As fresh fruits come into their harvest season, so do opportunities to cook them up in original combinations, in addition to just eating them out of hand.
Take pears, for example. There are plenty of crisp, sweet pears available in a variety of shapes and colors – and their versatility can challenge the cook to try out some unusual recipes. This one offers a creative combination of ingredients to tickle the taste buds, and it’s a breeze to make – it can be on the table in around a half- hour.
Peaches c0-star with scallops in a salad from “Summer in New York” (Battman Studios, 2005, $39.95). The book contains a selection of seasonal recipes from some 90 top chefs at New York City, Chicago and Miami restaurants and culinary institutes, including Charlie Palmer and Eric Ripert. Each dish is shown in a brilliantly colored and composed full-page photo.
Some dishes are madly complicated concoctions, others not. One recipe lists nine ingredients with one line of instruction: “Arrange the plate according to the picture.” The recipes are for salads, appetizers or main courses, with plenty of fish and vegetables.
Pasta With Spicy Chicken Sausage, Peppers and Pears
Developed for AP by the Pear Bureau Northwest, makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare fettuccine according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, in large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté sausage in olive oil until cooked through and browned; remove sausage from pan and set aside.
Add peppers to pan and sauté until slightly tender. Add pears to pan and sauté until heated through but still crisp. Remove peppers and pears and set aside. Add wine to pan and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to boil until reduced by half. Add sausage, peppers and pears to the wine and toss to coat.
In a large serving bowl, toss the freshly prepared pasta with the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
Scallops With a Corn, Peach and Almond Salad
From “Summer in New York,” makes 4 servings as an entree, or 6 as an appetizer.
Ingredients
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
4 ears sweet corn, cut off the cob
2 large, ripe peaches, cut into small dice
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
8 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons light-tasting oil
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet on high heat, with canola oil. Blanch corn in boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain. Sear scallops in oil until golden on one side and then turn and cook another minute on the other side.
Toss corn with remaining ingredients and place on plates. Top with scallops and serve.
