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Happy YASSSletter Thursday Gingis!

Hi Gingis! We all just wanted to start today’s newsletter by saying thank you for being a part of our community. There is an enormous amount of pain circulating in the world right now and we are doing our best to keep the light. Sending pure love to you all.

Zikki and I have been spending the last few weeks really focused on gratitude. For our family & friends, our home, upcoming projects, and the gastronomic universe. We are settling into the chilly weather here in New York and watching our little squirrel cruise past the 1 year mark with flying colors.

As the weather cools and everyone starts to get sick of apple this and apple that, we wanted to bring you a YASSSletter all about our favorite chilly weather fruit - apple’s cooler cousin: pear! Just an absolute queen.

So without further ado, today’s agenda:

1. History & Origin Story: Pears

2. 4 Tips to Make the BEST Cider Donuts

3. Pear Cider Donuts Recipe

4. Pear Frangipane Tart Recipe

History + Origin Story: Pears

Pears are a member of the rose family and have been enjoyed by people for thousands of years. Pears originated in southeastern Europe and were a favorite food of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The ancient Greek author Homer described them as “gifts from the gods” likely due to their sweet, juicy flavor.

Pears grow best in volcanic soil and need plenty of water to flourish! Their trees can live to be 100 years old. FUN FACT: Pears do not ripen while on the tree!

4 Tips to Make the BEST Cider Donuts

If you are an USA east coaster, most likely you are waiting all year for Cider Donuts! What is it about them? They are delicate, spiced, perfectly balanced between sweet & savory, and pretty much the ultimate comfort food! 

I spent much of the early fall tasting and testing recipes for Cider Donuts, because I wanted to get them just right. Finally this last week, I made “THE” batch. I’ve attached the recipe below, but before you dive into this perfect food, consider these three tips to make your cider donut baking experience all the more efficient and easy!

1. Make sure you have the right tray! Yes, it makes a huge difference! Part of the fun of this treat is its unique baked shape.

2. Make sure to cook down your cider before adding it to batter. This reduction contributes to a more concentrated cider flavor in the donuts without adding additional hydration.

3. Use a piping bag to fill the donut baking tray with batter. When filling the piping bag, start by putting the empty piping bag in a plastic quart container (as seen in the video), for an easy and clean batter fill up! This step will save you an enormous amount of time and frustration. 

4. Once your donuts are baked, make sure to dip them in butter, let them dry slightly, and then dredge them in your spiced sugar mix. The butter & sugar together create the classic cider donut crust - and satiate that “fried food comfort” without all the excess oil.

Pear Cider Donuts

Crisp, tender, spiced & everything nice. “Outrageously delicious.”

*These cider donuts are made with pear cider instead of apple cider, which in my opinion is 10 times more delicious. The spices I used for the batter are cinnamon and baharat.

Pear Frangipane Tart

I want to start off by announcing that this year I officially fell in love with pears. Catch me at the Union Square Farmer’s Market chugging a gallon of pear cider. It is really the best.

But it got me thinking. How can I bake with these gorgeous ladies? I wanted to respect their unique texture and delicate aroma. I’v been craving this French tart for a very long time and surprisingly gingis, this is much easier to make than you’d expect. This tart is a french classic called “Tarte Bourdaloue”, composed of large pieces of poached pears placed on a dough that is previously covered with frangipane or almond cream. How can it be better than this?

All the parts of this tart- the shell, the frangipane and the poached pears, can be made in advance, so all you have to do is just assemble and bake. Let’s go!

Hope you have a weekend full of YASSS! Until next Thursday Gingis.

Love, Ben & Zikki xx

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