Wow Guests with These Fall Pear Recipes from Craig von Foerster of Harvest

Pickled Pears

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 Kieffer pears

To Prepare
Heat vinegar and sugar in a small pot until the sugar dissolves. Peel, core and cut the pears into 6 wedges each. Place the pear slices in the vinegar solution, and simmer for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Once tender, serve with a hearty protein like a pork chop topped with mustard butter (see below for recipe) and roasted butternut squash.

Mustard Butter

Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon grain mustard
1 teaspoon dijon mustard

To Prepare
Add all ingredients to a metal bowl and whisk until well combined. Chill and serve on top of a warm pork chop.

Brown Butter Riesling Poached Kieffer Pear Tart

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 750 ml bottle of riesling
1¼ cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
2 allspice berries
3 Kieffer pears
Brown butter batter (see below)
Sable dough (see below)

To Prepare
Place the wine, sugar and spices in a 2-quart pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. While the sugar is cooking down, peel and core the pears. Add the pears to the cooking liquid and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pears are easily pierced with a paring knife. Strain ½ the liquid into a small pot. Set aside the rest of the pears and liquid, and reduce the liquid in the pot to a syrupy consistency. Cool pears in the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. Press enough sable dough into tart tin to cover the bottom and sides of the tin: fill with 3 tablespoons of brown butter batter and half of a pear thinly sliced. Fan the sliced pear over the top of the batter. Bake for 15 minutes. Glaze the top with the reduced sugar and wine mixture.

Brown Butter Batter

Ingredients
½ pound of butter
½ vanilla bean
½ pound of sugar
4 eggs
2 ounces flour

To Prepare
Melt the butter in a small pot with the vanilla bean and cook over low heat until browned and nutty smelling. Whisk the sugar into the eggs, then add in the flour. Once the butter is ready, pour a small amount of the butter into the eggs to tempure the mixture. Then add in the rest of the egg and flour mix while whisking vigorously. Cool for several hours before using.

Sable Dough

Ingredients
1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
4 cups flour

To Prepare
Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the almond flour and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add 1 egg. Mix until combined. Add 1 cup and mix to combine. Add remaining egg and flour and mix until dough just comes together. Do not over mix. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least an hour. Once you’re ready to form the tarts, let the sable dough rest out of the fridge for 30 minutes to soften. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Grease tart pans and cut the dough in rounds slightly larger than the mold. Pinch in the tart pan. Set aside to fill with brown butter batter and pears.