Vanilla Pear Gin Fizz |Cooking With Amanda

I am so excited that Autumn is finally here. It is hands down my favorite time of year, from the perfect weather conditions to the beautiful scenery there isn't much not to love about fall. However, I always feel like it's the one season we get the shortest amount of time to love.

In the beginning, you almost always endure an Indian summer with temperatures still floating in the 80's, and then once you get those comfortable cool and breezy days, suddenly wham, bam it's cold and winter-esque outside. Is it too much to ask for a good solid 2 to 3 months of 50 and 60 degree weather? Huh? Huh?

Even if the temperatures don't want to behave there's still fall foods to look forward to. This is the time to get cozy in the kitchen with hearty meals and cocktails that make you want to wrap up in a big blanket and sit by a roaring fire. A prime example is this vanilla pear gin fizz cocktail.

Inspiration for the cocktail was due to the fact that our fridge was stocked piled to the max with farm fresh pears from my CSA. We pick up every other week with our farm share, but pick up a double share of fruit because 1) the two of us + the pug consumes a lot of fruit and 2) the double share is a real bonus at the beginning of the season with fresh berries.

This time of the year? Well, don't get me wrong, I love pears and apples, but only to a certain point. So when the farm is already handing out 10 pears per single share, 20 pears is a lot to handle for a household of two and a hungry dog.

The logical solution was to a make a cocktail. Sure, a cocktail only takes care of two pears, but it was a start to diminishing the item that had taken ahold of my fridge. This may be a cold drink, but it has that warm and tingly feeling written all over it. Vanilla and pear are a natural combination and the gin keeps the cocktail crisp and fresh.

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Vanilla Pear Gin Fizz Recipe

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Ingredients

2 medium pears, ripe
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or 1 vanilla bean
1 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce lemon juice
4 ounces gin
club soda

Directions

Peel and core the pears and place in your blender to puree.
Divide the pear puree between two old fashioned glasses (about 2 ounces of puree in each).
Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds placing 1/2 vanilla bean seeds in each glass.
Add the simply syrup, lemon juice and gin and stir to combine.
Fill the glasses with ice and top with club soda before serving.