Chef Andrea Beaman (Inspired by Northern California, Washington, and Oregon; resides in New York, New York)
Serves 4
Bosc pears are native to the Northwestern states. These large, long-necked, squat-bottomed, and dark-skinned delicacies are both sweet and tart. Not only are they incredible to consume out of hand, but they are especially flavorful when fresh-baked.
4 Bosc pears
2 cups apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
6–8 cloves
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each pear to help keep them standing upright in a baking dish. Pour fruit juice into the pan. Add cinnamon stick and cloves. Roast the pears, basting every 15 minutes, until tender, browned, and puckered. Remove the pears and place on a serving plate. Drizzle the liquid from the bottom of the baking pan on top of the pears.
Asian Pear-tini
Corrie Fukuda (Resides in Riverside, California; inspired by Berkley, California)
Serves 2
California pioneered the popular food trend known as fusion. It is a blending of cuisines from more than one cultural background. Northern California has a library of recipes influenced by the many Japanese-American families living there. Many of them are farmers. I have relatives who are still farming and selling their fruit at farmers markets. My dad and I have created this very special blended drink made of Asian pears from a local farm.
1 medium-sized Asian pear, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
½ cup vodka
1 cup De Kuyper® Sour Apple liqueur
4 cups ice
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
Pour everything in a blender. Blend well. Pour into individual glasses. Top each drink with a mint leaf.