Pear Bureau Dishes out Best Fresh Pear Recipes

print Share Subscribe

Pear Bureau Dishes out National's Best Fresh Pear Recipes: First of Seven Winning Chefs and Recipes Unveiled

September’s Featured Chef Blends Spice Route Cuisine with Oregon’s State Fruit for a Savory Appetizer

Editor’s note: High resolution images of chefs and pear recipes are available upon request.

Portland, Ore. – August 28, 2008 – Pear Bureau Northwest’s national Pear Panache program is returning for a third season, celebrating seven chefs nationwide for their exceptional creativity with fresh pears. The chefs and their unique pear recipes will be unveiled monthly on www.PearPanache.com from September 2008 through March 2009, the height of the fresh pear season.

The winning recipes, which spotlight the wide versatility, flavor profiles and availability of Northwest pears, range from cocktails to appetizers, entrees and desserts.

Vindalho’s David Anderson Plates the First Winner: a Sweet and Savory Pear Ginger Chutney

David Anderson, chef de cuisine at Vindalho (www.vindalho.com) in Portland, Ore., is the September 2008 Pear Panache chef. A rising star in a city brimming with dining destinations, Vindalho is known for its unique “Spice Route” cuisine, combining vibrant spices like black pepper, cloves and cinnamon with chiles, ginger, coconut and herbs, combined in curries and tandoor dishes, all anchored by rice, lentils and flatbreads.

“The underlying theme at Vindalho is paying homage to heirloom recipes from the Indian subcontinent,” says Anderson. Though many of the signature flavors of Spice Route cuisine are not native to the Pacific Northwest, the menu at Vindalho is firmly based on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. “We thrive on the challenge of integrating authentic spices and herbs with fresh Northwest ingredients, including pears.”

Anderson’s winning pear recipe, a Pear Ginger Chutney, is a modern interpretation of the traditional mango chutney in Indian cuisine. In India, chutney often is made to be eaten fresh, using suitable, strongly flavored ingredients that are locally traditional or seasonally available.

“Pears are an ideal medium for a chutney,” explains Anderson. “They can be infused with a multitude of vibrant spices, like cardamom, turmeric and cayenne, yet retain their own distinct flavor.”

Anderson’s chutney recipe calls for Bartlett or Comice pears. Bartletts offer the quintessential pear flavor and aroma and are available August through January. Comice are available September through February and are prized for their exceptionally sweet, buttery flavor profile. While consumers can readily find many varieties of pears at their local grocery retailer, the exotic spices and herbs used in Indian food are sometimes intimidating, says Anderson, but they aren’t as hard-to-find as people may assume.

“The Indian food category has grown tremendously in the past several years,” Anderson says. “Niche spices that at one time were only available at specialty stores are now accessible at chain grocers.”

A native of Alaska, Anderson graduated with high honors from Western Culinary Institute/Le Cordon Bleu in Portland.

Pear Ginger Chutney (Makes 4 Cups)

  • 4-5 Comice or Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and diced (about 6 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 2  cinnamon sticks
  • 2 dried arbol chiles
  • 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon nigella seeds
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons julienne sliced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add whole cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, chiles, fennel and nigella seeds. Cook 1 minute or until fragrant.  Add onions; sauté until browned. Add julienne ginger and garlic; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients except pears and simmer until slightly syrupy, 10-15 minutes.

Add pears and simmer until tender but still hold their shape, 15-30 minutes depending on ripeness of pears. When pears are cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer chutney to a tray to cool. If desired, remove large pieces of whole spices. Return any remaining liquid to stove and simmer until thick and syrupy. Combine hot syrup and pears in a bowl. Cool completely to allow flavors to mingle. Serve with naan or pappadums.

In a nationwide call for entries, professional fine dining chefs were encouraged to submit an original fresh pear recipe. A new chef and pear recipe will be featured on www.PearPanache.com each month through March 2009. Six other recognized chefs to be announced later in the season, from NY, Seattle, Minneapolis, etc. To browse additional pear recipes and view high-resolution recipe photos, visit www.PearPanache.com.

As the Pear Bureau Northwest’s September 2008 chef of the month, Anderson and his original recipe for Pear Ginger Chutney will be featured online at www.PearPanache.com.

# # #


About Pear Bureau Northwest
The Pear Bureau Northwest is a nonprofit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh USA Pears grown in Washington and Oregon. The Bureau represents nearly 1,700 growers who grow 84 percent of the nation’s fresh pear crop, and develops national and international markets for Northwest pear distribution. For more information, visit www.usapears.org.

Contact:

Cristie Mather

Communications Manager

Pear Bureau Northwest

cmather@usapears.com

(503) 652-9720