Whether or not there's a nip in the air where you call home, September means bushels of fall fruit--pears and apples for eating out of hand as a snack, gifting (an apple for the teacher, perhaps), and making wonderful fall dishes. So this month we decided to wander from our usual menus with recipes and, instead, offer you a collection of recipes starring these two fruits that you can use year round to add incomparable flavor and interest to most any meal.
But first, let's talk about the goodness of pears and apples and just a little about healthy cooking with these beauties. A medium pear weighs about 5 3/4 ounces (166 g) and contains 98 calories, 25 grams of carbohydrate, and less than 1 gram of fat. The tender, edible skin of a medium pear provides 4 grams of dietary fiber. Apples are also equally nutritious, especially with the skin on. A medium apple weighs about 5 ounces (138 g) with 81 calories, 21 grams of carbohydrate, and less than 1/2 gram of fat. Apples also pack high amounts of pectin and malice acid, which promote good digestion. The skin provides 4 grams of dietary fiber. We think the old saying, "An apple a day..." could be changed to say, "An apple or pear a day..."
Although there are more than 3,000 varieties of pears grown in the world, only a few are grown commercially here in the United States. Here's our favorites, with their fresh-from-the-orchard season:
Red and Yellow Bartlett, available July through December. Aromatic and perfect for fresh eating. Sweet and juicy, Bartletts are excellent for cooking.
Green and Red Anjou, available October through May (red) or June (green). Juicy, sweet flavor; best used fresh.
Bosc, available August through April. Dense flesh makes Bosc pears ideal for baking and cooking. A brown, often russeted, pear with a long thin neck that's aromatic and very flavorful.
Comice, available August through February. Often very large, they are one of the sweetest pears. Makes an elegant dessert when served with a selection of low-fat cheeses.
Seckel, available August through February. These tiny maroon and olive green pears with very sweet flavor are an excellent choice for snacks, pickling, or as a garnish.
Forelle, available September through February. A small variety that turns bright yellow with crimson freckling when ripe. Very sweet and very juicy.
We couldn't find a website which offered all of the pear varieties we mentioned, but five of the more popular varieties can be ordered from Borton Fruit at http://www.bortonfruit.com/.
When selecting a pear, the best test for ripeness is to apply gentle thumb pressure near the base of the stem. If it yields slightly, the pear is ripe and ready to eat or cook. Since some varieties change very little from their unripened color, if at all, going by color alone to determine ripeness can be undependable. It is true, however, that Bartletts turn from green to yellow and some red varieties turn from dark red to bright red, but Anjou, Bosc, Comice, and others don't. We ripen pears in the fruit bowl that's always sitting on our kitchen counters, but you can hurry the process by putting the pears in a brown paper bag and let stand at room temperature. Once ripe, refrigerate pears if not using them the that day.
Flavors that go well with pears: almond, anise, blackberry, brandy (especially pear brandy), brown sugar, Cassis, chablis, cheese, chocolate, cinnamon, cinnamon basil, clove, Cognac, crème fraîche, Curaçao, currants (black), fig, ginger, Grand Marnier, hazelnuts, honey, ice cream, kirsch, lemon, mace, maple, Marsala, nutmeg, nuts, orange, pecans, pepper (black), prunes, quince, raisins, raspberries, spinach, star anise, vinegar (balsamic), walnuts, wine (dry white or dry red)
Although 8,00 apple varieties are listed by the United States Department of Agriculture (some are antique varieties with exotic names like Pink Pearl, Snow Apple, Ingrid Marie, Sweet Sixteen, Cornish Gillflower, Pitmaston Pineapple, and Carpentin, etc.), only about 20 apple varieties are produced by the major commercial orchards. Chosen for their high harvest yield, suitability for shipping and long storage instead of their taste, you may wish to not only buy apples at your supermarket, but also look at local farmers' markets and apple growers for more unique varieties that offer different, excellent flavors. Depending on where you live, you may not see each and every variety at your supermarket, but here are the most common (note--seasons noted are for fresh-from-the-orchard apples, not apples from cold storage):
Braeburn, available mid-October through December. A transplant from New Zealand with red skin and firm, crunchy, juicy flesh that is mildly sweet and tart at the same time. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality: very good.
Cortland, available October through December. Large, red striped with purple. Tart flesh with soft texture; doesn't brown when cut. Eating quality: good (especially in salads); cooking quality: good.
Empire, available September through November. Brilliant red skin with spicy, sweet, and juicy flesh. Makes rose-colored applesauce. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality: good.
Fuji, October through December. Red and green with stripes skin and very firm, unusually sweet flesh. First grown in Japan and rapidly becoming a favorite with U.S. orchards. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality, very good.
Gala, available late-August through October. Orange-striped skin with yellow sweet and very flavorful fresh. A new variety for snacks, salads, and cooking. One of our personal favorites. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality, very good.
Golden Delicious, available September through October. Pale yellow to yellow green skin with firm, sweet, and moderately juicy flesh. Keeps shape when baked or cooked; not good for applesauce. Eating quality: good; cooking quality: good.
Granny Smith, available year round. The "darling" of cooking apples with freckled apple green skin and tart, crisp, and juicy flesh. Eating quality: good; cooking quality: excellent.
Gravenstein, available August through September. Yellow or green striped with red skin and fairly tart, crisp, and juicy flesh. Makes wonderful applesauce. Eating quality: good; cooking quality: excellent.
Ida Red, available October through early November. Deep red skin with sweet and spicy, crisp flesh. A good keeper. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality: very good.
Jonagold, available September through November. Blend of tart Johnathan and sweet Golden Delicious. Red with areas of yellow-gold skin with tart, sweet flesh. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality, very good.
Jonathan, available September through November. Small with brilliant red skin and sweet-tart, crisp, and very juicy flesh. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality: excellent.
Lady Apple, available September through November. Tiny red to yellow-red skin with crisp, tart flesh. Dates back to the Renaissance--we love to garnish the Thanksgiving turkey with these little beauties. Eating quality: good; cooking quality: very good.
Macoun, available October through November. Wine red with gray bloom skin and sweet-tart, very crisp, and juicy flesh. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality: very good.
McIntosh, available September through October. Two-toned red and green skin with sweet-tart, crisp, and very juicy flesh. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality: poor (turns mushy when cooked).
Mutsu, available mid-October through December. A lime green apple with sweet and juicy, very firm and crisp white flesh. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality: excellent.
Northern Spy, available October through early November. Pale yellow to striped green skin with tart, crisp, and juicy flesh. Eating quality: good; cooking quality: excellent.
Paula Red, available in September. Bright red with mottled yellow skin and tart, sweet flesh. Eating quality: good; cooking quality: good.
Red Delicious, available September through October. Brilliant red skin streaked with green and sweet, dry flesh. America's most popular eating apple. Eating quality: good; cooking quality: poor.
Rome Beauty, available late September. Large apple with deep red skin and sweet, dry and mealy flesh. Eating quality: poor; cooking quality: good (especially in pies).
Winesap, available October through November. Small apple with deep red skin and spicy, sweet-tart, crisp, and very juicy flesh. An excellent keeper. Eating quality: excellent; cooking quality: very good.
If you want to order apples from the internet, visit the Jefferson Orchards (they have most of the varieties we've named, plus several more) at http://www.jeffersonorchards.com/apples.html
When selecting an apple, look for firm, blemish-free apples with deeply colored skin. Since apples continue to ripen once picked, store apples immediately in the refrigerator and don't rinse them until ready to use.
Flavors that go well with apples: almond, blackberries, blue cheese, brandy, brown sugar, Calvados, celery, cheese, cinnamon, cloves, Cognac, coriander, currants (black), custard, dates, ginger, Grand Marnier, honey, horseradish, lemon, Madeira, maple syrup, molasses, nutmeg, oatmeal, oranges, pears, pecans, pepper (black), pine nuts, pistachios, prunes, raisins, rosemary, rum, sauerkraut, sherry, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, vinegar, walnuts, wine (red), and yogurt.
To treat low blood sugar, an apple is easy to grab, carry in your pocket or purse to eat on the spot. Ripe pears require more gentle handling, but are also great as a carbo snack. Both make an excellent dessert--light, juicy, and slightly astringent to clear the palate. But, if you want to cook with these fruits when they are at their peak, here's some terrific recipes to print out and save for use time and time again.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
