Food

  Today's tip of the week is with Bartlett pears; the new crop that's coming into the market.

Now I love Bartlett pears, especially the new crop; look how beautiful these are when you buy them at the market and bring them home.

First let's talk about selection when you do buy them and bring them home to make sure they're not going to be mealy and taste like cardboard; Bartlett pears can do that. So this is what you want to do, and don't compromise whatsoever.

When you buy them, you see this here? It has to have a nice color all the way around. A little bit of greening is OK when you buy the Barlett pears because they do ripen up after they are picked.

Now here is the secret about buying a Bartlett pear. Make sure it's free from any shriveling whatsoever and make sure it's heavy for its size; that's also very important, but…if you do buy them and they have a little red tinge to them, that's OK. Too much of a red tinge may alter the flavor a little too much.

When you bring them home, store them on the counter and they'll get nice and yellow. When they're ready to enjoy, they should be fairly firm with a little bit of brown spots to 'em like bananas, and that's when you want to eat your Bartlett pear. If you wait too long and they become too soft, they're going to be mealy and you don't want that.

Loaded with carbohydrates and dietary fiber; Bartlett pears are great for us.

Duck Breast with Oven-Roasted Pear Sauce
Roasting pears brings out marvelous flavor. You should look for fruit that is barely ripe and still quite firm. Serves 4

2 Bartlett or Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and halved
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
Kosher salt
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 boneless duck breast (2 halves,) about 30 ounces with skin
1/2 teaspoon aromatic pepper (see tip)
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 cup pear brandy or a richly flavored chardonnay
2/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons Chicken Stock

1. Preheat oven to 500°F. Cut pear halves crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine cinnamon, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl. Add pear slices and toss well. Spray an ovenproof skillet with cooking spray. Add pear slices and spray with cooking spray. Cook in the oven 20 minutes, turning once, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, remove skin from duck, reserving half of the skin. Cut breast halves into 4 equal pieces total, about 4 to 5 ounces for each piece. Put breast pieces between sheets of foil, butcher paper, or plastic wrap; pound with a meat pounder or the side of a cleaver to half of their original thickness. Season both sides with salt and aromatic pepper.

3. Heat a large skillet over high heat until a drop of water instantly evaporates on its surface. Add duck skin and lower heat to medium low. Cook, covered, 5 minutes. Discard skin, pour off all but a thin haze of duck fat and put pan over medium-high heat. When pan smokes add duck breast pieces. Cook 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove and keep warm.

4. Add shallots to the same skillet and lower heat to medium. Cook until shallots soften, about 2 minutes. Add pear brandy and stir a minute. Add pears, Chicken Stock, and arrowroot mixture. Cook a few minutes, until sauce thickens slightly.

5. Cut each duck breast piece into 5 to 6 slices on the diagonal. Fan slices on 4 plates, and put pear sauce on the side.

Cooking Tip
Aromatic pepper is equal amounts of fresh ground allspice berries and black peppercorns.