Christmas Pear Food

CHRISTMAS CINNAMON PEARS

Steps:

• Drain the liquid from the cans of pears into a saucepan. Add red hot candies to the juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the candy has dissolved. Stir in the food coloring, remove from heat, and allow to cool.
• Place the pear halves in a deep bowl. Pour the liquid over the pears, cover, and refrigerate overnight. You may want to stir a couple of times to evenly distribute the color. Serve pear halves cold on top of a leaf of lettuce.

CHRISTMAS PEAR TART

Steps:

• To make the syrup, place all the ingredients in a pan with 150ml water, then bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins until the fruit is softened, then remove the vanilla pod and blend to a smooth purée with a hand-held blender. Strain through a sieve. Allow to cool.
• Extend the pastry by rolling out on a lightly floured surface, so it is big enough to cut out a 30cm circle. Lay the pastry circle on a baking tray. Mix all the filling ingredients together. Spoon the mincemeat filling into the centre of the pastry (no more than 10cm diameter), creating a dome shape. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and gather all together to create a 'bag' effect. Press the pastry lightly together to seal well, keeping it fairly loose.
• Lay a greased baking tray on top, then turn the two trays over. Remove the top tray, and lightly roll the 'bag' with a rolling pin to create a flat round pastry disc, about 18cm across. Brush the pastry with the egg white, then sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Score 3-4 lines with a sharp knife in the centre, then chill for 15-20 mins. The tart can be made ahead and chilled for up to 2 hrs. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown and crispy.
• Now finish it in style: Sit the tart on a plate and decorate with sprigs of holly sifted with icing sugar. Serve warm, in slices, with a little custard, cream or ice cream and the pear and raisin syrup.

CHRISTMAS PEAR

Steps:

• Peel and core Pear.
• Cut in half.
• Combine Water, Sugar Replacment, Food Color and Cinnamon in saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, add the Pear, reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Turn Pear several times to completely color.
• Remove with slotted spoon.
• Serve Hot or Cold.

SNAPPY PEAR AND CRANBERRY CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crumble: Mix the flour, gingersnap crumbs, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture has a crumbly texture.
• For the filling: In a separate large bowl, combine the pear slices, cranberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, orange zest and juice and vanilla.
• Brush a 2-quart baking dish with softened butter. Pour the fruit mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish, and sprinkle the gingersnap crumble evenly over the top. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes.

BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Core pears but do not peel.
• Place in greased 9" square pan.
• Combine oats, sugar, spices and butter until crumbly.
• Stuff pears letting excess fall into pan.
• Pour 3/4 cup apple juice into pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, basting after 30 minutes. Add more juice if necessary.
• Cool 30 minutes before serving.

CHRISTMAS PEAR & CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU TRIFLE

Steps:

• For the cake, melt the chocolate and butter together, then cool. Meanwhile, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and butter and line the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin with baking paper.
• Whisk the sugar and egg yolks until very pale and thick, about 5 mins. Fold in the chocolate mix using a large metal spoon. Put the egg whites and a pinch of salt into another bowl and, with clean beaters, whisk until you have medium peaks. Fold this gently but thoroughly into the chocolate mix with your metal spoon, then spoon into the tin and bake for 1½ hrs until risen all over. Insert a skewer into the middle of the tin to test; it should come out with just a few damp crumbs but no wet mix. The cake will sink once it cools. Can be frozen up to 1 month ahead.
• While the cake cooks, put the pears, vanilla pod and 1 litre water into a saucepan. Weigh the pears down under the surface with a small plate, then simmer for 20 mins, covered, until tender. Leave to cool in the liquid if you have time. Cut each pear into 6 long slices, then remove the stalk and the core. Can be cooked up to a week ahead and kept chilled in some of their poaching liquid.
• For the mascarpone layer, half-fill a medium saucepan with water, then bring to a simmer. Put the yolks, sugar and 6 tbsp of the Marsala into a large bowl, sit it over the just-simmering water, then whisk for 5 mins until the mixture is thick and holds a trail for a few secs. Put the mascarpone into a bowl, beat with 2 tbsp more Marsala to loosen, then whisk in the egg mix in 2 batches, until smooth, thick and light. Can be made ahead and kept in the fridge. Keep no longer than 2 days in total.
• You're now ready to assemble the trifle. Cut the cake in half - it will be squidgy, so don't worry if it breaks up. Spoon some of the mascarpone layer into the bottom of a dish, then top with a few pears and a sprinkling of grated chocolate. Put half of the cake on top, then sprinkle with a little of the remaining Marsala and coffee. Spoon more of the mascarpone over, then top with more pears and more chocolate. Top this with the next piece of cake, spoon over more Marsala and coffee, then spoon the remaining mascarpone mix over the top. Finish with the remaining pears. Chill for at least 2 hrs, or up to 2 days. When ready to serve, scatter with the last of the grated chocolate.