Brandied Pears Recipes

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water, and add lemon juice. Peel pears as carefully and smoothly as possible, leaving stems attached. Place pears in water as they are peeled.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 3 quarts water in a large stockpot. Drain pears, and add to pot. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until just tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 30 minutes, depending on size and ripeness.
• Remove pears from liquid with a slotted spoon, and divide evenly among three quart jars.
• Raise heat under pot to high, and cook liquid until reduced to 2 cups, about 50 minutes. Remove from heat; strain liquid through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl. Divide the liquid evenly among the jars, and add about 1 cup brandy, or enough to cover pears, to each. Allow jars to cool, and screw on lids. Refrigerate for several weeks before eating to allow flavors to develop.

Steps:

• Pour 1 tablespoon brandy into each of 6 flutes. Put 2 teaspoons bitters in a small bowl. One at a time, add 6 sugar cubes to the bitters, turning to coat; divide among the flutes. Add a few thin pear slices to each glass and top with champagne.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add pears, one cut side down, and cook until browned, then reduce heat to medium and cook 3 minutes. Turn pears to other cut side and cook 4 minutes. Add sugar and 1 tablespoon water, swirling pan to combine. Turn pears skin side down and cook until sauce is thickened slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Serve warm with ice cream.

Steps:

• 1. Start the poaching liquid first. In large saucepan (to hold 4 pears)combine water, brandy, sugar, honey, marmalade and ginger. Bring to boil for one minute, stir and turn to simmer.
• 2. Wash and dry pears. Carefully core from the bottom, keeping pear intact and stem on. Put pears in simmering liquid and cover. Turn heat up slightly and set timer for 20 min. check pears after 20 minutes. They should feel slightly soft but intact. If too firm cook for 5-10 more minutes.
• 3. Remove pears from syrup with slotted spoon. Place into individual serving bowls that allow room for syrup. Let cool. Put dried fruit in with syrup and turn to medium heat. Set at low boil slowly for 5-10 minutes or until syrup thickens. Pour slowly over pears, dividing syrup between serving bowls. Let sit while you serve dinner or you can refrigerate if you want to serve them chilled. Delicious

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Peel and halve pears, leaving stems intact, then core with melon-ball cutter and toss with brown sugar in a large bowl.
• Melt butter in a 3-quart shallow baking dish in oven, about 1 minute, then add pears, turning to coat with butter. Add water to dish and bake pears, turning over occasionally, until tender and edges are caramelized, 30 to 50 minutes, depending on ripeness of pears.
• Transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a plate, then add 1/4 cup brandy to baking dish and stir with a heatproof rubber spatula to dissolve any caramelized juices. Return pears to dish.
• Whisk cream in a bowl just until thick (before soft peaks form), then whisk in remaining teaspoon brandy. Serve pears with brandy sauce and drizzle with brandied cream.

Steps:

• Pour the brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup, and pear nectar into a cocktail shaker over ice. Cover, and shake until the outside of the shaker has frosted. Strain into a chilled martini glass to serve.

Steps:

• For Crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter and cream cheese until coarse meal forms. With machine running, pour just enough water down feed tube to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)
• For Filling: Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Mix in pears, prunes and figs. Sprinkle brandy over and mix well. Let stand 15 minutes to allow juices to form.
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400° F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 14-inch-diameter round. Transfer to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish; gently press dough into place. Spoon filling into crust, mounding slightly in center. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 14-inch-diameter round. Drape dough over filling. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Press edges together to seal and fold under. Crimp edge decoratively. Brush top of crust (but not edge) with glaze. Cut several small slits in crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake pie until crust is golden brown and pears are tender when pierced through steam vents, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Divide dough in half so that one portion is slightly larger than the other; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until easy to handle., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, cook raisins in brandy for 13-15 minutes or until raisins are plump. Strain, reserving liquid. Set raisins aside., In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add the pears, lemon juice, reserved raisins and 1/2 teaspoon of reserved liquid., On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion of dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry even with edges. Add pear filling; dot with butter., Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Cover edges loosely with foil., Bake at 400° for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly. Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Remove stems and discard and then peel. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise and core . Place the pears in a glass bowl and set aside.
• To make the syrup: Combine in a large pot the water, sugar, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Using the wooden spoon, add the pears to the hot syrup, and stir to coat well. Raise the heat under the pears and bring the syrup to a gentle boil, carefully turning over the fruit with the spoon.
• Cook the pears, turning occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender but not too soft when pierced with a fork. Watch the fruit carefully and don't let it scorch.
• Remove the pears from the heat and stir in the brandy. Remove the pan from the heat and set on a wire rack to cool. Then, transfer the pears to a glass or porcelain bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill completely before serving.