Pears, pears, pears, pears.

[Dora]

Pears, pears, pears, pears, pears. Pears.

There are so many pears on our tree the branches are breaking. :-( It's an old tree, and I suspect it's of the Keifer variety. I know now that it won't bear any fruit next year because of my failure to thin the fruit this year, but dammit, I had a baby and was a little distracted this spring.

I decided to put some up this weekend, and I learned lesson #1 with pears. ALWAYS REMOVE THE CORE. I thought gee, since I'm just mashing the cooked pears through my seive anyways, I might as well leave the core because the solid parts will be seived out, right? WRONG. My pears tasted like heaven, but felt like a mouthful of schoolyard sand.

So, I strained the entire batch of pear pulp and cooked down the juice until it was syrupy. Canned 24 ounces of "pear honey." Not much payoff for a crockpot full of pears. I'm wondering how well it would mix with egg/cream for a pear custard.

Who has a good pear preserves recipes in their recipe file? I have pears that need guidance.

Any good recipes calling for fresh pears?

[The empressof all]

1. I personally have done everthing with Pears that I've done with

Apples.

Pear Tarts, Pear Pies, Pear Crisps (Nice with a little chrystalized ginger) Pear Muffins Yum!

Pears are good in a Romain salad with a light vinegerette and some blue cheese and walnuts.

A sliced pear on a plate with some good chocolate sauce and whipped cream is a great quick dessert.

Slice them with roasted sweet potatoes or parsnips and bake with butter and a little brown sugar.

[Dora]

3. Excellent ideas!

Parsnips... wow. I think I've never seen a parsnip, and couldn't tell it from a turnip. I should get out more.

Thanks!

[eleny]

5. Parsnips look like a yellow carrot

They can be skinny or they can have one end real fat and then taper off. The yellow is that creamy yellow.

I never used them until I found a chicken soup recipe that called for them. And they do add their own personality. Now I use them in stews and other soups, too.

[The empressof all]

6. The poor forgotten Parsnip

They really can be quite lovely roasted and mixed with roasted celeraic (or even celery) and blended with some chicken broth and cream for a beautiful soup. My neighbor turned me on to this when I lived in France.

Mashed like a potato or for parsnip sceptics add parsnip when you boil potatoes and mash it in for a different taste.

[eleny]

7. celeraic

I needed to Google up an image. I've seen these but never thought to explore what to do with them. Is the soup with parsnips a chilled soup?

I think I'll try this. I'm sure I have some cream of celery canned soup. I could roast the parsnip and add it. Should the parsnip be mashed for the soup? And is it roasted plain or brushed with oil/butter and seasoned?

[The empressof all]

8. Please don't use the canned creamed soup

Here's what you do

Roast 4 good sized parsnips and a small celaraic root (I don't peal it until it's cooked soft)(If you can't find celaraic peel some celery to remove the stringy outer skin and roast that) I sometimes also roast a small sweet onion too. Salt and drizzle with olive oil and roast until soft.

You want to make sure that they don't blacken. A nice golden color is what you want. But very soft is good enough.

Put the veggies in a blender with a pat of butter, some heavy cream and some chicken broth. (This really is a matter of taste. I like mine thick and creamy so use less broth and a little more cream) (start out with a third of a cup of broth and a quarter of cream---You'll need to add more to get your desired consistancy)

Blend up until smooth. Adjust for salt and pepper

I serve this hot (so I re-warm it before serving)


Let me know how it comes out for you. We love it.

[eleny]

10. I knew that stupid canned soup was a bad idea to mention!

Your recipe sounds super easy. I love roasted vegetables but never tried the parsnips that way. I've saved your recipe and will get my ingredients next shopping trip. I'm sure Soopers carries celeraic becuase it's appearance has gotten my attention more than once.

Thanks so much.

[The empressof all]

12. I forgot one important thing

Peel the parsnips before you roast them--Like you would a carrot.

I don't peel the celeraic until after I cook it but you may find it easier to peel before hand as well. This way you won't have to deal with handling a hot veggie. (Just take off the outer tough part) (It doesn't impact the taste)

[eleny]

13. Thanks

The celeraic looks like it has a skin that will slough off. But the parsnip is more like a thin but tough extorior.

[Dora]

17. This sounds so easy!

It sounds like a great crock pot recipe - cook the vegetables in the crock pot all day, then finish it up on the stove before dinner.

I'm bookmarking this, and thanks.

[The empressof all]

19. I guess you could use the crock pot

I think the color and texture from roasting is what makes this particular soup. Now if you want to do it with Brocolli, Cauliflower, Asparagus or Potatoes the Crock Pot would be great. I add cheese to those veggies BTW.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Pear Pie

I grew up with a pear tree in the back yard. My mother made pear pie every year. Make it just as you would an apple pie. The pears make it very special.

Make a double crust pie, a single crust (pear crunch kinda thing), or whatever you might do with apples.

Also, since pears and peaches come in at the same time, she also used to make a pear peach pie. That was VERY special. She only made this as double crust pie. Again, the same basic way you'd make a plain old apple pie.

[Dora]

4. I think I'll try this. Thank you! n/t

[politicat]

Thou Shalt not double post, silly board!!

Self-delete.

[politicat]

9. Golden Pear preserves

My uncle makes these every year; it's a recipe he learned from his family (he's an uncle by adoption, his parents having died and left him with my great-grandparents when he was a teenager) in the south. All measures approximate. (I called him with recipes.com up, and found a recipe that approximated his, then messed with the print recipe rather than try to decipher his dictation....)

6 cups peeled, cored, and sliced pears
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (2 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin
4 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
4 cups white sugar

1. Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Let simmer while making jam.
2. In a large saucepan, combine pears, water, and lemon juice. Cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in pectin, and bring to a full boil. Stir in the sugars, and continue boiling and stirring uncovered for 1 minute, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in allspice and nutmeg.
3. Quickly fill jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe rims clean, and top with lids. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes to seal.

[eleny]

11. Do you use any kind of pear that's available?

I looked for golden pears and some looked like those regular green pears that can ripen to yellow. Will any yellow colored pear do for this or do you like a certain variety?

[politicat]

14. The golden color comes from the brown sugar, not the pears.

Any type of pear works. Uncle Pud has used everything from the seckel (sized) to commercial Bartletts. Usually he uses the ones that grow on his land in S. Indiana, which I assume are Comice, D'Anjou or Bartlett. He uses whatever is ripe.

Sorry about the confusion.

[eleny]

15. Thanks, no problem

I can see this as being so delicious on toast with cream cheese.

[politicat]

16. Oh, yes...

And over ice cream, and on waffles and with fried cornmeal mush, and ... and...

My 92 year old great-grandfather practically lives on pear preserves, eggs, bacon, mush and bread.

[Dora]

18. Sounds delicious, and exactly what I am looking for. n/t