Korean Pear?! What to do?
Wow---my friend gave me two gigantic "Korean pears", and I'm a bit confounded. I've used asian pears to nice effect in a shredded salad with jicama, apples, and light vinaigrette....are these brutes in the same taste category? Any advice would be awesome!
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13 Comments:
oh YUM!
they should be really sweet and juicy with a different texture than a bosc pear (think grainier but not mushy). they're great eaten cold and some korean kalbi recipes call for them (in place of the sugar/acid).
i don't see why you they wouldn't be good in the salad you described.
skimmy at 4:20PM on 02/10/09
I think your salad idea sounds great. You can roll up your salad in thinly sliced seared steak or duck breast...
simon at 4:42PM on 02/10/09
i think you should eat it straight up. asian pears are great just as a food item.
foodinmouth at 4:54PM on 02/10/09
Just eat them! As dessert! That's what Koreans do.
Or grate them up and use as marinade for meats. (kalbi or pork rib)
LHSK12 at 5:20PM on 02/10/09
I love it straight up as well. It is incredibly crisp and juicy and sweet without being cloying.
If you were to make it into a dish, you can serve it with beef tartare (Korean style) or make this Asian Pear Salad by Iron Chef Morimoto:
http://nymag.com/listings/recipe/asian-pear-salad/
kobetobiko at 5:43PM on 02/10/09
Agreed-- straight up! Wash it and eat it. I LOVE those.
meg3j at 6:28PM on 02/10/09
Awesome!! Thanks for the feedback---They're so big, I think I'll eat half straight up, and mess around with the rest. You guys rule.
bruisedbuddha at 6:33PM on 02/10/09
Wash, peel and eat. I think their clear, clean sweet flavor would pair well with cheese, too.
Otherwise, they shouldn't be adulterated much.
fuuchan at 11:28PM on 02/10/09
Are Korean pears different from Asian pears? I was under the impression they were the same, but when I stopped by the Korean grocery store on 32nd St. in Manhattan, they were being sold separately (and the Korean pears were a little more expensive). They LOOK the same...
Emily Koh at 12:11AM on 02/11/09
I like Asian pears better, IMO. They tend to be smaller and sweeter.
Korean pears in my experience have been HUGE and with paler, smoother skin, but they tend to be blander.
That's just my experience though, it could just be the shipment of pears that I got.
fuuchan at 12:30AM on 02/11/09
Hey--I actually made a salad last night with an Asian pear and it was awesome! I took a spring greens mix, added a chopped up blood orange (they were on sale at my store, which unbelievably also had Meyer lemons!) a few sliced almonds, an sliced Asian pear, and a bit of gorgonzola cheese. Then I topped it with a creamy poppysead dressing. It was sooo good--I really surprised myself! Asian and Korean pears are also great just by themselves as a snack. One of my favorite fruits : )
gourmetgal at 2:22AM on 02/11/09
I prefer Japanese pears TBH, but Korean pears are just as good. They're all rather similar in texture and flavor, but the skin appears darker, tougher, and the size difference. Japanese pears are huge, very sweet, incredibly juicy, and...more expensive. I don't really see much of a market for Japanese pears these days with Korean pears being significanly cheaper and similar enough.
Cassaendra at 7:39AM on 02/11/09
Oops bumped Post before I finished...
Chop it up and use it for curry base, or you can always eat it with cheese I suppose.
I'd prefer to eat it as is as snack or palate cleanser between spicy dishes or at the end of a meal.
Cassaendra at 7:51AM on 02/11/09