Fruit

Poached Pears with Cream Cheese Pecan Filling

Poached pears happens to be one of the first desserts that I made after I got married. It is a simple but impressive dessert that is easy to make and has outstanding flavour and appearance. Over the years and many moves later, the recipe for Poached Pears with Cream Cheese Pecan Filling has changed very little with only the variety of pears or locally available wine as adjustments. I prefer the elegant look of Bosch pears for this dessert, but any variety of pear will work well.

Poached Pear plated with raspberries — Poached Pear dessert garnished with fresh berries, whipped cream, raspberry coulis and mint

This dessert is an excellent gluten-free option. For a dairy-free option, use non-dairy cream cheese in the filling. For a nut-free version, omit the pecans in the filling. If you choose not to use wine in the poaching liquid, substitute apple juice or pear juice.

The poaching liquid is reduced to a syrup and used when plating the poached pears.

…

Pineapple Tepache – A Summer Mocktail

By Denise Pare-Watson

I have been making kombucha in the Urb’n’Spice kitchen for some time now, and as summer approaches, I wanted to try out some other fermented drinks that do not require the more protracted wait times between the first and second fermentations that kombucha requires. Pineapple Tepache (pronounced tay-paw-chay) is a good choice because you can produce a refreshing mildly fermented beverage in three days by using three simple ingredients: the rind of the pineapple, brown sugar (or piloncillo, which is a raw form of pure cane sugar in Mexico) and spices of your choice all combined with filtered water. Pineapple Tepache is considered a non-alcoholic beverage because it has a short fermentation process. The resulting mocktail (an iced drink without alcohol typically made from juice, herbs or spices and soda water) is a satisfying fizzy tropical thirst-quencher, which can be enhanced with a squirt of lime, and sprig of mint and a splash of soda or seltzer or even Prosecco.

Pineapple Tepache in a frosty glass — Pineapple Tepache

Tepache originated in ancient Mexico. The word “Tepache” was a drink made from corn but over time, it has been urbanized and has evolved into two distinct drinks: Tepache and Tejuino. Tepache is a partially fermented drink made from pineapple, water, and brown sugar whereas, Tejuino is a fermented drink made from corn. Tepache is made from the pineapple scraps that would typically be thrown away in the compost. Yeast naturally lives on the peeling of the pineapple and this yeast helps to ferment the tepache, so it is important to consider an organic pineapple if you can.

Pineapple has distinctive properties, including a unique enzyme (found only in pineapple) called bromelain, which aids with digestion. In addition to this, pineapple is a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals; namely, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6, calcium, iron and a high source of Vitamin C. Minerals in pineapple include thiamine, riboflavin, folate, fibre, magnesium, manganese, potassium, beta-carotene and antioxidants. When you make Tepache, probiotics are generated as part of the fermentation process. All in all, pineapples are delicious, nutritious and make one of the most refreshing summer non-alcoholic drinks that I have ever tasted. Give it a try! You will enjoy it!

…

The Ultimate Caramelized Apple Cake

By Denise Pare-Watson

Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipe Series

Homemade apple cake is a favourite any time of the year. What makes it so appealing is the versatility of how these delicious cakes can be served. There is a multitude of apple cake recipes to be found, but I wanted to give you a recipe that kicks up the flavour, texture and versatility up another notch. My Ultimate Caramelized Apple Cake uses a unique technique as well as a distinctive ingredient that is all about building flavour. This special apple cake will be a hit for breakfast, or that next coffee party, or served warm for dessert with softly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You are going to love it as much as we do!

Ultimate Caramelized Apple Cake | urbnspice.com

…

How to Make the Best Waldorf Salad

By Denise Pare-Watson

Food memories provide a vivid sense of fragrances and tastes as well as a clear reminder of the people that we shared them with. I was reminiscing about my Mom the other day. She had a very special gift that involved remembering every visitor’s favourite foods whenever they came over. For example, when Mom received a telephone call from my cousin that she was coming to see her, Mom would busy herself in the kitchen preparing a batch of her favourite coconut tarts. The aromas of the freshly baked tarts filled our home upon her arrival.

How to Make the Best Waldorf Salad | urbnspice.com — Waldorf Salad is a refreshing, flavourful and nutritious salad that generations have enjoyed ever since it was invented in 1896.

My daughters have wonderful food memories of when they visited their grandmother. Mom would always make their favourite – Waldorf Salad. They remember the diced sweet red apple and crunchy celery in a creamy dressing, combined with thinly sliced red grapes and fragrant walnuts that the girls helped crack open with what they considered fascinating tools.

Waldorf Salad has been a family favourite for generations ever since it was first invented by the maître d’ of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1896. You will love the simplicity, flavours and textures of this refreshing salad. I am confident that this easy-to-make tasty and nutritious salad with accessible ingredients will become your family favourite too!

…

Caramelized Pineapple with Pistachios, Lime and Coconut

By Denise Pare-Watson

This recipe for Caramelized Pineapple with Pistachios, Lime and Coconut is delightfully flavourful and simple to make. I have made many desserts that include the caramelization of apples, however; caramelizing pineapple is something that I have just started to do and I am very pleased with the result. It emphasizes the flavour of the pineapple! I have used coconut oil (also known as coconut butter), which caramelizes faster than butter and provides the added bonus of being dairy free. This recipe is a wonderful way to use a bit of leftover pineapple (or after making Pineapple Tepache) to make something uniquely delicious for breakfast or brunch or even as a healthy dessert option.

Caramelized Pineapple with Pistachios | urbnspice.com — Caramelized Pineapple with Pistachios, Lime and Coconut

Caramelized Pineapple with Pistachios, Lime and Coconut

Yield: 2 – 4 servings

CHEF TALK: Use fresh or frozen pineapple for this recipe. I had several spears of frozen pineapple to use up. The technique in this recipe worked very well for the frozen fruit. You will note that I used coconut butter and coconut sugar in the recipe, but feel free to substitute butter, cane sugar or brown sugar. I have not tried canned (well drained) pineapple tidbits, however, I think that it would also work well. If you try canned pineapple tidbits, please let me know about your result. Alternatively, diced apple can be substituted for the pineapple if you use an apple that keeps its shape when cooked such as Granny Smith or Honey Crisp. This recipe is gluten free and dairy free – for refined sugar free, substitute maple syrup or honey for the coconut sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ tablespoons coconut butter or unsalted butter
2 cups diced pineapple (1/2 inch or smaller dice)
2 tablespoons coconut sugar or cane sugar
1/3 cup old-fashioned (whole) oats
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons coconut shavings
2 tablespoons chopped toasted pistachios

METHOD:

Using a large frying pan, melt the coconut butter over medium heat. Add the diced pineapple, coconut sugar and oats. Toss the mixture together to coat with the coconut butter.
Stir the mixture until the pineapple and oats turn a golden colour (caramelize). Drizzle the mixture with lime juice and lime zest and allow the mixture to cool.
To serve, sprinkle with coconut shavings and chopped toasted pistachios. Caramelized pineapple is delicious served with yogurt for breakfast, or try serving it on top of pannacotta for a delicious gluten-free dessert.

Caramelizing Pineapple | urbnspice.com — Caramelizing the Pineapple

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Favourite Kitchen Tools: Spatula
Caramelization
__________

You Might Also Enjoy these Urb’n’Spice recipes:

Caramelized Prune Plum Frangipane Galette

Dark Cherry Vanilla Dairy Free Ice Cream

Watermelon Gelée

Greek Yogurt Lemon and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

How to Make a Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie

If you try my recipe for Caramelized Pineapple with Pistachios, Lime and Coconut, please leave me a comment with your feedback. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Did you Make my Recipe?

Tag me @urbnspice on Instagram and hashtag #urbnspice

The Amazing Pomelo – A How To Tutorial

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urbnspice Series

I live in the Okanagan Valley in beautiful British Columbia. Now that the colder weather has arrived, I truly miss the abundance of seasonal fresh fruit. There are a number of alternatives now available in the grocery stores that are unique and delicious. One of the seasonal fruits that are currently available at this time of year are pomelos, which are similar in appearance to a grapefruit but larger. A Pomelo is an interesting citrus fruit native to South and South Eastern Asia. What is noteworthy about pomelo – the largest cultivated citrus fruit, is that it is an original citrus species from which a number of cultivated citrus fruits were hybridized from.

Pomelo is often described as a mild tasting grapefruit. In this post, I will address some of the unique characteristics of pomelo. I will teach you how to prepare and use a Pomelo. I will discuss not only the fruit of the pomelo but also the peel and the pith – all of these pomelo parts have their usefulness.

How to Buy a Pomelo:

When purchasing pomelo, look for a fruit that feels quite heavy for its size, and is unblemished with no soft spots. It should be kept refrigerated and used within a week. The pomelo that I purchased was a sweet seed-free pomelo, however, there are varieties that are very tart. Eating the sweet pomelo fruit is a refreshing treat as it does not have the bitterness of a grapefruit and has a slight sweetness. The thin peel of the pomelo is very fragrant and useful in candied peel, mild marmalade and confectionery. The fruit of a pomelo is in its core, surrounded by a thick layer of spongy pith. Unfortunately, the pith is often discarded. In this post, I will outline a very interesting option regarding how to effectively use the pomelo pith.

…

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.