PRECIOUS PEARS
PEARS
Among the most beautiful edible Autumn treasures, pears have our attention right now. They make for magnificent still life photos and paintings. We love to watch them ripening on our windowsills and countertops as the sun weakens above in November skies.
Pears grow wild and in cultivation in temperate regions of Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. They’ve been cultivated in China for over 3,000 years. Romans loved pears too.
In Europe, pears are known as “the butter fruit” because of the smooth, soft and creamy texture of their ripe flesh. Asian pears are more crisp, like apples.
There are over 3,000 types of pear across the world, varying by size, shape, color, sweetness, & crispness. Pears, along with apples, are the oldest cultivated fruits, dating back to Roman times. They were brought to the New World, in its early days. USA Pears is a fabulous resource for info & recipes.
The most common European & American pear varieties include:
- Green Anjou
- Red Anjou
- Bartlett
- Red Bartlett
- Bosc
- Comice
- Forelle
- Concorde
- Seckel
- Starkrimson
There are many varieties, stemming from about 20 main species. Some are tiny, such as seckel pears, some -- like the nashi pear -- look like apples -- round and rosy, some -- like the forelle pear -- have a sunset blush that takes our breath away.
Pears are exceptionally fragrant when ripe. Their flesh is juicy and sweet. They contain brachysclereids or the stone cells (called stone cells because of their hardness), which gives pear flesh its characteristic grit.
But pears are typically harvested before they ripen while on the tree. To best ripen, place pears in a warm, sunny area for several days, until their “necks” yield to slight pressure. Want to speed this up? Ripen pears near bananas.
Pears are a good source of dietary fiber, flavonoids, vitamin C and other antioxidants, most of which are contained within the skin of the fruit. Eating pears may help with weight loss and reduce the risk of developing cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease if eaten as part of an overall healthy diet.
In the Roman cookbook Apicius De re coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking), we found an ancient recipe for spiced, stewed-pear patina, or soufflé. We found that pear leaves were smoked in Europe before tobacco was introduced. Fascinating.
Today, we love pears most simply eaten out of hand. They also pair well with Autumnal cheeses and toasted nuts. They make awesome cider. And we adore pear tarts and pies. Check out this magnificent recipe we adapted for Pear Frangipane Tart below.
Pears pair perfectly with nuts -- almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, in particular. A classic tart combination is pears with frangipane, a delicate aromatic sweet paste made of almonds and sugar. We’ve made plenty of these exquisite tarts in our day, and have taken the liberty to tweak various versions of the classic recipes to come up with one of our own.
BEAUTIFULNOW PEAR FRANGIPANE TART
Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons ice water
For the Frangipane:
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup ground lightly toasted almonds
- 1/4 cup ground lightly toasted hazelnuts
- 2 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 -- egg plus 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon Poire Williams
For the Topping:
- 5 ripe pears, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Lemon juice to drizzle
- Poire Williams to drizzle
Directions:
Pastry:
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To prepare pastry, place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water; pulse until ball barely forms. Gather into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
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Preheat oven to 375℉.
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Roll out dough and place into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake 20 minutes. Let cool.
Frangipane:
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To prepare frangipane, place butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth. Add almonds and hazelnuts and blend. Add flour, cornstarch, egg and egg white. Process until smooth. Add vanilla and almond extracts and Poire Williams. Blend well.
Assembly:
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Spread frangipane on bottom of pastry shell.
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Arrange pear slices on top of frangipane, nestling into mixture. You can create a decorative pattern or be random about this, but leave some frangipane uncovered and peeking through. Press, spreading the pear slices slightly.
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Bake about 40 minutes, until frangipane is puffy and golden.
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Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with freshly whipped cream or creme fraiche.
Serves 8 - 10.
Read more about November Treasures all this week on BeautifulNow in November Travel Treasure: Patagonia, Autumn Mind & Body Treasures, Magical Moon Festivals: Thailand, Autumn Wildflower Treasures, and Spectacular Star Showers. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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