Fruit expert (or pomologist) Edward Bunyard believed that “the duty of an apple is to be crisp and crunchable, but a pear should have such a texture as leads to silent consumption.”
The new season’s pears will be ready for harvesting soon. So if you want to encounter a little of that “silent consumption” then let them ripen for a few days after being picked. Or better still, pickle them to make a zingy relish.
This relish is great with some seriously strong cheese like an Italian Gorgonzola or our own Milleens from the craggy wilds of the Beara Peninsula.
This is adapted from a recipe by food writer and chef Skye Gyngell.
Ingredients
2 pears
1 apple
2 tbsp currants
2 tbsp barberries
50ml raspberry vinegar (or cider vinegar)
1 cinnamon stick
25g butter
2 tbsp sugar
A few sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper
Soak the dried fruit in some warm water. Core and chop the pears and apple into small cubes. Melt the butter in a pan, add the fruit and cook until it starts to soften. Add all the other ingredients (except the salt and pepper) and cook for a further 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the cinnamon and season if necessary.
Store in a sterilised jar and refrigerate.
Ken Doherty is a chef and journalist. Visit his blog at assassinationcustard.blogspot.com
