Tag Archives: culinary

USA Pears on the Menu in Dubai

Lynsey By on

Dubai is a growing tourist destination, with a seemingly constant stream of new hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls.  The Burj Khalifa just opened in January 2010: the tallest building in the world at 2,717 feet.  The new development surrounding the building contains 30,000 homes, nine hotels, 160 restaurants and the Dubai Mall (largest mall in the world – 1,200 stores!). With so many hotels and restaurants, the culinary opportunities are endless!  USA Pears recently became a proud member of The Emirates Culinary Guild, the association for professional chefs in the UAE, headquartered in Dubai. We recently invited chefs from the Guild to a training seminar in Dubai.  After a classroom-style introduction to our delicious USA Pears, we set the chefs loose in the kitchen to experiment and create their own culinary masterpieces. USA Green and Red Anjou are the most common varieties in Continue reading →

Pearty Like It’s 2010

Jenny By on

  In this season of gift-giving, I like to think of a nice, high quality cocktail as a small gift that I can give myself.  Now I’m not talking about cheap booze mixed with high fructose corn syrup, I’m talking about a quality spirit, fresh sqeezed or muddled fruit, and an unexpected touch, such as fresh herbs or a hint of spice.  A work of art that’s meant to be sipped and savored.       We have several excellent cocktail recipes that call for fresh pears, which were developed by mixologists across the country.  We’ll even show you how to make super cool pear garnishes and give you ideas for food pairings.  In addition to this superb collection, we also like to keep an eye out for new cocktails.  Enter the latest Imbibe edition, which has a recipe on page 53:  the Continue reading →

A Healthier Gift Worth Giving

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

I love the holidays, but this year seems more stressful than past years. It’s getting down to the wire and I need a quick, thoughtful gift. I think I’ve got it – a personal gift from the heart that is useful, fun, and perfect for the new year! I’m a foodie at heart, so why not share my passion with all of the people I love? Gift baskets have taken on a modern, fun twist in recent years. Here is my plan: take five flavorful and festive items, grab a basket or pretty bag, combine, and dress it up! My personalized gift looks like this: two or three comice, forelle, or red Bartlett pears, a fine wedge of cheese (I like bleu), a mini jar of jalapeno jelly, sesame crackers, and a bag of dried apricots, almonds, or walnuts. Try Continue reading →

Happy National Pear Month!

Jenny By on

December is officially National Pear Month, and here in the Pacific Northwest we’re celebrating!  Here are six things you can do to join in the fun: 1.  This one’s obvious:  incorporate pears into your meals, snacks, desserts and beverages!  You’ll find plenty of inspiration here, or invent something and send me a photo (you might just win something). 2.  Decorate with fresh pears – they look beautiful in wreaths, centerpieces, garlands and more.  Follow the simple directions for one of our projects, or invent your own and send me another photo! 3.  Make a gift basket using fresh pears for friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, the mailman, whoever.  Once again, we have instructions and inspiration here, and I don’t want to say it again but I will, INVENT YOUR OWN AND SEND ME A PHOTO! 4.   Click here to receive our monthly e-newsletters.  They always Continue reading →

Filling Your Kitchen with Love: The Joys of Home Preserving

Jenny By on

Memories…that’s what life is all about.  My mom told me that other day as I was headed out of town for a birthday weekend in Las Vegas.  It sounds funny, but I was reminded of some of the responses we received from our e-newsletter contest last month because really, whether you’re partying in Vegas or bonding with your family in the kitchen, the memories we make with each other stay with us our whole lives. We asked our readers to tell us why they love preserving, (or why they would like to start) and were overwhelmed by the touching responses we received.  Our winner, Amanda from Mississippi, said this: “I grew up watching my mother and grandmother preserving fruits and vegetables. I remember going with them and picking the fruits and vegetables from our gardens and trees. I loved the way we would all go together Continue reading →

Nowadays, everybody’s keen on pears

Jenny By on

It’s fall, and lot of people are doing a lot of wonderful things with pears right now.  Even though USA Pears are available nearly year-round, a lot of people still think of them as a “fall fruit.”  So if people like to cook with the seasons, and believe that pears are a fall fruit, it’s no surprise that the internet is EXPLODING with creative, delicious-looking pear recipes. We have our very own USA Pears recipe collection, with time-tested (not to mention professionally-tested) appetizer, beverage, entree, dessert, and kid-friendly recipes, but we also like to pay attention to what’s going on out there in your kitchens.  Food blogs are all aflutter with incredible pear creations this fall, and I’ve rounded up a few of my faves for your enjoyment: Scarlet Poached Pears from the blog “Zested” (http://zested.wordpress.com/)  This was sent to me from a fan in Continue reading →

Our Favorite Cover Model

Jenny By on

I was pretty jazzed to see this in the supermarket today: Not only are pears featured on the cover in the lovely “Poached Pear Tart with Shortbread Crust,” they are also in page 12’s “Bistro Gravy with Red Pears, Peppercorns and Brandy,” page 14’s “Sweet Ginger Cheesecake,” and an arugula and pear salad on page 86.  This 120-page special holiday publication from Better Homes and Gardens retails for about 6 bucks, but we’re giving away two of them!  Next Monday we will draw two names from the list of people who leave a  comment on this post.  Who knows, we may even throw in a few pear goodies from the USA Pears prize vault! For more inspiration in your holiday meal planning, visit the recipe section on usapears.org.  We’ve got everything you need, from first course to finale! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Countdown to Halloween: (#1) Candied Pear Mayem

Jenny By on

I got this beautiful cardboard stand at Michael’s Craft Store, and I’m pretty sure Martha Stewart is going to call any minute now to personally congratulate me on this work of art.  We added some new candied pears to our collection, and I’m pleased to bring you the chocolate covered pear rolled in toffee:  We also experimented with sprinkles:   And then we sort of lost our minds, as evidenced by this crazy pear and the overall state of our workspace:   All in all, it was a great time and we learned that pears make an excellent candied party offering for kids and adults.  Happy Halloween from USA Pears!   Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Countdown to Halloween: (#2) The Candied Ginger Chocolate Covered Pear

Jenny By on

Who says you have to stick to sticking boring sprinkles and generic nuts on your chocolate covered pears?  Why not branch out and use your imagination?  It’s not like you have to enter them in the county fair and risk getting a white ribbon and an embarassing comment card from the judge, right?   Visit the recipe section of the USA Pears website and you’ll see where the inspiration for this little gem came from.  What can I say, the spiciness of ginger and the sweet, fresh, pure taste of pears mingle well together.  In fact, I’ve heard ginger referred to as the pear’s most complementary flavor.   To make this little treat, just mince a few pieces of candied ginger (usually found in grocery stores in the dried fruit section) and sprinkle it over your chocolate covered pear while it’s Continue reading →