vie a la table

i feel like this is one of the last few fall recipes we can try out, before we usher in the winter and christmas season. the leaves are almost gone, and thanksgiving is practically done and over with. i love this season the most…the pumpkin patches, the crunchy colorful leaves on the street, and the lingering coolness in the air, hinting towards what is to come, and the apple harvest.

while walking around the farmers market, the pears seemed to be just as much in abundance as apples. after a few free samples, we had to take a handful of an asian variety home with us. the ideas started flowing- poached with a chocolate drizzle or in a fresh green salad but we landed on cider, and only 5 pears didn’t get us very far.

this was an experiment, to say the least, and to be honest, while we made it a few days ago, we only tried it today…nervous that it didn’t turn out. maybe the time to marry in the jar worked to our advantage, because it was lovely, heated and in out favorite mugs! something unusual to the process was that we chose to poach the pears first.

harvest hosui pear cider
* this made only enough for two mugs, so for all the work, i recommend doubling, or tripling!
4 pears (we used hosui…a sweet ‘dessert’ like asian pear. i think you can use any kind, or even a blend. just taste test along the way to alter the sweetness)
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cinnamon sticks
3-4 cloves
1/2 – 1 teaspoon lemon juice (to taste…and depends on your pear sweetness!)

combine water, sugar and vanilla into a saucepot, bringing up to about 160 degrees F (just before a simmer…not bubbling). while waiting for the liquid to heat, peel the pears, and set the peels aside (*optional). no need to core them, unless you want to. set pears into water and poach for about 10-15 minutes. after poaching, drop pears into a blender, and add a few spoonfuls of the poaching liquid to the blender. blend until somewhat smooth and pour through a sieve into a pot. if using cloth, it helps to gather up the sides and squeeze the ‘bag’ of pulp to get as much juice as possible with tongs (remember- it’s still hot!). add the cinnamon, cloves, lemon, and the peels, if you kept them. we just did that, in hopes of getting as much flavor out as possible.

let simmer for 10-15 minutes. if any longer, be sure to cover it as to not let it reduce. serve right then, or store (putting the cinnamon and a few slices of fresh pear back in).

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food, life, photos by kris