Recipes on this page:

Apple/Pear Crisp     Blue Cheese and Pear Melt     Barbecued Pork Chops with Pear Sauce     Farmer’s Turnip and Pear Salad     Pear Relish     Pear Dessert     Pear-Cranberry Cobbler     Pear Salsa     Pear-Raspberry Pizza     Pears Belle Helene     Pear Grilled Cheese     Pear Gorgonzola Bruschetta ‘Grilled Cheese’

Recipes from around the web:

16 Pear Recipes    How to Poach Fruit Without a Recipe    Sour Cream Cardamom Pear Cake     Masala Spiced Pear Pie     Everything You Need to Know About Pears, Plus Recipes    

Apple/Pear Crisp (return to top)

• 1/2 c. chopped almonds or pecans
• 3 large baking apples
• 2 large, firm pears
• 2 T. brandy or dark rum (if desired)
• 3/4 c. flour
• 2/3 c. granulated sugar
• 2 T. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 c. margarine or butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Core the apples and pears, and cut them into 1 inch chunks, or smaller slices if you prefer. (I prefer to leave the apple skin on, but you may peel them if you like)
Spread the fruit evenly over the bottom of a shallow 2qt. baking dish. If desired, sprinkle the fruit with the brandy.
Combine the flour, sugars, and spices in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingers, cut the margarine or butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Mix in the nuts.
Spread the topping evenly over the fruit.
Bake the crisp until the fruit is tender and the crust is lightly browned…about 40 to 45 minutes.
Serve warm….with a bit of ice cream if desired!

Blue Cheese and Pear Melt (return to top)
(4 servings)

• 8 slices honey wheat or light rye bread
• 4 slices fat-free Swiss cheese
• ¼ c chutney (apple or mango)
• 1 medium to large pear, cut into ¼ inch slices
• ½ c crumbled blue cheese
• Cooking spray

Top 4 slices of bread with Swiss cheese, and spread each with 1 T. chutney.
Arrange pears on chutney and sprinkle with blue cheese.
Top with remaining bread slices.
Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot.
Cook sandwiches until browned on the bottoms, about 5 minutes.
Spray tops of sandwiches with cooking spray and flip.
Cook until browned on the other side.

Barbecued Pork Chops with Pear Sauce (return to top)

• 4 pork chops
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 2 T. margarine or butter
• 3 T. brown sugar
• ½ t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. nutmeg
• 2 pears, cored and sliced

Season pork chops with garlic powder and black pepper.
Barbecue until thoroughly cooked.
Meanwhile, prepare pear sauce:
Melt butter in frying pan, and add brown sugar and spices.
Mix thoroughly.
Add pears and stir to coat.
Cover pan and cook over low heat until pears are tender, stirring occasionally. Note that cooking time will vary depending on the ripeness of the fruit.
Serve sauce over pork chops.

Farmer’s Turnip and Pear Salad (return to top)

• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 2 T. cider vinegar
• 4 t. sugar
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. Dijon mustard
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/3 t. paprika
• 1 t. lemon juice
• 2 large, firm, ripe pears
• 4 or 5 medium turnips
• 1 large head Romaine lettuce

Combine all dressing ingredients.
Quarter, core, and cube pears, then add them to the dressing.
Peel turnips and coarsely shred them (you should have about 2 cups), then add them to the dressing.
Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and add it to the dressing.
Toss well and serve.

Pear Relish (return to top)
Makes 3-4 pints

• 6 fresh pears
• 1 c sugar
• 1 c white vinegar
• 2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 large onions, finely diced
• 3 green peppers, diced
• 1 sweet red pepper, diced

Core and finely chop pears.
Combine sugar, vinegar, salt and cayenne pepper in large saucepan; bring to boil. Add pears, onions and peppers. Return to boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, 25-30 minutes, until mixture is thick.
Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. Process according to jar manufacturer’s directions.

Pear Dessert (return to top)
Makes 8 servings

• 4 Tbsp butter, divided
• 4 pears, halved and cored
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 c granola with dried cranberries and almonds
• 1/3 c maple syrup
• Whipped cream (optional)

Coat a 9×13 glass baking dish with 1 Tbsp butter. Add the pear halves, cut side up. Drizzle with lemon juice and fill cores granola; set aside.
Heat maple syrup and 3 Tbsp butter in small saucepan or microwave. Pour over pears.
Bake at 375 degrees 40 minutes, or until pears are tender. Baste several times with pan juices. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Pear-Cranberry Cobbler (return to top)
Makes 9 servings

• 7 large slightly underripe pears, peeled and sliced
• 1 c fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 Tbsp unbleached flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

For topping

• 1 c flour
• 2/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces

Toss pears, berries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl to combine. Place in 8-inch square baking dish treated with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix topping ingredients well, using pastry blender or fingertips. Sprinkle over filling. Set dish on baking sheet and transfer to 350-degree oven.
Bake 1 hour, or until topping is golden and juices bubble thickly. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving with heavy cream or ice cream.

Pear Salsa (return to top)
Makes 4 servings cups

• 2 pears, sliced or chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c canned pear nectar
• 1 Tbsp Dijon-style mustard
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Combine pears, red, green and jalapeno peppers and cilantro in bowl.
Whisk together pear nectar, mustard and black pepper.
Serve chilled or at room temperature over grilled fish, chicken or pork.

Pear Raspberry “Pizza” (return to top)
-Sharon
BASE:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten (to seal top)

TOPPING:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• 4 pears, peeled and sliced (Delight)
• 1 cup raspberries

GLAZE:

• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• juice from ½ lemon plus water to make ½ cup liquid

Heat oven to 350º. Combine all base ingredients and cut in with a pastry blender (will look like coarse crumbs). Press mixture evenly into a greased 14” pizza pan. Brush top with beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes until light golden brown. Let cool.
Beat cream cheese with confectioner’s sugar and vanilla until smooth, spread on top of crust. Heat glaze ingredients in small pan until thickened. Arrange fruit on top of cream cheese mixture and brush with glaze. Refrigerate until served.

Pears Belle Helene (return to top)

• 4 c. water
• ¼ c. sugar
• 4 small ‘Delight’ pears, peeled with stem intact
• Vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream

Combine water and sugar in small saucepan, and heat to boiling.
Add pears; reduce heat to low and gently simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes (until pears are tender).
Cool pears in syrup; refrigerate until chilled, 1-2 hours. Drain
To serve, flatten a scoop of frozen yogurt or ice cream in each dessert dish. Place a pear on top, and then drizzle with bittersweet chocolate sauce (see recipe below)

Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce:

• ¾ c. unsweetened cocoa
• ½ c. sugar
• ¾ c. skim milk
• 2 T. margarine
• 1 t. vanilla
• ¼ -½ t. ground cinnamon

Mix cocoa and sugar in small saucepan; stir in milk and add margarine. Heat over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes
Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pear Grilled Cheese (return to top)
Serves four

• Margarine or softened butter
• 8 slices (1/2 inch thick) crusty french bread
• 4 slices muenster cheese
• 1 ripe ‘Magness’ pear, cored, cut in thin slices
• 4 teaspoons raspberry jam or jelly
• 8 oz. brie cheese, cut into 12 thin slices, rind removed

Spread margarine or butter evenly on one side of each slice of bread.
On the unbuttered sides of four slices of bread, layer one slice of muenster cheese and four pear slices.
Spread with equal amounts of raspberry jam or jelly.
Top each with slices of brie cheese, and another slice of bread, buttered side out.
Preheat a large skillet or griddle over low heat.
Cover and cook sandwiches, in batches if necessary, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden and the cheeses are melted.
Serve immediately.

Pear Gorgonzola Bruschetta ‘Grilled Cheese’ (return to top)
-Sam G. “We had this dish in a restaurant in Siena and have duplicated it at home. The pear, plus the cheese and the honey are a winning combination.”

• 8 slices (1/2 inch thick) crusty french bread
• 8 slices Gorgonzola or other good blue cheese
• 2 ripe ‘Magness’ pear, cored, cut in thin slices
• 8 teaspoons honey

Pre heat your broiler
Toast the bread on both sides.
Put 2 slices of pear on each piece of bread. Put a slice of cheese on top of the pear, then a 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of honey. Put the bread with the fruit and honey back under the broiler. When the honey bubbles, take the bread out.
Serve immediately.