The Great Book of Pears

As I tested and sampled recipes from this book, my husband and I began to wax poetic on the subject of pears. We commended the fine fellow who pulled the first pear from the tree, and applauded every chef behind him who found
new and inventive ways to work these gems into a recipe. Let Barbara Flores be no exception.

This is a cookbook under the guise of good reading. After trying several recipes, bent over the kitchen counter reading snippets of the fascinating History chapter, the illuminating Forward (written by Chez Panisse co-owner and former pastry chef Lindsey Remolif Shere), and then perusing the beautifully illustrated pages detailing the different pears, their
individual leaves, and multitudes of uses, I finally broke down and curled up with the book one evening. What a treat to find a good read within the pages of a cookbook!

This book is as much a resource as it is a guide for cooking with pears. The chapter Pears in the Garden brings together the collaboration of the author and her pear-growing husband. Illustrations of proper pear growing are mingled with pertinent questions and answers regarding the subject from planting to harvest.

In the recipes chapter, we took Barbara up on her offer of Grilled Pear, Chile, and Asiago Quesadillas, and murmured approval while battling each other for the last morsel. I made the Pear Upside-Down Cake for guests,
and was left with crumbs. I put up several jars of the Gourmet Pear Preserves kept one, and gave the others as gifts. Big mistake. Ive since been chastised, and am "forced" to make a new batch!

Im very pleased to add this book to my collection. Some of the pages are already sticking together& the sign of approval in this chef's kitchen! I gladly recommend this creative and innovative cookbook.