Sage’s Sophisticated Pear & Salmon Lettuce Wrap Appetizers

Sage’s Sophisticated Pear & Salmon Lettuce Wrap
Appetizers

This is a standout appetizer that works for any holiday event. We recommend you use the Comice pear, which is one of the juiciest and most flavorful pears available. This pear originated in France and adds the “sophistication” to these outstanding wraps!


Makes 12 Pear Wraps

Ingredients:

1 unpeeled Comice Pear (sliced into 12 slices)
12 Butter lettuce leaves
4 ounces smoked salmon (cut into 12 equal pieces)
1-cup herb flavored soft cheese spread


Directions:

Place one spoonful of soft cheese spread down the center of each lettuce leaf.
Place one slice of pear on top of cheese and top pear with smoked salmon slice.
Fold lettuce leaf up (like a taco) and place each leaf close together on a serving plate.
You may make these two hours ahead of time and cover wraps with plastic wraps until ready to serve.

Pear Ricotta Pancakes

Pear Ricotta Pancakes
With Cinnamon Maple Syrup

These pancakes are perfect to serve for any Holiday breakfast or brunch. The Ricotta Cheese makes these pancakes light and flavorful and go so well with the pears!


Dry Ingredients:

1 Cup All Purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:

2 Bosc Pears (peeled, cored and diced)
1 ¼ Cup Ricotta Cheese
4 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup milk
Juice from 1 lemon


Directions:

Makes 15-16 pancakes

Place diced pears in a microwavable container with lid. Microwave pears for 2 minutes or until tender. Remove lid and let cool.

In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and set aside. Combine wet side ingredients (not pears) in bowl of electric mixer. With mixing spoon, stir in ½ of the pears (save other half for pancake garnish) and dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix.

Heat non-stick skillet to about 350 degrees on top of stove. Ladle batter onto hot skillet. Cook pancakes until bubbles form on top, then flip and continue cooking until golden brown.

Plate warm pancakes and top each stack with a spoonful of remaining microwaved diced pears and chopped pecans (optional).

Serve with warm Cinnamon Maple Syrup-

Mix together; ¾ cup maple syrup and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Warm in microwave for just a few seconds and serve with pancakes.

Sage Pear & Pine Nut Cake

Sage Pear & Pine Nut Cake

This recipe is right from a small village in Tuscany. In the Fall the women would pick the pears and make this not- to- sweet cake for afternoon coffee.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 Bosc Pears, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes
Juice from one lemon
1 Cup golden raisins
1 Cup pine nuts
3 Eggs
1 Cup sugar
1 ½ Cups flour
1 Cup melted butter
¼ Cup room temperature butter
2 Tablespoons baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 10 or 12 inch round cake pan with two-inch sides. Set aside.

Peel the pears and cut into small cubes. Put into bowl and squeeze lemon juice on pears and toss to coat pears.
In bowl of electric mixer on low speed combine; eggs, sugar, flour and melted butter until well mixed.
With spoon fold in pears, raisins, pine nuts, room temperature butter and baking powder.
Spoon pear batter into prepared pan and bake in the center of the hot even for 40 minutes.
Cool cake for 10 minutes and turn out onto cake plate. Dust with powdered sugar and a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts.

Sage Holiday Pear Slaw

Sage Holiday Pear Slaw

We added fresh pears, cranberries and nuts to traditional coleslaw for a wonderful make ahead salad!

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

2 Concorde pears (chopped with peel on)
1 Cup light mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
¼ Cup buttermilk
¼ Cup sugar
1 large head green cabbage (finely chopped)
1 large carrot (grated)
½ cup chopped nuts (toasted walnuts or toasted pecans are good to use)

Instructions:

In small bowl mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar and buttermilk with wire whisk until well blended. Set aside.

In large salad bowl combine pears, chopped cabbage, carrots and nuts. Add dressing and mix to combine. Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. This slaw will keep in the refrigerator for days!

Sage Fresh Pear and Baby Green Salad

Sage Fresh Pear and Baby Green Salad
With Maple Vinaigrette

All the flavors of Winter in a delicious salad!

Serves 6

Salad Ingredients:

1 5-ounce bag of baby greens
1 Red D’anjou Pear (cubed, do not peel and toss with a little lemon juice)
1 Cup seedless red grapes (cut in half)
1 ounce crumbled blue cheese
3 ounces glazed walnuts
3 ounces of dried cranberries

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

½ Cup apple cider vinegar
2-tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup


Directions:

In small bowl whisk all the salad dressing ingredients together, cover and refrigerate.

In large salad bowl combine baby greens, pears and grapes. Garnish salad with blue cheese, walnuts and cranberries. When ready to serve toss salad with dressing and enjoy!

Sage Easy Pear & Cheddar Cheese Cornbread

Sage Easy Pear & Cheddar Cheese Cornbread

The very best cornbread you will ever taste and so easy, too!
Perfect with a pot of soup or stew.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups cornbread mix
1/2 box yellow cake mix
1 ¼ cups water
1/3-cup oil
2 eggs
1 ripe Concorde or Bartlet pear (peeled, cored and diced).
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large mixing bowl of electric mixer combine cornbread mix, yellow cake mix, water, oil, eggs at medium speed for two minutes. By hand fold in pears and cheddar cheese. Pour batter into a greased 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet pan or baking pan.

Bake approximately 35-40 minutes, or until done.

Serve with honey whipped butter.
(With electric mixer beat together 1/2 cup softened butter and ¼ cup honey). Beat until well combined).

Sage Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding

Sage Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding

This bread pudding is so good you can serve it for even the most important dinner parties and be confident that your guests will all just love it. I like to serve vanilla ice cream on top, but whipped cream is good, too!


Serves- 20
Ingredients:

1 2lb loaf of Panettone Bread (cubed in 1 ½ inch cubes)
6 D’Anjou Pears, peeled, cored and sliced
2 Cups brown sugar
1 Cup sugar
1 Cube butter
1 1/2 Cups raisins
2-Cups whole milk
1-Quart heavy cream
12 Eggs


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter over medium heat in large sauté pan. Add sliced pears and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add brown sugar to pears, stirring to dissolve sugar and add raisins to sauté pan.
Continue to cook pears until fork tender (5-7 minutes).
Place Panettone cubes in large bowl, set aside.
Mix milk, cream, sugar and eggs in a large double boiler (large stainless steel bowl over pot of boiling water). Over medium-high heat, mix milk-egg mixture with wire whip until hot and well combined, about 10 minutes, (mixture will be hot and thick like eggnog). Add pear caramel mixture to hot cream mixture and continue to mix with wire whip leaving custard chunky. Pour pear custard over bread cubes. Let mixture sit in bowl for 10 minutes. Grease a large two-inch deep baking dish and pour pear, custard, and bread mixture into large baking dish (17x13 inch). Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncover and bake until center is set and top is Golden brown (about ½ hour). Serve warm with ice cream. Great cold, too!