Sink your teeth into juicy Asian pear
Plump fruit is delicious raw, sautéed or used to sweeten up a soup
If you enjoy crunchy, juicy fruit, pick up an Asian pear on your next visit to the produce section. Plump and round as an apple with golden brown or pale yellow-green skin, crisp, a grainy texture and lightly sweet taste, these ancient pears are ready to eat when you buy them and make a refreshing snack straight from the fridge.
Asian pears are also just the thing to cure a persistent cough, according to two Danforth shopkeepers I spoke to from Guandong province. The Chinese remedy involves removing the pear’s core and stuffing the centre with rock sugar and medicinal ingredients such as goji berries and lotus seeds before steaming until tender. For maximum benefit, consume the fruit and its soup.
Though some Canadians are leery of buying fruit from China, the country’s food safety rules for pears and apples are stricter than some others, says Steve Tsai, manager at Monco Produce in Etobicoke. The Asian pear’s smooth, unmarked skin comes from placing a special paper bag over each fruit on the tree to keep out pests, including birds, and reduce the need for pesticides, Tsai says.
“Nobody else has the labour force to take such care of the fruit.”
A trip to T&T revealed a few of the many Asian pear varieties available in GTA stores throughout the year. Pulling back protective Styrofoam sleeves, I found pale, pearshaped ya li, with its floral aroma and juicy texture, big appleshaped golden pears and pricier brown nansui pears, available until July and considered the gold standard according to Tsai, who’s imported pears from China’s Shandong and Hebei provinces for more than 15 years.
“They started in the Asian market,” he says, “and now they’re also popular in Canadian stores.”
Tsai says Koreans love their brown pears served in cold noo- dle soup. The Japanese prize their crisp yellow nashi, while California grows more than 25 Asian varieties, many planted by Chinese prospectors during the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s.
Closer to home, Niagara-onthe-Lake grower John Thwaites planted his first acre of Asian pears eight years ago after watching the GTA’s Asian population soar. The demand for his brown pears in mid-October is now so strong that he paired up with the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers and the Greenbelt Foundation in 2016 to plant another 10 acres on high-density trellises, which will be ready to harvest in a few years.
“We saw an opening, but we still don’t know how big the market will be,” says Thwaites, adding his juicy home-grown Asians are sweeter and more flavourful than the Chinese pears he’s tasted, which can be rather bland. But there’s no mistaking their crunch! Buy and store
Asian pears come in different shapes and sizes.
The pale yellow to matte gold-bronze skin can be smooth or sprinkled with spots. Avoid bruised fruit. Since the fruit ripens on the tree, it can be eaten immediately and remains firm and crunchy.
Store in a plastic bag and refrigerate for several weeks. Prep Chill, wash and eat. The skin can be quite tough, but it does contain fibre. Peeling is personal.
Because they contain more water and take longer to cook than regular pears, they are usually eaten raw.
Poaching and sautéing intensify the flavour while maintaining the pear’s firm texture.
To serve, peel and slice crosswise to show off the star-shaped centre, especially in the nansui variety.
Great for salads as they’re slow to turn brown. Slice paperthin on a mandoline. Serve
Pair Asian pears with bitter greens, blue cheese and nuts, especially almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts. Add crunch to a fruit salad. Cut in wedges and dip in melted chocolate fondue infused with pear or orange liqueur. Include candied ginger coins for dipping.
Add chunks to a stir-fry, use in a sweet and sour dish or add a little sweetness to Asian soups.
With enzymes that tenderize meat, Asian pears are used in marinades for BBQ Korean beef.
Toss thinly-sliced pear with celery and celery leaves, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper to top grilled chicken.
Add diced pears to tuna tartare for a touch of crunch and sweetness.
Juice them! Sautéed Asian pears with hazelnuts 3 Star Tested
Adapted from author Elizabeth Schneider, serve warm slices with ice cream or go savoury and pair with ham or grain salad. Brown nansui pears don’t need to be cored. 2 large Asian pears, peeled 3 tbsp (45 mL) butter Pinch of salt Squeeze of lemon juice Coriander seeds or 1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander 2 tbsp (30 mL) coarsely chopped almonds or roasted, skinned hazelnuts (try bulk store!) Halve pears lengthwise then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch (1/2 cm) slices.
Heat butter in large skillet and fill with a single layer of pears. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and lightly brown second side, until pears lose their raw crunch. Sprinkle with salt and lemon juice to taste. Grind coriander in a coffee grinder or in a mortar and pestle and sprinkle on top. Transfer slices to a hot plate and cook remaining slices. Sprinkle with nuts and serve warm.
Makes 4 servings. Cynthia David is a Toronto-based food and travel writer who blogs at cynthia-david.com