Cooking with pears

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For some, pear is just a delicious fruit, but more and more people are adding pears into their daily cooking.

The Pear Lady, Wendy Barrett, and her assistant Katie Lipnicky, a Liaison College Student, are here with some great pear recipes.

Recipe:

Grilled Pizza with Pear, Prosciutto, Cheese & Caramelized Onions

Crust

Ingredients:

2 tbsp                                    extra virgin olive oil

1 ball                          frozen pizza dough, thawed

Directions:

1. Divide pizza dough into 4 pieces.  Roll or stretch out thinly.  Do not worry if crusts are uneven in shape.  Brush both sides with extra oil.
2. 2.        Grill crusts for 1 minute per side.  Place grilled crusts in a single layer on baking sheets or pizza stone.

Topping

Ingredients:

2 tbsp                                    extra virgin olive oil

2                                 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

½ tsp                         sugar

2 cups                        shredded mozzarella cheese

2                                 ripe unpeeled Bosc pears, thinly sliced

¼ cup                                    freshly grated Parmesan cheese

8                                 slices prosciutto, cut each piece in half or thirds

sprinkling fresh rosemary leaves

Directions:

1. To caramelize onions, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 25 minutes, or until onions are soft and golden brown. Add the sugar and cook for 5 minutes longer.
2. Preheat oven to 450 F (225 C). Place the pizza crusts on a baking sheet and top with the onion, mozzarella pears, and then prosciutto. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.
3. 3.    Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with the thyme or rosemary and let cool slightly. Cut into wedges.