Asian Pears With Ginger Maple Syrup Recipes

ASIAN PEARS WITH GINGER-MAPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• Combine 1/4 cup water and fresh ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Cover; simmer until ginger is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in syrup, whiskey, lemon juice, lemon peel and nutmeg. Simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
• Slice pears into rounds. Overlap 6 rounds on each plate. Drizzle sauce over. Top with crystallized ginger and mint.

PEAR PIE WITH MAPLE AND GINGER

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk 6 tablespoons ice water and egg yolk in small bowl to blend. Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle egg mixture over. Using on/off turns, process until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together and divide into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten into disks; wrap each disk in plastic and chill 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• For filling:
• Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Toss first 8 ingredients in large bowl to coat.
• Roll out larger dough disk on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Transfer filling to crust. Roll out smaller dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Drape dough over filling. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang under, pressing to seal and forming high-standing rim. Crimp edge decoratively. Brush crust with milk. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut several slits in top to allow steam to escape during baking.
• Place baking sheet on bottom rack to catch any juices that may bubble over. Bake pie on center rack until crust is golden brown and juices bubble thickly, tenting pie with foil if crust browns too quickly, about 1 hour. Transfer pie to rack and cool. Serve pie slightly warm or at room temperature.

VANILLA-GINGER ASIAN PEARS

Steps:

• Cut each pear quarter lengthwise into 4 slices, and place in a large bowl. Bring ginger, vanilla seeds and pod, sugar, and water to a boil in a small saucepan for 3 minutes. Pour mixture over pears. Press a piece of parchment directly on surface, and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. Discard vanilla pod and ginger. Divide pears among 4 bowls, and serve with cookies or wafers on the side if desired.