Fruit Maven » Pear

Cool Tool: Fruit Cozies

Fruit Maven — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:44:42 +0000

Today I bring you some adorable fruit cozies from the etsy shop, The Little Road Said Go. Just looking at these makes me feel warm and loved. I don’t pack a lunch, but if I did you can bet I would be carefully wrapping my beloved heirloom fruit in one of these babies. It would keep them from bruising, in addition to increasing my personal wow factor. In fact, I may need to wrap my fruit in one of these, find a crowd and then conspicuously unveil my perfectly styled produce. Then I will just revel in the admiration. Can you imagine the crowd that will gather? Yes — I’m putting that on my to-do list right now. What kind of Fruit Maven would I be if I didn’t make a big display of the fruit I eat? I know I already write a fruit blog about it, but I owe it the fruit. I really do.

Sidenote: I do not know this seller nor do I make anything if you buy these from him or her.

APPEARANCE 5 out of 5 stars

Three little bundles of over-the-top cuteness and charm! Available in apple, pear and banana varieties. Lots of fun color combos.

USABILITY 4 out of 5 stars

Looks simple to put on the fruit. It strikes me that the only “problem” would be what to do with it after you’ve eaten the fruit. I wouldn’t want to accidentally throw it away of course. Also by necessity they seem designed for the average fruit. If you tend to eat outliers (ahem – Anna Apple), then these might not fit perfectly.

PRICE 5 out of 5 stars

These are so cheap! Six dollars! $6! A deal for sure.

OVERALL 4.67 out of 5 stars

I can’t decide if these would greatly increase the probability that I eat my recommended five fruit/veggies a day because they look so enticing in this outfit OR if I would never want to eat the actual fruit because it looks so ridiculously adorable. Seems like a win/win situation to me.

Pear Thyme Scones

Fruit Maven — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:27:13 +0000

Today I am bringing you one of the most comforting, toasty, tender baked goods I have ever made, not to mention one of the easiest. In the last week I have made this recipe no less than four times and I don’t think I will get tired of it any time soon. Other members of the household have been discovered wandering through the kitchen muttering “so good” searching frantically for more. I am telling you — these are fantastic. Plus you do the entire thing with your hands, which just feels so rustic and right. I’m tempted to stop typing right this second and go make another batch but I really want to get these out to you before the weekend.

Last week, I received a gorgeously packaged box of Warren Pears from Frog Hollow Farms and I knew immediately that I need to figure out how to really highlight their flavor. I tried a few cocktails, which were good but not great. And I made #10 from my list of ways to cook with pears, which was divine. But I wanted to try something new.

Then I thought of scones, thinking that baking them would keep the flavor and remove the texture issues I have with pears. I wanted to bring the vanilla and honey flavors forward without masking them with additional spices like cinnamon (though that would be delicious and I did try that with the Opal apples I posted about yesterday). Thyme is one of my favorite herbs and seemed like it would be a perfect compliment without taking anything away from the lovely Warrens. I also added some cheddar to really punch things up. When you eat these you really can’t detect the cheddar specifically because it all just combines so well. If you don’t want the cheese for some reason, just leave it out. The oats give the earthy support that brings the spiciness out of the pears out. You could easily make this with any pear or apple you have though. I guarantee it will still be great.

This recipe is insanely easy for a baked good. You don’t need to be overly precise and nothing has to come to room temperature first or be refrigerated for 2 hours, etc. Feel free to double or quadruple it if you are making them for more people than just yourself (and you definitely should). I just wanted a simple weekend recipe for my small family. I added a few ideas for playing with the flavors and texture a bit. Let me know if you try it and what you tried. I’d love to hear about it.

Pear or Apple Thyme Scones

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Make 4 scones
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Ingredients

2 1/2 tablespoons milk (or buttermilk)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (omit if using buttermilk)
3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour (If you remove a tsp or so the texture is even lighter)
1/2 cup rolled oats (If you remove a tsp or so the texture is even lighter)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup pear or apple, (peeled or unpeeled) chopped in to 1/4 inch squares
Additional sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small cup or bowl combine the milk and lemon juice and let sit (or you can substitute buttermilk and skip this step completely, but I never have buttermilk).
Chop the butter in to small squares about a 1/4 inch and put back in the refrigerator.
In a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and thyme. Get all other ingredients ready because the rest is done with your hands and will get messy.
Toss the dry ingredients until well combined. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers. You want a crumbly mixture with no pieces larger than a pea. Once you feel you’ve sufficiently mixed it, flatten any larger pieces of butter.
Add the cheddar and toss with your fingers to distribute. You don’t want the cheese to stick together in big clumps.
Add pears (or apples if using) and the milk/lemon mixture (or buttermilk). Massage gently just until the dough comes together in a sticky mess.
Form four small balls of dough and place at least an inch or two apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly.
Sprinkle the top of each scone lightly with additional sugar.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes. They are done when golden brown and your kitchen is fragrant with toasty scone scent.
Let cool on wire racks for about 15 minutes. Every minute of this is pure torture but it does make the texture set up the best.

Make 4 scones (If you double the recipe remove a full tablespoon each from the cups of flour and oats)
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Additional ideas:

Try substituting gorgonzola for the cheddar cheese and omit the sugar topping.
Use turbinado sugar on top to add crunch
Omit cheese and thyme, add 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon instead. Use brown sugar instead of white.
Try fresh tarragon instead of thyme.
Remove the cheese, thyme and pieces of fruit completely and add 1/2 teaspoon citrus zest. Use the juice of the citrus instead of the lemon juice (I just did this with Bergamot and it was great.)

Cook pears like an Iron Chef: 10 quick ways to make them shine

Fruit Maven — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:13:45 +0000

As I mentioned in my recent post about Warren pears, I like pears but have a hard time getting super excited about them in their raw form. I do love one here or there, but for the most part when I have pears they end up lending their delightful presence to something larger or smaller as the case may be.

So I was thinking today about what I would do if someone handed me a basket of pears and said “You have an hour. MAKE SOMETHING!” This would truly be my nightmare. I’m not that comfortable improvising and I can’t remember what goes with what. I absolutely love watching these shows because the creative genius of the contestants is so absolutely astounding to me. They seem to light up, whereas my first response to this craziness being shouted at me, would be to ask if I could have my books. The contestants never use books! How is that possible? I have this one called the Flavor Bible that is spectacular. You look up a food and it gives a huge list of other foods that go well with it. It was clearly written by and for improvisers. All I’ve ever done is drool over it, which is why the pages in the cheese section are all crinkly and stained, if you ever happen to borrow my copy.

So most normal people, would probably not ask for books but would instead go for the internet. And if this ever happens and the ingredient ends up being ‘pears,’ I hope they find their way here. This is a list of 10 of the recent things I’ve been doing in the kitchen based on various recipes or just silly accidents. I hope you enjoy them whether you are in a crazy contest or just looking for something new to try. Any of the common pear varieties will do fine here, but will work best when they are on the firmer side. I’d love to hear what you do with your pears and of course if you’ve ever been in a cooking contest. (My secret big crazy dream is to be a judge on Top Chef where they have a fruit oriented quick fire. Shhh – don’t tell anyone. It’s embarrassing.)

10 Ways to Cook With Pears

Chips: Cut pears in 1/8 inch slices, place in 200 degree oven for 6+ hours until crispy. Optional: sprinkle with cinnamon first.
Dried fruit: Slice in 1/4 inch slices, place in 200 degree oven 4-6 hours until soft and pliable.
Tea: Chop up some of the dried pears or pear chips with a bit of broken cinnamon sticks. Steep in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drizzle with honey. Optional: Add brandy or rum.
Quick salad: Slice pears as thin as you can, layer with equally thin slices of pecorino cheese. Drizzle with honey and plain or candied walnuts.
Side dish: Chop pears and throw in a saute pan with butter and a little brown sugar. Cook until tender. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Ice cream topping: Chop pears and throw in a saute pan with butter and a little brown sugar. Add a bit of powdered or candied ginger and a little cinnamon. Cook until tender and pour on top of vanilla or salted caramel ice cream.
Appetizer: Slice pear and place on plain cracker with a bit of gorgonzola.
Sandwich: Add a few pear slices in your grilled cheese sandwich. Especially great with sharp white cheddar.
Cocktail! Puree pear and strain through fine mesh strainer to get the smoothest consistency possible. Mix an ounce or so in with a glass of champagne.
Showstopper: Cut pear in half and remove core. Fill with a little goat cheese. Sprinkle with thyme and bacon bits. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 350 for 25 minutes. Drizzle with honey and place on bed of arugula or other spicy green.

Warren Pear

Fruit Maven — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:22:23 +0000

I keep hearing about the Warren Pear! The WARREN PEAR! Oprah likes it. Martha likes it. The LA Times likes it. It was starting to feel ridiculous how much I was seeing this new-to-me variety pop up everywhere, which of course made my cynical side come out in full force. Why would Oprah and Martha both suddenly learn about a specific variety in the very same month of the very same year? It’s weird and screams more of expert marketing than excellent fruit. But I noticed that my local favorite location for unique varieties had procured a few and so I popped over to give them a try.

I guess I should step back and give an even bigger confession. I didn’t want to like them. I don’t particularly jump up and down about pears of any kind and there are only a few times a pear has wowed me. One being a Harrow Delight Pear that I tasted at a California Rare Fruit Growers convention. Don’t get any ideas with that statement. I am terrible at growing things and I didn’t go to learn – heavens no. I went for the fruit tastings and to meet some of the people that grow the fruit I happily consume. But that’s it. I think plants actually play dead when they see me coming because it is just so pointless for me to try. So there was this spectacular pear at the event and I just remember thinking – Wow! I have never tasted a pear like THAT. And I’ve never seen another one, though I haven’t tried. Like I said, I just don’t go out of my way for pears.

But back to the point – Warren Pears! Where would they fall on the spectrum? Let’s just say they are very very good and I certainly think you should consider sending them as a gift to someone this season, the way Oprah recommends, but for my taste they ended up sliced and turned in to dried fruit slices. Other reviews state they aren’t grainy, but mine were. So I’m not sure what happened there. Don’t get me wrong, these ARE the best darn pear slices I have ever tasted, but just a fruit slice nonetheless. When I truly love something, it doesn’t last long enough to make it to the oven.

APPEARANCE 4 out of 5 stars

Mustard and rust colored skin with a nice long neck and plump body. White flesh.

AROMA 3.5 out of 5 stars

Very mild, sweet vanilla with a hint of cinnamon or maybe even soft clove. Not sure.

TEXTURE 4 out of 5 stars

Dense with perfect amount of juice. Slightly gritty flesh. Smooth peel.

TASTE 4.5 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous flavor that starts out with a full vanilla, almost honey taste and then sinks in to a far more complex, spiced flavor.

OVERALL 4 out of 5 stars

A great pear with complicated flavor and a rich texture. Very good but not worth going out of your way to find in my opinion. There are lots of pear varieties that are much easier to get and good enough. See: Seckel, Comice, Starkrimson, Bosc, and Bartlett for starters.

FRUIT Pear	PEAK Fall	PROVIDED BY Specialty Produce
VARIETY Warren	GROWN Frog Hollow Farms California

COMMENTS!

Has anyone else tried the Warren Pears? What did you think? I would also love to hear about your experiences with something everyone just LOVED and you thought was just “good” or “ok” or even “bad”.

Comice Pear

Fruit Maven — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 16:55:07 +0000

The Comice Pear is know for being the Christmas pear and being an absolute favorite among the well fed masses. This is the same variety of pear that Harry & David rebranded as the Royal Riviera Pear and sells for exorbitant amounts throughout the holidays. Which gives me an idea…maybe I should start taking cheap common fruit, give it a new fancy name and sell it to you for super high prices. It’s not really in line with my values or anything, but who cares about that. I think it would work. Golden Delicious = $1, FruitMaven Golden Princess Apple = $5. I am definitely feeling this one. Stay tuned…

Back to pears, to tell you the truth I guess I’m not a huge fan of most of the grocery store pears. It pains me a bit to admit that. I like them, but I realized today that I never ever reach for a pear and I never crave them. Even the Starkrimson Pear, which I loved, I haven’t bought since then. Really, I see them more as a vehicle for pairing up with cheese and wine, which is a pretty legit function for any food in my book. The closer you can get me to cheese and wine, the better. Keep that in mind next time you want to wine and dine me. Also, bring an extra $5. I’ll be printing up some “Golden Princess Apple” labels soon.

APPEARANCE 3 out of 5 stars

Frumpy, bumpy chubby pear that is mostly green with a russet top and red blushing. White flesh.

AROMA 2.5 out of 5 stars

Very slight smell of dandelions.

TEXTURE 4 out of 5 stars

Delightfully soft and creamy but with a characteristic grainy finish and a gritty peel. Explosive juice that shoots across the room and drips down the chin. Grab a bib!

TASTE 4 out of 5 stars

Sweet but mild pear flavor with a little lemony touch.

OVERALL 3.38 out of 5 stars

Oh Comice, why must you be so gritty? The flavor of this pear is great and the level of juice just makes it feel extremely decadent. You can’t really help but laugh while eating it because it is such an indulgent mess. Pretty highly recommended if you are a pear person.

NOTES

One huge plus for this pear is that it is originally from France. Like many girls, I have a huge crush on France and on Paris in particular. I’m pretty sure someone needs to whisk me away on a pear excursion to the city of love. Anyone? Anyone? Buehller?

FRUIT Pear	PEAK Fall	PURCHASED Whole Foods
VARIETY Comice	GROWN Unknown

WHERE TO GET THEM

When in season, you can buy Comice Pears at your standard grocery store and online here or the fancy ones through Harry and David here. If you get them online, a small amount will go to support the Fruit Maven. So thanks in advance!