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.