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How amazing that this dish, known to the Dutch as ‘Stoofperen’, which we ate almost every week when I was growing up as a child in Holland, is unknown to the rest of the world. The specific variety of pear used is not even available elsewhere!
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In season, my mother made these every week. They were the usual side dish to our Sunday dinner, not as a dessert, but as a ‘vegetable' accompaniment to our roast chicken or meat. Leftovers were generally served the following day as a dessert. As soon as I moved abroad I realized these were unavailable - yes indeed, unknown, anywhere else!! Most of my visits to Holland included a shopping trip for Dutch delicacies, and these pears were always in my suitcase when they were in season. Research tells me that, while pears were already eaten by the Romans, the only pears that were available until the 16th century were varieties that needed to be cooked. We now have many different types of pears, some of which are specifically known to a particular country or area: Conference from England, d'Anjou from France, Comice (officially ‘Doyenne de Comice') also from France - and then there is the variety ‘Gieser Wildeman'. This no nonsense Dutch name denotes a pear firmly ensconced in Holland - and is suitable only to be eaten when cooked. It is a small brownish yellow pear, which is hard as a rock but will be transformed into a culinary delight by cooking.  Recipes for ‘stewed pears' can be found in many cookbooks, but none of them specifically mentions the type of pear to be used. They simply say ‘pears'...... Interesting is the fact that when searching the web for recipes for ‘stewing pears' time and time again the Dutch word ‘stoofpeertjes' pops up - so it apparently is a true Dutch dish. As an only exception I have found references in Australia to ‘stewing pear' varieties; since many Dutch people emigrated to Australia I suspect they brought their recipes, and their fruit, with them. Here then, is the traditional Dutch recipe for this delicacy - with footnotes as to how my mother did it! Stoofperen, dutch style 2 lbs small stewing pears a piece of lemon rind with some cloves inserted 2 cinnamon sticks 2 tbsp of dark brown sugar 1 cup of red wine (my mother used water) ½ cup of black currant liqueur (also known as Crème de Cassis) (my mother used black currant juice) Peel the pears and leave whole (but we always cut them into quarters at home) Put all the ingredients in a wide pan with a tight fitting lid, add water if necessary to just cover the pears. Bring to a boil, cover, then turn on the lowest setting possible and leave to simmer for two to four hours (VERY GENTLY - although I have to say I don't recall my mother ever burning them). They will have turned a deep cinnamon red when done. Served at room temperature with roast meats or chicken, or delicious as a dessert with vanilla ice cream! 
I intend to give this a try with some regular, plan old pears, and see what happens. For completion's sake, here is another recipe which uses baked pears. From the baking time it is quite evident, though, that these are not the traditional Dutch stewing pears. Roast pear and pancetta salad with honey vinaigrette (recipe courtesy of Yolanda Torrisi) 10 slices of pancetta (Italian style bacon) 2 small firm pears, halved a bag (appr. 8 oz) of arugula salad half a pound of parmesan cheese, shaved thyme, pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pears on a baking sheet with the cut side up. Sprinkle with thyme and pepper, and bake until soft, appr. 20 minutes. In the meantime, fry the pancetta until crisp and make the honey vinaigrette using: ½ cup honey, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp of wholegrain mustard, and ½ cup of red wine vinegar. Put the arugula salad on a plate, top with the crisp pancetta, half a pear and some parmesan shavings. Drizzle the vinaigrette over it.
 | Dutch by birth but widely travelled since my late teens. Married for 25 years to an American musician, with a grown son and living in sunny Southwest Florida, I now call myself 'semi-retired' so that I can justify spending all waking hours in the pursuit of growing blooming tropical plants, most specifically Plumeria. |
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Subject: Dutch Stewed Pears
Posted by candyinpok (from Poughkeepsie, NY) on April 16, 2008 at 5:10 PM:Thank you so much. I have a friend who's Dutch and I now have a way to surprise her. ... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on April 16, 2008 at 6:49 PM: What a lovely thought. ...
Subject: Stoofperen/pears
Posted by TulipLady (from Atlanta, GA) on April 15, 2008 at 9:10 AM:Good morning Dutchlady,
just got back from trip and saw this DG-newsletter!
You are in Florida I believe, right? I am in Georgia (N.Atlanta to be precise) and for my Stoofperen I buy Seckelpears. They are as small and as hard as "our" Gieser Wildeman. They absolutely need atleast 3 hours of simmering but they have been on my table a bunch of times already, surprising many a american with this delicasy! Hope you can find Seckel pears in Fl. Goodluck
... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on April 15, 2008 at 9:35 AM: Thanks fellow Dutch lady!! I'll be on the lookout. The Seckel pears were mentioned by others too so I think that is a good substitute.
Hetty ...
Subject: Facinating!
Posted by CompostR (from south central, PA) on April 15, 2008 at 8:25 AM:I did not know there were cooking pears, just like plantains vs bananas. But, I wonder how we would find such pears here in the USA? I'm growing a Seckle pear - it is a hard pear, but you don't have to cook it.
Thanks for an intriguing article! ...
Subject: Mmmm!
Posted by embers7 (from Macon, GA) on April 14, 2008 at 9:33 PM:I've got this saved! it sounds simply delish! ...
Subject: dutch stewed pears
Posted by tabby7 (from Alford, FL) on April 14, 2008 at 5:23 PM:I live in northwest Florida and we have pear trees here that bear lots of large pears which are delicious in "pear crisps", stewed, pickled, etc. I hope to try your Dutch Stewed Pears this summer when the pears get ripe. ...
Subject: Sounds yummy
Posted by plumiegirl (from Estero, FL) on April 14, 2008 at 2:11 PM:Thank you for the recipe and the history. I love it when you get background for recipes. I love Alton Brown's show "Good Eats" because he gives you scientific and historical background.
I have a canned fruit recipe for curried fruit that I love and make for brunches. It has peaches, pears and mixed fruit if I recall. My mother would use this recipe on special Holidays. It was from the Truman Home cookbook. We have lots of favorites from that cookbook actually. I grew up in Independence, Missouri where Bess and Harry would stand on their front porch and wave when we had our Girl Scout parades. Thanks for reminding me.
Do you try this recipe here in the states? If so, what kind of pears do you look for? Since we are in Florida where pears don't grow! ... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on April 14, 2008 at 6:37 PM: I would love to try a curried fruit recipe!
I have not been able to find the right kind of pears here in Florida :-( ...
Subject: heerlijk
Posted by superoma (from Prophetstown, IL) on April 14, 2008 at 2:01 PM:Heerlijke stoofpeertjes ! Bij ons vroeger thuis een gerecht voor speciale dagen.
Delicious stoofpeertjes ! Back home it used to be a special dish for special occasions. ...
Subject: MMMMM
Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on April 13, 2008 at 7:43 PM:Sounds Good what time is Dinner ? Paul ...
Subject: Very Interesting.
Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on April 13, 2008 at 6:03 PM:Thanks for the information.
We had hard pears in New York; we threw some in the truck and carted them to the Apple Mill to process with the apples. Just a few pears added great flavor to the apples.
My mom always boiled pears for us...we just called them Mom's Cinnamon Pears. LOL. I think it was a family recipe from her mom and grandmom. Her grandmom was Swedish.
I now have a pear tree (I think it is a Keifer pear) that produces hard-as-a-rock pears that I almost can't cut. If the pears you were mentioning are as hard as these pears, I understand why the recipe calls for cooking them whole. However, we love them boiled w/ cinnamon.
Have you ever heard of Pear Chutney? It is yummmmmmmmy! Cut up those hard-as-a-rock pears, add sugar, vinegar and a few other things, boil until the pears are almost soft and you've got a wonderful dish.
Once again, great Pear article. Thanks for the history and for the recipes for the hard pears on my tree. ...
Subject: This will be a regular!
Posted by TamaraFaye (from Fritch, TX) on April 13, 2008 at 12:33 PM:We love pears, and love fruit side dishes! Thesse will go in our recipe books. Always love your articles, thank you so much for researching and sharing!
♥tf ... Posted by MySharona (from Fernandina Beach, FL) on April 13, 2008 at 6:35 PM: We do too! Thank you for sharing the recipes. I'm going to try them soon.
Sharon ... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on April 14, 2008 at 6:35 PM: Thank you! ...
Subject: Yum!
Posted by DonShirer (from Westbrook, CT) on April 13, 2008 at 12:44 AM:I had a Hollandisch grandmother, but she died before I was old enough to cook. I learned how to stew the hard pears from a tree in our yard from an online recipe. It specified Port wine, and while they were good, your version with Creme di Cassis sounds much better. ... Posted by pajaritomt (from Los Alamos, NM) on April 13, 2008 at 12:20 PM: Thanks for the pear articles! I have several pear trees and love to eat them. I have tried the port wine version as well. it was delicious, but would like to try the Creme de Cassis one as well.
The pear salad sounds great, too. I hope it will be good with American bacon because pancetta is hard to come by in my small town. ... Posted by MaryE (from Baker City, OR) on April 13, 2008 at 4:01 PM: We have a pear tree that produces hard pears that never get sweet or soft. They must be the type that need to be cooked. I never thought they tasted good enough to make it worth the effort to can them, but this sounds like it might be the way they need to be treated. Thanks for the article. ... Posted by roybird (from Santa Fe, NM) on April 13, 2008 at 7:10 PM: My D.H. says they sound like "sickle pears". They grow in Delaware and mid-Atlantic states. They, too, are small and hard as rocks; cooking pears. His family ate them fairly often. His mother is of German and Dutch ancestry. We eat regular pears simmered in wine and spices. Not cooked as long. ... Posted by pajaritomt (from Los Alamos, NM) on April 13, 2008 at 7:35 PM: At my farm in Mississippi we have the hard kind that never get sweet. They are delicious poached in Port Wine and people there can them and make preserves out of them, but I never have time.
Here in New Mexico, I have 4 pears, mostly too young to bear but two may do so this year. One is a "Seckel" pear. It is very small and very sweet, but you have to wait until September for them to ripen. I haven't had lots yet, but I had about 8 last year and ate everyone without cooking in any way. They are also called sugar pears. You can see them in Plant Files.
Surely, the ones that your husband's mother had weren't Seckel pears. They sound more like the ones at the farm which are similar, if not identical to Keiffer pears.
I think all pears are yummy simmered in wine and spices. You just adjust the cooking time according to their consistancy.
It has taken me a long time to learn how to deal with pears -- when they are ready to eat, etc. etc. But now, I am addicted! ... Posted by roybird (from Santa Fe, NM) on April 13, 2008 at 7:49 PM: Hmm. You may be right on that. His memory isn't always as good as his mother's when it comes to cooking! I will try to remember to ask her. Pears might be my favorite fruit. ... Posted by pajaritomt (from Los Alamos, NM) on April 13, 2008 at 8:04 PM: Mine too, and I am hoping this will be my first year to have more than a handful of pears. ...
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