Best Five Spice Roasted Pears With Sesame Seeds Recipes

DUCK BREASTS WITH ROASTED PEARS AND COLD SESAME NOODLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pears on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Place them into the oven and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until very tender when pierced with a knife.
• Meanwhile, put the duck breasts on a cutting board skin side up and score all over in a tiny crosshatch pattern, so the fat will render and the skin will crisp. Season all over with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Add the breasts to a stainless steel pan over medium heat, skin side down, and cook slowly for about 12 to 15 minutes until the fat is rendered and the skin is browned and crispy. Occasionally spoon the fat out into a bowl. Turn the breasts and cook 1 to 2 more minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the duck to a cutting board to rest.
• To serve, cut the duck breasts crosswise, on an angle, into 8 slices each. Mound the Sesame Noodles evenly between 4 bowls. Add half a sliced duck breast to each bowl along with a peach half. Garnish with watercress and lime wedges.
• Cold Sesame Noodles:
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and stir to keep them from sticking together. Cook until barely tender and still firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse under cold running water to cool. Drain the noodles really well, transfer to a wide serving bowl, and toss immediately with 3 tablespoons of the sesame oil so they don't stick together.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a saucepan, heat 1/4 cup sesame oil over medium-low heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile. Cook, stirring for a minute, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Place into a blender along with the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, hot water, chili sauce, and the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Puree and refrigerate until cold.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. (Shake the pan constantly to keep the seeds from burning). Put the noodles in a serving bowl and toss with the sesame sauce. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and green onions, and serve with the lime wedges.

SHEET-PAN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH PEARS AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the center.
• Pat the chicken dry and trim excess fat and skin. Sprinkle all over with 2 teaspoons salt, and season with pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the red-pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, ginger and oil. On a sheet pan, rub the chicken and pears all over with the mixture. Arrange chicken skin-side up and pears skin-side down. Cook until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees at the thickest part) and the pears are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, add the sunflower seeds to the pan. If there's a lot of fat when finished cooking, tilt the pan and spoon it off until there's a light coating on the surface of the pan.
• Scatter the arugula on top, and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with herbs, if using. Cut the remaining lemon half in quarters and serve.

ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH WITH PEANUT, SESAME AND SQUASH SEED DUKKAH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
• Place the squash in a large bowl and rinse well, then rub vigorously with a kitchen towel to remove any traces of dirt in the crevices. Transfer to a cutting board and cut each squash in half crosswise, leaving the skin on. Place each half cut-side down, and carefully slice in half lengthwise. Scrape the seeds and surrounding flesh into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Cut the squash quarters into 1/2-inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss the cubes with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 4 tablespoons of the peanut oil. Add the remaining peanut oil to the bowl of squash seeds and toss to coat.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Arrange the squash cubes in a single layer on one of the sheets; on the other, arrange the squash seeds and press firmly into a single layer, making sure to mash the pockets of squash flesh as flat as possible. Place the cubed squash on the lower rack of oven, and the seeds on the upper rack. Start checking after about 20 minutes. but it can take up to a half-hour for the squash to become tender, the seeds to turn lightly brown and the surrounding flesh to dry. Remove both pans from oven and let cool.
• In a food processor, combine the roasted squash seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, coriander, cumin, black pepper and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Transfer the dukkah to a small bowl. When ready to serve, reheat the squash until hot all the way through, 7 to 10 minutes. Toss the hot squash with 4 to 6 tablespoons of the dukkah and serve.

CHINESE FIVE-SPICE STEAK WITH ORANGES AND SESAME BROCCOLINI

Steps:

• Finely grate 2 tsp. orange zest from 1 orange into a small bowl. Cut all oranges in half; set aside.
• Add five-spice powder, brown sugar, and 2 tsp. kosher salt to bowl with zest and stir to combine. Rub steak all over with spice mixture.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over high. Cook steak, turning often, until browned on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 130˚F for medium-rare, 15-20 minutes total. After steak has cooked for about 5 minutes, nestle orange halves cut side down around steak and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer oranges to a plate. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
• Arrange broccolini in an even layer in same skillet and heat over high. Cook, undisturbed, until well charred, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook until tender and slightly charred all over, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl. Squeeze in juice from 2 orange halves over. Add sesame oil, red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. sesame seeds, and remaining 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and toss to coat.
• Transfer steak to a platter. Arrange broccolini mixture alongside. Top with scallions, sea salt, and remaining sesame seeds. Serve with charred orange halves to squeeze over, rice, and hot sauce alongside, if desired.

SESAME DATE ROLLS

Steps:

• Place dates in a small bowl and completely cover with hot water. Allow to soak until softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, but reserve soaking liquid.
• Combine soaked dates, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, walnuts, almonds, coconut, coconut oil, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse several times until mixture comes together to form a soft "dough," scraping down the sides as necessary. If mixture is too dry, add in some of the reserved soaking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
• Turn out dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Roll into a 10-inch long by 1 1/2-inch wide log using lightly greased hands. Sprinkle remaining toasted sesame seeds evenly over the log on all sides, pressing them in gently. Wrap the log in parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 to 2 hours.
• Remove log from fridge, and cut into about sixteen 1/2-inch thick rounds. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.