mashed turnips with pears

i know that the picture really is not doing this dish any favors but don't let that deter you! this is a really tasty alternative to mashed potatoes. the addition of the pear balances out some of the bitterness of the turnips and results in a delightfully light side for your dinner. we had some left over for lunch and kris gave me the great idea to make them into patties and fry them up as little turnip pancakes, which is exactly what i did. i maybe even liked them better this way. all i did was add a spoonful of flour and dollop them into a lightly greased pan to brown for a few minutes on each side. they were a little delicate but yummy nonetheless on top of a bed of baby spinach. you could just skip the whole eat-as-mash step and go right to the pancakes. your call. but do make this you won't be sorry.

mashed turnips with pears
(from vegan italiano)
ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds small turnips*, peeled and quartered
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 ripe pear peeled, cored, and chopped (you can substitute an apple if you want)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
black pepper to taste

place the turnips and garlic cloves in a steamer, cover and steam over medium heat until the turnips are fork tender, about 15 minutes.

drain and transfer the turnips and garlic to a food processor or blender. add the pear, oil, salt and pepper; process until smooth but still slightly chunky. serve or proceed to make pancakes.

*i couldn't find small turnips so i used two big ones (equaling 1 1/2 pounds) no biggie. just cut them into small pieces.

-d

lemon and thyme pear compote

i love the combination of fruit and herbs. a little sweet with a little savory equals a lot of delicious! in this case they came together in the form of pears and thyme with a bit of lemon juice thrown in for some tartness. the recipe comes from bon appetit and is paired with a buttermilk cake, which is what i did, but i think that the compote plopped over a scoop of vanilla ice cream would be an equally delicious and oh-so-easy dessert. the recipe below is to top an 8-inch cake. i have a 9-inch cake pan and felt that the pear chunks were a little sparse so if you're making a 9-inch cake i would suggest throwing in a little bit more pear. also, bon appetit provides a buttermilk cake recipe but i just went with the raspberry buttermilk cake (minus the raspberries) because, well, i love it and it's easy.

lemon and thyme pear compote
(from bon appetit, september 2009)
ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
1 pound firm but ripe Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups)

combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon lemon peel, and 3/4 teaspoon thyme in medium saucepan. stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. remove saucepan from heat; cover. let steep 10 minutes. pour syrup through fine strainer set over bowl. return syrup to saucepan. add 3/4 teaspoon lemon peel and 3/4 teaspoon thyme and bring to simmer. add pear cubes and simmer over medium heat until pears are tender but still hold shape, about 10 minutes. using slotted spoon, transfer pear to rimmed baking sheet (or a plate). boil syrup in saucepan until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes (note: mine took a bit longer to reduce). transfer reduced syrup to blender. add 1/3 cup pear pieces; puree until smooth. transfer pear puree to medium bowl. add remaining pear pieces to puree. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

to make an upside down cake, grease and flour your cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. bake until golden and almost cooked all the way through. remove from oven and let cool in pan about 15 minutes. once cool, invert onto a flat plate and remove parchment. re-grease the same pan and line bottom with fresh parchment. spread compote over the bottom and carefully place the cake back in the pan. cook until cake is golden and a tester comes out clean. let cool in pan for about 5 minutes and invert onto plate.

-d

roasted pear salad

I love this salad. It is one of the easiest and yet most elegant things I have ever made. It barely requires a recipe, is a cinch to make for a crowd, and belongs in your recipe box. It has a tangy sweetness, and when served with a nice blue cheese it really is out of this world. Make. It. Now. And share it with friends. Please. We don't need to be greedy here.



The original recipe comes from Susan Spungen, champion of simply elegant dining. Her recipe calls for seckel pears - the itty bitty ones - but I prefer bosc or bartlett pears, as they do not get too mushy when baked. You can use just about any kind of blue cheese - I prefer a gorgonzola, either mountain or dolce, depending on how I feel that day - and you could leave it out altogether and still have a great salad.

And as a little aside, I must share a little story of my history with pear. I never used to like them, and think I was traumatized by those kindergarten snack times when we had canned pear halves that Teacher Connie made to look like little bunnies. They had cottage cheese tails, raisin eyes, sliced almond ears and little licorice whiskers. They were kind of cute. And I hated them. I would not eat them, and must have gone hungry on those days, but could not deal with the texture of any of those components. If anything, I ate the licorice and left the rest. Any of you who know me well know that I still will not eat cottage cheese and have a tenuous relationship with raisins. It took me nearly 20 years to come to terms with pears, which I now enjoy, and I think this recipe, which I first made a few years ago, aided in my conversion!



Roasted Pear Salad
serves 4

2 pears, bosc or bartlett, halved and cored
1 or 2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 to 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

mixed greens or arugula
1/3 cup toasted walnuts

2 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed, halved and toasted
1/4 lb blue cheese, preferably gorgonzola

Vinaigrette
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Cut each pear half into two or three wedges, lengthwise, and arrange in single layer, along with the sliced shallots, on a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or so until shallots are very soft and pears are cooked through (i usually stick a paring knife in one to test - if the knife comes out easily, pears are done!) Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.

To assemble salad: plate a handful of arugula/mixed greens (I prefer the peppery contrast the arugula provides to the sweetness of the pears). Top with 1/4 of the pear mixture. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts, drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve a slice of wheat toast topped with gorgonzola on the side. Enjoy!

- e