Roasted Stuffed Seckel Pears Food

PORK ROAST WITH LADY APPLES AND SECKEL PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lower third of oven. Whisk together oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and sage in a small bowl. Season pork with salt and pepper; brush herb mixture evenly over pork.
• Place pork, bone facing upward, in a roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Roast 30 minutes.
• Rotate pan, and add apples and pears, cut side down. Roast until pork is browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 degrees, about 30 minutes more. Transfer roast to a cutting board with a well; let rest 15 minutes before cutting. Transfer apples and pears to a serving bowl.
• To make the gravy: Drain fat from roasting pan. Place roasting pan over 2 burners. Add wine; bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits on bottom of pan. Cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in stock and cider; season with salt and pepper. Whisk flour with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth; add to gravy. Cook, whisking occasionally, until completely combined and gravy has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter; stir until it has completely melted. Pour through a sieve into a serving bowl; discard any solids.

SECKEL PEAR TART WITH POIRE WILLIAM CREAM

Steps:

• Make shell:
• Roll out dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 20-by 8-inch rectangle, reflouring surface as necessary. Transfer to tart pan, gently fitting dough into pan without stretching. Trim overhang to 3/4 inch, cutting off corners. Fold overhang inward to reinforce side, then trim flush with edge of pan. Reserve excess pastry for another use if desired. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights, then bake until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden brown all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool completely in pan.
• Poach pears:
• Put wine in a wide 4-quart pot and set a sieve lined with dampened flour sack cloth over it. Grate Bartlett pears (including skin) on large holes of a box grater into cloth, then bunch up cloth around mixture and squeeze as much clear juice as possible through cloth into pan with wine. Discard solids remaining in cloth. Transfer wine mixture to a 2-cup measure and add enough water, if necessary, to bring total to 2 cups liquid, then return to pan and stir in sugar.
• Carefully peel Seckel pears, leaving stems intact, then core through bottom with tip of vegetable peeler or a small knife to remove seeds.
• Bring wine mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then add pears, in 1 layer if possible. Simmer, tightly covered, turning occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes. Carefully transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a rack set over a 4-sided sheet pan to drain and cool, standing them upright. Transfer pear syrup to cleaned 2-cup measure, adding any juices from sheet pan under pears (you will have 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups syrup), and reserve for pastry cream and glaze.
• Make pastry cream:
• Whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch in a small bowl, then whisk in 1 cup pear syrup. Transfer to a small heavy saucepan and scrape in seeds from vanilla bean, reserving pod for another use. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking, then cook, whisking, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in poire William and butter. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely, its surface covered.
• Make glaze:
• Stir together poire William and gelatin in a very small bowl and let stand 1 minute.
• Bring remaining pear syrup to a boil in a very small heavy saucepan, then boil, if necessary, until reduced to about 1/3 cup. Stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Remove from heat.
• Remove side of tart pan. Whisk cooled pastry cream to loosen, then spread in shell. Stand pears upright on pastry cream, arranging them in 8 rows of 2 or 3.
• When glaze has cooled and thickened slightly (to speed cooling, set pan in an ice bath), brush it on pears. If glaze gels in pan, reheat very briefly.

ROASTED STUFFED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Peal the pear and slice it in half lengthwise. With a small spoon, scoop out the core and seeds, leaving an indentation for the stuffing. Place the pears in a baking dish.
• In a small bowl, mix together the dried cranberries, walnuts, and coat cheese. Divide evenly among the pear halves, mounding it on top of the indentation.
• Whisk together the apple cider and maple syrup. Pour over and around the pears.
• Bake for 30 minutes, occasionally basing the pears with the cider mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature on a bed of greens, dressed with the cider mixture.