causing splattering.
To use a potato masher, carefully mash the pears into the liquid, stirring as you go to blend the mixture together.
How to Can Crockpot Pear Butter in a Water Bath
Bring a large canning or stock pot of water to a boil. Place a canning rack or trivet in the bottom. Spoon pear butter into sterilized quarter-pint, half-pint or pint jars.
Wipe jar rims clean and screw on lids and rings. When water has come to a full rolling boil, carefully lower the jars down onto the rack with canning gripper tongs. Let water return to a full rolling boil. Water should cover the jars by 1 inch.
Set timer for 10 minutes. Carefully remove jars with canning gripper tongs and set on a cooling rack or thick kitchen towel. Let cool completely and let stand 24 hours.
After 24 hours, check to make sure all jar lids have sealed. Unsealed jar lids will be slightly raised in the center and make a popping sound when pressed down.
Store on a cool, dry shelf, free from direct heat or sunlight, for up to 2 years.
Yields 5 half pints.
Grilled Pork Chops with Spiced Pears
For the Pork Rub:
1½ pounds pork chops (about 8-10 thin-sliced pork chops)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Pear Chutney:
3 pears, peeled and diced
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon water
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon orange ginger spice, or just ground ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Kosher salt, to taste
Mix the ingredients for the pork rub and thoroughly coat each pork chop with the rub.
Let pork chops sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before grilling.
Grill over medium heat, turning only once.
After removing them from the heat, let them sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
Combine all the ingredients for the pear chutney in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, stirring occasionally until the pears are nice and soft and the sauce coats the pears.
Serve the pork chops with the pear chutney spooned over the top.
Pork Chop Grilling Tips:
Take the thin-cut pork chops out of the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before grilling them. When the meat is at room temperature, it will be ready to cook.
Use an instant-read thermometer for best results on cooking pork chops. You will want the internal temperature to reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook the pork chops directly on the grill grate at medium-high heat over direct heat with the lid closed. They will cook quickly. Carefully watch the time.
Flip the pork chops after about 4 to 5 minutes on direct heat. Cook on the other side for an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
After grilling, let the pork chops rest for about 5 minutes to let the juices soak in before cutting into the meat. This will enhance the tenderness of the pork chop.
Serves 8, each serving contains: Calories 260, Carbohydrates 32g., Protein 19g., Sodium 67mg., Fiber 3g., Fat 6g.
