Easy to grow and prolific croppers, pears easily repay the little effort it takes to plant a tree and the fruit can be stored for ages.
Like apples, there are many pear varieties available and just about everyone seems to have an opinion as to what makes a great eating pear.
For me, biting into the season's first perfectly ripe, juicy pear is one of life's exquisite pleasures and is every bit as exciting as tasting the first berries in summer.
Autumn is when new-season pears start to arrive and, as such, our minds turn to thoughts of how to make the most of this welcome addition to our larder.
We have several pear trees in the orchard, which we have already picked in order to beat the birds.
Slowly ripening the fruit in either the chiller or the barn out the back allows us to use the fruit at our leisure.
The ripest are perfect for going straight into a simple salad of pear, watercress, Windsor blue, honey and roasted walnuts, while slightly firmer specimens are destined for a heavenly pear and ginger cake, which is a real favourite with staff and customers alike.
And finally, a tasty and easy pear chutney will clean up the rest of the crop and make sure not a single one is wasted.
Pear and watercress salad with Windsor blue, honey and roasted walnuts
Serves 4
2 firm ripe pears
half a small red onion, finely sliced
2 small bunches watercress, washed and picked
1 cup fresh walnut pieces, roasted until golden
150g Windsor blue cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (we use Forum Cabernet Sauvignon)
3 Tbsp liquid honey
sea salt and pepper to taste
Cut pears into quarters, remove cores and finely slice with a sharp knife.
Crumble cheese into a bowl and add sliced pears, onions, walnuts, watercress, vinegar and olive oil.
Toss gently, adjust the seasoning and divide between four plates.
Finish with a drizzle of honey and serve immediately.
Upside-down pear and ginger cake
150g unsalted butter
340g brown sugar
5 ripe pears
275g plain all-purpose flour
350g caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
3 eggs
130ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g crystallised ginger, finely sliced
180g butter, melted
Preheat oven to 170degC.
Cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
Line a 28cm cake tin (with a removable base) with baking paper and spread the creamed butter mixture around the base of the cake tin.
Take pears and cut them into six wedges lengthways before removing the cores and arranging around the spread butter and sugar mixture. (If the pears are a little too firm then simply poach them first in a light sugar syrup.) Sift the dry ingredients together and make a well in the centre.
Whisk the milk, eggs, vanilla, ginger and melted butter together, then add to dry ingredients, mixing well to make a smooth batter.
Pour over the arranged pears and bake for about 1 hours or until the batter is fully cooked throughout the cake.
Allow to cool for 30min and serve with either whipped cream or ice cream and a little caramel sauce.
Pear chutney
Makes 7x 300g jars
1.5kg ripe pears
500g chopped dates
4 cloves crushed garlic
500g raisins
500g granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups malt vinegar
1 cup water
Wash, core and cut pears into roughly 1cm pieces.
Add all remaining ingredients and bring gently to the boil.
Turn heat down to a slow simmer and cook for one hour or until thick and rich, stirring frequently to prevent chutney from catching on the bottom of the pot.
Store in airtight sterilised jars and allow to age for one to two months before opening.
This chutney is fantastic with cold roast meats or on sandwiches.
It keeps for one to two years.
- Bevan Smith
Bevan and Monique Smith own the award-winning restaurant and cafe Riverstone Kitchen on SH1 in North Otago, just south of the Waitaki Bridge. www.riverstonekitchen.co.nz
