Christmas is coming! CHRISTMAS IS COMING! And you don’t want to be that person who shows up at a party with yet another apple crisp. I thought of this idea because of my love for asian pears: they’re in season and a tart, delicious fruit that holds up so well when baking. So, get adventurous (or miss out on something awesome). 

3 medium asian pears, peeled, cored and sliced. 

About 2 cups of your favorite ginger snaps, crushed (I used Trader Joes’ Triple Gingers!) 

3 tbs. unsalted butter

1 tbs. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. honey

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Juice from half of a lemon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and . In a large bowl, mix sliced asian pears with flour, salt, honey and spices. Pour into 9x9 baking dish. Melt butter, and pour over ginger snap pieces. Top pears with mixture, then bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. 

Note for the coolest crisp: So simple and delicious. So simple, I’m pretty sure anyone who has absolutely no baking experience could make it! Asian pears work well with the snaps because they’re really mild in flavor (the triple ginger-ness of them made me quite nervous, but it ended up working really well). Serve with whipped or ice cream!

There are a lot of reasons why pears are one of my favorite fruits of all time; even as a little kid, I’d let them sit on the counter for far too long ensuring it would end up a drippy, fleshy mess by the end of first bite.

Their velvet consistency and sickly-sweetness have made pears a wonderful baking ingredient which is often overlooked. Maybe it’s because they share a season with the apple? Or maybe it’s because they are typically eaten canned by your grandmother… who knows. ALLS I KNOW: They’re freaking delicious and should be used more often.

1 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. white flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. grated pears (about 2 medium, skin on)

6 tbs. olive oil

1 large egg

1 tsp. grated ginger

1 tsp almond extract

1 tbs. lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

1 tbs. lemon juice

1/2 c. slivered almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan (or whatever size you have). Sift first 7 ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, pears, olive oil, egg, ginger, vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Slowly add to dry mixture, and whisk until combined. Pour into your loaf pan, then sprinkle almonds on top. Cook for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean!

Notes for perfect pear bread: WELL my experiment worked… olive oil not only makes things delicious, it dramatically lowers saturated and trans fat! Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend switching it out for, say, cake frosting. But if you’re making cake, quick breads or anything with flour I would highly recommend it! This loaf was super flavorful and quite light!

Happy National Food Day! In honor, I made cheese. I mean… what else would celebrate my love for food greater than heavy cream? I think the answer is a very clear nothing. 

I would like to begin by saying I was hesitant; whenever “milk” and “curdling” are within the vicinity of each other, it’s hard for one to jump in head-first. But I will say, with the gentile, gradual curdle and a very tasty result this recipe gave me, it was worth all the pain. 

3 c. whole milk 

1 c. heavy cream 

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

3 1/2 tbs. fresh lemon juice

Cheesecloth

In a medium sauce pan, bring milk, cream and salt to 190 degrees. Turn the heat off, add lemon juice and stir gently twice. Let sit for 5 minutes total (you’ll start to see curdling/thickening). Pour mixture into a colander lined in cheesecloth, then let drain until desired consistency.

A couple hours: 

Overnight: 

Cheese, please: I’m not sure why I didn’t do this sooner. First and foremost, this isn’t the cheese you find at the grocery store. This is the stuff you can spread on crackers, on a fresh loaf of bread, on an english muffin in the morning… and sprinkle with honey. It’s absolutely delicious. Not to mention it takes about 10 minutes of work and a few waiting-hours.  I let it sit overnight in the cheesecloth, and the density was just perfect. I’m in love. 

It’s really hard for me to believe that fall time is pomegranate season. It’s, like, a huge berry! With delicious juice! And it’s pink! Nothing pink grows during fall… 

For how delicious they are, pomegranates are equally as difficult to cut open; the mess, the stains, and the wasting of the precious precious juice. So, WTF! How do I cut a pomegranate without wasting one drop? 

Take your pomegranate and cut around the bud (think removing a tomato or strawberry stem). Next, cut the bottom of the pomegranate off, making it rest flat. 

Next, you will see ridges around the edges of the pomegranate. These ridges are where the white inedible flesh gives the fruit its structure. Cut down these ridges, scoring the skin about 1/8th of an inch (no more than that, or you’ll cut through!).

You should have about 6 to 8 ridges to cut. Pull apart and ENJOY!