Chronicle Books Blog

This week’s guest blogger is Tom Hudgens, author of the phenomenal The Commonsense Kitchen. Tom attended and cooked at Deep Springs College, where the recipes featured in The Commonsense Kitchen originated.

David Tanis, the author of A Platter of Figs, who worked with Tom at Chez Panisse, has this to say about the book:
“Tom’s talent is to find the simple beauty in all experiences—frying eggs, slicing onions, baking bread—and he generously shares his kitchen wisdom.”

Let us know what you think of this week’s recipes—are you intrigued to make them? Leave a comment and be eligible to win a copy of the book.

Pears and Chocolate

Many years ago, traveling at night in a gritty little city far from home, I came across an unassuming Italian-style ice cream shop that offered only a few flavors of gelato e sorbetto. I chose a dark chocolate gelato and a pear sherbet. I sat on a dirty curb with my little paper cup and doll spoon, and experienced what I immediately realized was a dessert that, if presented amidst crystal and china and linen, could be served in the finest four-star restaurant. Tasted individually, the flavors were rich and true. The chocolate was deep, dark, and just sweet enough, and the pear was a revelation—a fresh, ripe pear’s characteristic texture and aroma, perfectly captured. But these flavors were more than the sum of their parts. Tasted together, the effect was amazing. Although the delicate scent of pear is easily overshadowed, somehow the chocolate flattered it, heightened it, showed it off. The refreshing flavor of pear, in turn, completed the chocolate. A happy sort of Fred-and-Ginger chemistry played between them. Each made you love the other more.

Here is my homage to that memory, two recipes from The Commonsense Kitchen: a splendid pear sherbet, and a chocolaty, nutty bar cookie to accompany it. Although I love pears in salads along with toasted nuts, fennel, Parmesan, and perhaps some prosciutto, this simple sherbet is my favorite manifestation of the pear. I usually make it with Bartletts, a common but excellent variety that’s currently abundant in markets. Their texture is velvety, their flavor true, sweet, and very aromatic, and their buttery color an easy indicator of ripeness. If you’ve been contemplating the purchase of an ice cream maker, now is the time. I’ve owned a simple, inexpensive countertop machine from Krups for over ten years…what do I most often use it for? Pear sherbet. Happy Fall!

For two more elegant ideas for serving Pear Sherbet, see the most recent post on Whole Hog, my cooking blog.

Pear Sherbet
Makes about 1 quart

Make this sherbet when pears are at their best, in fall and early winter. Bartlett pears are fragrant and yellow when ripe, and widely available in their season (September through December), but Comice, French Butter, and slightly overripe, nutty Boscs are worth trying, too.

3 pounds ripe Bartlett pears
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Peel and core the pears, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Heat the pears, water, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized, heavy, nonreactive pot until the mixture is bubbling and the pears are heated through. Purée in a blender or food processor. Let the purée cool to room temperature, add the lemon juice, and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Freeze in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately, while still soft and creamy, or pack the sherbet into a container, put it in the freezer, and let it freeze hard. If frozen hard, allow the sherbet to “temper” in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.

Chocolate Chip–Hazelnut Shortbread Bars
Makes sixteen 2-inch bars

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts (about 5 1/2 ounces), lightly toasted
1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (one 8-ounce package)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Put the toasted hazelnuts on a wire rack and rub them to release the excess brown skin. Let cool, and chop the nuts coarsely.

Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the nuts, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Sift the salt and flour together, add to the butter mixture, and blend just until uniform. Press the dough evenly into an 8-by-8-inch pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. With a small sharp knife, cut the cookies into bars while warm. Let cool completely, then remove from the pan.

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