what do i do with these pears?

[keryx]

I have pears already falling off the tree this month (which makes sense - they were mostly gone when I moved in last year in late August, so I guess this tree fruits early.

What do I do with them? I would like to make some sorbet with them and the fresh lavender I'm growing, but I don't see a sorbet recipe that doesn't involve an ice cream maker (though I am tempted to get one for just this purpose). What else are they useful for? These are clearly best for cooking/canning/processing in some way, as their skin is very thick.

I continue to dig this food-growing-in-my-yard thing. The cherry tomatoes are starting to ripen - not as fast as I can eat them, but enough that I get a nice snack when I go out in the yard.

Comments

[mermeydele.livejournal.com]

our cherry tomatoes and oregon spring tomatoes are starting to ripen also! we tried our first one yesterday. i want them to go faster so we can eat many at a time!

for pears, one of my favorite things to make is a crumble - i peel the pears, slice them, put them in a casserole dish with a bit of flour to thicken the eventual juices, and then top the whole thing with a flour, oats, sugar, and melted butter mixture (you can add nuts too if you like). I bake it til golden and bubbly, and man is it good. I also rec doing this with fresh cranberries when the come back in season if you freeze or can some of your pears, because that is a fantastic combination!

[cyprinella]

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10176 This recipe is quite good!

I've seen ice cream and sorbet recipes that tell you to freeze your liquid mixture in ice cube trays and then chop in a food processor just before serving if you don't have an ice cream maker. I've had limited success with this, but I also only tried it the one time with an ice cream recipe that I actually like unfrozen better.

[retrofizz.livejournal.com]

I just purchased a rival ice cream maker at target for $30ish bucks...currently my first batch of ice cream is churning away...needless to say I think this would be a perfect solution for you.

this is the one I picked up:

http://www.target.com/Rival-Gel-Canister-Cream-Maker/dp/B0012UZ3D6/sr=1-3/qid=1248057001/ref=sr_1_3/188-6679113-3300518?ie=UTF8&search-alias=tgt-index&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k%3Aice%20cream%20maker&page=1

[elusis.livejournal.com]

Get the ice cream maker. It can be a pain but it's worth it.

Agreed on the pear crumble suggestion. Also: pear butter, pear pie, grilled pears.

[quietdeath.livejournal.com]

It is obviouly early cause I read the title of your post as "what do I do with these pearls?" and I of course thought 'Make a necklace'. Lord help my poor poor patients today.

[turbogrrl.livejournal.com]

instead of an ice cream maker, you can befriend a mad scientist or go to a supply store and obtain very dangerous but effective liquid nitrogen. But an appropriate dewar is likely just as expensive as an icecream maker....