This Week’s Fruit: Pear
After a special Valentine’s Week on chocolate, it’s time to go back to the routine and talk about seasonal fruits & vegetables. This week we are going to cook and bake with winter pears.
About Pears
European Pears (pyrus communis) are the pear species which we usually find in Europe, North America and Australia. They are one of the most important fruit of temperate regions. In Asia, the Nashi pear (pyrus pyrifolia) and the Chinese white pear (pyrus bretschneideri) are more widely used.
History
The European Pear is native to central and eastern Europe and south-west Asia and is thought to be descended from 2 subspecies of wild pear, which were collected before being cultivated. It also seems that the cultivation of the pear dates back to Antiquity.
Cultivation & Production
The European pear tree are medium-sized, reaching 10 to 15 metres tall, which can live as long as 200 years. They are not as hardy as apple trees, but nearly so and require some winter chilling to produce fruits.
For best and most consistent quality, European Pears are picked when the fruit matures but before they are ripe - fruit allowed to ripen on the tree will be hard to pick without bruising.
Major cultivars
From left to right: William’s Bon Chrétien or William’s - 2 Red Bartlett - d’Anjou - Bosc or Kaiser Alexander - Comice - Concorde - Seckel
Common cultivars of pears in season in Britain:
- summer: Williams - Guyot
- autumn: Comice - Conference
- winter: Comice - Conference - Passe Crassane
Nutritional value & health benefits
Pears are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, E1, copper and potassium. They are the least allergenic of all fruits.
They are also good for the lungs and the stomach and since most of the fiber is insoluble, they make a good laxative.
How to select & store
European Pears store well in their mature but unripe state if kept cold and can be ripened later.
You can buy them when they’re slightly hard for eating and let them ripen at room temperature for a few days. Once they are ripe, you can store them in the fridge for a couple of days.
How to enjoy
Pears are consumed fresh, as juice and dried. The juice can also be used in jellies and jams.
Pears are great in desserts. Pear and chocolate work particularly well. You can some nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts) to get an extra special taste. Pear and caramel also make a great combination.
Pears can also be cooked and pureed to be added to buttery mashed veggies such as carrots, pumpkins or squash.
You should try combine the sweetness of pears with spices like ginger or saffron, with blue cheese or with slightly bitter salad leaves (rocket, watercress).
Recipe ideas
- Pear & ginger cake
- Roquefort (or Stilton) toasts with peppered pears
- Coffee tart with pear coulis
- Red onion, Stilton & pear salad with honey dressing
- Pear & toffee muffins
- Chicory, bacon & pear salad
- Toffee pear tart
- Pear, hazelnut & chocolate cake
- Pear & vanilla jam
- Celeriac & pear soup
- Saffron & honey pears
If you have any recipe ideas, don’t hesitate to share them with us by dropping a comment just below!
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