Have you encountered the Seckel pear yet this season? The Seckel rates as the smallest and sweetest of all commercially grown pear varieties. So sweet is the blushing Seckel that it’s also called a sugar pear.
Try this:
1. Make a fresh smoothie: Blend coconut water, Seckel pear, Greek yogurt, almonds, fresh ginger, and allspice mix.
2. For a salsa, stir together chopped Seckel pear, red bell pepper, jalapeño chile, and fresh mint; season with lime juice and salt.
3. Pickled Seckel: Pickle whole or quartered pears into apple cider vinegar with cinnamon, cloves and sugar.
4. Poach whole Seckel pears (peeled) with orange juice, pomegranate molasses, a cinnamon stick, and a split vanilla bean.
5. Spicy Seckel pear in pastry crust: poach pears in a spiced syrup with cinnamon, cardamoms, star anise, lemon rind, vanilla and sugar. Then coat pears with a layer of shortbread pastry and bake in oven.
How to select and store Seckel pears
- Look for Seckel pears that are firm, with a deep maroon blush that may cover most of the fruit.
- Make sure that the woody stem is still attached because any exposure of the flesh hastens decay. avoid fruits with soft spots or scars more than skin-deep.
- Keep Seckel pears for up to a week in the crisper of your fridge, away from any strong-smelling foods.
- If unripe, leave the fruit at room temperature until the area near the stem yields to gentle pressure.