Did you know that if you put pears in a paper bag, overnight - they will ripen like magic?
On of my favorite snacks in the entire world is juicy pears with brie. Love it. Love. It.
I had a craving for it yesterday - so, while I was making dinner, I had Chris go out to the store to pick up some pears. He brought them home and they were as hard as a rock. Bummer - no pear and brie that night. However - I put them in a brown paper bag last night to ripen . . . and like magic - they are nice, soft, juicy beautiful pears just waiting to be consumed!
And guess what time it is now? Snack time, boys and girls! 
6:16 pm on November 21st, 2004
I had a strange lady once knock on my front door at a rent house I was livin’ in. I asked what she wanted and she asked what I was gonna do with the pears on my tree. I didn’t even know there was a pear tree, but she pointed out one in the far corner of the front yard near the front corner of the fence separatin’ my yard from that of my neighbor. It was loaded with pears. She had been gettin’ them from whoever lived in the hosue for years, and made some kinda preserves out of them. I tol’ her to take ‘em all and to bring me a jar of the jelly. She did so. I don’t think I ever tried the jelly.
I live in another house now. There are all kinds of little pecans that fall all over the place. I am purty sure that the squirrels don’t even want ‘em, although my two dogs runnin’ ’round all over the yard might be some sort of a effect - I guess.
8:31 pm on November 21st, 2004
Yeah, I knew that about the pears. IIRC, you also shouldn’t keep them too close to apples because some chemical the apples give off as they age will cause other stuff to overriped. Yes, I’ve also watched way too many cooking shows.
8:41 pm on November 21st, 2004
i’m all about the pears with brie.. pears, grapes..brie.. a nice red wine.
10:26 pm on November 21st, 2004
I prefer berries with brie. We had a great brie with a mixed berry compote (IIRC) at one of the restaurants in Minneapolis a few months ago. I’ll also take blue cheese over the brie, which the grapes reminded me of. There’s a recipe in Tyler Florence’s book that I need to try that I think he called ‘white truffles’ or something like using white grapes and blue cheese…
9:09 am on November 22nd, 2004
Nice! I think that works with bananas too.
2:29 pm on November 22nd, 2004
sound yummy!
2:33 pm on November 22nd, 2004
if you like moldy cheese
3:12 pm on November 22nd, 2004
Not only does she do design work but she is also a gourmet snack maker!
8:12 pm on November 23rd, 2004
The last few years I have really taken to eating pears myself - yummy! The brown bag trick works great for peaches in the summer too!
8:54 pm on November 23rd, 2004
Works for bananas too.
I do it with cantaloupes too, but I’m never really sure when those are “ready”…