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10/01/2020 12:01 AMMy friend Nancy hates it when it gets dark in the evening. She doesn’t care much for snow, either. We talked this morning and she said she had to turn on the heat last night. In the middle of September, outside it was almost into the high 30s.
As for me, I just turned off the central air. I opened a window for one day, then turned the air conditioning back on. The heat pump goes by my thermostat. In the summer I keep the temp at 68; in the winter, I set the heat at 60. If people come for dinner, I pump it to 70 and, if I forget to drop it down at night, I can’t even sleep.
I love fall and winter recipes, too.
I adore pears and apples, along with squash and sweet potato soups. Last time I went to the farm stand, I got the last of the tomatoes along with pears for poached pear recipes, one with wine and the other without. Serve poached pears with ice cream, crème anglaise, whipped cream or with a little piece of cake drizzled with the poaching liquid.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Poached Pears with Red Wine
From Faith Durand, Internet’s Kitchn
Yield: Serves 5 to 6
Ingredients:
1 bottle of red wine
5 to 6 pears, peeled
1 ½ cups sugar
2 cinnamon sticks, a few cloves, a few coriander pods
Pinch of salt
Directions
Combine all the ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until pears are tender. Let the pears sit in its liquid (refrigerated overnight is fine, too).
When ready to serve, drain the liquid and place the pears in dessert bowls. (In this recipe, you can also reduce the poaching liquid into a syrup by allowing it to simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.)
Poached Pears with Honey and Spices
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients:
4 ripe yet firm Bosc or Bartlett pears
4 cups water
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup sugar
4 pieces of fresh ginger, sliced
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 star anise pod, broken in half
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
Directions
Peel pears and cut them in half from top to bottom, leaving stems intact. Core each with a melon baller or a spoon.
In a 4-quart pot, add water, honey, and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then add ginger, cloves, anise pod, and cinnamon stick.
Add pears into liquid and turn heat down to simmer. Cover and cook 20 to 30 minutes, or until pears can be pricked with a fork.
Add pears and liquid into a smaller container, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Actually, they can be served now, but the flavors become deeper overnight or a bit longer. The next day, drain the pears and serve.
If you like, reduce the poaching liquid into a syrup by allowing it to simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.