Date Compote With Fresh Pears Recipes

Steps:

• Place aniseed on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with kitchen string to form a bag. In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar. Add spice bag. Bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes. Discard spice bag. , Add the pears, apricots, raisins and cherries to sugar syrup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until pears are tender. Stir in lemon juice. Serve warm or chilled.

Steps:

• Cut large pieces of dried fruit into smaller pieces.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow fruit to steep for 30 minutes or longer. Remove cinnamon stick and orange and lemon zest. Serve topped with whipped cream or yogurt if desired, or stir into your morning yogurt.

Steps:

• Make the batter: In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the milk and eggs. Gradually add the flour, cinnamon and salt, whisking bit by bit until there are no visible lumps. Set the batter aside to rest for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Cook the pancakes: Heat a large nonstick pan (or, if preferred, a griddle) over medium-low heat. Melt the butter, then spoon in some batter for a test pancake. If the batter is a little runny and spreads too much in the pan, whisk in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Batter too thick? Add a little milk and blend. Cook for a couple minutes until you see a bubble here and there on the surface. Flip and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and keep warm in the oven until you build up a batch. Continue with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan as needed. Note: If making smaller pancakes, leave room between each pancake for "spreading."
• You can eat these pancakes with the Red Grape Syrup, Date Compote with Fresh Pears or both.
• Cook the grapes: Heat a saute pan or saucepot large enough to hold the grapes over medium heat. Add the grapes and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the grapes break open and release their liquid, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Strain the liquid into a clean pan (do not press on the grapes when straining the liquid; reserve the grapes for the sauce), return the pan to medium heat, add the honey and simmer until the liquid is slightly thick and syrupy in texture. Grate a little lemon zest over it. Halve the lemon and add the juice. Put the strained grapes back into the sauce.
• Cook the dates: Place the dates in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cranberry juice and honey and cook until the dates are tender. Whisk to break up the fruit, adding a little water if the mixture is too dry.
• Cook the pears and finish: Heat another pan over medium heat and add the butter. When melted, add the pear slices and toss to coat. Cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the juice from the lemon to taste, then stir in the date compote.

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup dry white wine, 1/2 split vanilla bean, 1 star anise pod and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a simmer; cook until reduced by half, 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 chopped peeled pears and 3 tablespoons water; simmer 8 more minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon chopped thyme, increase the heat and simmer until syrupy, 1 to 4 minutes. Let cool.

Steps:

• Cut large pieces of dried fruit into smaller pieces.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow fruit to steep for another 30 minutes or longer. Remove cinnamon stick and orange and lemon zest. Serve topped with whipped cream or yogurt if desired, or stir into your morning yogurt.

Steps:

• Drain pineapple, peaches and oranges, reserving the juices; set drained fruit aside. In a Dutch oven, combine fruit juice, dried fruits, lemon zest strips and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until dried fruit is tender, about 30 minutes. Add reserved canned fruit and cherries; heat just until warmed through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Cut two 1-in.-long strips from lemon peel. Squeeze juice from lemon. In a large saucepan, combine the water, honey, lemon juice and lemon peel strips. Add the apples, peaches and pears. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until fruit is softened. , Remove from the heat; discard lemon peel. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fruit to a large bowl; discard poaching liquid. Stir in spreadable fruit, strawberries and grapes. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon. Top each serving with yogurt.

Steps:

• Place pears on their sides in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; arrange oranges and raisins around pears. In a small bowl, combine the water, brown sugar and salt. Pour over fruit; dot with butter., Cover and bake at 325° for 55-65 minutes or until pears are tender, basting occasionally. Halve and core pears; top with fruit mixture.