With all of the family and friends around this time of year, I like having a holiday fruitcake without any alcohol in it around for everyone to be able to enjoy. Traditionally, the rum or brandy in a fruitcake is what keeps it moist and prevents it from spoiling, making it possible for you to keep it on your counter all season long, so this recipe employs a few tricks to help keep your fruitcake delicious for weeks, but believe me, once people have a slice, it won’t last that long.

The recipe’s first key to making a long lasting fruitcake is to only use dried fruit. Some recipes use sautéed apples, applesauce or canned pineapple. By using only dried fruit the cake is less likely to spoil. The mix is also completely to taste and so you can increase flavors or substitute something less traditional like dried blueberries or cherries, keeping in mind to keep the volume similar. I’ve even replaced the nuts in it completely with more dried fruit when I knew there were nut allergy concerns.

The second trick to keeping your fruitcake fresh and moist is by coating it completely with a glaze. I’ve used a maple glaze here, because I think the flavors is very reminiscent of the holidays and pairs nicely with the oranges and other spices, but if maple isn’t your cup of tea try substituting some orange juice or just some heavy cream. Keep in mind that because certain liquids like orange juice are less viscous than maple syrup you’ll have to reduce the quantity slightly. The final product should be about the consistency of molasses.

Applying the glaze in several layers in what allows you to get it on thicker and therefore create a greater barrier on your cake to keep the moisture in and the air out.

I almost always double the recipe, because while it does have a few ingredients, it’s so easy to make and will last all season long, so it’s perfect to keep around the house for unexpected guests or as a last minute take along as a gift or to a party.

You may have noticed that I use paper cuffs to bake the cakes in. This is completely optional and not necessary, but I like the ease of clean up, and it’s an easy way of gifting the cakes to others or bringing a loaf to work or church without then having to worry about getting your loaf pan back. Just wrap the cooled cake, glazed and placed back into the paper cuff with cellophane and a bow, and you’re ready to bring a confection that is sure to please.

The Fruit Company :Orange Spiced Fruit Cake w/ Maple Glaze (Alcohol Free)

Ingredients:

Cake Batter

1 c butter

1 ½ c sugar

¼ c molasses

4 eggs

3 c all purpose flour

2 t salt

1 t baking powder

1 t ground nutmeg

1 t ground cloves

1 t ground ginger

1 T ground cinnamon

1 c orange juice

Fruit & Nut Mix

2 c raisins

1 c craisins

1 c dates, roughly chopped

1 c candied cherries (red, green, or a mix of the two)

1 c candied pineapple chunks

½ c candied orange peel

½ c candied ginger, chopped fine

2 c pecans (or walnuts if you prefer)

Maple Glaze

4 c confectioners sugar

1 c maple syrup

½ c butter, melted

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 300°F

-Make cake batter by first creaming butter, sugar and molasses in a large bowl with a hand mixer, first on low speed then increasing speed as ingredients become more combined. When mixture is completely incorporated and becomes slightly pale in color, beat in eggs, one egg at a time, incorporating next egg after the previous egg has become absorbed by the mixture

-Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, whisking flour spices and baking powder until completely combined.

-Combine wet and dry ingredients in sections, pouring dry into wet in thirds, alternating with a third of orange juice at a time, until just incorporated. You don’t want to over mix.

-Fold in fruit and nut mixture.

-Fill 4 well greased small loaf pans (approximately 2.5”x 7”x 2”) 4/5 of the way full.

-Place pans onto cookie sheet (for ease) and bake at 300°F for 1 ½ hours or until a toothpick just comes out clean. Cake will still look slightly underdone, but will “set” as it cools.

-Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a rack, approximately 2 hours or overnight

-Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, and melted butter in a medium bowl until completely smooth.

-Carefully unmold cakes and place on wire racks on a cookie sheet. Pour over half of the maple-glazed mixture, allowing the cookie sheet to catch the drips beneath the wire rack. Allow glaze to set for at least one hour and then repeat with the remaining glaze, again allowing glaze to set for at least one hour, or preferably overnight.

About the Author
A former baker, chef, caterer, and a forever foodie, John is now a writer and essayist, who has written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and enjoys spending his spare time traveling and collecting bow ties.

This recipe looks like it has a lot of steps (and it does), but the steps are all fast and easy and if you start with a premade crust, your pizza will be done in no time. However, before you go straight to using a store bought crust, let me spend a second convincing you of how easy it is to make it at home, especially if you have a kitchen aid. You literally just put everything in the mixer and blend. If you’re really lazy (as I often am), you can even let those last two minutes of kneading happen in the mixer. I also always use the mixing bowl to let the dough rise in. I just take it out for second, oil the bowl, replace and rise.

Whenever I make pizza dough, I almost always also make a double batch and then par bake the left over dough and freeze it for later use, it’s like having “store bought” pizza dough at home and ready to use all the time. You can also make the dough ahead and store it in your fridge covered in an oiled bowl or a storage bag for up to two days. If this is still too much work for you, I recommend asking your local pizza joint to buy some fresh dough from them. You can usually get some for a few bucks, and the results are totally worth it.

For this recipe, I do par bake the dough, since the topped pizza doesn’t have to stay in the oven for very long, but for traditional marinara sauce pizza, I just use the dough in it’s completely raw form.

As for the two sauces in the recipe, both are fascinatingly simple, in one you just blend all the ingredient, and the other, you let sit on the stove for a little while, while your pizza is baking, and both sauces are excellent to have on hand. I always make homemade pesto in the summer months when basil is abundant, but during the winter, I like to use arugula, which stays relatively inexpensive and is easy to get all year long. The peppery flavor is perfect with the sweet pears and I spoon it on fresh to get the full impact of the arugula. The sauce is also great to use like traditional pesto on pasta, or to top roasted potatoes, spread on to sandwiches, or spooned onto roasted chicken, fish, or a good steak.

The honey balsamic reduction is just as versatile, and I often use it to jazz up grilled chicken or to top bruschetta or roasted veggies.

Once you have all the pieces ready, it really is just assemble and bake. The ingredients are few and simple and so each one really shines. You get the smoky notes of bacon and creamy tartness of the goat cheese with the bright peppery arugula all there to support the sweet complexity of the Comice pears.

This is an easy recipe to have in your back pocket for a quick meal to have for guests, and the bacon can easily be replaced with toasted walnuts for an equally delicious vegetarian option. The walnuts and pears are so good together, that it’s sure to please even your most devout carnivores.

Comice Pear and Goat Cheese Pizza with Arugula Pesto and Honey Balsamic Glaze

1 large pizza crust

1 large Comice pear, thinly sliced

12 oz. goat cheese crumbled

8 oz. thickly sliced bacon, cut into 2 in. squares (about 5-6 slices)

(or 1 c toasted walnuts, for a vegetarian version)

1 c. Arugula Pesto

3-4 T Honey Balsamic Glaze
Preheat oven to 475°F

Prepare a 14 or 16 in. pizza pan by lightly coating with cooking spray or scantly dusting with cornmeal

Roll out pizza crust thinly  and place on prepared pan.

Par bake crust for 4-5 minutes on 475°F

Meanwhile,  cut bacon into large 2 in. pieces and cook on medium high heat until lightly browned, but not cooked completely. Bacon will continue to cook and further crisp in the oven.

Once crust is par baked, crumble on goat cheese then evenly place on the bacon and thinly sliced Comice pears.

Baked at 475°F for 7-9 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned and pears are golden around the edges and roasted through.

Remove from oven and let cool for a minute before spooning on arugula pesto and drizzling on the honey balsamic glaze.

Pizza Dough: makes 2, 14 -16 in. thin crust pizzas

1 T (or 1 package) or dry yeast

½ c warm water

1 t. sugar

3 – 3 ½ c All Purpose Flour

2 t salt

¾ c milk

¼ c olive oil

Mix yeast, warm water, and sugar in a small bowl and let proof for approximately 5 minutes or until the yeast starts to bubble.

In a medium sized mixing bowl or in a kitchen aid with a dough hook or similar appliance with a dough attachment, blend flour and salt, then after yeast is proofed, mix in remaining ingredients starting on low to medium speed, then increasing to a faster speed till all ingredients are well combined or until the dough forms a ball and begins to slightly pull away from the sides.

Remove from the bowl onto a slightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about an hour or until the dough has approximately doubled in size.

After the dough has risen, punch it down, divide in two and it’s ready to use.

Arugula Pesto: makes approximately 2 ½ c of finished pesto

2 c packed arugula (approx. a 5 oz. container)

¾ c extra virgin olive oil

½ c freshly grated parmesean

½ c toasted pine nuts

2 T lemon juice (about half of a large lemon)

1 small clove garlic

salt to taste

Wash and dry your arugula well. Even a few teaspoons of water left on the leaves will substantially water down the flavor of your pesto.

To toast the pine nuts, place nuts in a dry sauté pan on medium high heat shaking or stirring the nuts continuously until they are lightly browned in color and their aroma intensifies.

Place all ingredients except the olive oil into a blender or food processor (I prefer a food processor), and pulse while drizzling the olive oil in a slow but steady stream.

You are looking for a smooth, but not liquid consistency. The sauce should be of medium thickness, adjust with more or less olive oil (or lemon juice) to your desired consistency.

Honey Balsamic Glaze:

1 c balsamic vinegar

¼ c honey

Place ingredients in a small saucepan and on medium heat reduce by half.

The sauce will thicken as it reduces and should coat the back of a spoon when done. Be careful when it’s cooking not to get it on your skin as the reduced sugars in both the honey and balsamic will act like caramel and can stick to and burn your skin.

The reduction will thicken more as it cools and you may need to reheat it on low heat before using if it thickens too significantly.

About the Author
A former baker, chef, caterer, and a forever foodie, John is now a writer and essayist, who has written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and enjoys spending his spare time traveling and collecting bow ties.

I love the onset of fall – the leaves start turning, the orchards begin to fill with fruit, and the crisp autumn air gives me an excuse to break out my grandmother’s old quilts. But the start of fall also means that school’s started again, the busyness of the holidays are starting to begin, and the mourning of the freshness of summer.

During any seasonal transition there’s always so much to do, and so I like the ease of this recipe. Besides a little bit of chopping and the dressing (which you can make ahead and keep on hand for this and other salads) it’s a fast dump and mix recipe, impressive enough to make for guests, but easy enough to have any day of the week. Packed with veggies and protein, I’ll have 2 or 3 of the lettuce cups as a light but filling lunch, or add in some steamed white or brown rice to make it a complete dinner. It’s also a great make a head appetizer for a dinner party. Just keep the filling and lettuce cups separate till you’re ready to serve. The flavors only get better with time.

I’ve discovered, it’s also a great “add-in” recipe that you could add-in or substitute any leftover vegetables you might have around the house. The Asian pears are a great subtle background flavor for almost anything – red peppers, cucumbers, radishes, avocado – while still holding their distinct sweetness and crispness. Try substituting peanuts or crispy wonton strips for the almonds, or serving the whole mix on a toasted baguette smeared with a little Brie instead of in the lettuce cups. The possibilities are nearly endless. And when I don’t want to grill my own chicken, I’ve been known to just pick up an already roasted one at the grocery store and use that or even left over flank steak as a way to make the recipe even faster and easier.

Beside the ease, fun, and unexpected flavor profiles, I also love this recipe, because it’s a last harbinger of summer. There will be time for roasted apples and freshly pressed cider in the months to come, but while I can, I like extending the brightness and vigor for just a little bit longer as I make my way into fall.

Chicken & Asian Pear Slaw in Lettuce Cups with Sesame-Ginger Dressing (serves 2)

Dressing:

¼ c rice vinegar

1 T grated ginger

2 T soy sauce

1 T fish sauce (if you don’t have fish sauce, add another T of soy sauce)

2 T sesame oil

1 T vegetable or canola oil

1 T honey

½ t red pepper flakes (optional)

Slaw Ingredients:

1 lg. Asian sliced thinly

1 grilled chicken breast shredded – a scant 2 cups

1 lg. carrot julienned

3 scallons sliced on the diagonal

¼ c slivered almonds (reserve a few for garnish)

1 head Boston or butter lettuce washed, dried, and divided into “cups”

sliced avocado for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl (we’re just going to use the same bowl to toss our slaw in) place all dressing ingredients together and mix. I’ve found that using a microplane or the smallest side on any boxed grater will give you the best results with your ginger. When mixing, the dressing will remain “broken” and not imulsify, that’s the way it should be.

2. Prep all salad ingredients, slicing each thinly. To julienne the carrot, first cut the carrot into a manageable length, then into small “planks”. Then stack 3 or 4 planks at a time and cut across length wise.If you have the time, try toasting your almonds by putting them in a small sauté pan for a few minutes on medium high heat until they’re lightly browned and intensify in scent.

3. Mix ingredients together with the dressing, and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes for the flavors to marry while you prep your lettuce. While washing, make sure to dry the leaves thoroughly as to not water down the dressing.

4. Fill each lettuce cups generously with about half a cup of the slaw, garnishing with some of your reserved almonds and some sliced avocado and additional sliced scallion if desired.

About the Author
A former baker, chef, caterer, and a forever foodie, John is now a writer and essayist, who has written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and enjoys spending his spare time traveling and collecting bow ties.

Ingredients:

1 small apple
1 small celery rib, sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 small onion, chopped
1 (7-ounce) can tuna
1 Tbsp. fresh dill weed (or 1 tsp. dried dill weed)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 small pita pockets
4 large lettuce leaves

Nutrition Information:
Calories: 260

Directions:
1) Core and chop the apple into a medium-size bowl. Add celery and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add onion. Drain tuna and add to bowl with dill and mayonnaise. Mix well. Cut the top off each pita bread and place a lettuce leaf in each. Stuff with tuna mixture. Serve.

2) Prep time: 15 minutes

3) Recipe courtesy of US Apple Association

source

A rich, tasty apple filled cheddar panini recipe to melt in your mouth!

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 slices whole-grain bread
• 1/4 cup low-fat honey mustard
• 2 crisp apples thinly sliced
• 8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese thinly sliced
• cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat panini press on medium heat (if you don’t have a panini press, just use a non-stick skillet)
2. Lightly spread honey mustard evenly over each slice of bread.
3. Layer apple slices and cheese over 4 slices of bread using about 1/2 apple and 2 ounces of cheese for each sandwich.
4. Top each with the remaining bread slices.
5. Lightly coat panini press (or skillet) with cooking spray.
6. Grill each sandwich for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese has melted and bread has toasted.
7. Remove from pan and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Recipe courtesy Recipes Wiki.

This refreshing and zesty salsa couldn’t be easier to make and is perfect for welcoming the warm days of summer ahead.

Ingredients

2 cups pitted, peeled, and chopped mango
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. (Can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Garnish with sprigs of cilantro. Makes approximately 3 cups of salsa.

Click here to place your order for fresh Mangoes!

To go along with the celebration of American Heart Month, we decided to create a healthy, yet tasty dish. Our main dish was roasted salmon with a shallot grapefruit sauce, and we decided to kick it up a notch and include a side order of watercress salad with grapefruit, olives, and fried sage.

According to the American Heart Association, fish should be eaten twice a week as part of a healthy diet. Loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and protein, salmon has been shown to benefit everything from cholesterol to brain function. Combine this with the healthy citrus power of grapefruit, throw in a little ginger and honey, and you have a delicious and healthy meal everyone will enjoy.

For those that find the flavor of grapefruit a little overpowering, I would recommend cutting the segments into smaller pieces, maybe one inch or smaller. The sauce is delectable but deceivingly rich, a little goes a long way. And while the directions don’t state this, wrapping the salmon in foil to bake will help it from drying out and give you a few extra minutes to finish cooking your sauce.

If you have trouble finding watercress you can substitute with arugula. For those of you on the east coast or in the south you can find watercress at most grocery stores and markets. We are not as lucky in the Northwest. This salad is a wonderful blend of ingredients and a nice twist on a tradition dinner or garden salad. One word of warning however is that fresh sage (especially fried) is very strong; set it to the side and let your diners add to taste.

Recipes courtesy of foodnetwork.com and marthastewart.com

As the day winds to a close, guests preparing to leave, the Packers and Bears game in its final quarter, the kids playing with their new favorite toys (if they are still awake), the Christmas Feast  has reached its final course. After the outstanding, if somewhat overwhelming, turkey and stuffing combination, it’s time for something a little more austere yet elegant. No pies, cakes, or other heavy baked goods, just a beautifully caramelized pear complimented by old fashioned vanilla bean ice cream.

While it may sound simple, making your own caramel and hazelnut butter can be a challenge and you have to watch the consistency and temperature on both. You also want to make sure that you chose ripe pears since they will not soften much when cooked for only 15 minutes. If everything goes well however, you will have an amazing dessert; the perfect end to a perfect day.

Ingredients

Caramelized Pears:

3 firm, ripe Bosc pears

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar or squeeze or fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Hazelnut Butter:

¾ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted and skinned

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Peel and halve the pears, leaving the stem intact on one of the halves. Set aside.

To make the caramel, place the sugar, water, and vanilla bean seeds in a nonreactive, shallow, wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid. Add the cream of tartar or lemon juice and stir together until the sugar is completely moistened. Heat the mixture over medium heat, covered, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup begins to bubble. Remove the lid, increase the heat slightly and allow the syrup to boil undisturbed until it turns golden in color. Add the butter and swirl until combined and color is uniform.

Carefully place the pear halves in the caramel, cut side down. Cook over medium heat, occasionally basting the pears with caramel, until the sauce begins to attach itself to the pears and give them color, about 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the pear halves to a small sheet tray lined with foil or parchment paper and drizzle with the remaining caramel sauce. Cool at room temperature.

While the pears are cooling, make the hazelnut butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the hazelnuts on a small pan. Toast the nuts until they are lightly golden and aromatic, about 8 minutes. Cool completely, set aside ¼ cup and transfer the remaining ½ cup hazelnuts to a blender or food processor. Add the olive oil, sugar, and salt and blend briefly on low speed. Gradually increase the speed until a smooth paste forms, adding water a tablespoon at a time to achieve the right consistency, slightly looser than peanut butter. (The hazelnut butter should coat the back of a spoon.)

To serve, lightly crush the reserved hazelnuts with the back of a sauté pan being certain to leave them coarse. Drain excess caramel from pear halves, coat them with hazelnut butter and roll in the crushed nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or lightly whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe courtesy of usapears.org

This is the moment everyone has been waiting for all day. After the exuberant and frenzied unwrapping of presents, after the trips outside to play in the snow, after the unique and tasty starter dishes, it has come down to this; the main course, the pièce de résistance. While we like to mix things up, push fruit to its culinary boundaries and share our recipe stories, we also have a strong sense of tradition. For many Americans, no Christmas dinner is complete without turkey, and we kind of feel the same way. But while we may have chosen a traditional dish, we of course are going to mix things up and feature fruit in every aspect of this Christmas Feast.

We begin with the turkey. Basted with fresh pressed orange juice, butter, orange zest, jalapenos and sage leaves, this tropical inspired dish will become an instant classic. Basting takes work, but the result is culinary perfection; meat that falls off the bone, flavored throughout by the perfectly spiced orange jalapeno rub. While you want to make sure to remove the jalapeno seeds, the turkey is not overly spicy instead absorbing all of the rich jalapeno flavor. The sage balances the powerful flavors of the orange and jalapeno and provides that classic smell and taste. The recipe called for the turkey to be roasted at 450 degrees before reducing the heat to 375. We found this a little too hot unless you prefer your bird’s skin to be dark and crispy. Setting the oven to 350 and cooking for twice as long makes for a more balanced dish and really allows the flavors to permeate the meat.

Orange juice is all fine and good, but what about some real fresh fruit thrown into the mix? While apple stuffing recipes are common, pear stuffing is a little more unique. We chose Green D’Anjou Pears as they hold up well when cooked without having the gritty texture of Bosc Pears. This recipe was another one from our friends at USA Pears and is one of the best tasting stuffing recipes you will ever try. Call us nostalgic, but we like to stuff the turkey instead of cooking the stuffing separate. This allows both dishes to flavor each other, and the jalapeno orange essence of the turkey definitely enhanced this already outstanding dish. The amount of liquid was a little too much, especially if you stuff the bird. We actually added some left over crostini  to absorb and balance the four cups of chicken broth. Regardless of how you cook it, the stuffing is the perfect counterpoint to the turkey, and you may find yourself without any leftovers the next day.

To complement and complete the meal we chose a bottle of Sheffield Harvest Crush Cider. This non-alcoholic apple and wine grape cider is produced by a local northwest company and a favorite at The Fruit Company. Check out all of our brand new cider gifts featuring this cider on our cider and fruit gifts page at thefruitcompany.com.

Roasted Turkey Rubbed with Roasted Jalapeno, Fresh Sage and Orange Butter

Ingredients

2 cups fresh orange juice (we used fresh pressed Navel Oranges)

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

3 jalapenos, roasted peeled, seeded

¼ cup fresh sage leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 fresh turkey (16 pounds)

Directions

Put orange juice in a small nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced about 1/4 cup. Let cool to room temperature.

Put the butter, cool orange syrup, zest, jalapeno and sage in a food processor and process until smooth, season with salt and pepper. Scrape into a bowl. Can be made 1 day in advance and stored, covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Remove neck and gizzard from the turkey and discard. Rinse the bird thoroughly with cold water and pat dry. Rub the entire surface with 1/2 of the butter. Season the skin and the cavity liberally with salt and pepper. Truss the turkey and place on rack in a large roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 375 degrees and continue roasting for 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, brushing with the remaining butter every 15 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com

Bread Stuffing with Pears, Bacon, and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

10 cups unseasoned dry bread cubes

8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 ¼ pounds frozen pearl onion, thawed and blotted dry

1 tablespoon golden brown sugar

3 firm but ripe Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into ¾-inch dice

3 large ribs celery, chopped

2/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1 ½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh sage

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a deep 9-by-13-inch baking pan with the butter. Place the bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. In a 10-inch saute pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon drain the bacon and add to the bread in the bowl. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan, reserving the extra. Add the onions to the pan and saute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and saute, stirring constantly, until the onions turn golden and the edges caramelize, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the bread in the bowl.

Return the pan to medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat and swirl to coat the pan. Add the pears and celery and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and saute 1 minute longer. Add this mixture to the bread cubes, and stir to combine. Add the beaten eggs and stock to the bowl, and mix well. Place the stuffing in the prepared pan and bake, uncovered, until the top is lightly browned and crusty, about 1 hour.

Makes 12 servings.

Recipe courtesy of usapears.org