Recipe - Balsamic Pear-Salmon Saute

2 Salmon steaks; about 4
ounces each
One fourth teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Unsalted butter
4 Shallots; thinly cut or sliced up
1 Garlic clove; thinly cut or sliced up
2 lg Ripe pears; Bartlett, Bosc
or Winter Nelis, cored,
peeled, and halved
One fourth teaspoon Whole fennel seed
One fourth cup Pear eaudevie; (pear
brandy)
One fourth cup Balsamic vinegar
Fresh flatleaf parsley
sprigs for garnish

Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel, then season with salt and pepper.
Set aside. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Coat the
skillet with butter and heat until the butter foams, then add the steaks.
Arrange the shallots and garlic around the steaks. Add the pear halves,
cutside down, around the steaks. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the
steaks are brown on one side, then turn. Sprinkle the fennel seed over
everything.

Mix the eaudevie and vinegar in a cup, then pour over the steaks. Cook
for about 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the steaks are done, the pears
are tender, and the liquid has reduced to a thick dark syrup.

Serve each dinner plate with a salmon steak, 2 pear halves, and a topping
of the shallotgarlic balsamic syrup. Garnish with a generous amount of the
flatleaf parsley.

Source: from Pears, by Linda West Eckhardt

downloaded from
http://www.theAtlantic.com/atlantic/atlweb/corby/rotm8pear.htm April 8,
1998 The Atlantic magazine online

Notes: A onepan dish that simply sings. Accompany with wildandbrown rice
pilaf, then tuck a few sprigs of flatleaf parsley for a celebration dinner
that's ready in less than 30 minutes. This recipe is easily doubled or
tripled.
Posted to MCRecipe Digest by Mardi Desjardins amdesjar@mb.sympatico.ca
on Apr 09, 1998