Pear Cider Recipe

I'm sure you've noticed, but it feels like Thanksgiving already. The girls have been enjoying pumpkin smoothie drinks at Jamba Juice, Lulu recently brought home a pumpkin pie from Marie Callender's and we just bought our first fresh cranberries of the season. With the weather getting colder, what could be more appropriate to the season than a hot cup of cider? But instead of making regular ol' apple cider, I added freshly-made pear juice as well.

I used Bartlett pears (with hints of red, they are much sweeter) which were slightly firm so they would easily pass through a juicer. If you prefer a more intense pear flavor, you could use very ripe, soft fruit but I wouldn't recommend using a juicer as it would get clogged easily. Instead, mix them until mushy in a regular blender, then pass the mixture through a large sieve. I didn't opt for this method as I find the texture a little grainy. You can add whatever spices you like, but I opted for the traditional combination of cinnamon, clove and ginger. It's an easy and very satisfying recipe for the weekend!

Gorgonzola Pear Pizza Recipe

It's almost the end of grilling season. If you’re looking to make the most of the little sunshine and few warm days we have left, I would suggest making a pizza on your grill. To start the pizza, I grilled flat bread until it almost turned into a cracker. I decided to go with blue cheese and pear flavors, because the two pair incredibly well. I would have used Gorgonzola as a topping but my local market only carried Fourme d'Ambert, which is a raw French blue cheese (equally delicious). I broke the traditional rules for pizza and spread béchamel sauce along with caramelized onions in place of the standard tomato sauce.

This is an easy, light meal and it's a perfect recipe for a warm, summer day. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese Pear Salad Recipe

When pears still have a hard texture, they are a wonderfully sweet addition to salad. I wanted to make a first course that looks festive for the holidays, so I mixed some greens, hazelnuts, dried cranberries, pears and blue cheese. What's not to like? To finish, I drizzled creamy blue cheese dressing on the salad.

This is definitely not a salad for dieting! It's the holidays though, so indulge.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Cranberry Pear Dessert Recipe

Thanksgiving is over and I have some leftovers from last night. We always have extra cranberry jelly, and this year I decided to turn it into a mousse. But cranberries can be a little tart, so I added pears to balance the flavor of the dessert.

When serving mousse, I always try to pair the smooth, airy dessert with something of more substantial texture. I topped each mousse with a garnish of diced pears with dried cranberries as a reminder of the flavors in the mousse, plus a sprinkle of crushed pistachio for added color and crunch. The result is a fabulous dessert that no one will guess was made from Thanksgiving leftovers!

Tarte Poire Noisette (Pear Tart with Hazelnut Cream)

Tarte aux poires et à la noisette sounds like a fancy-schmancy dessert but really, it's just a French tart made with hazelnut cream and ripe pears. That's about it. The only other embellishment is that I enhance the flavor of the nut cream with a little green anise.

Green anise seeds are usually infused in tea as a medicinal treatment for children's stomach aches. It's a pretty common remedy in Northern Africa. I love the sweet fragrance and the strong notes of licorice. You don't have to add the aromatic seeds to the nut cream but I think they pair wonderfully with pears.

Being French, it still is really remarkable to me that in America, French sounding names make products sound more luxurious (and expensive). I've even seen some products that have names that don't make sense in French, but I guess evoke a sense of elegance. Now that I've let you in on the secret, don't be fooled by fancy French names anymore! However, if you prepare this recipe for your friends or family, make sure that you use the French name to impress them. Better to be the "fool-er" than the "fool-ee!"