Monday 25 August 2008

up to my ears in nashi

well, not quite, a friend in Iwate sends me a big box of nashi (Asian pear) every year, last year we only managed to eat 3 or 4 and the rest went bad and I had to chuck them out which really annoyed me. So, when the box arrived this year I decided to try making something with a few of them so none would be wasted.
First I made sticky nashi cakes - this is my own version because I didn't have everything needed in the recipe I found.

makes 12
  • 1 nashi
  • golden syrup or honey
  • 125g butter
  • 125g sugar
  • 125 SR flour (I use 90g white and make the rest up with wholemeal)
  • 2 eggs - beaten
Heat the oven to 180c and place cupcake cases in a muffin tin (I use the silicon cases they are great!)

  1. put half a teaspoon of syrup/honey in each cupcake case.
  2. cut the nashi into thick slices then use a cookie cutter to cut circles that fit in the bottom of the cupcake cases, put one slice of nashi in each cupcake case.
  3. cream the butter and sugar together
  4. add the eggs then stir in the flour, mix well
  5. add a dollop of cake mix to each cupcake case.
  6. lick the spoon
  7. put the cakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Serve warm with a dollop of cream or ice-cream. Since I used the silicone cases it was easy to turn them out, I'm not sure how easy this would be with a paper case. These little cakes are perfect comfort food for a Brit like me :o) 
I will be making more...



Next I decided to try nashi jam, I found a recipe here for pear and lemon jam. The finished product is lovely, zingy and fresh but I think there was too much water as it never really set, it won't stop me eating it mind you! I halved the recipe and it made 2 jars full, I didn't want to make a full batch in case it was awful LOL.
Then finally, nashi chutney, I really liked the sound of this with cheese, I have tried it on it's own but yet to try it with cheese, maybe lunch time today, I adapted the recipe a bit but the original said the yield was 8-10 jars, well they must have used mighty small jars, I halved the recipe and got 1 large jar and a smidgin' of left overs!
Here is the recipe I used, very easy...
  • 500g nashi - peel, core and chop
  • 1 large apple - peel, core and chop
  • 1 onion - chopped
  • 1 tbsp grated lemon rind
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp groud ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  1. combine everything in a large pan
  2. stir and bring to the boil, simmer until thick and syrupy (about 30 mins)
  3. cool slightly & put into warm sterile jars.
We still have a few nashi left, that we will eat as they are but I noticed in the supermarket yesterday bags of 6 or 7 nashi for about ¥400 so I maybe inclined to try my hand at something else, if you have any recipe suggestions please leave me a comment.

9 comments:

  1. The jam and cupcake look delish! Look at how fantastic it turned out. Nashi here in Japan is rather juicy but wow.. fab, fab jo!

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  2. Wow, I never knew the possibilities. If you check out my blog, I do have a delicious cough remedy/tea in the "natural remedy" section that uses nashi. I also personally love it in chicken/tuna salad, too. And if you ever wanted to try Korean dishes, we use it in nangmyung (a noodle dish)as well.

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  3. Yum! I am very tempted to make the cupcakes!!

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  4. Oh, I forgot. It makes a great-tasting juice especially if you leave little bits of pear. And if you
    grate/blend it, it makes a fabulous meat tenderizer/marinade. Just combine it with soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.

    ReplyDelete
  5. juice sounds great and the nashi & honey recipe on your blog sounds great. I was thinking of marinading pork with nashi, now we only have one left from the big box, might have to go and buy some more! Good job we live in nashi growing country!

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  6. Inspired by you I made a Nashi upside down cake tonight, and it was lovely. Yum yum. My waistline expands ever further!

    I put a photo on my blog if you fancy a look, but if it will lead you back into baking yet more, maybe better not look, eh?

    Thanks for this idea. It is a perfect blend of English comfort food and Japanese fruit!

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  7. i can't wait till someone gives me some nashi so I can try out these recipes!!! I love chutney.

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  8. Thanks for the 'Nashi Chutney' recipe. I made some today using a heap of Chinese White Pears I had. I used double your recipe quantities and it worked really well.
    Thanks for the great recipes.
    Andrew

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  9. YUM, YUM!
    We made the jam but instead of lemon we used lime and I must say it is one of the best jams. Thx for the recepie.

    ReplyDelete

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