Pear Zinger Food

PEAR-GINGER PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Sift the flour, baking powder and fine salt into a large bowl. Cut in the butter and lard with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Beat the egg yolk, vinegar and 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water in a liquid measuring cup with a fork. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and gently stir with a fork until just moistened. Gently gather into a ball, then shape into a disk on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edge with your fingers; set aside.
• Make the filling: Gently toss the pears with the lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger and flour in a bowl. Spread the marmalade on the bottom of the pie crust. Add the pear mixture, keeping the pears as flat as possible.
• Make the topping: Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until fine crumbs form. Scatter the topping over the filling and gently pat down.
• Bake the pie 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling, about 40 more minutes (cover with foil if the topping is browning too quickly). Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

PEAR GINGER CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the topping: Combine the ingredients in a medium bowl and work together with a fork or with your fingertips until the ingredients are moistened.
• For the filling: Combine the pears slices, lemon juice, and ginger in a large bowl. Add the sugar and flour and toss to blend.
• Spray an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer the pear mixture to the dish. Sprinkle the topping over the pears. Bake crumble until the pears are tender and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

GINGER PEAR CHUTNEY

Steps:

• In large preserving kettle or dutch oven, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours, continuing to stir occasionally.
• Remove from heat and pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace. Add lids and rings and process jars in a boiling water bath in a canner for 15 minutes. Take the canner off the heat and let water stop boiling before removing jars. Carefully remove jars and let sit. As they cool, the jars will seal themselves with a"pop". Label, and store in cool, dry, dark place.
• To prepare the jars, I first wash them in the dishwasher, or in the sink with very hot, soapy water, then rinse them well and put them in a warm oven, taking the jars out one or two at a time when filling them.
• I soak the lids in very hot water and put them immediately from the hot water onto the filled jars, making sure the rims of the jars are clean, then add the rings (which I've also soaked in hot water) and screw them on the jars just finger tight.

PEAR & GINGER MUFFINS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Lightly oil nine deep muffin tins.
• Place the butter and sugar in a bowl, then beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then stir in the pears, stem ginger and lemon zest.
• Mix the milk into the yogurt. Mix the flour with the ginger. Stir a little of the milk mixture into the butter mixture, then stir a little of the flour into the mixture. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up, being careful not to over-mix.
• Divide the mixture between the muffin tins, filling to the top. Bake for 40 mins until golden. Serve warm.

PEAR & GINGER SPARKLER

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine pear nectar, pears, ginger and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until pears are softened. Cool., Place mixture in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Press mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Stir in vodka. Pour 1-1/2 ounces into each champagne flute or cocktail glass. Top with 4 ounces champagne. Serve with pear slices.

GINGER PEAR TEA

Steps:

• In a medium pot bring water, grated pear, ginger and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the pears are very soft, about 30 minutes Remove from heat and strain into a bowl. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

GINGER PEAR CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss first six ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a buttered baking dish. Using a fork combine the remaining six ingredients. Spoon topping across pears. Bake for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

GINGER PEAR CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment or waxed paper.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pears and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice and remove pan from the heat.
• Whisk the flour, ginger, the remaining 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk the milk, molasses, and remaining brown sugar. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Use a spatula to stir the molasses mixture into the dry ingredients to make a thick liquid batter.
• Heat the water and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan until just boiling. Whisk the hot water into to the batter until just combined. Stir in the pears. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
• Cool cake in the pan on a rack. Cut into 12 squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving, if desired.

PEAR ZINGER

Steps:

• Mix brandy and lemon juice in small pitcher. Fill 4 glasses with ice. Divide brandy mixture among glasses. Add ginger ale and stir to combine.

STICKY GINGER PEAR PUDDING

Steps:

• Put the syrup, sugar and milk into a saucepan, then bring to a simmer to dissolve. Leave to cool almost completely while you get on with everything else. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
• Put the butter, flour, bicarb, ground ginger and cinnamon into a food processor, then pulse until it forms fine crumbs. Generously butter a 1.4-litre pudding basin and sprinkle 1 tsp sugar into the bottom. Cut 3 of the ginger balls in half and put 5 halves, rounded-side down, into the bottom, like the points of a star. Cut one cheek from a pear, then slice through about 10 times, without cutting through the stalk end. Put this into the bottom of the bowl amongst the ginger, then press gently so that the pear fans out. Core, then thinly slice the remaining pear. Finely chop the rest of the ginger.
• Tip the cooled syrup mix and egg into a food processor, then quickly whizz with the dry ingredients to a batter. Take out the blade, then stir in the chopped ginger and sliced pear. Scrape the mix into the basin, then bake for 1 hr 20 mins until risen and dark golden, and a skewer comes out clean. Whatever you do, don't open the oven before 45 mins is up.
• To finish, gently melt the syrup ingredients in a pan together until the sugar dissolves, then boil briefly. Turn the pudding out of its basin just before serving, spoon over the syrup and serve with custard.

GINGER-SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• Put the sugar, vinegar, orange zest and juice, ginger, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large pan. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar, then boil for 5 mins.
• Meanwhile, peel, core and halve or quarter the pears, depending on size. Add the pears to the pan and poach gently for 10-15 mins until they are just tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and pack into warm sterilised Kilner jars with rubber seals (see tip below).
• Boil the vinegar mixture hard to reduce by a third, then pour over the pears, including the spices. The pears need to be completely covered with the liquid. Fit the rubber seal and clamp the jar tightly closed. Reserve any leftover syrup for topping up the jars later, as the pears will absorb the syrup over time. Store for up to 2 months.

GINGER PEAR FREEZER JAM

Steps:

• Rinse seven 1-cup plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. In a Dutch oven, combine pears, pectin, lemon juice, lemon zest and ginger. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla., Remove from heat; skim off foam. Immediately fill all containers to within 1/2 in. of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours., Jam is now ready to use. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 12 months. Thaw frozen jam in refrigerator before serving.