[Menk]

I've been given a large bag of pears from a neighbour and I fear that the majority of them will end up in the food waste as per every year because they are ripe for a very short period before they turn to mush.

Any ideas what to do with them while they are edible? They are hard at the moment.

[stud u like]

Pear wine or pear cider.
Pear pies
Pear and cheese
Pear crumble
Stewed pears
Pears in wine
Lamb with pears and parsnips
Strong blue cheese and pear tart
Pear cake
Pear fairy cakes
Pear and bacon toasted sandwich
Pear salad
Pear and red onion quiche
Roast pork with roasted fennel and pears


Pears more or less go with anything.

[grps3]

pears with cheese or peanut butter is awesome

make a pear toastie

Spread mustard over whole grain bread, add some pear slices and cheese, or pear slices, cheese, turkey, and tomatoes

toast in toastie make and enjoy

[Smokeychan1]

Pear and Almond Pudding Cake. I saved this link as the C4 site has reduced the contents of the batter to make a smaller cake, yet not adjusted the tin size to match. A disaster in the making

I also seem to remember Hugh using SR Wholemeal along with the ground almond, but I can confirm white flour is quite delicious in this recipe. 200gms flour/100gms almond is fine too...as supermarkets tend to sell almond in 100 gram bags it is probably more convenient, not to mention cheaper.

And how about Pear Flavoured Vodka? I haven't made this one, but I made Cranberry and Orange Vodka for Christmas gifts last year and it went down a treat.

[Fizzee Rascal]

Do a pear version of a tarte tatin.

[epicurian]

Peel and slice and give them a bath in some lemon water to preserve the colour. Then make a simple syrup- once it comes to a boil, add the pears and allow to cook for five minutes. Transfer pears and syrup to hot sterilised kilner jars and they should keep for about a year once sealed.

Star anise, cardamom and cinnamon work well in the syrup.

[Teddybleads]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epicurian

Peel and slice and give them a bath in some lemon water to preserve the colour. Then make a simple syrup- once it comes to a boil, add the pears and allow to cook for five minutes. Transfer pears and syrup to hot sterilised kilner jars and they should keep for about a year once sealed.

Star anise, cardamom and cinnamon work well in the syrup.

Will that work for other fruits? I'm thinking of quince but that would be cooked first, it might be more inclined to disintegrate.

[epicurian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teddybleads

Will that work for other fruits? I'm thinking of quince but that would be cooked first, it might be more inclined to disintegrate.

Yeah, tricky one that. This person roasted hers whole before peeling and packing them in the syrup. http://www.rainbowcooking.co.nz/reci...eserved-quince

eta: speaking of quince, have you ever had or made membrillo? http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/qu...embrillo_85978 It's fantastic with cheese.

[Teddybleads]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epicurian

Yeah, tricky one that. This person roasted hers whole before peeling and packing them in the syrup. http://www.rainbowcooking.co.nz/reci...eserved-quince

That's fab, and a boon not to have to peel the buggers! I've been looking into roasting but never tried it before so will give it a shot.

[Teddybleads]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epicurian

Yeah, tricky one that. This person roasted hers whole before peeling and packing them in the syrup. http://www.rainbowcooking.co.nz/reci...eserved-quince

eta: speaking of quince, have you ever had or made membrillo? http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/qu...embrillo_85978 It's fantastic with cheese.

Re:- membrillo. Yes, every year and I still have three jars left from last year. Good thought though. I make a quince and lavender jam also. And quince tarte tatin and Moroccan chicken with quince.... It's a very bountiful tree and I. Hate throwing any produce out.

[Menk]

Many thanks for the ideas!

[barbeler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grps3

pears with cheese or peanut butter is awesome

That has made me feel quite ill just thinking about it.