Fried Pears Recipes

FRIED PEAR PIES

Steps:

• Make the dough: Pulse the flours, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until the flour looks like cornmeal, then pulse in the egg until the mixture clumps together. Knead the dough a few times, press it into a disc and wrap loosely in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
• Make the filling: In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla seeds, honey and lemon zest. Stir constantly for 5 minutes. Add the pears and cook, stirring from time to time, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
• Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Line a baking sheet small enough to fit in your freezer with parchment or wax paper. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and cut into circles with a 4-inch cutter. Gather the unused dough into a ball and repeat until you have used all the dough. You should have 8 to 10 circles. Place on the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
• Working quickly, make the pies: brush the outer 1/2 inch of a pastry circle with the egg wash, then spoon a heaping tablespoon of pears onto the circle, off center. Top the pears with as much of the liquid from the pan as will fit without spilling out, about 1/4 teaspoon. Lift the edge opposite the pears with a spatula and fold the pastry to cover the pears, making a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork to seal the pie. Transfer to the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry circles. (If the dough starts to tear, chill it.) Freeze for at least 3 hours.
• Shortly before serving the pies, in a large, heavy skillet set over high heat, add enough oil to rise 1/2 inch up the pan and heat until it reaches 350 degrees or a pinch of dough immediately bubbles and starts to brown. Fry 3 or 4 pies at a time, turning them once, until both sides are golden, 4 to 5 minutes. If they start to turn dark brown, lower the heat a little. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on brown paper bags. Repeat with the remaining pies. Serve warm, with ice cream.

PAN-FRIED PEARS WITH GINGER & CHILLI BUTTER

Steps:

• Peel the pears and cut into quarters, then remove the cores. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and when it starts to foam, add the chilli and ginger. Stir well to combine, then add the pear quarters.
• Cook for 1-2 mins on each side or until tender and lightly golden. Serve with some crème fraîche or yogurt, if you like.

FRIED PEAR PIES

Steps:

• 1. TO MAKE THE FILLING: In a large nonstick skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the pears and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, and allspice and continue cooking until the pears are tender, about 3 more minutes. Let cool completely. 2. TO MAKE THE CRUST: In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the lard or shortening. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the lard into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Tossing with a fork, gradually add the ice water until the mixture is completely moistened and holds together when pressed between your fingers. Gather up the dough, press into a flat disk and wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day. 3. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough until 1/8 inch thick. If the dough is well chilled and hard, let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes until softened enough to roll out. Using a 6-inch saucer as a guide, cut out pastry rounds, gathering up the dough scraps and re-rolling as necessary. Place an equal amount of filling on the bottom third of each pastry round. Lightly brush the edges of the rounds with the egg mixture. Fold each round in half to enclose the filling and press the edges sealed with the tines of a fork. Place on the waxed paper and refrigerate while heating the shortening. 4. Place a large wire cake rack over a jelly roll pan. In a deep Dutch oven melt shortening over high heat to a depth of 2 to 3 inches and heat it to 350°F. In batches, without crowding, deep-fry the pies until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to the rack to drain. Serve warm or at room temperature.

OVEN-DRIED PEARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 225 degrees. Line a pan with parchment. Cut each pear lengthwise into 1/8- to 1/4- inch-thick slices. Remove seeds and fibrous bits from each slice; arrange on pan, spaced 1/2 to 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar.
• Transfer to oven; dry until pears become firmer, slightly chewy, and shriveled around edges, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 2 days or frozen, up to 6 weeks.