Asian Pears or Apple Pears

Just a note worth mentioning.
I'd bought these things before and never been too impressed with them: they were less flavorful than pears, with most of the texture of an apple.

My mistake was in not peeling them: The peels are tough and bitter, adding nothing to the flavor. Unlike a plum, where the tartness balances the sweet flesh, or a pear where it's thin and mostly unnoticed (except for the wonderful rough texture of a bosc), get rid of these skins, and you've got a great fruit with a crispness you don't get from pears and a lot of flavor.

I'd used them at our xmas party in a Ming Tsai recipe, where they're julienned, tossed with black pepper and lime juice, then wrapped in proscuitto and sliced to appear as maki. Mmmmm. Don't use too much lime juice, or the proscuitto won't stick together.

well put JoelF.

Asian Pear's skin is yucky

We call Apple Pears "Water Crystal Pears" and I'd eat it if I was in a hurry (and then spit it back out.. hah)

the best deal for Apple Pears is usually at Korean Market by the boxes. These are highly valued and are given for all sorts of family/business occasions...

I really like the taste of apple pears. The problem is it's subtle and the texture is indeed often rather brutal. I like the procuitto idea. I'm also thinking maybe skinned and sliced very thin as dip chips or in salads? Maybe an updated Waldorf salad? I have chestnuts soaking in cognac. Hmm.

I had a cocktail made with apple pear flavored sake (comes in a blue bottle; the same company makes raspberry, melon and other flavored sakes) that was very good. I tried to duplicate the taste by making apple pear-infused vodka. It was all right but one of those infusions that seems to lose flavor after reaching a peak quickly. And the slice of apple pear looks really gross in the jar. Now the yuzu-infused vodka, that was delicious and durable.

JoelF wrote:Just a note worth mentioning.
I'd bought these things before and never been too impressed with them: they were less flavorful than pears, with most of the texture of an apple.

Hmm...I'll have to try peeling them. I've always had the same impression as you, that they tasted like a bland imitation of a pear with the texture of an apple.

My sister recently gave us some large asian pears (She got a whole box as a gift and couldn't eat them all. They were so perfect-looking and completely identical to each other that I can only assume Harry & David.)

They were also quite sweet, crisp, and flavorful.

I looked at the last two on the counter today and decided they were gonna get baked in a pie. I'm on something of a galette-kick lately, so I make a quick pie dough and put together an asian-pear/cranberry galette (I had four ounces of whole cranberries left in the fridge from my last winter CSA box). I sliced 'em thin, tossed with sugar, flour, and cinnamon and packed them into the crust with whole cranberries.

I've never had these in a baked pie before and I thought they worked quite well:



Crust close up:


My only mistake was not piercing or halving the cranberries. They didn't break open and spread their flavor.

Best,
Michael

Beautiful, Michael!

Last summer I fixed a fruit and cheese plate, and randomly included both Asian pear and Cypress Grove's Midnight Moon cheese. The two turned out to be a fantastic pairing...I'd highly recommend serving them together.

eatchicago wrote:My only mistake was not piercing or halving the cranberries. They didn't break open and spread their flavor.

If you do this again, you might also be able to use the technique from this Gourmet Magazine recipe for Cranberry Bars, which basically just involves cooking the cranberries for a while with water and sugar until they burst and then adding them to the filling. Seems easier than handling each berry individually...

I had great results with the linked recipe this year for Thanksgiving.

Your galette looks incredible.