Tag Archives: chocolate

Chocolate Pear Hand Pies

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I had heard rumblings about the glory of pairing pears and chocolate in pie. I mean, they’re both two delicious things, so how could it not be amazing? I also loved how portable these hand pies are. They’re so easy to just hold in your hand and completely devour in five seconds while watching Netflix with bae (or by yourself…any situation really). Some ingredient notes: I used a combination of Bartlett and Bosc pears. For chocolate, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but if you have some REALLY good chocolate laying around (like some Valrhona discs…) you should totally go for it. TREAT YO-SELF! Ingredients: Crust (crust recipe adapted from Four and Twenty Blackbirds) 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp sea salt 1 tbsp sugar 1 cup butter (straight from the fridge, cut into 1-inch pieces) 1 cup cold water 1/4 cup Continue reading →

Keep Love In The Air With Chocolate and Pears

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Love is in the air and few things are as enticing as the passionate relationship between chocolate and pears. These two foods may come from opposite worlds but when they meet, the chemistry is unmistakable and downright charming. The possibilities are truly endless with these two simple ingredients, and you don’t need to be a gourmet chef to pull off something delicious and creative. We can’t prove it, but we are pretty sure chocolate and pears will please pretty much anyone. As you think of the perfect way to please your Valentine, consider savoring the joyous relationship that is chocolate and pears with these five recipes. 1. Dark Chocolate Dipped Pears Move over strawberries— there’s another fruit that tastes amazing when dipped in chocolate! Rich dark chocolate pairs perfectly with Red Anjou pears, which just so happen to be heart-check Continue reading →

Dark Chocolate Dipped Pears

Andrea Slonecker By on
Valentine pears dipped in chocolate and topped with fun toppings

Move over strawberries—chocolate dipped pears are a fresh twist on this decadent Valentine’s Day treat. Rich dark chocolate pairs perfectly with Red Anjou pears, which just so happen to be heart-check certified by the American Heart Association. (Happy National Heart Month!) Decorate your dipped pears with a variety of creative options for sprinkling, like nuts, coconut flakes, and even vivid red chile powder for a kick. With this thoughtful homemade gift, your Valentine will definitely be yours! Makes 32 2 USA Red Anjou pears (about 1 pound) 1 teaspoon Fruit-Fresh® Produce Protector 8 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 70% cacao), chopped Options for Sprinkling: Finely chopped pistachios or other nuts Flaky sea salt Shredded coconut Chile powder Curry powder Sesame seeds Chopped colorful dried fruit, such as apricots, cranberries, or goji berries Fill a medium saucepan with about 1 inch Continue reading →

Why Alternative Protein Like Cricket Flours May Work for You

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What do you do when you can’t eat 90% of the foods you used to enjoy? You start from scratch and that’s not such a bad thing. Charles B. Wilson – Founder & CEO of CricketFlours.com Many of us have shared that same feeling when we look around the kitchen and think, “There is nothing to eat in here!” However, in reality there many delicious recipes that could be made with ingredients at hand but sometimes we lack the inspiration or motivation. However, a little while ago I found myself along that same line of thinking but there was actually nothing that I could eat – literally nothing. I confess, I have a vested interest in this topic, as I’m the founder of Cricket Flours. But let me tell you a little about my experience and why it led me Continue reading →

Love Your Heart!

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

For centuries, the heart was thought to be the center of all thought processes and, therefore, responsible for emotions – particularly love. If you’ve ever been in love and felt your heart pound at the mere sight of your sweetheart, this makes sense! Although we now know that the heart does not control emotion, you should still love your heart. The heart is the epicenter of the body’s transportation system; through muscular contraction and relaxation it pumps blood through every single tissue to nourish and remove waste products. When the heart or blood vessels are damaged, such as from stress, inactivity, or a poor diet, there is an increased risk for hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and more. Researchers, again and again, suggest a diet high in plant foods – whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and plant oils, particularly Continue reading →

National Chocolate Cake Day

Brittany By on

It’s National Chocolate Cake Day! What are you waiting for?! If you haven’t yet celebrated, don’t worry. I’ve dug up three delectable chocolate cakes that just so happen to include the lovely, complementary, ever-so-sweet pear. Get to baking! First up, Smitten Kitchen’s rustic Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Cake. You know you want to dig into that. Next, we have an Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake from the cookbook Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More. (This cookbook is delightful—we gave away a copy last year in an e-newsletter contest!) And behind door number three, the symmetrical, gluten-free Flourless Chocolate and Pear Cake at BBC Good Food. The measurements are metric, since it’s a British recipe, but you can find some help with that online. So, celebrate! Today you can have your cake and eat it, too! Facebook Twitter Google+ Continue reading →

Have a Heart-Healthy Valentine’s Day!

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

I look forward to Valentine’s Day every year. It’s a day to celebrate love of family, friends, and chocolate! As a dietitian, I get many questions about the health benefits of chocolate. Is it true? Well, it is no coincidence that the American Heart Association chose February as American Heart Month. Well, maybe that’s because of Valentine’s Day, but the science is true. As part of an overall nutritious and physically active lifestyle, chocolate has a place! Specifically, cocoa contains agents protective against high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. These benefits are from flavonoids, a type of antioxidant; antioxidants have been shown to protect cardiovascular tissue by neutralizing the damaging effects of free radicals. Like fruits and vegetables, cocoa is a plant food. However, how chocolate is manufactured tends to make it less than healthful. In Continue reading →

Countdown to Halloween: (#1) Candied Pear Mayem

Jenny By on

I got this beautiful cardboard stand at Michael’s Craft Store, and I’m pretty sure Martha Stewart is going to call any minute now to personally congratulate me on this work of art.  We added some new candied pears to our collection, and I’m pleased to bring you the chocolate covered pear rolled in toffee:  We also experimented with sprinkles:   And then we sort of lost our minds, as evidenced by this crazy pear and the overall state of our workspace:   All in all, it was a great time and we learned that pears make an excellent candied party offering for kids and adults.  Happy Halloween from USA Pears!   Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Countdown to Halloween: (#2) The Candied Ginger Chocolate Covered Pear

Jenny By on

Who says you have to stick to sticking boring sprinkles and generic nuts on your chocolate covered pears?  Why not branch out and use your imagination?  It’s not like you have to enter them in the county fair and risk getting a white ribbon and an embarassing comment card from the judge, right?   Visit the recipe section of the USA Pears website and you’ll see where the inspiration for this little gem came from.  What can I say, the spiciness of ginger and the sweet, fresh, pure taste of pears mingle well together.  In fact, I’ve heard ginger referred to as the pear’s most complementary flavor.   To make this little treat, just mince a few pieces of candied ginger (usually found in grocery stores in the dried fruit section) and sprinkle it over your chocolate covered pear while it’s Continue reading →

Countdown to Halloween: (#5) The White Chocolate Candied Pear

Jenny By on

I’ve decided to enlist the help of my poor, unsuspecting friends to make and post a photo of a different candied pear each day this week to celebrate Halloween.  We’re planning to use Forelle pears each day because they are small, beautiful, and well, we have a whole 22 pound box of them!  Seriously though, if I were throwing a party for kids and wanted to make candied pears I would use Forelle’s.  They are small and sweet enough on their own that you don’t even need to use a lot of sugary coating! For this white chocolate candied pear, we simply melted white chocolate morsels in a bowl in the microwave, and dipped the pears in about half way.  You can get popsicle sticks at any craft store, and then get cute ribbon for the bow.  Sweet.  Simple.  Delicious.  Continue reading →