Eat the Pear!
December 10, 2014 12:31 PM Subscribe
The problem with the pear is the same problem that afflicts the apricot and the cantaloupe. When ripe, and fresh, and of good quality, it is spectacular, but it is a low-percentage fruit, its ripeness difficult to divine and often misjudged. I would wager there are literally millions of pear-eaters who have never had a good pear.
The brown kind are more reliable.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:39 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Sys Rq at 12:39 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Selecting the right pear can be rather d'anjourous.
posted by Flashman at 12:40 PM on December 10, 2014 [42 favorites]
posted by Flashman at 12:40 PM on December 10, 2014 [42 favorites]
"Pears! One of nature's most delectable fruits!"
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:44 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:44 PM on December 10, 2014
I had the pear dream again.
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:47 PM on December 10, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:47 PM on December 10, 2014 [7 favorites]
having grown up with fruit trees, and in close proximity to others with a variety of fruit trees, i would say the same can be said about peaches, plums and nectarines. no one on the east coast has ever had a good peach, plum or nectarine if they bought it from a store, and i might even go so far as including farmer's markets in that dis. if you're not gasping with pleasure and covered in juice it's not one of the above (and, for the dissenters above, the same goes for sex).
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 12:56 PM on December 10, 2014 [11 favorites]
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 12:56 PM on December 10, 2014 [11 favorites]
When I read that thread about watermelons, it occurred to me that I could not remember the last time I had a piece of watermelon that tasted like watermelon is supposed to. It's the same with a pear. What I taste in most pears is a soft, mealy sadness -- it immediately brings back a sense memory of when I was a friendless small child and served canned pears at my school every day.
posted by Countess Elena at 12:56 PM on December 10, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 12:56 PM on December 10, 2014 [4 favorites]
Yeah, I decided a few years ago that pears had broken my heart one too many times. I just am not up for that level of firmness vigilance.
If I had Bill Gates money, I would just employ some kind of Pear Handler. I think his name would be Joaquim.
posted by selfnoise at 12:58 PM on December 10, 2014 [7 favorites]
If I had Bill Gates money, I would just employ some kind of Pear Handler. I think his name would be Joaquim.
posted by selfnoise at 12:58 PM on December 10, 2014 [7 favorites]
The key is to have a tree in your yard. Or a tree in your neighbors yard.
Pears are perfect for the duration it takes them to fall from the tree to the ground but not much before or after. If you manage to find one immediately before or soon after they are so juicy and delicious.
posted by vapidave at 12:58 PM on December 10, 2014
Pears are perfect for the duration it takes them to fall from the tree to the ground but not much before or after. If you manage to find one immediately before or soon after they are so juicy and delicious.
posted by vapidave at 12:58 PM on December 10, 2014
So true. Until I had access to a farmers' market, I think I'd never had a decent pear and thought they were all grainy bland oversweet things. I will never buy one from a supermarket again if I can help it.
Now! Asian pears are a whole different subject. Incomparable crispyness.
posted by epanalepsis at 1:04 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Now! Asian pears are a whole different subject. Incomparable crispyness.
posted by epanalepsis at 1:04 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
A thousand li east of the shore, across deep seas filled with unknowable things, rises the great Mount Peng-Lai, home of the immortals. Atop its summit there is a single tree, with a single limb; on that single limb is a single branch; on that single branch is a single pear, whose taste is the taste of all pears. To eat of this pear is an unforgivable sin. Anyway you can tell it's ripe when it's sort of squishy near the stem.
posted by theodolite at 1:09 PM on December 10, 2014 [26 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 1:09 PM on December 10, 2014 [26 favorites]
I knew I liked pears as a kid when I read the label of fruit snack boxes and it was always "concentrated apple and/or pear".
Trivia that I like to mention: the coyote pup I raised loved pear slices more than anything else in the world. He would start leaping up and down when he saw some in my hand.
posted by quiet earth at 1:11 PM on December 10, 2014 [8 favorites]
Trivia that I like to mention: the coyote pup I raised loved pear slices more than anything else in the world. He would start leaping up and down when he saw some in my hand.
posted by quiet earth at 1:11 PM on December 10, 2014 [8 favorites]
Last year we bought a case of pears at a farm produce stand. They were rock-hard and a good price; I planned on canning them. The fellow had said to leave them covered with newspaper for a week or two. We got them home, tried them and they were absolutely revolting. Like taking a bite of your car's dash board. Apparently I got what I paid for.
Two weeks later they were the most delicious pears I've ever eaten. I guess it was the newspaper.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 1:13 PM on December 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
Two weeks later they were the most delicious pears I've ever eaten. I guess it was the newspaper.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 1:13 PM on December 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
Did I ever tell you kids about the time I ate an Asian pear and there was a live centipede in the middle of it?
Fun fact: live squirming centipedes in your mouth have a bitter, metallic, poisony death taste
Fuck Asian pears
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:13 PM on December 10, 2014 [14 favorites]
Fun fact: live squirming centipedes in your mouth have a bitter, metallic, poisony death taste
Fuck Asian pears
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:13 PM on December 10, 2014 [14 favorites]
The only problem I have with pears is that in the lead-up to them being perfectly ripe I end up eating a couple of sub-par pears and then once they are ripe I have to eat four at one time. They aren't like apples where I can have one a day and they will all be good, but when I'm eating those four pears, I'm enjoying it.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:17 PM on December 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:17 PM on December 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
Comte du Comice pears. Seriously. And you can get them at Mariano's (normal grocery store) in Chicago. Don't always have them though.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 1:18 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by jeff-o-matic at 1:18 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Growing up in the Niagara region, with all sorts of fresh and delicious ripe fruit, I was spoiled. And as a result I don't enjoy a lot of store fruit now that I live in Ottawa. It all tastes like shit out of season, and you are lucky if you can get good stuff in season.
posted by fimbulvetr at 1:19 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by fimbulvetr at 1:19 PM on December 10, 2014
My Best Fruit Experience Ever was a perfect D'Anjou pear.
posted by briank at 1:19 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by briank at 1:19 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Didn't we have this same thread before?
I'm pretty sure we did, and I'm pretty sure in that thread I said that I hated pears and that Harry and David can go cram it.
I will say nothing more about the pear, the very worst fruit there can possibly ever be.
posted by bondcliff at 1:21 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure we did, and I'm pretty sure in that thread I said that I hated pears and that Harry and David can go cram it.
I will say nothing more about the pear, the very worst fruit there can possibly ever be.
posted by bondcliff at 1:21 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I have never considered it, but it is so true. I have rarely had the Holy Grail of pears. Usually I'm crunching into something hard and nearly tasteless or my fingers are squishing into a sack of goop.
posted by Splunge at 1:21 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by Splunge at 1:21 PM on December 10, 2014
A lot of fruits have a blink-and-you'll-miss-it window of deliciousness. Even with fruits that stay decent for a relatively long time, it's often a gamble whether you'll get a fantastic specimen or a sad bland dried-out dud.
Every time I bite into a bland pear or a mealy apple or a flavorless orange slice, I bitterly note that Little Debbie snack cakes have never disappointed me.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:22 PM on December 10, 2014 [15 favorites]
Every time I bite into a bland pear or a mealy apple or a flavorless orange slice, I bitterly note that Little Debbie snack cakes have never disappointed me.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:22 PM on December 10, 2014 [15 favorites]
We just planted two pear trees in our yard, a variety (Tyson) that was originally invented (?) in our small town in the 1790s. "The flesh is melting and Juicy, with a spicy, scented sweetness that gives the fruit the charm of individuality."
I can't wait.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:26 PM on December 10, 2014
I can't wait.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:26 PM on December 10, 2014
Prepare to be disappointed.
posted by bondcliff at 1:29 PM on December 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 1:29 PM on December 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
I think there is no "lower percentage" fruit than the american persimmon. It is sweet and edible for a span of about thirty seconds, sometime after it falls off the tree and immediately before it either rots to mush or gets eaten by an animal. Outside that thirty second span you have something with a texture ranging from "sandy mush" to "solid rock" and astringency that will collapse your cranium.
I love pears. But I think they're often at their best when combined with other fruit (like in a crumble).
posted by Wolfdog at 1:30 PM on December 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
I love pears. But I think they're often at their best when combined with other fruit (like in a crumble).
posted by Wolfdog at 1:30 PM on December 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
Don't people pick up fruit and give them a squeeze any more?
It's a simple as 'Pick up the pear. Squeeze it. Is it firm? Ok, then, try again tomorrow'. It's not exactly complicated.
Satsumas, on the other hand... tricky buggers.
posted by pipeski at 1:32 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
It's a simple as 'Pick up the pear. Squeeze it. Is it firm? Ok, then, try again tomorrow'. It's not exactly complicated.
Satsumas, on the other hand... tricky buggers.
posted by pipeski at 1:32 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
I know, pears, amirite? What a pain in the ass fruit. At the grocery store they're the fruit that you get in the habit of just touching as you go past, maybe smelling one or two prospects, but then passing on. Every now and then you get a batch that's gooooood. Recently we had a batch from the grocery store that were all just a day or two from perfect, the ones that you knew right away would be good. I literally had to hide them in the top of our pantry so the three fruit-devouring monsters in my house that masquerade as 'little girls' wouldn't eat them too soon. We sliced them and ate them with cheese.
posted by resurrexit at 1:32 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by resurrexit at 1:32 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is also a very good use of some pears.
posted by Wolfdog at 1:34 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Wolfdog at 1:34 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I grew up in a farming town in Northern California, and I totally agree with Conrad-Casserole. I live near Toronto now, and I've given up on pears these days along with a slew of other produce unless it's in season. Even then it's hit and miss. I do love pears, and I try every so often, and get disappointed, and give up again. The trying is happening less and less as the years go on. Peaches can be good at the right time, if you hit the farmer's markets, but never like they were back home.
My best fruit experience was with watermelon. When I was a kid, my dad worked in fields of watermelon only grown for seeds. My dad believed in spending our weekends driving us kids around in the countryside, while he told us stories about that patch of land, and this one, and that old farmhouse that used to belong to our great uncle. Sometimes he'd drive us out to the fields in the summer, when the watermelon was ripe. We'd scuff through the dust and he'd find a good one, cut it open with his pocket knife, and give each of us kids a section of the heart, telling us it was the best part of the fruit. That's one of my best memories of youth - the taste of that fresh watermelon, how delicious it was, with the sun on my head and the juice dripping into the dust. That's another one I've given up on. It's often mealy, or tasteless, or just...disappointing. Cantaloupe, too - how I adore it, but buying it here just seems a set up for sadness.
posted by routergirl at 1:39 PM on December 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
My best fruit experience was with watermelon. When I was a kid, my dad worked in fields of watermelon only grown for seeds. My dad believed in spending our weekends driving us kids around in the countryside, while he told us stories about that patch of land, and this one, and that old farmhouse that used to belong to our great uncle. Sometimes he'd drive us out to the fields in the summer, when the watermelon was ripe. We'd scuff through the dust and he'd find a good one, cut it open with his pocket knife, and give each of us kids a section of the heart, telling us it was the best part of the fruit. That's one of my best memories of youth - the taste of that fresh watermelon, how delicious it was, with the sun on my head and the juice dripping into the dust. That's another one I've given up on. It's often mealy, or tasteless, or just...disappointing. Cantaloupe, too - how I adore it, but buying it here just seems a set up for sadness.
posted by routergirl at 1:39 PM on December 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
I am eating a Harry and David comice pear right now and it is SO GOOD!!
The worst thing about pears is when they go from underripe to rotten without ever actually ripening. I'm at home during the day! I can keep an eye on them! THEY WERE NEVER GOOD. Once I had a whole container of pears from Costco that didn't even rot -- they just went from hard and underripe to dried out and limp. FIE.
posted by KathrynT at 1:45 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
The worst thing about pears is when they go from underripe to rotten without ever actually ripening. I'm at home during the day! I can keep an eye on them! THEY WERE NEVER GOOD. Once I had a whole container of pears from Costco that didn't even rot -- they just went from hard and underripe to dried out and limp. FIE.
posted by KathrynT at 1:45 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
I only like pears when they are underripe. I LOVE pears when they are underripe. The same goes for peaches, and apricots, and cantaloupes, and many other fruits. I like them firm and crunchy and not too sweet. I have had the "perfect" pear that is claimed to be so wonderful and I enjoyed it not for a moment.
Dear Internet: I know how ripe I like my fruit. I know at what temperature I like to steep my tea. I am unconcerned if the sandwich filling does not cover every square centimeter of bread. STOP TELLING ME I AM DOING IT WRONG.
posted by kyrademon at 1:56 PM on December 10, 2014 [8 favorites]
Dear Internet: I know how ripe I like my fruit. I know at what temperature I like to steep my tea. I am unconcerned if the sandwich filling does not cover every square centimeter of bread. STOP TELLING ME I AM DOING IT WRONG.
posted by kyrademon at 1:56 PM on December 10, 2014 [8 favorites]
KathrynT, that exact thing happened to me with a box of Harry and David pears I received as a gift. I watched them like a hawk, eagerly anticipating my peartacular feast, and then they just instantly went bad at some point.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:56 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:56 PM on December 10, 2014
Did I ever tell you kids about the time I ate an Asian pear and there was a live centipede in the middle of it? . . . Fuck Asian pears
Now wait a minute, this seems more like "fuck live centipedes" than "fuck Asian pears." Let's be fair.
posted by The Bellman at 1:59 PM on December 10, 2014 [6 favorites]
Now wait a minute, this seems more like "fuck live centipedes" than "fuck Asian pears." Let's be fair.
posted by The Bellman at 1:59 PM on December 10, 2014 [6 favorites]
Does wherever you buy your pears (peaches, nectarines, tomatoes, avocados, ...) from store them in the cooler overnight? Do you bring them home and immediately put them in the refrigerator? Many fruits stored for a length of time at cold temperatures won't ripen properly.
Mei's lost sandal is on the right track. That store-bought tomato may not have much flavor when you bring it home, but if you can leave it on the counter to ripen for a few days, it's much better, even in winter. (sigh, another sign of privilege, not only do I have the time and funds to buy fresh produce, I have the luxury of waiting until it's ripe to eat it.)
posted by a person of few words at 2:05 PM on December 10, 2014
Mei's lost sandal is on the right track. That store-bought tomato may not have much flavor when you bring it home, but if you can leave it on the counter to ripen for a few days, it's much better, even in winter. (sigh, another sign of privilege, not only do I have the time and funds to buy fresh produce, I have the luxury of waiting until it's ripe to eat it.)
posted by a person of few words at 2:05 PM on December 10, 2014
Why would there be a live centipede in the middle of a pear... centipedes eat rotting things...
Oh god... now I'll never get that image out of my head... o_O
Thank you so much for elaborating on what centipedes taste like.
*swears off all fruit, forever, except for the dried stuff from Bulk Barn... which once had tiny black spiders in its cereal... nevermind*
posted by quiet earth at 2:28 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh god... now I'll never get that image out of my head... o_O
Thank you so much for elaborating on what centipedes taste like.
*swears off all fruit, forever, except for the dried stuff from Bulk Barn... which once had tiny black spiders in its cereal... nevermind*
posted by quiet earth at 2:28 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Pears are the best fruit.
For a luxurious dessert experience make Caramelized Pears with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream. I can personally vouch for this recipe. Not that that's needed... anything with that amount of butter and sugar in it can't be bad.
Or Red Wine Poached Pear if you have a sous video or an immersion circulator. I don't have a chamber sealer, just a regular vacuum sealer, so I put the liquid into the freezer first. It doesn't go solid, presumably because of the alcohol, but does turn into a very thick goop which is good enough for sealing.
A good way to, er, "preserve" pears is in rum. In Germany we call this "Rumtopf" which means, you guessed it, "rum pot". Disinfect a sealable container like you would for canning/preserving. Wash, peel and core ripe pears. Cut into desired shapes. Put into container with half as much sugar by weight. You can add vanilla beans and/or cinnamon bark as well if you so desire. Cover with rum so it tops the fruit by about an inch. My favorite rum for this is Rhum Babacourt 5 Start 8yo which is pretty reasonably priced. Stir gently every once in a while for the first few weeks for storage. Tastes great served with vanilla ice cream. Works with other fruit too.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 2:52 PM on December 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
For a luxurious dessert experience make Caramelized Pears with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream. I can personally vouch for this recipe. Not that that's needed... anything with that amount of butter and sugar in it can't be bad.
Or Red Wine Poached Pear if you have a sous video or an immersion circulator. I don't have a chamber sealer, just a regular vacuum sealer, so I put the liquid into the freezer first. It doesn't go solid, presumably because of the alcohol, but does turn into a very thick goop which is good enough for sealing.
A good way to, er, "preserve" pears is in rum. In Germany we call this "Rumtopf" which means, you guessed it, "rum pot". Disinfect a sealable container like you would for canning/preserving. Wash, peel and core ripe pears. Cut into desired shapes. Put into container with half as much sugar by weight. You can add vanilla beans and/or cinnamon bark as well if you so desire. Cover with rum so it tops the fruit by about an inch. My favorite rum for this is Rhum Babacourt 5 Start 8yo which is pretty reasonably priced. Stir gently every once in a while for the first few weeks for storage. Tastes great served with vanilla ice cream. Works with other fruit too.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 2:52 PM on December 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
I shop frequently, at a regular grocery store (Fred Meyer's), and it's a bit tricky to get a rotation going in the fruit bowl so that there are usually one or two ripe ones handy. But once you find a rhythm, it's golden.
I don't think you need to spend (and drive/bike) extra to get to farmer's markets. In a pinch, I can usually even find some ready to eat pears, if I'm not picky about the variety or organic/non-org distinctions.
posted by msalt at 2:53 PM on December 10, 2014
I don't think you need to spend (and drive/bike) extra to get to farmer's markets. In a pinch, I can usually even find some ready to eat pears, if I'm not picky about the variety or organic/non-org distinctions.
posted by msalt at 2:53 PM on December 10, 2014
A while ago I was on an experimentalist kick with foods where I would just try anything that struck my fancy. there were many many failures, but it all came to fruition one evening when I barbecued perfectly prepared steaks that had soaked for a full day in a randomly thrown-together marinade that I'll never be able to recreate again, followed by grilled pear halves at their peak of ripeness, drizzled with a sauce I made from vodka, fresh raspberries from the bush in the yard, and a few other long-forgotten ingredients.
It's the only recipe experiment I wish I had written down...it was heaven.
posted by rocket88 at 3:00 PM on December 10, 2014
It's the only recipe experiment I wish I had written down...it was heaven.
posted by rocket88 at 3:00 PM on December 10, 2014
The best pears are poached
That's illegal!
posted by maryr at 3:11 PM on December 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
That's illegal!
posted by maryr at 3:11 PM on December 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
I pass by the pears in the grocery store and think "no, I have been hurt too many times by you, pears."
I'm a banana man, now.
posted by angerbot at 3:11 PM on December 10, 2014
I'm a banana man, now.
posted by angerbot at 3:11 PM on December 10, 2014
I came in here for a Rick Ross reference and was sorely disappointed.
posted by sallybrown at 3:52 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by sallybrown at 3:52 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I see the poached pears above and I raise you: the uniquely Dutch "stewed pears". They use a variety called the Gieser Wildeman (unavailable in the US), stew (okay, simmer) it for hours with some sugar and cinnamon, and it's the best side dish you'll ever have.
posted by monospace at 4:31 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by monospace at 4:31 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I feel sorry for any pear that isn't allowed to fulfill its greatest possible destiny, which is to be baked into a custard tart.
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:37 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:37 PM on December 10, 2014
What is wrong with all of you? I love pears!
I wouldn't hesitate to say I have enjoyed a greater percentage of pears I've ever eaten versus all the apples I've choked down, but as I type this I realize that I might be comparing apples to... nevermind.
posted by wats at 4:40 PM on December 10, 2014
I wouldn't hesitate to say I have enjoyed a greater percentage of pears I've ever eaten versus all the apples I've choked down, but as I type this I realize that I might be comparing apples to... nevermind.
posted by wats at 4:40 PM on December 10, 2014
I'm a banana man, now.
Sing us a song you're the banana man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a piece of fruit
And you've got us feeling all ripe
posted by zeptoweasel at 4:41 PM on December 10, 2014 [16 favorites]
Sing us a song you're the banana man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a piece of fruit
And you've got us feeling all ripe
posted by zeptoweasel at 4:41 PM on December 10, 2014 [16 favorites]
When I was pregnant with my son my attitude towards pears went from ho-hum to OMG PEARS ARE THE BEST THING THE HOLY GRAIL OF FRUIT I MUST HAVE THEM NOW and even though it is 23 years later (day before yesterday!) I still sort of feel the same way. Ripe pears sliced and tossed with blue cheese and pecans and balsamic vinegar - simple and OMG. But they are often an exercise in frustration: there is a paper bag full of pears on my kitchen counter and they are still just as hard as they were a couple days ago. They might be plotting to never ripen on me because yes, they will do that. A friend of mine had a pear tree on the eastern shore of Maryland, in the garden of a 200-odd year old house. It was some terrible colonial variety of doom pear, like a crab pear, that never turned into anything edible by anyone human or at least contemporary human: even the birds let them mostly rot. I tried everything I could think of to turn them into proper pears, stewed them, poached them, ripened them in bags with apples and bananas - but failed. We planned to put bottles over the small ones and let them grow inside the bottles and then fill the bottles with brandy, which I have heard is The Way to deal with recalcitrant ancient pears, but alas we never did it. But if I ever have access to a pear tree again, that is what I will do.
posted by mygothlaundry at 5:18 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by mygothlaundry at 5:18 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
For some reason I grew up hating pears-- I think I got the idea that they taste like the cruelly misnomered Delicious apples?-- but recently I bought one because they tend to be cheap, and woah! pears are fine! what! since then I have bought them on multiple occasions, by choice!
posted by threeants at 5:22 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by threeants at 5:22 PM on December 10, 2014
I remember the first time I ever had an actual pear- I'd grown up eating those canned "pears in syrup" things, and you'd get chunks of pear in fruit cocktails, but it wasn't until I was maybe 16 or 17 that I had an actual fresh pear. It was an amazingly good pear, juicy and sweet and crisp, and a wonderful antidote to the gross processed stuff I'd grown up on.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:55 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:55 PM on December 10, 2014
The janitor of our building growing up (who made more money than my father and owned property in Chicago and Michigan) would bring back bushels of pears from his farm for his family (of which I was an unofficial member) that were always picked at the absolute perfect moment. Huge pear pigouts would ensue. Only rarely have I had pears as good since then.
posted by Chitownfats at 6:16 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by Chitownfats at 6:16 PM on December 10, 2014
The important thing about eating pears is knowing where to start
posted by 99_ at 6:48 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by 99_ at 6:48 PM on December 10, 2014
Bosc the rusty brown ones, stay crisp enough on the outside and don't bruise as much as yellow pears. You can slice.
, them arrange in a microwavable dish with a dust of cinnamon, minute and a half later it is a light dessert. With vanilla frozen yogurt, it is still a delicious light dessert.
posted by Oyéah at 7:08 PM on December 10, 2014
, them arrange in a microwavable dish with a dust of cinnamon, minute and a half later it is a light dessert. With vanilla frozen yogurt, it is still a delicious light dessert.
posted by Oyéah at 7:08 PM on December 10, 2014
I am unconcerned if the sandwich filling does not cover every square centimeter of bread.
Sure, sure. It's better when it does, tho.
posted by Glinn at 7:09 PM on December 10, 2014
Sure, sure. It's better when it does, tho.
posted by Glinn at 7:09 PM on December 10, 2014
I had a nice ripe pear the other day. Of the 3 I bought, 1 went straight to mush, and my daughter-in-law took the other one to make baby food. Really, my complaint is the expense of buying multiple pears in order to enjoy 1.
posted by theora55 at 8:22 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by theora55 at 8:22 PM on December 10, 2014
I think there is no "lower percentage" fruit than the american persimmon.
Oh, fuck...thanks for resurrecting the nightmares. I had a pack of distant, very rural cousins who I saw irregularly when I was very young who delighted in finding a way to get the "city boy" to eat unripe persimmon on every visit. It's like pouring a quarter cup of alum powder into your mouth, and the effect can last for hours. Awful things, and I've never had a properly ripe one.
That's one of my best memories of youth - the taste of that fresh watermelon, how delicious it was, with the sun on my head and the juice dripping into the dust.
For me, it was my grandfather, taking me to do the same thing.
posted by kjs3 at 8:59 PM on December 10, 2014
Oh, fuck...thanks for resurrecting the nightmares. I had a pack of distant, very rural cousins who I saw irregularly when I was very young who delighted in finding a way to get the "city boy" to eat unripe persimmon on every visit. It's like pouring a quarter cup of alum powder into your mouth, and the effect can last for hours. Awful things, and I've never had a properly ripe one.
That's one of my best memories of youth - the taste of that fresh watermelon, how delicious it was, with the sun on my head and the juice dripping into the dust.
For me, it was my grandfather, taking me to do the same thing.
posted by kjs3 at 8:59 PM on December 10, 2014
Awful things, and I've never had a properly ripe one.
Purchase persimmons firm, then let sit separately, like a row of ducks. A sunny windowsill is good, but not required. This year mine ripened on a bookcase in the dining room. Watch for skin darkening within a couple of weeks, can check by feel then. Very soft, like a breast? Time to eat!
posted by telstar at 9:24 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Purchase persimmons firm, then let sit separately, like a row of ducks. A sunny windowsill is good, but not required. This year mine ripened on a bookcase in the dining room. Watch for skin darkening within a couple of weeks, can check by feel then. Very soft, like a breast? Time to eat!
posted by telstar at 9:24 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
nthing Doyenne de Comice pears. They are the pear person's pear. I discovered them while living in Paris, and now that I'm in the Netherlands, I was elated to find out they sell them in supermarkets here as well.
Having grown up in southwestern Ontario, I have the same feelings about strawberries. I get the impression that most people eat wood-and-water-tasting strawberries and think that's OK. Everywhere I've lived outside of Ontario (except for Paris), strawberries are so bland I just give up eating them.
posted by LMGM at 11:03 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Having grown up in southwestern Ontario, I have the same feelings about strawberries. I get the impression that most people eat wood-and-water-tasting strawberries and think that's OK. Everywhere I've lived outside of Ontario (except for Paris), strawberries are so bland I just give up eating them.
posted by LMGM at 11:03 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I love how this thread acknowledges that some fruits just don't. taste. good. Pears are either rock hard or mealy grainy mush. Apricots taste like dead dry fruit even when fresh, except sometimes with a hint of unpleasant tang and I just don't get the love. I've never had a persimmon that didn't taste like some kind of plastic fruit.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:15 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:15 PM on December 10, 2014
The last house I was living at had a persimmon tree in the front yard. Every so often someone would knock on my front door and ask if they could have a couple. "Of course help yourself." No one ever came back for more.
My favorite way to work with pears is to slice them thinly and then add on top of grilling pork chops - like you're shingling a roof. The idea is to keep the chop moist with the juice as it grills. Once the chops are done, give the pear slices a few more minutes on the grill and then serve on top/side.
posted by quartzcity at 11:15 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
My favorite way to work with pears is to slice them thinly and then add on top of grilling pork chops - like you're shingling a roof. The idea is to keep the chop moist with the juice as it grills. Once the chops are done, give the pear slices a few more minutes on the grill and then serve on top/side.
posted by quartzcity at 11:15 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
> "It's better when it does, tho."
I wish I believed you were trolling me.
posted by kyrademon at 1:20 AM on December 11, 2014
I wish I believed you were trolling me.
posted by kyrademon at 1:20 AM on December 11, 2014
Comice have been available for the past month or so in the UK. It is the only time of the year that I buy pears really, but they are worth the wait!
posted by asok at 1:58 AM on December 11, 2014
posted by asok at 1:58 AM on December 11, 2014
"Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. TOO LATE." --Pears
posted by applemeat at 5:10 AM on December 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by applemeat at 5:10 AM on December 11, 2014 [3 favorites]
I made this pear w/rosemary pie, with (ripe, i think) D’Anjou pears, for Thanksgiving this year. It turned out..hmm--very good--though I suspect (applying the "pizza principle") mainly because it was PIE. Tasted like apple pie..only slightly mushier texture and a less "bright" taste.
posted by applemeat at 5:23 AM on December 11, 2014
posted by applemeat at 5:23 AM on December 11, 2014
Try pears and apples together in pie, though. Or pears and berries.
posted by Wolfdog at 7:57 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Wolfdog at 7:57 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
I find that if I buy nice firm pears on Saturday and don't eat them until Thursday, they are pretty much spot on. Sometimes they are okay on Wednesday too.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 8:47 AM on December 11, 2014
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 8:47 AM on December 11, 2014
"Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. TOO LATE." --Pears
posted by applemeat
Oh, sure, an apple-industrial complex lobbyist would stop in to denigrate pears. :)
posted by resurrexit at 8:52 AM on December 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by applemeat
Oh, sure, an apple-industrial complex lobbyist would stop in to denigrate pears. :)
posted by resurrexit at 8:52 AM on December 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
This thread highlights why buying local is so rewarding, ripe fruit! Apricots are ao good, in season, right off the tree. I took students on a tour of the largest produce house in Salt Lake, the tols us they don't carry local aoft fruit because tbey don't last. You almost can't buy delicious apricots in a store. Pears unles you buy green and ripen two at a time they will all go at once. Ripen pears in a paper bag, check them daily until they are how you want them.
posted by Oyéah at 8:54 AM on December 11, 2014
posted by Oyéah at 8:54 AM on December 11, 2014
I'm brought back to an old Slate article on the way the tomato has changed over the 20th century. They had a quote from a grower who said, "I don't get paid a cent for taste."
posted by Trochanter at 9:26 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Trochanter at 9:26 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hairy Lobster:
posted by Hairy Lobster at 10:15 AM on December 11, 2014
"My favorite rum for this is Rhum Babacourt 5 Start 8yo which is pretty reasonably priced."Whoops, didn't realize I linked to a dark rum for this. Works fine but not everybody is into it. For a lighter flavor impact from the rum I'd go for Caña Brava white rum. Great for mixing too.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 10:15 AM on December 11, 2014
I grew up with access to a orchard full of every kind of fruit you can grow in California, all sorts of varieties, and not in any way used for profit which meant delicious fruit perfectly ripe in unbelievable quantities that I just took for granted. I would eat peaches till I was sick. The best damn fresh squeezed orange juice you could imagine. Plums... oh the plums. Literal buckets of perfect cherries. I could go on.
And I had no idea how lucky I was. Friends would say things like "I don't like fruit" and it was like saying you didn't like candy or something. Just "what are you talking about?" Then I went away for school, and oh my god. What's this stuff people call fruit? These things are rock hard or mealy and have no taste and cost so god damn much. Even farmer's market fruit is hit and miss and the really good stuff you only find once or twice a year.
I miss the good stuff. God damn do I miss the good stuff.
posted by aspo at 2:39 PM on December 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
And I had no idea how lucky I was. Friends would say things like "I don't like fruit" and it was like saying you didn't like candy or something. Just "what are you talking about?" Then I went away for school, and oh my god. What's this stuff people call fruit? These things are rock hard or mealy and have no taste and cost so god damn much. Even farmer's market fruit is hit and miss and the really good stuff you only find once or twice a year.
I miss the good stuff. God damn do I miss the good stuff.
posted by aspo at 2:39 PM on December 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
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posted by Trochanter at 12:33 PM on December 10, 2014