Monday, September 8, 2008

too many pears



I was gifted with a shopping bag full of these delightful half-wild pears the other day, and now find myself puzzling over what to do with this....plethora of pears. Poached in wine, chutney, or maybe a sweet jar of pear butter? And then, I could simply spend all day photographing their elegant and curvaceous lines, remembering all those Dutch Masters paintings at the Met. And then there was that tart that looked sooooo delicious, with almond cream.
But for now, I'll just sit and enjoy their gorgeousness. If you have any amazing pear recipes, I would love to hear from you!
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Twitter is a sort of "pop-in, pop out" site, where you can write tiny little blips about just about anything. Hopefully, it will be about photography, food, foodie books, poetry, postings, and Q&A's to She's in the Kitchen, in case you can't log on to Blogger ( not so unusual!). Spammers will be blocked, as well as any inappropriate bloggers and blogger content.
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12 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2008 at 5:59 AM

    Hi Katrina ~ No wonderful pear recipes from me (sorry). I consider it a 'gift from heaven' just to get a good pear to eat out of hand. Around here they go from rock hard to rotten, just skip right past the 'perfect to eat' stage. (Apparently, urban life isn't what it's cracked up to be - ha! ha!)

    But your photos of those pears are so beautiful - you have a very good eye and a whole lot of talent!

    Thank you so much!

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2008 at 6:17 AM

    Good morning, Barb - these are actually pretty hard, which is why I'm looking at those chutney and chunky jam recipes.
    And I think anyone can take a good photo of a pear! They are that beautiful............merci!

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2008 at 11:42 AM

    Dear Katrina:

    My brother's Asian pear tree was particularly productive this year, so I dried sliced pears. I peeled and sliced them (tossing them with ascorbic acid powder); steam-blanched them for 5 minutes; then dried them till chewy. I highly recommend this preservation technique for Asian pears. Maybe it would work for European pears also.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2008 at 12:02 PM

    Taryn - that's an excellent idea, thank you! I'll tuck that away and try it if I can't find a good chutney or ??? recipe.

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2008 at 4:04 PM

    Best pear recipe ever: a bottle of Prosecco, some delicious cheese (brie or cheddar) and a knife. Yum.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2008 at 4:39 PM

    ah Anon: I would agree with you perhaps, if the pears were large and juicy, but these are smallish and right now, very firm. Will they soften? This I'm not sure about, which is why I'm looking through my English Farmhouse cookbook for bottled pears in simple syrup, or a chutney. But next time I do buy some juicy ones, my fave is with nutty sauteed mushrooms and Irish cheddar...........I like your thinking!

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2008 at 4:46 PM

    Hi Katrina !
    You found me on Gather.com and I decided to see what kind of herbs/cooking/gardening youv'e been up to - LOL

    I love pears and have a couple of trees myself.

    My Grandma always canned her with cloves and other spices and they were Soooooooooo good. They made a tasty dish all by themselves after dinner.

    See you on gather (MyOrganicGifts.Gather.com)

    Organically Yours,
    Diana

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2008 at 4:53 PM

    Hello Diana!
    Alas, the pears have gone soft - but I know where the tree is, so I'll just help myself:)....
    I can tell we have lots of recipes and herbal lore to share - I'll be in touch.....

    Katrina

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  9. VineladyOctober 14, 2010 at 1:06 PM

    I just put this post together. The pears turned out very nicely. I have used them for desserts and on salads. There are worse places to be than too many pears.

    http://locallypreserved.blogspot.com/

    Sarah

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  10. katrinaOctober 14, 2010 at 1:26 PM

    More's the pity, Vinelady - the pear crops for the last two years have been very small. Summer of 2009 the region was recovering from that huge ice storm we had, and this year we had a drought. Cross fingers next year will be a great pear year!

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  11. helendJanuary 7, 2011 at 3:16 PM

    Hi Katrina
    I was looking for a picture to put on my "Wild Pear Jelly" recipe and came across your lovely photos.
    I have spent several years trying to improve my jelly and this year as we had a bumper crop, I made lots of pots and friends seemed to like it.
    If you would like the recipe, please let me know and I will email it for you.
    Yours, Helen, IOW UK

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  12. katrinaJanuary 7, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    Hi helend - I'm not sure if you're asking my permission to use the photos, or are offering your pear recipe - I'd love it! But would appreciate credit if you are only wanting the photos. Thanks!

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