Indulging in d'Anjou pears in the USA

The huge bag of Anjou pears we bought from COSTCO I love fruit and would rather eat fruit than food. So when I travel, the local fruit is what I indulge in. Here we were at COSTCO, where the fruit aisle is massive and a delight for a fruitarian like me. This time, the pears caught my eye and it was a huge bag of 2.2 lbs of the large green fruit. It was my first time I was tasting an Anjou and frankly when I bit into one when I reached home, I was very disappointed. The Rainier pears from Aldi tasted better! Then we left them to ripen and over the week I slowly descended into pear heaven. Ofcourse I wanted to learn all about them and got onto my favourite google to do that. Anjou, also know as d'Anjou pears are thought to have originated in Belgium, and they are named after the Anjou region in France. The variety was introduced in England early in the 19th century. Called Beurré d' Anjou, they were introduced in America in about 1842. The Green Anjou (pronounced ON-ju) pears are recognizable for their egg-shaped appearance, having a larger spherical lower portion that begins a gradual taper above the mid-point to a narrower rounded top. Their skin color is bright green, and sometimes has a soft red blush. The skin color shows only very subtle colour change while ripening.

Around 9 large pears come in a bag These are seasonal apparently and the harvest for Green Anjou pears begins in the fall and they arrive in produce departments in late September or early October. They are the most widely available variety through the summer. Many professional chefs choose the Anjou pear for their menus for their nearly year-round availability, as well as for their versatility in culinary uses. Green Anjou pears are PEAR-fect for just about any use, from slicing fresh into salads to baking into pies to pureeing for sauces and beverages. Interestingly the Anjou pear does not change colour as it ripens. Green Anjous will remain green even when fully ripe and tend to give under finger pressure. I just ripened the Anjou pears at room temperature. From COSTCO where we bought them firm and quite raw, Anjou pears may take between three and five days to become fully ripe. Once ripe, you can store them in the refrigerator, where the ripening process will be slowed for a few more days. According to the net one has to check the neck for ripeness by gently pressing the thumb near the stem end of the pear. When it gives slightly, the pear is ripe. Why do you “Check the Neck?” was my question. Because pears ripen from the inside out, and the neck is the narrowest part of the pear, which is closest to the core.

They took a week to ripen to their full deliciousness If you wait for the wider, bottom half of the pear to become soft to the touch, you’ll find the inside to be over-ripe. When that happens, though the mouth-feel may not be perfect for eating fresh, this is the perfect time for your super-ripe pear to be pureed into a tasty smoothie! The Anjou is truly an all-purpose pear. They are juicy when ripe, and their subtle sweetness hints at a refreshing lemon-lime flavor. Their dense flesh holds up well in heated applications like baking, poaching, roasting, or grilling and they are delicious when sliced fresh in salads or eaten as an out-of-hand snack. Most of our D'Anjou pears are grown in Oregon and Washington. As they ripen they become more juicy to eat and so I would stand over a basin or use a big, thick tissue like a child under my chin to catch the juice that dribble out as I bit into their sweet flesh.