HIP 2B PEAR™!

Juicy and sweet, with a soft, buttery yet somewhat grainy texture, the white to cream-colored flesh of pears was once referred to as the "gift of the gods". Although the season for pears runs from August through October, there is a variety of pear available year-round because of the seasonal variations amongst the different varieties

Pears are members of the rose family and related to the apple and the quince. Pears generally have a large round bottom that tapers towards the top. Depending upon the variety, their paper-thin skins can either be yellow, green, brown, red or a combination of two or more of these colors. Like apples, pears have a core that features several seeds.

Hip 2B PeaR™ is a our Tastybaby Flavor-of-the-Month so we have come up with a plethora of delicious recipes featuring our favorite pear flavor!

FOR THANKSGIVING....

Hip 2B Pear® Cider Gravy
Ingredients:

6 tablespoons organic unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups organic low-sodium chicken broth, at room temperature
8 medium fresh sage leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 medium dried bay leaf
1 1/2 cups organic apple cider
3 containers of Tastybaby “Hip 2 B Pear,” defrosted

Our Tasty Recipe:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When butter foams, add flour and whisk continuously until well combined, about 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth until smooth, add herbs and Tastybaby pear purée, and bring to a simmer. Pour off as much grease as you can from the turkey roasting pan without removing any of the pan juices and set the pan over two burners over medium heat. When pan juices begin to sizzle, slowly pour in apple cider and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a flat spatula. Add cider mixture to gravy and stir to combine. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.

Cranberry Hip 2B Pear® Relish
Ingredients:

3 containers of Tastybaby “Hip 2 B Pear,” defrosted
½ cup of organic orange juice
¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
1 inch piece of fresh grated ginger
1 cinnamon stick
2 12-oz bags of fresh organic cranberries
1 firm, ripe organic pear diced finely

Our Tasty Recipe:
Heat Tastybaby “Hip 2 B Pear” defrosted puree, orange juice, vinegar, ginger, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan over medium-high heat stirring occasionally.  Add cranberries and pear.  Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes or until most cranberries have popped and the relish begins to thicken.  Discard ginger and cinnamon stick.  Chill in refrigerator for 3-4 days before serving.

Hip 2B Pear®, Prosciutto & Hazelnut Stuffing
Ingredients:

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into ribbons
2 cups organic chopped onion
2 cups organic diced fennel bulb
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
8 cups stale baguette, preferably multi-grain (not sourdough), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 containers of Tastybaby “Hip 2 B Pear,” defrosted
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Our Tasty Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto; cook, stirring, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
3. Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel and shallot and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add sage, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Transfer everything to a large bowl and gently stir in bread, pear puree, parsley, hazelnuts and the prosciutto. Add broth; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the prepared baking dish; cover with foil.
4. Bake for 40 minutes; remove the foil and bake until the top is beginning to crisp, 25 to 30 minutes more

For more great Thanksgiving recipes, click here.

FOR ANYTIME....

Hip 2B Pear™ & Bleu Cheese Puffs
Ingredients
1/2  (17.3-ounce) package puff pastry (1 sheet)
1 container of Hip 2B Pear™ frozen organic baby food, defrosted
4 oz.  crumbled Blue Cheese
Dried cherries or cranberries

Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F. Roll thawed pasty out into a 14-inch square on a lightly floured board. Cut into 36 equal squares. Place each in a mini muffin pan. Place equal amounts of pear puree and blue cheese in pastry-lined cups. Top each with 2 to 3 dried cherries or cranberries. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Makes 36 puffs.

Mixed Greens with Gorgonzola, Hazelnuts & Hip 2B Pear™ Vinaigrette

Ingredients
for the vinaigrette...
1 container of Hip 2B Pear™ frozen organic baby food, defrosted
1/2 cup white wine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/4 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

for the salad...
a nice combination of lettuces, radicchio, spinach, or other wild greens
thin slices of pear
thin slices of sweet red onion
crumbled gorgonzola cheese
a handful of toasted hazelnuts

Add the Hip 2B Pear, garlic, mustard, rice wine vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper and blend thoroughly. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil slowly until you achieve a thick, emulsified dressing. In a large mixing bowl, combine the greens with several tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Arrange the greens on a large serving platter. Lay the slices of pear and red onion on the greens in an attractive manner. Top the salad with the cheese and nuts and serve.  Makes about 1 cup of dressing

Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Hip 2B Pear™ Port Sauce

Ingredients
2 lbs pork tenderloin
1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 1/4 cups ruby port
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 containers of Hip 2B Pear™ frozen organic baby food, defrosted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse pork and pat dry; sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add pork to skillet and cook over medium heat until browned on all sides. Remove pork from skillet and place in a large shallow baking pan. Place in oven and bake until pork reaches 170 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, add port, orange juice and mustard to skillet, whisking until smooth. Add pear puree and cook over medium heat until liquid has reduced by about half. Add cooked pork to skillet along with any juices and cook for several minutes more. Slice pork and place on a serving platter; pour sauce over top. Garnish with fresh pear slices and thyme sprigs.

Hip 2B Pear™ Ice Cream

Ingredients
4 ccontainers of Hip 2B Pear™ frozen organic baby food, defrosted
6 large organic egg yolks
¾ cup of sugar
2 cups of organic whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Bring 1 cup cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk hot cream into yolk mixture. Return to same saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into mixture; add bean. Stir over low heat until custard thickens, about 7 minutes (do not boil). Pour through strainer into bowl. Mix in remaining 1 cup cream. Cool 15 minutes. Add pear puree to custard and whisk until blended.  Chill custard until cold. Transfer custard to ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Kid-Friendly Hip 2B Pear™ Danish
Ingredients
3 containers of Hip 2B Pear™ frozen organic baby food, defrosted
1 package of puff pastry
5 organic pears, finely sliced
Powdered sugar

Thaw pastry shell and bake according to packages direction.  Once pastry cools, spread pear puree liberally over pastry.  Neatly arrange sliced pears and dust with powdered sugar.