Simple Sides: Steamed Holiday Butterscotch™ Pears
Children in this country consume an estimated 12 percent of their calories from fast food and 20 percent of all American meals are consumed in a car! The consequences are predictably unhealthy. Competing schedules in the day-to-day lives of a busy modern family make it difficult to share a home-cooked meal, but possible. In fact, with a little planning, cooking together can become a fun family event and learning opportunity. This feature will focus on providing a child or a group of children, working together under the supervision of an adult, with one uncomplicated, healthy, and delicious side dish recipe. The dishes, focus on seasonal fresh produce items and will always contain tasks that allow even the youngest kitchen helper to contribute to the family meal. Parents should always read each recipe carefully to judge the division of labor based on age and ability as well as to identify where adult attention might be especially needed.
Many of the recipes presented here will seem extremely basic, this is by design. These simple preparations will provide the culinary foundation and confidence to inspire kids to try more challenging recipes as their experience and confidence in the kitchen develops. Melissa’s encourages parents to find the time to gather as a family unit at least once a week for a dinner that everyone pitches in to prepare. It is a wonderful way to teach a child some basic culinary skills and, more importantly, cooking with your children will build memories in all your hearts forever. Enjoy your kids in the kitchen, they will be grown and gone before you know it! “No one is born a great cook; one learns by doing” – Julia Child.
Here’s an easy recipe that allows even the youngest of sous chefs to participate in the holiday culinary preparations without getting under foot during a very busy time in the kitchen. A steamed Asian pear has been used as a cure for the common cold for centuries, especially in the Korean culture. However, with a few twists on the traditional ingredients, that same recipe can fit right in with the holiday festivities as well as teach kitchen helpers that an Asian pear is more that just a juicy hand fruit.
If there is more than one kitchen helper eager to pitch in, preparations can be divided easily by age and experience. First, a top is made with a one-inch slice off the uppermost portion of each fruit by a child with proven knife experience; Asian pears are not a good choice for the beginner slicer as the fruit is still hard when ripe and slightly misshapen. If need be, the adult in the room can do this task. Same with the naturally gnarly piece of ginger that must be peeled with a potato peeler [awkward] then grated. Younger hands are best tasked with hollowing out each fruit with a serrated spoon or a melon baller works great as well as mixing the filling.
The star of this dish is the Butterscotch™ or Korean Giant Asian pear, of course. While almost any variety of Asian pear could be used for this dish, the extra-large size of this variety lends itself to being repurposed into a bowl. However, the variety does not have a butterscotch flavor; instead, the fruit is named for its buttery yellow, relatively blemish-free skin tone, which is achieved by growing the fruit in individual bags on the tree as well as marketing them in protective sleeves. Dripping in juices that should be used to a baste the fruit a few times during the cooking process, the Butterscotch™ pear is a low-calorie, nutrient-dense fruit known for its high water and dietary fiber content. It packed with beneficial vitamins and minerals that will support the overall health of the whole family but especially fast-growing sous chefs. Enjoy the season with this dessert dish that opens like a present – containing the culinary lessons in creativity thinking outside box in a tasty way!
Steamed Asian Pears
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
2 Butterscotch™ pears (or any variety of Asian pear in season)
2 TBS agave
1 tsp ginger, grated
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1 TBS pine nuts
4 oz. dried cranberries
What the kids can do:
Rinse the pear in cold water and pat dry. Make a lid by slicing 1 inch off the top of each fruit.
Scoop out the core and the seeds with a small spoon or a melon baller works great.
Fill empty cavity up with a mixture made from agave syrup, ginger, cinnamon powder and cranberries. Put the sliced lid back on the pear and put it in a heat-resistant bowl. Hand off to the adult in the room for the final steam.
What the supervising adult should do:
Oversee the slicing of the pear tops. Steam the pears for about 1 hour over medium high heat in container large enough to hold one pear in pan of water, baste with juices caught in pear’s container.
Plating: Transfer to a serving bowl - serve hot, chilled or at room temperature. Enjoy!
