Eat This Word: Asian Pears

WHAT? Sometimes called apple-pears, Asian pears are not, in fact, a cross between the two, but are rather the pear varieties that grow in China and Japan. (For the last century, we’ve grown them in the United States as well, mostly in the Northwest.) But Asian pears, though juicy like a pear, are apple-shaped and have the crispness of a good apple. In Japan, where they are known as nashi, they are a popular autumn dessert, served in neatly peeled slices. Asian pears come in various shades of russet and yellow, depending on the variety. They may be the ancestor of our more familiar Western pears.​

WHERE? Friends of James Beard Benefit Dinner in Walla, Walla, WA

WHEN? July 18, 2014

HOW? Blue Cheese with Asian Pears