Brandied Baked Pears Food

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients, except for the pears, in a large saucepan.
• Bring to a boil for 1 minute, stir and reduce to a simmer.
• Place the pears in the simmering liquid.
• Cover with a lid and let them gently simmer for 20 minutes, or until the pears are tender and cooked through.
• To store: Place the pears with a slotted spoon in sterilised Tala glass-top jars.
• Sieve the liquid and pour it in with the pears, ensuring the fruit is submerged. Store in a cool dark place.
• To serve: Pour the brandy sauce in a saucepan and cook on a medium-high heat until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
• Add the pears to it and gently heat through.
• Serve the pears and sauce with vanilla ice cream and chopped walnuts.

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix 1/3 cup brown sugar with water and lemon juice together in an ungreased baking dish until sugar is dissolved. Arrange pear halves, core side down, in the dish, and baste with the sauce. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake pears in the preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until fork-tender but not mushy.
• Meanwhile, mix nuts together with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons brandy, and the yogurt; set aside. In a separate bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle in white sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons of brandy, or liqueur of choice, and gently whip a few strokes more.
• To serve, place one pear half in the center of each serving plate and fill core cavity with nut stuffing. Top with whipped cream. Serve warm.

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Remove stems and discard and then peel. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise and core . Place the pears in a glass bowl and set aside.
• To make the syrup: Combine in a large pot the water, sugar, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Using the wooden spoon, add the pears to the hot syrup, and stir to coat well. Raise the heat under the pears and bring the syrup to a gentle boil, carefully turning over the fruit with the spoon.
• Cook the pears, turning occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender but not too soft when pierced with a fork. Watch the fruit carefully and don't let it scorch.
• Remove the pears from the heat and stir in the brandy. Remove the pan from the heat and set on a wire rack to cool. Then, transfer the pears to a glass or porcelain bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill completely before serving.

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water, and add lemon juice. Peel pears as carefully and smoothly as possible, leaving stems attached. Place pears in water as they are peeled.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 3 quarts water in a large stockpot. Drain pears, and add to pot. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until just tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 30 minutes, depending on size and ripeness.
• Remove pears from liquid with a slotted spoon, and divide evenly among three quart jars.
• Raise heat under pot to high, and cook liquid until reduced to 2 cups, about 50 minutes. Remove from heat; strain liquid through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl. Divide the liquid evenly among the jars, and add about 1 cup brandy, or enough to cover pears, to each. Allow jars to cool, and screw on lids. Refrigerate for several weeks before eating to allow flavors to develop.

BRANDIED BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Peel and halve pears, leaving stems intact, then core with melon-ball cutter and toss with brown sugar in a large bowl.
• Melt butter in a 3-quart shallow baking dish in oven, about 1 minute, then add pears, turning to coat with butter. Add water to dish and bake pears, turning over occasionally, until tender and edges are caramelized, 30 to 50 minutes, depending on ripeness of pears.
• Transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a plate, then add 1/4 cup brandy to baking dish and stir with a heatproof rubber spatula to dissolve any caramelized juices. Return pears to dish.
• Whisk cream in a bowl just until thick (before soft peaks form), then whisk in remaining teaspoon brandy. Serve pears with brandy sauce and drizzle with brandied cream.

PERFECT PEAR BRANDY SIDECAR

Steps:

• Pour the brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup, and pear nectar into a cocktail shaker over ice. Cover, and shake until the outside of the shaker has frosted. Strain into a chilled martini glass to serve.

BAKED PEARS IN MAPLE SYRUP AND APPLE BRANDY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Put syrup in a shallow bowl. Put a thin slice from bottom of each pear so that pears will stand upright. Dip and roll each pear in maple syrup to coat completely, reserving remaining syrup. Transfer pears as coated to a 9- by 2-inch square baking pan, standing them upright.
• Sprinkle pears with 2 tablespoons sugar, holding by stems and tilting to coat sides. Stir lemon juice, 2 tablespoons Calvados, and butter into reserved syrup and pour around pears in pan.
• Bake pears, uncovered, in middle of oven until undersides are tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
• Beat cream with remaining tablespoon sugar and remaining tablespoon Calvados with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks.
• Divide pears and syrup among plates and serve warm, with whipped cream on the side.

BRANDIED DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the currants, cranberries, cherries, pears and apricots. Zest the orange and add the zest to the bowl. Add the lemon, ginger, anise seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom.
• Juice the orange and add the liquid to the bowl. Add the brandy and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a jar, cover and refrigerate. (If you don't have a jar that's large enough, keep the mixture in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.) Allow the fruit to sit in the liquid for 2 to 14 days before using. The flavor of the fruit, spices and brandy will improve with time. At least once a day, turn the jar upside-down (or thoroughly stir the mixture if it's in a bowl) to make sure all the dried fruit gets coated in the brandied liquid. The mixture keeps in the refrigerator for months, stored in an airtight container.

BAKED PEARS IN MAPLE SYRUP AND APPLE BRANDY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put maple syrup in a shallow bowl.
• Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear so that the pears will stand upright. Dip and roll each pear in maple syrup to coat completely, reserving remaining syrup. Transfer pears as coated to a 9 inch square baking pan, standing them upright.
• Sprinkle pears with 2 tbsps. of the white sugar, holding by stems and tilting to coat sides. Stir lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the Calvados and butter into the reserved syrup and pour around pears in pan.
• Bake pears, uncovered, in the middle of the oven until the undersides are tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
• Beat cream with the remaining tbsps. of sugar and Calvados with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks.
• Divide pears and syrup among 6 plates and serve warm, with the whipped cream on the side.

BRANDY PEAR PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Divide dough in half so that one portion is slightly larger than the other; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until easy to handle., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, cook raisins in brandy for 13-15 minutes or until raisins are plump. Strain, reserving liquid. Set raisins aside., In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add the pears, lemon juice, reserved raisins and 1/2 teaspoon of reserved liquid., On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion of dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry even with edges. Add pear filling; dot with butter., Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Cover edges loosely with foil., Bake at 400° for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly. Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.