I'm joining Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays community today because I actually have something to contribute. My family will be the first to tell you that my culinary skills have never been noteworthy and coping with chronic illness the past couple of years has done nothing to motivate me to improve them.
Emily, however, loves to find new recipes, and in her excitement about the return of college football, she perused online magazines for tailgatting recipes and found this recipe from Southern Living for sautéed brown sugar pears. We've made it twice and think it's a keeper. It's quick, easy, and different. I've eaten pears like an apple and as a salad with mayo and cheddar cheese, but never as a dessert.
If you follow the link to the original recipe, you'll see I tweaked it. I approach recipes much like craft tutorials and ideas for decorating - they stimulate my creativity, but I seldom follow them exactly. It sounds like I have difficulty following directions, doesn't it? Hmmm....
1. Squeeze the juice of one large lemon into a small bowl and remove the seeds.
2. Peel and slice into eighths 5-6 Anjou pears.
3. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the pears and set aside.
4. Over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter and blend in 1/2 cup of brown sugar in a large skillet {I use a cast iron skillet}. Stir until smooth and well-blended.
5. Stir in the pear slices, reduce heat to low....
....stirring frequently while continuing to cook for about 8 minutes {until the pears are the desired tenderness}.
6. Mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch in an equal amount of cold water and stir until the pear mixture is thick and bubbly.
6. Remove from heat and stir in 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
Serve warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and gingersnaps.
