Tag Archives: new zealand

Pear-fectly Packaged

Lynsey By on

The shelves of the produce departments are changing, and so is how we buy fruits and veggies. While many are looking for less packaging to reduce waste, others want convenience: pre-washed, pre-cut, ready-to-go.  For me, the decision depends on each individual item, how many people I need to feed, and how long the shelf life needs to be! This season in New Zealand, pear sales increased thanks to new packaging. In this case, the design attracted attention and also gives us the opportunity to teach shoppers about how to tell when a pear is ripe (Check the Neck – but if you’re a frequent reader here at The Pear Dish, you already knew that, right?) and share a recipe. Pear, Parmesan & Watercress Salad 4 Anjou Pears 100 g (3.5 oz) watercress 60 g (2 oz) parmesan 2 lemons 100 Continue reading →

Pear and Watercress Salad

Lynsey By on

In New Zealand, one of the most popular ways to enjoy USA Pears is in a salad.  Simple, classic, and delicious!  Our Kiwi friends sent me this enticing recipe and gorgeous photo – I can’t wait to whip up this combo.  I’ve even converted the measurements from metric to make this salad truly effortless to try at home!  As always, you can find more pear salad, ahem, pear-ings in the recipe section of usapears.org. Pear and Watercress Salad 4 USA Green Anjou Pears 3 1/2 oz watercress 2 oz goat cheese gouda 2 lemons 1/3 cup olive oil 1 1/2 oz walnuts Grate 2 pears into a bowl.  Cut remaining 2 pears into 8 wedges each, removing the core, then add to bowl.  Squeeze juice of 2 lemons onto the pears and add olive oil.  Toss, then add watercress and season with salt Continue reading →

Dinner Party, Anyone?

Lynsey By on

Entertaining this weekend?  Courtesy of Pear Panache Chef Stephen Ward of O’Connell Street Bistro in Auckland, New Zealand, you can serve up a gourmet meal with an international flair. Chef Ward’s elegant recipe is sure to impress your guests! You can check out other mouth-watering recipes from our honored culinary professionals at PearPanache.com.  Click here to see our internationally-featured chefs and their recipes from around the world! Seared Whangamata Scallops, Pear & Vanilla Puree, Snow Pea Tendrils and Chorizo Oil Serves 4 32 fresh Whangamata or sea scallops, cleaned Pear and Vanilla Puree 2 Anjou pears, peeled, cored and diced into pieces of equal size 100 ml (3.5 ounces) dry white wine 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped 1 bay leaf Pinch salt Chorizo oil 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 50 g (1 3/4 ounces) chorizo sausage 150 ml (5 ounces) canola or Continue reading →

A Simple Summer Salad from NZ

Lynsey By on

Back in October, USA Pears were featured in a summer salad promotion in New Zealand. Lucky for us here in the Northern Hemisphere, summer has just arrived, and a fresh USA Pear salad is refreshing addition to the season’s menu! Here are our Kiwi friends enjoying the simple summer salad recipe below: Make a balsamic dressing by whisking 5 Tbsp olive oil with 1 Tbsp aged balsamic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toast ½ cup almonds in oven until lightly browned, then cool and chop. Put a handful of salad leaves into a bowl, add ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese, toss with enough dressing to coat the leaves. Slice (don’t peel) one Anjou pear and add to the salad. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top. Serve and enjoy! Check out more recipes for salads and our Seasonal Continue reading →