Korean Pear Tartlet with Pear Liqueur & Baked Pears with Ice Cream and Balsamic Reduction!

I love what I do and feel so fortunate when companies send me products to try.  Melissa's sent me a beautiful box of Korean Pears each one individually wrapped and just ripe for eating.

Of course, when I received them the first thing I did was take a bite of these luscious orbs - they were so sweet and crisp with an airy texture inside.  Very different from the typical pear I've eaten before and equally as delicious if not better.  

After devouring one of them I started thinking of ways to cook with it.  In the midst of the holidays my thoughts were all for sweet delights - I'm a sucker for desserts.  I came up with two wonderful desserts that I know you'll love: Korean Pear Tartlets with Pear Liqueur and Baked Pears with Vanilla Ice Cream, Balsamic Reduction and crumbled Candied Pecans. 

I have to tell you - when I went to add the candied pecans to the top of the baked pears they were nowhere to be found.  I'm quite certain my husband was the culprit.  I knew I should have hidden them better, he knows most of my hiding spots now and my candied pecans just don't stick around too long.

I think you'll love both of these desserts and if you don't feel like using the phyllo dough for the tartlets then simply make the pear filling and serve it warm over vanilla ice cream.  It's sure to bring smiles to everyone.

Both desserts will make a nice addition to your holiday menu!

To find out where Melissa's products are sold near, you check out this link and scroll to the bottom left of the page.

Once you locate these delicious Korean Pears I hope you'll try the recipes below........

Korean Pear Tartlets with Pear Liqueur

serves 6

Pear filling:

1/3 cup Pear Liqueur

1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 Korean Pears, peeled, cored and sliced into thin wedges

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Phyllo cups:

6 pre-made phyllo sheets

non-stick spray (or melted butter if preferred)

1 cup fine cake crumbs (angel food cake or pound cake ground in processor)

Make the filling:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the Pear Liqueur to a simmer.  Remove from heat and add Craisins.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat, and melt the butter.  

Add the pear slices and cover with sugar.  Don't stir or shake right away; let the sugar caramelize, approximately 3-5 minutes.

Gently toss the sugar and pears.  Add the Craisins and their liquid and increase to high heat. Let the mixture boil until the liqueur has evaporated.  Remove pan from heat and stir in the pecans and cinnamon.  

With a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a bowl until ready to assemble the tartlets.

Make the phyllo cups:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325F degrees.  Lightly spray the bottom and sides of 6 ramekins or large muffin cups.

Place a piece of parchment on a work surface.  Arrange the 6 phyllo sheets in a stack on top of the paper.  Cut the stack in 1/2  then in thirds so you have 6 equal squares per sheet.  Keep the stack covered with a damp paper towel while you work, since the dough dries out quickly.

Remove one phyllo square from the stack and carefully place into one of the prepared ramekins or muffin cups.  Lightly spray each with non-stick spray or lightly brush with butter and sprinkle with cake crumbs.  (I love using the non-stick spray since it's easy and doesn't cause tearing.  However, butter will give a richer flavor if you prefer but is more difficult to apply without tearing the phyllo).  Place the second phyllo square on top and perpendicular to the first one, spraying or buttering lightly and dust with cake crumbs.  Continue each cup in same order until 6 squares have been used.  Form the remaining 5 cups using the remaining phyllo squares.

Assemble the phyllo cups:

Spoon a generous portion of the pear filling into each phyllo cup.  Bake the phyllo cups 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

Serve:

Place each cup on a plate while still warm.  If desired garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon. 

Baked Pears with Vanilla Ice Cream and Balsamic Reduction

serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pears,  cut in half seeds removed

¼ cup sugar 

4 Tablespoons butter, softened

Candied Pecans, crumbled

Vanilla Ice Cream

Balsamic Reduction* 

Instructions:

Cut pears in half and remove seeds.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with heavy duty foil and brush butter over the cut surface of each pear.  Sprinkle sugar in an even layer over the same surface.  The butter will help keep the sugar on the fruit. 

Turn broiler on in oven and cook on lowest rack until the butter and sugar caramelize and the pear starts to become tender, about 10-12 minutes.    Set aside.

To serve, place halves of pear into individual serving bowls.  Place a scoop of ice cream or yogurt on top of the pear. Drizzle with a balsamic reduction* then sprinkle with crushed candied pecans.

*Note: Reduce a cup of inexpensive balsamic vinegar by half in a small nonreactive saucepan.  Set aside to cool.  Drizzle on or around the pear just before serving.

If preferred, bake the pear covered in a 375 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes, then uncover for an additional 20 minutes or until the pear becomes softened.

Please note that the baked pears do not have the candied pecans on them.  Someone in my house gobbled them up while I wasn't looking!

I hope you try these recipes and enjoy them as much as my family has.  Don't forget to check for Melissa's products next time at the grocery store.  

Culinary Class Poll!

As you know I teach in-home culinary classes through my business At Home with Vicki Bensinger.

Since 2004 when I brought my classes into your home I've had customers ask me when I taught a particular class, could they attend. Since the classes are all privately held in an individuals home I haven't been able to honor that request.

However, recently I've been toying with the idea of hosting a hands on culinary class at a specific location (4-6 times a year) and inviting my customers to join me there.

If I hosted this, would you be interested in attending? If so, which of the classes listed below would you be most interested in OR what type of class would you like to see offered?

This is a small sampling from my culinary class menus.

Knife Skills
Asian Appetizers
Sushi
Mediterranean Feast
Sangria & Paella
Entertaining Menus - offering a choice of one of these entrees'including side dishes and a luscious dessert:
*Stuffed Chicken Breast with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis
*Individual Beef Wellingtons with a Port Wine Sauce
*Sea Bass with Roasted Vegetables

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Class size for these hands on classes would be limited!

I look forward to your reply.

Holiday Culinary Classes For Adults & Children

Looking for a fun party idea for you and your friends this holiday season? Need to come up with some creative activities to do with your children while their off school? Consider having an in-home culinary class.



Gingerbread House Making Party (ages 7 and up)

Your kids will love cutting out, baking, constructing and decorating their very own house that they'll be able to display on the mantle for everyone to see. Whether you gather up your family, your children's friends, host a holiday party or birthday celebration, it's sure to be the talk of the town.

Holiday Cookies (ages 7 and up)

Create and bake several unique and delicious holiday cookies that will WOW everyone in this fun class!

Entertaining Menu (Adults)

Show off to your friends what an incredible cook you are by preparing one of my Entertaining Menus. Or, invite your friends to gather around your kitchen while everyone learns these great recipes.

•Individual Beef Wellingtons with Port Wine Sauce
•Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis
•Sea Bass with Roasted Red Peppers, Corn and Tomato Salsa



With one of many luscious desserts such as Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes to choose from.

This is just a sampling of the entree's I offer that include a host of dishes to go with each one.

For the complete list of menus and pricing please contact me at vkb2@hotmail.com.

Southwest Chipotle Chicken and Rice Salad

Well the weather was perfect this afternoon so of course I had to BBQ. So I decided to make the Southwest Chipotle Chicken and Rice Salad. Everything goes on the pit except the rice. I love this dish in fact I just realized as I'm posting this that I already blogged about it last summer.

Typically I make this salad with brown rice but I've been using Rice Select, Royal Blend rice a lot, which comes in a variety of grains. Tonight I used one of my favorites which is the Whole Grain with Texmati Brown and Wild Rice with Soft Wheat & Rye. It's delicious and heart healthy.

I prepared the rice as directed but in my rice cooker and it turned out perfect without a hassle. Typically though I prepare it on the stove.

Anyway, here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy it.

Southwest Chipotle Chicken and Rice Salad
Makes 6 servings


3/4 cup olive oil
4 green onions, sliced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chilies*
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
4 ears fresh corn, shucked** (can also use 2 cups frozen corn kernels)
2 poblano chilies, quartered lengthwise, seeded
2 red bell peppers, quartered lengthwise, seeded

3 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups Rice Select, Royal Blend Whole Grain Rice

Whisk first 5 ingredients and 1/2 cup cilantro in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Place chicken, corn, chilies and bell peppers on rimmed baking sheet. Brush 1/2 cup dressing over both sides of chicken and vegetables. Let stand 30 minutes.

Place 2 cups rice and 3 3/4 cups water in a rice cooker and cook until done OR (Bring 3 3/4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in heavy large saucepan. Mix in rice. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Keep pan covered and let rice stand 5 minutes.) Transfer rice to large bowl; fluff with fork. Pour 1/2 cup dressing over hot rice and toss; let cool.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Grill chicken and vegetables (use a vegetable grate) until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender and slightly charred, about 5-6 minutes per side. Cut chicken, peppers and chilies into strips. Cut corn off cobs. Toss chicken and vegetables in medium bowl with enough dressing to coat; add to rice and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 6 plates. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and serve.

*Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at supermarkets in the mexican foods or ethnic sections.

**Removing corn kernels from the cob can be messy—they like to bounce off the cutting board and end up scattered all over the counter and floor. To keep those kernels in their place, insert the tip of the ear of corn into the center hole of a Bundt pan. Cut the kernels away from the cob in long downward strokes, letting them fall into the pan. (see photo in my earlier post about this recipe)

Great served with fresh fruit and tortilla chips. Perfect to bring for a BBQ. Oh and I almost forgot. Leftovers the next day are fantastic rolled up in a tortilla for lunch!

Of course you can use any grain that you like with this dish or doctor it up with your favorite veggies. We love it just like this.

Enjoy!

Cabbage and St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is this Wednesday and each year on this day millions of people buy cabbage and prepare it in a variety of ways. From plain simple cole slaw, to stuffed cabbage, corned beef and cabbage, in soups like cabbage borscht and even in those delicious Reuben Sandwiches.

But what do you actually know about this vegetable?

This underrated, inexpensive veggie is at its seasonal best in late fall and winter. But it's available year-round in many varieties. Cabbage is grown throughout the United States.

Cabbage is a member of the Cruciferae family and is loaded with vitamin C and fiber. Relatives include kale, broccoli, collards, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. The three main cabbage types are red, green and savoy.

Did you know that California is the #1 cabbage-producing state, harvesting nearly 500 million pounds in 2009? New York is #2 and Texas is #3, according to the USDA. The United States as a whole produced 2.3 billion pounds. China is the world's largest cabbage producer.

There are numerous ways to prepare cabbage. It's good braised, steamed, stir-fried, and grilled - or raw, of course, as coleslaw. It's a hearty addition to soups. Try stuffing the leaves with ground pork or rice (Sweet and Sour Cabbage Rolls). Blanching removes some of the sulfurous compounds people don't like.

When shopping for cabbage make sure to look for heads that are firm, tight and heavy for their size. The outer leaves should be crisp, shiny, and free of cracks. Savoy cabbage, however, has a looser head.





Here's a cole slaw recipe that I've been using for years. Add it in your Fish Tacos, Reuben Sandwiches - made with Corned Beef, Turkey or how about even Tuna? Or just have it alone as a side dish.





Cole Slaw

1 bag pre-shredded mixed cabbage
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard (depending on your taste)
white onion shredded (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix sauce ingredients together and then add cole slaw mix and blend.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

As an alternative:

If you like it creamy add some mayo or kick it up a notch and add some horseradish.

Another great condiment I recently discovered is from the Robert Rothschild Farm. It's called Onion Blossom Horseradish Dip.

So instead of adding mayo add some of this or even better yet - Instead of adding thousand island dressing to your Reuben Sandwich add the Onion Blossom Horseradish Dip. It brings this sandwich to a whole new level.













Robert Rothschild Farm, "Onion Blossom Horseradish Dip" can be found in fine supermarkets nationwide or specialty markets.

Asian Appetizer Class

Recently I had the pleasure of teaching Maggie, Nicole and Anne the Asian Appetizer class. Last year they invited me into one of their homes to teach them the Spring Fling menu. We all had so much fun.

In this class I taught them how to make Chicken Satay with a Peanut Dipping Sauce; plus Sushi, which you can see in the photo below.

Here they are fanning the sushi rice in preparation to make various types of Sushi Rolls.














In this photo Anne is preparing one of many Potstickers.





















These are the potstickers that Maggie, Nicole and Anne made with a Soy Dipping Sauce.



In addition the girls also made Vietnamese Summer Rolls with two different sauces.

Everyone had a great time and had a few leftovers to bring home to their families.

I did take videos but since it was my first time filming I kept turning the camera sideways and of course that would have made you dizzy had I posted them. I'll know better for next time.

If you'd like to learn more about the Asian Appetizer class please contact me at:
vkb2@hotmail.com