Pumpkin is all the rage right now, but let us not forget the bounty of other Fall fruits and vegetables. I love heading to my Farmer's Market on Saturdays in search of inspiration for recipes for the coming week. I encourage everyone to move past your comfort zone and pick up a fruit or vegetable that you wouldn't normally buy. You will be surprised at what creativity it brings forth. Asian Pears are one of those fruits for me and my inspiration for Dried 5-Spice Asian Pears.
I have a massive Asian Pear tree in my backyard and have not so much as used 1 pear from it for the past 2 years. The first year, I kept waiting and waiting for them to get soft like a ripe pear, only to find at the end of the season that they are firm when ripe, much like an apple, and signal ripeness by turning a golden yellowish brown color. The birds and my dog ended up feasting on them for the past 2 years, but this year I was determined to not let them go to waste so I climbed the tree and picked every last one before the backyard creatures had their chance. We ended up with almost 20 pounds!
I set out to use them all and ended up creating an Asian Pear Chutney (coming in a few weeks), Asian Pear “apple”sauce, and my favorite – these dehydrated asian pear slices spiced with Chinese 5-Spice powder. You can dehydrate them plain as well, but these flavors go so well together and have just the right combination of cinnamon and spice. Thankfully, they're simple to prepare, because we went through a whole bag in less than a few days.
So Happy Fall everyone! And remember, as wonderful as they are, don't let Pumpkins monopolize your kitchen! There's a wide array of other Autumn Squash to chose from as well as these lovely Asian Pears, Figs, Apples, Persimmons and so much more. Let the creativity commence!
amber
Love this idea and recipe, Danielle. Looks great. We love Asian pears. They are so crispy and sweet.
Lauren @ Empowered Sustenance
I greatly admire your talent to make dried fruit look this delicious! I recently splurged on an Excalibur dehydrator, and I am so excited to try this recipe!
Beth @ Tasty Yummies
Yum, I am with you, let’s not forget apples, pears and all the other lovely squashes 😉
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy
ooh that sounds lovely!! i love the flavor of the 5 spice! yum!
Jenn
Your pears look beautiful! I’m living in Korea right now and these are a staple fruit. In the US, I’ve heard them called “apple pear.” Here, they’re often used in marinades too. I’ve tried this paleo recipe and it’s very good (https://thedomesticman.com/2012/02/09/traditional-cut-korean-short-ribs/). Try one of your pears in place of the apple (or your apple-ish sauce) and you won’t be disappointed 🙂
Jenn
…oops, I guess his original recipe did call for an Asian pear! I was thinking apple.
Minou
After looking for Asian pears at Whole Foods and our two smaller “normal” groceries, I gave up and used Bosc pears to follow your recipe.
De-lish. My husband’s eye’s lit up–he eats anything I give him without asking what it is first–and he was delighted!
BTW, we DO let our fruits dry to the “chip” stage, on purpose. 100g of fresh pineapple has about 13g carbs and goes pretty fast. That same 100g, sliced thin and dehydrated, has the same 13 carbs and makes a nice pile of chips that are very satisfyingly crunchy for several minutes, satisfying the “munchies” quite nicely!
One pear’s worth of these will accomplish the same, with a little something extra. THANK YOU!
BarbMiller
Thanks for this tasty recipe! I love Asian pears but usually use them in salads. I’ve been making sweet potato chips but now I’m anxious to add these to my recipes for “treats”. Besides the typical Palo diet I also have to avoid nuts, beans, and eggs. Danielle, I believe you live in the bay area – I live in Napa so I’m wondering if I can grow an Asian pear tree in my yard. Going to check on that – and thanks so much for all that you share.
Alejandra Balanzario
Thanks for this recipe, I am sure I will make it,
Hoa
I made these last night and they were tasty. It look about 7 hours in my Nesco that has no temperature setting (just on/off). I added another hour to try to get it to the crispy chip stage, but it didn’t get there. I would make this again since I always have these ingredients on hand