Recipes

Makes 12-15 pies

Makes 2-10 ounce smoothies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup green kale leaves, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 banana, cubed
½ apple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
½ pear, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1 cup water
1 cup of ice
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lime juice (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup sugar in the raw
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced thin
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in cubes
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly butter a baking sheet. Set aside.

Sprinkle a work surface with sugar-in-the-raw and spices and roll out puff pastry about ¹⁄₈ inch thick, turning once to coat both sides. Place puff pastry on baking sheet and using the tip of a pairing knife create a ½ inch border around the entire sheet. Prick pastry all over with a fork (to prevent pastry from puffing up) and place baking sheet in freezer until pastry is chilled well, about 15 minutes. Once chilled, arrange pear slices on puff pastry (in whatever design you like), sprinkle with sugar and place cubed butter on top. Finish by adding juice and zest of 1 lemon. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes 1 long rectangular tart

INGREDIENTS

For pie dough

1 sweet pie dough recipe
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For filling

1½ cups sugar
½ cup pear juice
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup almonds, chopped
2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, halved, and sliced

DIRECTIONS

To make this dough, use sweet pie dough recipe, and add ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon to dough. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove dough from refrigerator, and let come to room temperature, 5 to 10 minutes so dough rolls out easily.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Transfer to a long rectangular tart shell with removable bottom. Trim edges, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set, about 17 minutes. Remove foil and beans and set aside. Maintain oven temperature.

In a medium heavy bottomed pan, combine sugar and pear juice, and bring to a boil. Do not stir. Using a pastry brush, wipe any sugar from sides of pan, so sugar does not burn. Once sugar begins to melt, the caramel color will become a deep amber. Reduce heat to medium, slowly whisk in heavy cream, and mix until smooth. Remove from heat, and add butter, honey, and vanilla, and combine. Add chopped nuts, and combine.

Arrange sliced pears on tart shell, and spoon caramel nuts on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

½ cup honey
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
2 Asian pears, medium size, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut in half (half moon shapes)
4 ounces sweet blue cheese or gorgonzola, crumbled
Maldon sea salt

DIRECTIONS

In a small sauce pan, heat honey and rosemary leaves on simmer for about 5 minutes until warm and honey has been infused with rosemary. Arrange the pear slices on a serving tray and top each with a small amount of blue cheese and drizzle with warm honey-rosemary syrup. Serve.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

2 cups water
¼ cup rosewater (2 tablespoons reserved)
½ cup honey, plus 1 tablespoon
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves, chopped fine
4 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
1 cup 2% milk
2 pods of cardamom (seeds inside)
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup pistachios, shelled and chopped fine

DIRECTIONS

Heat the water, rosewater and ½ cup honey in a large pot of water. When the sugar dissolves add the tarragon and the pears making sure it is at a slow rolling boil. Cook the pears for about 20 minutes uncovered until soft. Take off heat and allow to sit in the water while making the froth.

For the frothed milk

In a saucepan, place cold milk in the pan and begin to heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons rosewater, 1 tablespoon honey and cardamom and froth using a little hand held frother or the frother part of your espresso machine. You can also do this with a whisk but it takes a long time!
The key is “frothing” as the milk goes from cold to hot! Remove cardamom before serving.

For serving place a few pears on a dish with a little amount of the syrup water and a few cherries. Spoon the froth over and sprinkle with the pistachios.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound pears, semi ripe, peeled, cored and chopped and put in lemon water (to keep from browning)
2 cups sugar in the raw
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped fine
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cardamom pod, split and seeds removed
1 egg white, for brushing tops of pop tarts
2 tablespoons soy or rice milk (vegan option), for brushing tops of pop tarts

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over medium heat add ingredients and cook until sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to thicken and reduce. Take off heat and let cool before using to fill pop tart.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lay one rolled piece of pie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and place filling in the center. Cover with another piece of dough and crimp edges closed. Brush top with egg white or soy or rice milk (vegan option) and sprinkle with topping of choice. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Suggested Crust: Whole wheat, plain, cornmeal
Suggested Topping: Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, flag seeds

Makes 1 large Galette

INGREDIENTS

For the Pastry:

2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons ice-cold sweet wine

For the Galette Filling:

6-8 pears, cored and cut in wedges, ½-inch thick
¾ cup fresh cranberries
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ground cardamom

PREPARATION

In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and cardamom. Next, cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk and vanilla; add ice-cold sweet wine. Add the egg mixture to flour mixture and mix just until dough comes together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to overwork dough. Flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, combine pears and cranberries with sugars, lemon juice, zest, and spices, and set aside. Once dough has been chilled, remove from refrigerator and generously flour your work surface and roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Pile pear mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 1½-inch border. Fold the border over the pears, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes; then slide the galette onto a serving plate.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 baguette
1 clove garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped fine
2 Asian pears, cut in quarters, cored, and sliced thin
4 ounces blue cheese, sliced

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Slice baguette thinly, and place on baking sheet. Rub each slice with garlic clove, drizzle with olive oil, and lightly season with salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes, making sure to flip toast halfway through.

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add honey and rosemary, and warm through. Set aside.

To serve, place 2 slices of pear on crostini, top with a slice of blue cheese, and drizzle with rosemary honey.

Makes 12-15 pies

A quick take on the pot pie, somewhere in the middle between a hot pocket and a pop tart but perfect for a quick sweet and spicy snack.

INGREDIENTS

Basic Pie Crust Dough Recipe (follows)
4 medium pears, peeled, cored and chopped fine
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped fine
1 pinch of ground cardamom
½ cup light brown sugar or sugar in the raw
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
1 teaspoon turbinado sugar or sugar in the raw

PREPARATION

Pre-heat oven to 400° F.

In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Roll out dough, and cut dough into 12 to 15 4-inch squares. Put 2 tablespoons of mixture on the dough on one side, and fold over.
Using wet hands, moisten the seal so it sticks together. You can use a fork to press it down or roll it over like an empanada. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush outside with beaten egg wash, and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Pie Crust Dough

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1¼ sticks of unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice water

PREPARATION

Mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until combined well. Using your hands, add butter and crumble into the flour (a food processor can also be used) until the crust mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the egg yolk and the ice water, and mix together gently until dough is moist. Form dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 pears, peeled, seeded and chopped
½ cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Prosecco

PREPARATION

In a small saucepan, add pears and cranberries and cook until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then add to blender. Blend until smooth and strain through fine mesh strainer. Pour a small amount of strained pear/cranberry mixture into champagne glasses and top with Prosecco.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 ripe pears, cut in half lengthwise, seeded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup fresh thyme sprigs
Salt

For yogurt cream:

1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 2%
Salt

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet, add the butter, maple syrup, vanilla, brown sugar, thyme sprigs and a generous sprinkle of salt. Let everything come to a gentle boil and stir continuously, about 2 minutes.

Add the halved pears to the pan, cut side down. Give it a shake and let them simmer on the stove about 2 minutes. Turn the pears over so they are now cut side up and transfer the pan to the oven, middle rack. Bake for 12 minutes until the pears are soft and the sauce has caramelized.

While the pears are baking, beat the cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add the maple syrup, pinch of salt, cinnamon and beat another minute to combine. Gently fold in the greek yogurt, this will make it a bit thinner.

Put one pear on a plate, drizzle with a spoonful of sauce with a sprig of thyme for garnish, and a generous dollop of yogurt cream.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

For the Pastry:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 to 3 tablespoons ice-cold Oregon Riesling wine

For the Gallette

6-8 pears, cored and cut in wedges, ½-inch thick
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ground cardamom
Cardamom whipped cream, recipe follows

PREPARATION

In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar and cardamom. Next, cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks; add ice-cold Riesling. Add the egg mixture to flour mixture and mix just until dough comes together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to overwork dough. Flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, combine pears with sugars, lemon juice, zest and spices and set aside. Once dough has been chilled, remove from refrigerator and generously flour your work surface and roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Pile herb sugar mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 1½-inch border. Fold the border over the pears, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.

Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, the slide the gallette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve warm with cardamom whipped cram.

Cardamom Whipped Cream

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whipping cream
1-2 tablespoons sugar
5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 vanilla bean, scraped

PREPARATION

In a medium-sized chilled bowl, add cram and begin to whisk. Once cream starts to get thick, add rest of ingredients and beat until medium-stiff peaks form.

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), separated
1 cup sugar, separated
3 medium pears, skins on, cored and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
¾ cups cornmeal
¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine
1½ teaspoons coarse salt
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350ËšF.
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat, making sure to coat all sides. Add ½ cup of sugar and cook until the butter starts to melt and turn golden brown about 3 minutes. Add pear wedges forming a circle covering entire bottom of pan filling any blank spots. Sprinkle rosemary leaves on the pears. Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until pears are tender. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder and soda, rosemary leaves and salt. Separately, in the bowl of a large mixer over medium-high speed, beat 4 tablespoons butter and ½ cup sugar until fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape sides of the bowl. Next, adding dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Finish by adding vanilla and heavy cream. Drop spoonfuls of batter over pear mixture and spread evenly with a spatula coating evenly and making sure pears are not visible. Bake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes, run a knife or spatula around the cakes edges and invert onto a large cutting board tap the bottom if need be. Cool and serve.