What's In Season: Pears

Apple season is in full swing, but don't let that distract you from autumn's more understated and elegant fruit. The luscious pear is in all of it's glory right now. From the sweet, juicy Anjou to the tiny, cinnamon-scented Seckel, there's a spectrum of flavors, textures and aromas to choose from. Visit your local farmers market and have fun checking out varieties you're not familiar with. Who knows? The next time you get a hankering for pie, you might find yourself peeling pears instead of apples!

Pairs well with:

• Almond
• Apple
• Caramel
• Chestnut
• Chocolate
• Citrus
• Ginger
• Vanilla
• Walnut

What to make/eat:

1. Poached Pears- Peel pears and bring to a simmer in a large pot with about 2 1/2 cups red wine, 1/2 cup of sugar, a cinnamon stick and any other warming spices you feel like adding (cardamom would be nice). Stir to dissolve the sugar and reduce the heat to low, cooking the pears until tender. If making ahead, store the pears in their poaching liquid.

2. Honey Roasted Pears- Peel, core and coarsely chop pears. Toss with honey, the seeds of a vanilla bean and a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Roast at 375 degrees until fragrant and slightly toasted, about 15-20 minutes. Top with a dollop of creme fraiche.

3. Brown Butter Pear Crisp- Make a crisp topping by mixing together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup of chopped nuts of your choice (almonds, walnuts or pecans would all work) and a 1/4 teaspoon salt. Melt 3/4 stick butter and slowly drizzle it into the dry ingredients. Stir until large crumbs form. Peel, core and chop pears. Toss with 1/3 cup sugar, 1 TBSP flour, 1/4 tsp salt and the seeds of a vanilla pod. Melt 1/2 stick of butter, swirling the pan, until it becomes brown and fragrant. Mix the brown butter in with the pears. Pour the filling into a baking dish, top with the crumble and bake at 400 for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling. Try your best to let the crisp cool before you dig in!

What's In Season: Cherries

June marks the beginning of fresh fruit heaven. And if you're like me, the dizzying array of berries and stone fruit–in season at the same time!–is cause for celebration. I wait all year long for this. But for cherries, I slow down and take pause. Could there be a more perfect fruit? Plump, ripe cherries eaten fresh out of the bowl need no adornment. And when baked, cherries go to even sweeter heights. Classic sweet cherry varieties such as the Bing and the golden Rainer are in season now. Sour cherries, ideal for pies, come into season later in the month.

Pairs well with:

• Almonds
• Black Pepper
• Chocolate
• Vanilla

What to make/eat:

1. Rinse, pile high in your prettiest bowl, and eat!
2. Bake a pie. Second only to apple, cherry pie is a classic American dessert.
3. Make brandied cherries. Macerate cherries in brandy, sugar, and a bit of lemon juice. Use the fruit to embellish cocktails or to top an ice cream sundae.
4. Go French and make Clafoutis, a simple baked custard studded with cherries.
5. Mix cherries into your favorite bundt cake or muffin recipe.

What's your favorite way to eat cherries?

What's In Season: Rhubarb

The days are longer and the air is getting warmer. As of late March, spring has definitely sprung! That means gardens across the country are sprouting the leafy green beginnings of rhubarb. Though technically a vegetable, rhubarb is so often used in desserts that it's like an honorary fruit. Rhubarb's pucker tart flavor is often tamed by strawberry (not to mention a load of sugar), but don't let that classic pairing limit you.

Using one simple compote recipe, you can make a variety of rhubarb-flavored treats. Use the compote to fill tarts, fold into sweetened whipped cream to make a Rhubarb Fool, or mix into your favorite muffin recipe. Gild the lily of a pound cake, panna cotta or ice cream by dolloping the rhubarb compote on top. You can also strain the compote and drizzle the rhubarb syrup on Greek yogurt. Or mix the syrup with some gin, club soda and a twist of lime for a killer cocktail.

Experiment with your favorite flavor combination and find out how versatile rhubarb can be!


Basic Rhubarb Compote:

Wash and trim 2 pounds of rhubarb, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a heavy saucepan, combine with:

1.5 cups sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
Pinch of salt
For additional flavor, add any of the following:

• Fresh grated ginger
• Lemon zest
• Orange zest
• Hulled, chopped strawberries
• Vanilla bean
• Rosewater (use sparingly)
• Mint
• Basil
• Rosemary

Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rhubarb is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Remove herbs, if necessary. Cover and chill the compote. Keep refrigerated.

Cookbook Photo Shoot: Behind the Scenes

Last week I drove into the wilds of the upper Delaware River for my third cookbook photo shoot. My photographer, Pernille Pedersen, graciously offered her gorgeous modern home in the woods as our location. Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes? A lot.

It all starts with a concrete plan of what to photograph. During this session, we produced specific "how-to" shots, such as assembling peach hand pies and piping meringue for individual Baked Alaskas. We also created a spectacular table, fit for a swanky soiree, featuring several desserts from my book.

Almost a week before the shoot, I started prepping like a madwoman. With my oven cranked and a fridge full of an obscene amount of ingredients, I took each recipe as far as I could. The key to prepping for a shoot is to prepare as much as possible in advance. And to make extra portions, in case anything should go wrong on-site. Other important details:

Timing

The biggest challenge of this shoot was the timing. Midwinter daylight is fleeting, so we hit the ground running the moment we arrived at Pernille's. With nine shots and just eight hours of natural light, we had to work fast.

Props

What's a cake without a gorgeous cake stand? What's an assortment of truffles without the perfect plate to display them? It may not be the first thing you notice, but a prop can make or break a photo. Thanks to my prop stylist, Michelle Wong, my desserts looked perfectly delectable.

Food Styling

For every delicious-looking dish, there is a food stylist behind the scenes preparing the food and ensuring it looks it's photo-ready best. For this shoot, I received tremendous styling help from Junita Bognanni and Amy Wilkinson.

Personality

Unlike our previous shoots that focused solely on the food, this session featured me! There were four sets of "how-to" shots, one for each seasonal chapter in the book. With the help of Amy Wilkinson, who is also a make-up artist extraordinaire, I looked appropriately wintry, spring-like, summery, or ready for fall.

Behind any beautiful photograph you see in a cookbook, there's a skilled team of photographers and stylists. I'm lucky that my team is not only talented, but a lot of fun. Three shoots down; two more to go!