Fall hard for the sweetest, juiciest winter pear
The Comice has fine texture and a rich, buttery flavour, packed with fibre in the skin
As I stood in the produce section at Sobeys last week, amazed at the plethora of pears on display from Ontario, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and the U.S., the woman beside me picked up a big brown Bosc and shook her head.
“This is going to take a long time to ripen,” she said, putting down the rock-hard fruit.
Ah, the problem with pears. Because this shapely fruit ripens from the inside out, it must be picked while still firm, leaving pear lovers patiently awaiting that magic moment when our favourite fruit is at its sweet, luscious peak of ripeness.
This year, I’ve fallen hard for the Comice, from Oregon and Washington state.
The aristocratic French pear, first cultivated in the mid-1800s under the name Doyenne du Comice, is considered the sweetest and juiciest of all winter pear varieties with its fine-textured flesh and rich, buttery flavour.
It’s also called the Christmas pear, beloved in gift baskets and to use as decoration.
Comice is easy to spot — look for a squat, plump pear with a short neck and deep dimple on the bottom. It ranges in colour from dark lime green to a blushing red.
Because it’s so thin-skinned, Comice may look a little scuffed, but it’s still perfectly delicious inside. Just leave it sitting pretty on the counter for a few days and check the neck regularly for ripeness.
Fibre optics Pears contain an amazing amount of fibre — six grams in a medium-sized pear. That’s about 24 per cent of our recommended daily intake.
Since most of the fibre is contained in the skin, add unpeeled chunks or slices into your smoothie, soup or salad. Pears are also sodium-, choles- terol- and fat-free and a good source of vitamin C.
Once they’re, ahem, ripe they’re also convenient, portable and delicious!
Buy and store
Comice pears are available from September through January.
Sobeys and Foodland are promoting U.S. pears, including Comice, for the next month. You may also find them in other chains and independents.
All pears bruise easily, even when hard, so handle carefully.
Peak ripeness
Leave firm, unripe pears at room temperature to ripen.
While a Bartlett’s skin colour turns yellow when ripe, most pear varieties show little change in colour.
The best way to determine a pear’s ripeness is to check the neck. Apply gentle pressure to the neck (stem end) with your thumb. When it yields to pressure, it’s ready to eat.
Very firm green pears may take a week to 10 days to ripen, while riper ones might need only a few days, so check the neck daily.
Eat a ripe pear immediately or refrigerate up to five days.
To speed up ripening, place underripe pears loosely in a paper bag or place in a fruit bowl with bananas or apples, which also naturally give off ethylene gas.
Prep
Wash pears under cold water just before use.
To prevent sliced pears from browning, dip in a solution of half water, half lemon juice.
If you have too many overripe pears, blend into smoothies, soups, sauces and purées.
Serve
Smoothie: For the ultimate graband-go breakfast, in a blender place 1 large Comice or Anjou pear, cored, 2 cups (500 mL) milk or alternate, 1/2 cup (125 mL) quick-cooking oats,
1 cup (250 mL) frozen blueberries and 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon. Purée at high speed until smooth and creamy.
Salads: Pears pair well with bitter greens such as endives.
Pair slices of ripe pear with prosciutto for an appetizing first course.
Comice’s mild flavour matches blue cheese such as gorgonzola or cambozola, as well as Camembert, Manchego and aged cheddar. Add walnuts and hazelnuts to your cheese plate.
Add diced pear when making sweet potato or butternut squash soup or roast in the oven with squash. Serve with pork or duck. Pears and almonds are heavenly in cakes.
Pear-Quinoa Custard
Star Tested Adapted from USA Pears, this tender vanilla- and orange-scented custard with its earthy quinoa and soft, ripe pears makes this breakfast both nutritious and satisfying.
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) water
3/4 cup (180 mL) quinoa, rinsed, drained
3 eggs
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1-3/4 cups (425 mL) half-and-half (10-per-cent) cream
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
Zest of 1 medium orange
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 5 dried pear halves, chopped (check bulk store)
2 ripe Comice or Bartlett pears, cored, cut into half-inch (1 cm) chunks
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
In medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat. Stir in quinoa and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, while you prepare remaining ingredients.
Whisk eggs and sugar in large bowl. Add cream, vanilla, orange zest and salt, whisking vigorously to combine. Gently stir in dried pears, cooked quinoa and fresh pear chunks and mix well.
Pour custard into a 2-litre baking dish. Place in a roasting pan and carefully pour hot water into pan to reach halfway up sides of the baking dish. Bake about 40 minutes or until custard is just set — jiggly but not watery in the centre.
Remove custard from water bath and let cool 10 minutes before serving hot or warm with bacon.
Makes 6 servings.