Steamed Red Anjou Pear In Chrysanthemum Tea

Red Anjou pears are my recent obsession. Weeks ago, I used it in a foil-baked chicken recipe. I steamed the pears this time. Since I was tasked to work with chrysanthemums in a Little Thumbs Up event, I went with that to give my pear dessert a floral aroma.

Steamed Red Anjou Pear In Chrysanthemum Tea

The flavour turned out beautifully. It was smooth, with a well-rounded sweetness that made me wish I had added more liquid so that there was more to savour. But then again, more isn't always better! The sauce would have been diluted.

Steamed Red Anjou Pear In Chrysanthemum Tea
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp dried Chrysanthemums (rinsed)
- 1 red Anjou pear (halved, seeds removed and sliced ¾ of the way as shown in the pics)
- 1 tbsp honey

How-to:
1) Steep dried Chrysanthemums in 1½ cup hot water for about 10 minutes)
2) Pre-heat steamer.
3) Place halved pear pieces onto a steaming plate.
4) Pour steeped Chrysanthemum tea through a fine-mesh strainer over the pears.
5) Drizzle honey over.
6) Steam for 15 minutes.

1) Dried Chrysanthemums being steeped in hot water.
2) Remove seeds from pear.
3) Place sliced pear onto a steaming plate. Pour Chrysanthemum tea and drizzle honey over.
4) Steam for 15 minutes.

Heavenly Steamed Red Anjou Pear In Chrysanthemum Tea

Enjoy!

With that, Happy Chinese New Year from all of us at Sweet Home-Chefs.
We wish you Gong Xi Fa Cai!

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This post is linked to Little Thumbs Up - Feb 2016 which is organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Sweet Home-Chefs.

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Mini Pear Pork Patties

What do you think of pear pork patties served on a bed of vegetables? A healthy balance? Juicy?

I found it quite a palate pleaser and look forward to making it again! These, made larger, would make a great patty for a burger too.  

Pear Pork Patties on Vegetables in Rice Wine

The meat patty is similar to the ones I made sometime back, which I paired with buns - Read: Pork Apple Burgers. How I chose to present this is an inspiration from Nigel Slater's pork meatballs with anchovies recipe.

I must tell you that these are really easy to do, a simple case of meat mixed with seasoning, shaped into flat patties and fried.

The pear gave the minced meat a nice flavour. It is further complimented with the strong sweetish taste from rice wine that comes from the vegetable sauce. Combined together in a dish, it all ties in deliciously.

If you're keen to try, here's how I did it.

Ingredients:
Pork Patty
- 285g minced pork (chilled)
- 1 small-medium pear (grated)
- 2 stalk spring onion (chopped)
- Pinch of salt
- Dash of black pepper
- Sprinkle of chili flakes
- Cooking oil

Vegetables
- 3 to 4 Japanese Nai Pak (separate from main stem)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp tapioca flour (diluted in 1 to 2 tbsp water)

1) Mix minced meat with pear and seasoning
2) Pat meatballs into patties
3) Fry the meat patties
4) Cook the vegetables

How-to:
Make the pork patties
1) Combine chilled minced pork, pear, spring onion and seasoning (salt, black pepper, chili flakes) together in a bowl.

2) Roll into 10 small balls. Lightly flatten it.

3) Shallow fry in cooking oil until done (takes only minutes, turning once or twice)

4) Place on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Leave aside.

Note: It's easier to work with when the meat is chilled.

Pear Pork Patties

Cook the vegetables
1) Heat a little oil in the pan. Saute the garlic.

2) Add vegetables, water and oyster sauce. Stir to combine. Then, cook covered until vegetables are almost done. This should take only a little while.

3) Then, add rice wine. Switch the fire off. Stir in the tapioca flour to thicken the sauce.

To serve
Plate cooked vegetables. Place meat patties on top. Best eaten with rice.

Pear Pork Patties That Didn't Go Into A Burger!

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