Rosemary, Pear & Vanilla and Pop Tarts

QUITE THE PEAR

Yesterday I had the privilege of creating content for my friends at Misfit Juicery- one of my favorite socially driven business. Their mission is to salvage unwanted fruits and veggies (a misshapen apple, or a lemon with a bruise) and turn them into a 21st century commodity, a staple product in every health conscious millenial's refrigerator- juice! 

In many ways, it was Ann & Phil (founders of Misfit) who inspired me to rethink my actions in the kitchen. According to the USDA, over 40% of food produced here in the US never makes it to market. Even more shocking, 1/4 of the food that consumers purchase and bring back to their personal kitchens ends up being thrown out, and 97% of that waste rots in landfills, producing air toxic methane. Our food waste system creates incredible pressures on our environment, and ourselves. In a very real way, it presents us with a paradoxical moral dilemma. How can we allow so much food to be wasted, when so many are hungry?

Over the past 3 months, I've gotten the opportunity to photograph and film food in a variety of settings. The only thing that has troubled me at these shoots is baring witness to heaps of wasted food. With these images seared into my brain, and the fact that I was shooting next to a food waste guru, I was doubly aware of my responsibility to do my part in preventing such a cycle. My apartment looked like the Garden of Eden yesterday - every surface occupied by a cornucopia of oddly shaped veggies. I made a promise to myself then and there to utilize each morsel of produce from this shoot, and beyond. After all, change begins at home.

Here's how I used Misfit's funny looking (yet flavorful) pears. More recipes using Misfit produce to come. Enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS

• pears, cored and diced
• 1 vanilla pod, deseeded
• 1 stalk of rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbs of red or white wine
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 2 cups flour whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tbs of rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbs of maple syrup
• 10 tbs. cold butter 
• 5 tbs. of ice cold water

DIRECTIONS

First, drop pears in a saucepan over med. heat with water, vanilla, rosemary, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil. Add the wine, and reduce to simmer. Cook for 9 mins. 

In a bowl, combine flour, salt. rosemary and butter in a bowl, and mix (with hands or using a standing mixer) until the mixture is the size of peas. Then, add maple syrup and water until the dough forms. Flour a surface and roll out the dough until 1/6 inch thick. Cut into 10 rectangles. 

Place 1 heaping teaspoon of pear compote on 5 of the rectangles and use the remaining dough to cover them. Seal the tarts with a fork, and brush with the compote liquid. Slice the tarts to allow steam to escape. 

Bake at 375 for 25 mins or until golden brown. 

Pear Crumble with Thyme and Ginger

PEAR CRUMBLE & THE WANDERING 02

Since our first The Wandering dinner, Alexandra and I set out to bring people together through a shared and memorable food experience. We continued this pursuit of our mission at The Wandering 02, a dinner influenced by the early fall harvest. At our second gathering on Friday night, glasses were filled to the brim with bright white wine, and gin n' juice- our new intoxicated detox gin based cocktail with pressed apple, ginger, lemon and cayenne - as strangers mingled effortlessly around our autumnal table, and dined on seasonally inspired dishes to welcome the new season into our lives. Our table was lined with savory dishes -warm mutbucha tomato harissa dip, smokey carrot hummus, raw beets, fried olives with citrus zest, tomato, bread and cannellini bean skillet, and dark leafy green salad with charred corn- and flanked by friendly faces of people who didn't know each other at all, yet left as friends by the night's end. One of our guests was a local musician as it turned out, and graced us (after a few minutes of pleading from the crew) with a vulnerable and tender rendition of Leonard Cohen's' "hallelujah", that perfectly captured the mood of the evening- intimate, warm, and open. 

That moment was the perfect segue for our grand finale, the dessert which was warming, savory, and sweet, all in one. I've always loved making desserts in skillets. It's easy and rustic, and also creates a crusty top from the generated heat. Below is my recipe for the perfect autumnal pear crumble. We served it with a dollop of soy ice cream. 

It's truly remarkable to see months of planning, visioning, and ideating coming into fruition. The idea of The Wandering is simple, yet elusive. There are simply not enough events like this in DC- dinners that are accessible, affordable, and plant focused. And we're setting out to bridge that gap. I'm grateful to be able to co-host such a beautiful event. 

 

SKILLET

• 7 pears or apples, sliced
• 1 tsp of fresh thyme
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 lemon, juiced 
• 4 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch 
• 1 tsp of ground cloves
• 1 inch knob of grated ginger
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of golden raisins
• 1/4 fresh apple sauce 
• 2 tbs of water

CRUBMLE

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4  cup coconut sugar 
• 1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs of thyme, chopped
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375. Place all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well. Pour ingredients into a skillet. Then, mix the topping ingredients in a separate bowl, and top the wet ingredients. Bake the skillet for 45 mins - an hour (until the mixture is brown on top and bubbling in the middle). Serve with ice cream or whipped cream and garnish with chopped thyme or coconut sugar.