‘Pre-pear’ guests easy holiday treat

    This year, however, we’re going to add a special fruit, the pear, to our holiday table. We’ll make a delectable quick bread using chopped pears instead of our usual apples. A lovely pear crisp will highlight the dessert buffet, fragrant with cinnamon and ginger, just waiting to be topped with vanilla ice cream. It’s also a convenient make-ahead dish to bring to a potluck gathering and warm up just before serving.
    Pears cooked in cranberry juice bring back childhood memories. They were a colorful dish on many a Christmas dinner table in our home. Now, we predict that guests will ooh and ah over some lovely baked pear slices that are coated with a delightful maple syrup and butter sauce. Both of those dishes are also easy to prepare ahead.
    When shopping for pears, select ones that are firm but not too hard. Because pears are very perishable once they are ripe, they’ll often require a few days of maturing once you bring them home. Leave them at room temperature to ripen. If you’re not using them right away, keep them in the fridge, where they’ll remain fresh for a few days.
Maple butter pear slices
    1/4 cup unsalted butter
    3 tablespoons maple syrup
    4 large Bosc pears
    Freshly ground black pepper
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until butter browns, about 2 minutes. Pour into large bowl; stir in maple syrup. Cut pears lengthwise into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices; toss with butter mixture to coat. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet; sprinkle with pepper to taste. Bake the slices, turning a few times, until caramelized to a deep ambler color, 25-30 minutes. Let cool about 30 minutes before removing from pan to a platter; serves six.
Pear quick bread
    1/2 cup butter, softened
    1 cup sugar
    2 large eggs
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
    1/4 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
    1 cup coarsely chopped fresh pears, not peeled
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients; add to egg mixture, alternating with yogurt. Stir in pears and vanilla. Pour into buttered or cooking-sprayed 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Bake about one hour or until it tests done.
Fresh pear crisp filling:
    12 firm pears, peeled, cored and sliced
    1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1-1/2 cups sugar
Topping:
    1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
    2/3 cup honey
    4 cups rolled oats
    1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup chopped pecans
    2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    1 teaspoon ground ginger
    1 teaspoon salt
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pear slices in large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix in flour and sugar, gently tossing to combine with the fruit. Spoon the pears into a 9-by-13 inch pan that is buttered or coated with cooking spray.
    For topping, combine butter and honey and melt together in a saucepan. In a large bowl, mix together oats, flour, pecans, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Add honey-butter mixture and stir to combine. Sprinkle topping over pears and bake until top is browned and fruit is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes; serves 12 to 16 people.
Poached pears with cranberry juice
    6 firm ripe pears
    2 cups cranberry-apple juice
    1/2 cup water
    1 cinnamon stick
    Wash and peel pears. Slice into medium-size wedges. In large a saucepan, combine pears, cranberry-apple juice, water and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Reduce heat and simmer until pears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Carefully spoon out pears to a non-metallic bowl. Discard cinnamon stick. Bring juice to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 20 minutes or until juice measures about 1-1/2 cups liquid. Pour over pears; refrigerate until chilled, stirring occasionally. Serve as side dish or as a dessert topping for ice cream and/or pound cake; serves six to 12 people.

    Portia Little is the author of six cookbooks, including “New England Seashore Recipes & Rhyme,” “Bread Pudding Bliss” and “The Easy Vegetarian.” You can contact her at pann-tree@msn.com.