Goomba said:While out yesterday I was given a bucket of what looks to be homegrown
pears. Green with areas of brown just like melding the common green or
brown pears together? They're squat and hard, yet the man giving them out
said they were as ripe as they'll get. I peeled and tried one and it's a
beautiful crisp light white inside with a hint of pear flavor. Not sour as
if "underripe" yet not terribly sweet either? It almost made me think of
something like jicama. I'd love to be able to do something with these so
as to not let them go to waste. Has anyone ever come across such a pear? I
have a wonderful ginger pear coffee cake from Penzey's recipes but unsure
if they would be worth using here since these have so little flavor. A
chutney perhaps? Pear sauce? Any suggestions?
You could put them into cole slaw:
Pear Slaw with Honey Pecans (from _The Bold Vegetarian_)
6 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 red bell pepper, seeds and inner ribs removed, thinly slivered
*or*
3/4 cup grated carrots
1 firm, ripe pear, cored but not peeled, finely chopped
Peanut Mayonnaise (recipe follows) or Sesame-Banana Whip (recipe follows)
Salt and white pepper to taste
Garnishes:
1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Honey Pecans (recipe follows)
Chopped cilantro or parsley, or thinly sliced scallions
Place cabbage, bell pepper, and pear in a large serving bowl. Add dressing
and mix well. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Refrigerate for at
least 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir to combine the ingredients with
juice that may have accumulated at the bottom. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Garnish with cumin seeds, sesame seeds, pecans, and cilantro.
Honey Pecans
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon sugar
10 to 12 whole pecans
Heat honey or maple syrup and sugar in a small skillet until it starts to
bubble. Add pecans and stir gently to coat with the sugar-honey mixture.
When the mixture has formed a glaze around the pecans, remove them from the
heat. Transfer to a plate, keeping the pecans separate so they don't clump
together. Allow to cool.
Peanut Mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 large egg [see Note]
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Place garlic, egg, peanut butter, and lime juice in a blender and spin on
medium speed until thoroughly mixed. Set blender on low speed. With the
motor running, add oil, a drop at a time at first, then in a slow steady
stream as the mixture thickens. Remove to a small bowl, add salt, and
refrigerate until ready to use
You can also do this by hand: Place the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl
and whisk them together. Add oil as described above, whisking until the
mixture is thick. Yields 1/2 to 1 cup.
[Note: If you'd rather not use a raw egg, substitute 1 tablespoon commercial
mayonnaise for the egg, as Jacques Pepin, the noted French chef, suggests.]
Sesame-Banana Whip
1 medium-size ripe banana, unpeeled
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted and ground
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk, or more as needed
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Place the unpeeled banana on a baking sheet. Broil 8 to 10 minutes, or until
the skin is thoroughly blackened, turning once. Allow to cool completely.
Peel and discard skin. Mash the pulp and measure out 1/2 cup.
Process banana pulp, lime juice, ground sesame seeds, and buttermilk in a
blender or food processor until smooth. The mixture should have the
consistency of mayonnaise. If too thick, add a little more buttermilk. Add
salt.
Heat oil in a small skillet until sizzling. Add mustard seeds and cook
until they pop. (Hold the cover briefly over the skillet to keep the seeds
from flying out.) Pour this mixture over the banana mixture; stir. Serve
at room temperature or chill for 45 minutes.
NOTE: The salad benefits from the richness of Peanut Mayonnaise, but the
lower-fat Sesame-Banana Whip also works well.
BOB'S NOTE: Goomba, since you've got plenty of pears and they're light on
pear flavor, I'd cut down on the cabbage in this recipe. I'd core the pears
and then simply shred them (since you say they're firm) to make up for the
cabbage that is being left out.
Bob
