Reading the post, I realize I am like those women who take in orhpan animals....only I take in orphan food items! If you give it to me, I feel I must make something out of it!! LOL!
The pears were left on my doorstep....the crabapples picked off the ground at the Maytag cheese place...LOL!
And I know there will be apples! Wormy, but full of flavor after you cut the wormy spots out!
Now if only I can find someone with concord grapes!!
Does anyone else have the free food disease?
Me again!

I have decided that this is my favorite salad, and it is from the CF Salad cookbook but has no poster associated with it. Claim it if it is yours, it is AWESOME!!!!!

Party Pear Salad

4 c. mixed greens
2 pears
1/2 c. craisins
1/2 c. toasted walnuts or pecans
Dressing:
2 T. white wine vinegar or Balsamic
2 T. Sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

For dressing, combine vinegar and sugar; whisk oil into mixture and add salt and pepper. Set aside.

Wash and thinly slice pears, leaving skin on. Place into dressing mixture to retain color until ready to serve. Add craisins to soften. Place 1 cup of lettuce on each plate, top with dressing and fruit mixture, sprinkle with nuts.

Linda

Oooo DS and I love pears! We have to pay over $1 a pound to get them in the store. So jealous!

How's this for good timing? Today's Melinda Lee radio show featured pear recipes!

Here's a few:

AMAZING BAKED PEARS
A wonderful twist on baked apples - and what could be easier!

Core pears, but do not peel them. Cut a thin slice off the bottoms of pears if necessary, so they will sit flat, without tipping over.

Blend together: 2 Tablespoons, sugar with 1 Tablespoon, butter (for each 2 pears - multiply as needed).

Using a funnel, fill the hollowed core of each pear with the sugar/butter mixture.

Add a piece of cinnamon stick to each pear (place it in the hollowed core).

In a baking dish, bake the prepared pears at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until pears are tender but still firm.

ROASTED PEAR\-BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE A Sauce or a Salad Dressing I dont know what to tell you about this dressing except that the moment I read its title, I knew I was going to love it! It is obviously going to make a delightful salad dressing, but consider other possibilities: served over grilled chicken or fish, cold, poached fish, or sliced melonÂ.. MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP 1 firm but ripe Bartlett or Anjou pear \- peeled, cored, and quartered lengthwise 4 small garlic cloves \- left unpeeled 4 small fresh sage leaves \- torn 1/2 teaspoon, fresh thyme leaves (or substitute 1/4 teaspoon, dried thyme leaves) 3 tablespoons, balsamic vinegar \[divided use\] 6 tablespoons, extra\-virgin olive oil \[divided use\] Salt and freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. \[CookÂs Note: I believe that this temperature may be a bit high; if the pear pieces or the herbs seem to be browning too fast, reduce the temperature by 50 degrees.\] In a medium\-size bowl, toss the pear with the garlic, sage, thyme, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the mixture in a small baking dish and roast until the pears are softened and lightly browned and the garlic is softened, about 30 minutes \- or longer if oven temperature has been reduced. Allow the mixture to cool, then peel the garlic. Transfer the pear and garlic along with any caramelized pan juices and herbs to a blender or mini\-food processor and process until smooth. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar and process until combined. With the machine running, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a thin, steady stream and process until the dressing thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Recipe adapted from: Get Saucy by Grace Parisi (The Harvard Common Press)

PEAR AND HAZELNUT BROWN BETTY
IN THE CROCK POT (OR OVEN)
Here is a delicious fall dessert using pears, layered with bread cubes (to soak up all the juices) and aromatic spices, and topped with toasted hazelnuts. This version is made in a slow-cooker (AKA: crock-pot), although it could as easily be prepared in a heavy covered pot (like a small Dutch oven) and baked in the oven at the same temperature, for the same length of time. The essential element in the cooking method is that the heat must be distributed evenly around both the bottom and the sides of the pot  rather than being applied only at the bottom of the pot, which can cause scorching. Serve this dessert hot or warm, with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

SERVES 4-6

1/2 cup, sugar
1/2 teaspoon, ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon, ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon, ground cloves
9 thick slices, firm bread (day old is best) Â cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 pounds, Bosc pears (about 4 medium-size pears) Â peeled, cored, cut into
one-inch cubes
6 tablespoons, unsalted butter  cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup, hazelnuts (about 2 ounces) Â toasted, skinned, coarsely chopped
*Note below for technique.
For Serving: sweetened whipped cream, crème fraiche or ice cream

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, allspice and cloves.

Place one third of the bread cubes in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker (crock pot). Add one half of the pears, then sprinkle with one half of the sugar and spice mixture, and dot with one third of the butter cubes. Layer with another one third of the bread cubes, then the remaining pears and sugar and spice mixture, then dot with one half of the remaining butter. Top with the remaining bread cubes, and dot with the remaining butter.

Cover and slow-cook until the pears are tender  about 2 1/2 hours on "high"  or at 300 degrees. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Serve warm or hot with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, crème fraiche or ice cream.

*Note: toasting the hazelnuts will intensify their flavor greatly. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake them, stirring once or twice in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted.

If the hazelnuts are not purchased skinned, to remove skin: after toasting, wrap the warm nuts in a clean kitchen towel, and allow them to stand for 15 minutes, then use the towel to rub the skins off. (Some of the skins will remain on the hazelnuts, no matter how carefully you try to rub them off!)

Recipe adapted from Ready and Waiting by Rick Rodgers (Hearst Books)

Copyright © 2009 Melinda Lee All Rights Reserved.

PEAR PIZZA 1 sheet, frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4 ounce package) \- thawed about 6 ripe pears 1/4 cup, sliced or slivered almonds 1/4 cup, sugar 1/2 teaspoon, ground cinnamon \[optional\] 1/4 teaspoon, freshly grated nutmeg 2\-3 tablespoons, unsalted butter \- melted Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and set rack on the middle level. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed pastry into a 12 1/2\-inch square. Then, using a 12\-inch plate (or other circle) as a guide, trace around the plate with a sharp knife \- to cut a 12\-inch round of pastry. Carefully transfer the round to an ungreased pizza pan or baking sheet, at least 12 inches wide. \[Note: do not use a black pan \- the dough will darken too fast.\] With a fork, prick the dough all over, except for a border (about 3/4 inch wide) all around the edges. Freeze the uncovered pastry round on its pan for at least 10 minutes \- or up to an hour or two. When the dough is frozen, transfer it, on its pan, directly into the preheated oven, and bake for 8 minutes or until dough is slightly puffed and lightly colored. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool the pastry crust, and gently flatten the pastry inside the border with a spatula. Peel and halve the pears. Remove the cores of each pear half with a melon baller. Cut each half into three or four lengthwise slices. Arrange the slices on the crust. Evenly sprinkle the almonds over and around the pear slices. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices. Brush the pears and almonds with the melted butter and evenly sprinkle over the sugar mixture. Place the pizza back into the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown, and most of the pear juices are cooked off. Cool the pizza slightly, on its pan, on a wire rack. Slice with a sharp knife or pizza wheel and serve very warm \- alone, or with creme fraiche, ice cream or whipped cream. NOTE: Pizza may be made up to 8 hours ahead, and kept \- covered \- at room temperature. Uncover and reheat before serving. Variations: Fresh peaches or nectarines may be substituted for pears with blueberries or raspberries sprinkled over for color. In that case, almonds may be eliminated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POACHED PEARS IN RASPBERRY SAUCE We used to serve these as part of elaborate dessert buffets when I was a caterer. I had some customers that asked me to make extra, so they could enjoy them again! They are beautiful, too. 6 Pears \*Note: bosc pears have a pleasing shape and texture for this recipe 24 whole cloves 1 cup, sugar 1 cup, orange juice 1/2 cup, lemon juice 2 pieces, cinnamon stick pinch of salt 1 package, frozen raspberries \- thawed \[the box\-shaped package, not a bag\] Peel pears but do not core them, and leave their stems intact; cut a thin slice off the bottoms of pears if necessary, so they will sit flat, without tipping over. Stud each pear randomly with 4 cloves. Set prepared pears aside. In a saucepan large enough to contain the pears, combine the sugar with the orange and lemon juices, and add the cinnamon sticks and salt. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring, and boil vigorously for 5 minutes. Add the prepared pears to this syrup, and poach (cook them gently) until pears are fork\-tender. Remove the pears from the syrup with slotted spoon; reserve the poached pears in a shallow bowl. Bring the poaching syrup to a boil and boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the package of frozen, thawed raspberries (including any liquid) and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Strain this syrup through a sieve or strainer to remove the raspberry seeds. Pour the strained syrup over the pears in their bowl. Chill until serving time. \[You may wish to spoon the syrup over the pears occasionally while they begin chilling to produce an even, rosy color on all the pear surfaces.\] ENJOY and let us know if you make any of these recipes!

If ever a pear recipe had "LindaC" written all over it, it's this one:

Posted by Sharon Howard

This recipe is outstanding, if you like blue cheese and port. Very easy to prepare.
---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 by AccuChef (tm) www.AccuChef.com

Title:
1/4 c crumbled Stilton or any good blue cheese (can you say..."Maytag"?>>)
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp whipping cream
4 ripe but firm pears
1/4 c butter
1/4 c sugar
1 c tawny port

With a fork mash cheese with 2TBSp of the whipping cream. Beat remaining
cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cheese mixture into the whipped cream.
The cream should be stiff with cheese pieces visable. Refregierate until
ready to use.

Wash pears but do not peel. Slice in 4 slices lenghtwise. Melt the butter in
a saucepan and saute pears until lightly browned on both sides. Remove pears
and keep warm. Add sugar and port to the pan. Stir and dissolve the sugar,
losen the brown bits, bring to a boil. Reduce to a carmel sauce ( be careful
the port could ignite!) Return pears to the pan , coat with the carmel.
Serve warm with a dollop of the stilton whipped cream! Note: the pears can
be made ahead and reheated in a 350 oven for 10 minutes, turning once

Servings: 4

Oh yum, I love pears, my favorite dessert is that pear/maple cobbler, I've posted a bunch of times but I'll post it again, it's so good. I've made a big cobbler instead of little ones.

Individual Maple Pear Cobblers
Courtesy of: Rebecca Rather, Chef, Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe
6 servings

3 pounds pears, peeled, cored, quartered
2/3 cup + 9 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
9 tablespoons whipping cream
melted butter
sugar to taste
nutmeg to taste

For the filling, combine the pears, 2/3 cup syrup, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a bowl and mix well. Divide evenly among 6 custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place a pat of butter on top of each one. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until heated through.

For the topping, place the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a food processor. Add 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the cream, 9 tablespoons syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla and process until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto the hot filling. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. Bake for 14 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden brown.

Pear scones are good too...

Maple Nut and Pear Scones with Maple Pear Butter
For the maple pear butter:

1 large very ripe Bartlett pear, peeled, cored and mashed
1/4 C. soft butter (no substitutions)
1 1/2 T. pure maple syrup

For the scones:

3 C. flour
1/3 C. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 C. butter, cut into pieces
3/4 C. buttermilk
1 t. pure maple extract
1 C. peeled and diced Bartlett pears (about 1 1/2 medium pears)
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 T. sugar (for topping)

To make maple pear butter, simmer mashed pear in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. (Pear will begin to stick to pan at this point.) Let cool slightly and stir in butter and maple syrup. Let stand at room temperature to thicken. (Butter can be prepared ahead, if desired, and stored in the refrigerator.)

To prepare scones, preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until butter is the size of peas (do not overblend). Stir in buttermilk, maple extract, pears and pecans. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured board and knead several times until dough is smooth.

Press into a 10-inch circle and cut into 10 wedges with a sharp knife. Place wedges 1-inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with ½ tablespoon sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Annie

I'll be back my pear tree is LOADED!

OMG!! That pear stilton or Maytag blue sounds fabulous!
And I have made the salad with the baby greens and nuts and pear...but I add blue cheese.
And I suddenly remembered pears poached in port wine with vanilla sauce....
My mother used to can pears with cloves and a cinnamon stick and a twist of lemon peel....wonder if I could freeze something like that?
I am avoiding putting the crab apples in the jelly bag to drip over night...I know I will slop on the cupboards...
Linda C

You could make a couple of batches of pear mini-muffins and freeze them for the next early morning funeral.

SPICED PEAR MUFFINS

2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 egg
1 cup (8 oz.) plain yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbs. molasses
1 and 1/2 cups finely chopped peeled pears (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. In another bowl, beat the egg, molasses, yogurt and oil until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pears, raisins and walnuts. Fill greased of paper lined miniature muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 dozen mini-muffins or 16 regular muffins.

We had these for a picnic last weekend:

GRILLED PEARS WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE serves 4

4 large firm-ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk (can be evaporated skim milk)
2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. butter (not margarine or spreads)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Peel the pears, halve lengthwise, and core. With a sharp knife, cut a very thin slice from the rounded side of each pear half so they will lie flat. In a bowl, toss the pear halves with the lime juice and sugar.

Grill the pears over medium heat for 4 minutes. Turn them over, drizzle with any remaining lime mixture, and grill for 5 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Cook directly on the grill or stovetop over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Divide the pears among 4 plates, drizzle with butterscotch sauce, and serve hot or warm.

Can you dry them? I'm not sure if you could do them in the oven like oven dried tomatoes or if you would need a food dehydrator though..... This is where I was going with the drying them idea. I've not made it before, but a friends mother makes it and it is delicious!

***********************************************************

Birnbrot - Christmas Pear and Nut Bread
Chef: Paul Herbig

This fruit bread of peasant origins is very popular throughout Switzerland forChristmas. The main ingredient is dried pears, with prunes, dates, figs, sultanas and raisins, candied peels, nuts and spices making up the rest. The rich fruit mixture is held together by plain-yeasted bread dough, and it is baked in loaf form or as small buns. Large quantities are prepared, enough to last until Candlemas at the beginning of February.

Degree of difficulty: Medium

You need:
250g dried pears
110g dried prunes
110g dried figs, chopped small
110g dried or fresh dates, without stones
75g candied orange and lemon peel, chopped
110g raisins
110g sultanas
1 tbsp pine kernels
75g hazelnuts, toasted and chopped coarsely
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest
25ml kirsch or rum

Bread Dough
250g strong plain flour
20 g fresh yeast
60 g castor sugar
pinch salt
2 vanilla pods, split
1/2tsp cinnamon
large pinch clove
½ tsp star aniseed or allspice
60 g granulated sugar
30 g cornflour
30 ml kirsch or rum

Method:
Carefully wash the pears and prunes. Place them in a pan and just cover with water. Leave to soften for 2-3 hours. Set the pan on the heat, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 20minutes. Drain the fruits but reserve the juice and leave to cool. Chop up the figs.

Place the figs, dates, orange and lemon peels, raisins, sultanas, the pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and the lemon and orange zests in a large bowl. Toss well together to mix and pour on the kirsch. Chop up the cooled fruit roughly and remove the stones. Add to the fruit and nut mixture.

Make a sponge batter with 50ml of the reserved fruit syrup, warmed to blood heat, yeast, 50g flour and 30 g sugar taken from the main quantity. Cover and set aside to rise and double tin bulk. Meanwhile, sift the remaining flour with the salt and spices in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, pour in the sponge batter and draw in a little of the flour. Scoop in the seeds of the split vanilla pod and sugar. Combine well together and moisten with about 100ml of the fruit syrup. Knead the dough very thoroughly until it becomes less sticky and starts to roll off the sides of the bowl. When it is very elastic and large air-bubbles have started to form, gather into a large ball and place on the flour-dusted worktop.

Pull the dough out and gradually knead in the fruit and nut mixture until all has been used. Roll into a large ball and lay in the large flour-dusted bowl. Dredge with a little more flour and cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside in a warm place to double in size.

Break off pieces of dough and form into hand sized 4-5cm rolls, or make two larger loaves (for 500g loaf tins), or according to your choice. Lay small rolls, well apart, on greased baking sheets. Leave to rest and rise a little for 15-20 minutes, then bake in the pre-heated oven until golden and well risen.

Kirsch glaze for the warm loaves. Heat 250ml fruit syrup with 60 g granulated sugar, bring to the boil. Stir in 30 g cornflour and cook until thickened. Draw off the heat and stir in 60 ml kirsch. Brush on the warm loaves and leave to cool.

Serve cut in thin slices with coffee or tea or even a glass of red wine. It also tastes good spread with butter.

If I had that many I'd can them up the old fashioned way, in quart or pint jars in light syrup or make "pears in port." I did that one year. Those canned port pears are great in baked goods like pear coffee cake or pear upside down cake. Home canned pears are way yummier than the insipid store bought ones. Good spooned over vanilla pudding and topped with crumbled gingersnaps.

Today we had our service awards luncheon at the office. My caterer does a Pear Caesar Salad that everyone just loves:

chopped romaine
diced fresh pears (not peeled)
a few dried cranberries (for color)
a good Caesar dressing
crispy bread croutons or crunchy chow mein noodles (canned)
finely grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

layer the romaine, pears, cranberries, and toss well with some of the dressing; top with the croutons and lots of grated cheese; serve immediately - this is sooooo good!