On Pork and Pears...
Pork and pears for Christmas? Baking and breaking
tradition with the other white meat.
By Cynthia Bowan
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The house is quiet right now, but in a matter of
days, it will come alive as our family gathers for Christmas. Since I have the
computer to myself for a change, I actually am luxuriating in the fun of
checking out recipes—old family favorites and new
ideas—as I try to plan for the onslaught of folks.
I really am tired of
having the same things, year in and year out. But then of course, if we
didn’t, then it would not be (insert holiday here). But I might be able to
have two entrees for Christmas dinner. I’m thinking of something besides ham.
Perhaps duck. But then that dream evaporates faster than coffee foam on an
Iron Chef America program—because I am in the local
grocery store, and one duck that would not feed many of us costs almost $30.
A short email comes in
from my brother Joe in California: “You will be getting two packages.”
There was another
sentence about the one package, which sort of told me what that Christmas gift
might be. But the other package—I wasn’t sure about
what it would be.
One day later, the door
bell rang. The door shook because of heavy pounding and then there is
silence. I waited a couple minutes, then opened the door to see a package
delivery truck pulling away. A nice size box waited on the porch – Royal
Riviera Pears.
These were not just any
type of pear, they were in fact, GIANT Pears! Six of them filled the box.
And they were not quite ripe, but oh! they promised something wonderful
within the next few days. And I had many delicious recipes to use them in…
I love to cook pork with
fresh pears and make a balsamic glaze to go with the dish. I had pork done in
a similar fashion one cold winter’s night at Hoffstot’s restaurant here in
Oakmont. The dish was served on an avant-garde plate and as wonderful as the
presentation was – it tasted even more heavenly.
In my September 2003
column here on Chef2Chef, I gave a recipe for pork with fennel, white wine and
garlic, which elevates pork to a new taste height. I recently passed the
recipe on to my friend Kat in California, who trusted me (she wasn’t sure she
would like the fennel). I was very happy to get an email a couple days later
raving over the dish.
I know it is a given to
have turkey at Thanksgiving, and ham or roast beef for Christmas, but I think
it would be perfectly in keeping with a holiday celebration to have pork – and
yes, most likely, pears in some fashion for Christmas dinner. In fact, I am
seriously thinking of not even seeking family approval, just going ahead and
making such a dish/
Why should we have to
wait for New Year’s Day to have pork? That dish cannot be improved on – pork
and sauerkraut and plenty of mashed potatoes are phenomenal…but again, there
are dishes I have made and dishes I really want to try, just waiting to be
made.
Well, I think we will
just have to see who runs the kitchen. <GBG>
In the meantime, I offer
you the following recipes. May you Enjoy! them ,and may you have a beautiful
Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Happy Kwanzaa, a happy holiday season and the
best and happiest New Year’s ever. CYH – consider yourself hugged.
Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Pear-Port
Sauce
2 pounds pork
tenderloin
1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups ruby port
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 to 3 very ripe Bartlett Pears, peeled, cored and sliced
Preheat oven to 350F.
Rinse pork and pat dry; sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a
large skillet. Add pork to skillet and cook over medium heat until browned on
all sides. Remove pork from skillet and place in a large shallow baking pan.
Place in oven and bake until pork reaches 170F. on a meat thermometer, about
20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add port,
orange juice and mustard to skillet, whisking until smooth. Add pears and cook
over medium heat until pears are soft and liquid has reduced by about half.
Add cooked pork to skillet along with any juices and cook for several minutes
more. Slice pork and place on a serving platter; pour sauce over top. Garnish
with fresh pear slices and thyme sprigs. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Marinated Pork with Pear Chutney
2 pounds pork tenderloin
Marinade
1 cup red wine
vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon finely grated orange peel
1 Tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pear Chutney
3 slightly under-ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon finely grated orange peel
1 Tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons dried cranberries
Rinse tenderloin and pat
dry. In a large shallow pan, combine all marinade ingredients. Place pork in
pan and turn to coat. Cover, place in refrigerator and let marinate several
hours or overnight.
Meanwhile, combine all
chutney ingredients except cranberries in a medium saucepan; stir well to
combine. Cover and simmer for 55 minutes over very low heat. Stir in
cranberries and cook for 5 minutes more. Let cool.
To prepare meat, place
over medium hot coals and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, or until meat reaches
160 degrees internally, brushing liberally with marinade several times during
grilling. Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut meat into
1/4-inch thick slices and serve with chutney. Makes 6 servings.
Sautéed Pork and Pear
with a Vodka Lemon Sauce
1 pork tenderloin, cut into
1/2-inch slices
2 pears, peeled, halved, cored
1/4 cup vodka
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 Tablespoon snipped fresh chives
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil
Season the pork slices on
both sides with salt and pepper. Heat about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a
large skillet.
While the pork is
cooking, peel the pears. Cut them in half and remove the seeds.
Remove the pork when it
has finished cooking and place on a plate. Cover and keep warm. Add about 1
teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and add the pears, cut side down. Cook them
for 2 minutes. Remove the pears, place on a plate, cover and keep warm.
Add the lemon juice and
the juices that have accumulated on the meat plate.>
To serve:
Place a pear and some of the pork slices on a serving plate. Spoon some sauce
over the pork, sprinkle with chives and serve.
Pear Tart
<1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups nonfat milk
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 baked 9-inch tart shell
4 fresh California Bartlett pears, pared, sliced
1/4 cup apricot jam, heated
Mix cornstarch
and sugar; whisk in eggs. Scald milk; slowly whisk hot milk into egg mixture;
return to heat. Stir while cooking until thickened. Stir in peel and extract;
cool.
Pour into baked tart shell. Arrange sliced pears on top; brush with warm
apricot jam.
Note: For a quicker and lower fat tart, use a nonfat vanilla pudding mix
instead of preparing the above custard.
Country Pear Cheesecake
1 cup flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350F. In
a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon; stir well.
Stir in butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place 2/3 of
the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9-inch pie pan, pressing it down to
make a crust. Bake for 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat
the cream cheese with the sugar, egg and vanilla and spread over baked crust.
Top with pear slices, remaining oat mixture and nuts. Return to oven and bake
an additional 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.
Serves 10 - 12.
Fall Streusel Pie
1/2 cup light
brown sugar, packed
3 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons brandy
5 cups peeled, sliced fresh ripe pears
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
Streusel
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
Preheat oven to 350F. In
a large bowl mix sugar, flour and salt. Add lemon juice, brandy, pears and
cranberries; toss to coat with flour-sugar mixture.
Place pastry in pie
plate; turn edges under to make a rim; gently press with tines of fork all the
way around the rim.
In a bowl, combine
streusel ingredients, blending in butter until crumbly. Top the pie with the
streusel, completely covering the top and pressing it down gently. Bake for
45-55 minutes until top is golden and fruit is tender.
Cover streusel with foil
the last 10-15 minutes if it browns too quickly. Remove from oven and place on
rack to cool.
Serve warm with vanilla
ice cream, if desired.
By Cynthia Bowan
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Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Pear-Port Sauce |
Marinated Pork with Pear Chutney
Sautéed Pork and Pear with
a Vodka Lemon Pan Sauce
Pear Tart | Country Pear
Cheesecake | Fall Streusel
Pie
