Roasted Pears And Quinces With Tangerine Zest Recipes

ROASTED PEARS AND QUINCES WITH TANGERINE ZEST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pears and quinces in 2 separate bowls, and squeeze lemon over pieces (fruit will brown slightly).
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in each of 2 large ovenproof skillets over medium-high heat. Add pears to 1 skillet and quinces to other skillet. Divide sugar, tangerine zest, and vanilla pods and seeds evenly between skillets. Cook for 5 minutes, tossing. Divide tangerine juice and wine evenly between skillets.
• Transfer skillets to oven, and roast, basting often with pan juices, until fruits are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 30 minutes for the pears and 1 hour for the quinces. Combine fruit, and serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla-bean creme anglaise if desired.

VANILLA-BEAN CREME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath. Beat yolks, sugar, and salt with a mixer on high speed until pale yellow and thick, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, scrape vanilla seeds into a medium saucepan, and add pod, milk, and cream. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
• Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually mix half the hot milk mixture into yolk mixture until just combined. Pour yolk-milk mixture into saucepan with remaining milk mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and hold a line drawn by your finger, 5 to 7 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Place bowl in ice-water bath, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled.

ROASTED PEARS WITH PECORINO CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Halve and peel the pears, and carefully remove the seeds and core.
• Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Arrange the pears, cut side down, in the skillet so they just touch one another. Sprinkle the sugar, over the pears and butter. Cook, tilting the pan back and forth gently from time to time, until the sugar dissolves and melts into a golden caramel, about 4 minutes. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan, and add the pod. Reduce the heat, add the brandy, and cook a few minutes more. Be aware that the brandy may ignite, but the flames will die down quickly.
• Carefully turn the pears over, and transfer to the oven. They should be deep golden brown. Roast until the pears are fork tender, about 10 minutes, depending on the ripeness and size of the pears. Serve with thick slices of pecorino and caramel sauce.

POACHED PEARS WITH QUINCE PASTE IN PARMESAN CLOAKS

Steps:

• Peel pears, leaving stems intact, then core from bottom with melon-ball cutter to create a 2 1/2-inch-deep cavity. Rub pears all over with lemon juice in a large bowl.
• Bring wine, sugar, vanilla bean, and zest to a boil in a wide 6-quart heavy pot (at least 12 inches in diameter) over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add pears, arranging them on their sides in 1 layer, along with any lemon juice from bowl (pears will not be covered by liquid), then reduce heat to low and poach pears, covered, turning occasionally, until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a 13- by 9-inch baking dish, standing pears upright and reserving liquid in pot.
• When pears are cool enough to handle, fill cavities with quince paste and stand pears upright in dish again.
• Boil liquid in pot over high heat until syrupy and reduced to about 3/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour syrup over pears and cool, basting occasionally with syrup. Chill, covered, basting occasionally with syrup, until cold, at least 2 hours.
• Drizzle each pear lightly with syrup and slip a parmesan cloak over stem. Serve with cheese shavings on the side.