Roasted Caramel Pears with Crème Fraîche and Toasted Pistachios

Want to make a dessert that's dead easy and delicious, where the main part of the dish is comprised of two ingredients (pears and brown sugar) and makes it own sauce? Well, this just might be the one.

Lynn and I saw this on one of Joanne Weir's cooking shows and looked up the recipe on her site. We made it for my birthday dinner and periodically rave about it. We're making it as a Thanksgiving dessert, in lieu of pie, because we never seem to get to the pie on Thanksgiving.

For this recipe, I used crème fraîche instead of the called-for Marscapone, omitted the honey and used toasted, ground pistachios instead of pecans. I like the slight sour-ness to the crème fraîche, I think adding honey to it is overkill and toasted pistachios give a little crunch, texture and nutty flavor to the dish.

This is not a regular "Sweet Sunday" recipe, but I used the pears for a "Sweet Sunday" tart recipe that will be posted very soon.

Selecting Pears & Pear Care

The original post from which I adapted this recipe calls for Bartlett pears. For my version, I chose Bosc pears. Bartlett pears will release more liquid and be much softer when completely cooked. Just make sure they are barely ripe when you're ready to prepare your dish or your roasted Bartlett pears will be mushy.

Bosc pears have a golden brown, matte and somewhat rough-feeling peel.

 I know there are other baking-appropriate pears out there, but I chose Bosc pears. They don't have the gold-and-rosy sexy blush of Bartlett and other pears but they are a workhorse when it comes to baking. When ripe, they are firmer than most other eating pears. To test for ripeness, press gently near the stem and if it gives to that gentle pressure, it's ready to use. Ripen pears in a warm, room temperature place outside of the refrigerator and test daily for ripeness. Once ripe, store in the coldest spot in the refrigerator, uncrowded and in a single layer - but not in the crisper, they are too easily bruised.

Because pears ripen from the inside out, ripe fruit will give gently to gentle pressure near the stem. Waiting until pears are soft around the middle may indicate over ripeness.

Toasting Pistachios

I read about a technique to toast pine nuts on Alton Brown's blog using the microwave and a paper bag. Although it worked - and I have ruined many a batch of pine nuts by being distracted for just a few seconds too many - the pine nuts were too uniform in color for me (yeah, I'm weird) and I think too much salt clung to them for my taste. I'm going to try it again with a shorter time in the microwave and less salt.

Raw, shelled pistachios, pre-toasting.

However, I love it for toasting pistachios and I used less salt than when I used this method for pine nuts and I was very happy with the results. The pistachios are just lightly toasted (retaining their beautiful color) and lightly salty. This method can be found below the main recipe for the roasted pears.

RECIPES:
 - ROASTED CARAMEL PEARS with CRÈME FRAÎCHE and PISTACHIOS and
 - MICROWAVE TOASTED PISTACHIOS

Serves 6 (smaller pears, 2 per person)
Adapted from Joanne Weir

Equipment 13" x 9" baking dish, 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon (for coring the pears), peeler or sharp paring knife. If your pears are big enough that they will crowd a large baking dish, a roasting pan or a rimmed (jelly roll) baking pan will work. If you use a jelly roll pan, you will need to take more care when pouring out the sauce - grab somebody to help you if necessary.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 6 medium pears, just ripe - at room temperature (Bartlett - red or gold, or Bosc. See notes above on ripeness and storage)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups apple cider, or water (may not be necessary)
• 8 oz crème fraîche
• 1/2 cup whole, raw pistachios, toasted, lightly salted and chopped (see toasting method, below)

Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 350° F, rack in the middle

1. Spread the brown sugar in an even layer in the baking dish. Peel, halve and core the pears (use the 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to remove the seed core and the flower end on the bottom of the pears). Lay the pears cut-side down on top of the brown sugar layer in the baking dish. It should be a tight-fit with all the pears.
2. Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes. The pear juices and the brown sugar will form a light caramel syrup. A paring knife should slide easily in and out of the pears. Check the pan every 5-10 minutes and if the pan is dry, add 1/4 cup apple cider or water to dissolve the sugar. Turn the pears over and roast an additional 5-10 minutes. When they are done, remove the baking dish from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. 
3.  If the sauce is too thin, remove the pears to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour the sauce into a sauce pan. Adjust the heat to medium or medium high, bring the sauce to a simmer and adjust the heat to keep it at a simmer while it reduces. Make sure your sauce pan is at least 2 quarts, as the sauce may bubble. When the sauce is the consistency of warmed honey (viscous but free-flowing), remove from the heat an allow to cool while you plate the pears. (Note: if the sauce is too thick, add 1/4 cup -or more if necessary - of warmed cider or water to the baking dish and stir to incorporate all of the caramel sauce. Reheat in a sauce pan over medium-low heat if desired)
4. Place 2 pear halves in each of 6 bowls with one pear half cut-side up. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of the sauce around the outside of the pears. Top each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche and sprinkle each serving with some of the toasted and chopped pistachios.

RECIPE: MICROWAVE TOASTED PISTACHIOS
Adapted from Alton Brown's "Pine Nut Primer"


Remember -- your microwave may differ in power settings from mine so check for doneness often and remember that even when you're done, the nuts will continue cooking for a minute or so.


Equipment: microwave oven, a small paper lunch bag, water, small strainer.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup shelled, raw pistachios
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation
Soak the pistachios in water for about 10 seconds. Strain off the water. In a bowl, toss the pistachios with 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt and place them in the bottom of the small paper lunch bag. Fold over the top of the bag a couple of times.

Microwave on high for one minute. Shake the bag a once or twice and test a nut for doneness. If necessary, microwave in 10 second increments (my 1/2 cup took 1 minute, 20 seconds in total). Pour the nuts on a plate or into a bowl to cool down a few minutes. Use as indicated.

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Lamb Kefta Tagine with Tomatoes and Couscous

I meant to make this last week but ran out of time and stuck the lamb back in the freezer. A friend came to visit this weekend from afar - 17 hour plane ride. We had a lot of catching up to do and I didn't want to be fussing around. I don't multi-task all that well: I can cook a lot or I can talk a lot but I can't do both and I wanted to do the latter but have a good meal. I made this in about an hour, headed down to the airport and when we got back, reheated it, made the couscous, heated up some pita bread in the oven, made a simple salad of greens and vinaigrette and dinner was ready in about 20 minutes.

This is a dinner that you can cook in parts - sauce first - and store it before making the meatballs. It was eaten fast enough that I didn't have any left over to freeze, but I'm guessing it would store very well.

The only part that requires about 20 minutes of continuous effort is making the meatballs. The original recipe specified that the meatballs be the size of large cherries. I made mine about 1" in diameter and added an egg - also not called-for in the original recipe. I used a small ice cream scoop to portion the meatballs. This recipe is a definite keeper and when tomatoes aren't in season, canned will do just fine.

RECIPE: LAMB KEFTA TAGINE WITH TOMATOES and COUSCOUS

Adapted from: About: Moroccan Food
Serves 4

Equipment: I used a 10" skillet with a domed lid. After I added the lamb meatballs, I brought the dish to a simmer and then cooked it in the oven for the remainder. Instead of blanching, peeling and seeding the tomatoes, I put them through a food mill using the disk with the largest holes. I also used a small scoop to portion the meatballs.

Ingredients (Sauce):

• 1-2 tablespoons grape seed oil (or other neutral oil)
• 1 medium onion, small dice 
• 3 cloves of garlic, pressed and minced fine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (sweet paprika would be fine, too)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 lbs fresh, ripe tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Ingredients (Meatballs):

• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4teaspoon hot paprika or 1/4 teaspoon ground hot pepper, or a large pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Pre-heat the oven to 350F - rack in the middle

Preparation

• Chop the tomatoes roughly and put through a food mill, using the disk with the largest holes. Set aside. Alternatively peel, seed and chop the tomatoes.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of grape seed oil in a pre-heated pan about 10" in diameter. Add the onions and cook on medium without coloring the onions until they are soft. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the smoked (or sweet) paprika, cumin, salt and red pepper flake. Cook for a minute.
• Add the milled tomatoes to the pan and combine with the onion, garlic and spice mixture. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low - just enough to making the simmer but not scorch the mixture. Allow the tomatoes to cook for 15-20 minutes. Add the cilantro and parsley and stir to combine. Take the pan off the heat until you're ready to add the meatballs.
• Combine all the kefta (meatball) ingredients. Use your hands to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients. Using your hands, make meatballs, about 1" in diameter. 
• While you're shaping the meatballs, bring the tomato sauce to a simmer. Add a little water if the tomato sauce is looking too thick - start with 1/4 cup. Add the meatballs to the pan, leaving them partially submerged. Cover the pan and bring it to a simmer. Place the pan in the oven with the lid just slightly ajar. Cook for 25 to 35 minutes, checking half-way. Serve over couscous.

SIMPLE COUSCOUS with PINE NUTS AND HERBS
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups couscous
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro - leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation
Bring the water to a boil, stir in the salt and the couscous. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Steam for 5-10 minutes. Use a fork to fluff the couscous. Stir-in the cilantro, parsley and pine nuts.

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Raw Kale Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

I first ate this at Seester #1's house one Thanksgiving and I was well and truly hooked. There have been weeks where I ate this five days in a row.  Sometimes I wash, dry and prep the kale and then wrap it in a length of paper towel, then store it in a plastic bag.  It will stay fresh for several days.

I most often see this kale labelled as "Dino" because of the pebbled surface of the leaves.  There are many types of kale, but this is my favorite and I can't imagine making this salad with any other type. See: Kale (Wikipedia) and Google Image search for "kale varieties".


Raw Kale Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

1 large bunch Tuscan kale (also known as dino, black or lacinato kale), leaves washed and thoroughly dried.

1/4 cup homemade toasted bread crumbs (coarse)

1/2 or 1 medium garlic clove, mashed into a paste

1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, more for garnish

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 table spoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

 Method:

1. Trim bottoms off of the kale stems (up to the bottom of the leaf) and discard. Stack the leaves (as many as can be handled).  Chiffonade the leaves (crosswise, along the length of the leaves)  into ribbons no wider than linguine pasta. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place kale in a large bowl.

2. If using bread, toast it until golden on both sides. Tear into small pieces and grind in a food processor until mixture consists of coarse crumbs.

3. Transfer garlic to a bowl. Add the cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper flakes and whisk for about 30 seconds. Add  the oil in a thin stream and whisk until emulsified.  Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well to thoroughly combine. Add black pepper to taste and toss again.

4. Let salad sit for 5 minutes (I've let it sit for up to 20 minutes), then serve topped with bread crumbs and a dusting of additional 2 tbsp. finely grated cheese. 

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Baked Corn Pudding: Simple and Delicious

This recipe has been updated, see: Baked Corn Pudding - Version2: Updated and Improved

No cream, no aromatics, no bacon, no cheese (gasp!).  Corn, butter, salt. and pepper.  Eat it and be happy.

Ingredients

• 6 ears fresh corn


• 2 tsp kosher salt (1 tsp iodized salt)


• 4 tbsp unsalted butter + more for greasing the baking dish


• 1/4 tsp kosher salt  (a small pinch iodized salt) for the top


• Pepper to taste

Equipment:

• Box grater or corn creamer


• A big, wide bowl in which to grate the corn


• 8" square baking dish, greased with butter (compare the a volume of corn to the volume of your baking dish before greasing it - use a smaller or larger size baking dish as necessary)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 F (204 C)


• Using the box grater, remove the meat and juices from each of the ears working very close to the cob - you want this to be very mushy and milky.  For me, cutting the ears in half makes them easier to handle.  Once you have finished the corn, season with salt and pepper, tasting the mixture.


• Pour the corn mixture into the baking pan.  Smooth out the top and dot with butter.  Sprinkle the top with the additional salt.


• Bake on the middle rack at 400 F uncovered for 45-50 minutes (start checking it at 40 minutes), or until the top is golden brown around the sides and the corn is bubbling.  Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

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