I am on a kick the last few days for desserts. I promise I will have to start posting some more signature drinks. Then let the dinner begin.
Serves 8
- 3 cups pecan halves
- 1 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 6 tbsp. white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 12-16 pears
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1 tbsp. grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two-nine inch pie plates and set aside.
In a food processor, chop the pecans until fine. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside. In the processor, put one cup of the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, butter and vanilla and pulse until it forms small crumbs. Add to the pecans and combine well.
In a large bowl combine the pears, dried cherries and two-thirds cup of brown sugar. Add orange zest. Divide equally into pie plates and sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top. Cover loosely with tin foil and bake for thirty-five minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the topping turns brown and fruit is tender. About twenty minutes. Cool down and serve in pie wedges on your prettiest plates.
If you make this ahead, place in a 250 degree oven to warm through (about fifteen minutes). Now, of course, you can top with cinnamon whipped cream, ginger whipped cream (making sure you take all the calories out first, of course) or ice cream
This is real comfort food. Now who needs comforting???
Pear/Pecan Loaf with Lime Glaze
This is so great, it almost makes you want to go around the neighborhood and tell them you want to borrow a cup of coffee and you will bring the tasty treat.
- 1- 16 oz. can of pear halves
- 1 1/2 cups of flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- pinch of allspice
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup Crisco Oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp. lime zest
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3 tbsp. pear juice
- 1 cup icing sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain pears but save the syrup. Reserve 1 pear half for garnish.
Puree the pears and add the syrup to measure 1 cup.
Mix pears with the oil, egg and lime rind. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and allspice. Stir in the whole wheat flour. Now stir in the pear mixture.
Blend in the nuts. Pour into a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan.
Cut reserved pear half into 6 slices and spread over the top of the loaf.. Bake for 50-60 minutes. When finished baking, remove from oven and spoon the thin glaze over the top. Store overnight before cutting (All things good are worth waiting for, right?)
Blend pear juice with icing sugar to make a glaze and drizzle over cake.
Note: You COULD have this for breakfast, but then I would put a pat of butter (or 2) in a frypan and brown both sides. Oh yeah! …..what diet?
While waiting for tomorrow to come, work on making martinis. Just sayin’ .
Pear And Oka Soup
This is a fabulous tasting soup. Certainly not your canned variety.
Serves 4
- 2 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger
- 1/4-1/2 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1 red skinned Pear, cored and Julienned (Do not peel)
- 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp. toasted pecans
- 2 tbsp. chopped dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1/2 – 1 cup cream (more if needed)
- 3/4 cup Oka cheese, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup Piesporter wine
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine Bartlett pears, stock, ginger and nutmeg in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and cook until the pears are tender. Set aside.
In a small bowl, make a salsa by mixing together the red pear, lime juice, pecans and cranberries. Set this aside.
In a small saucepan melt butter and add the flour, stirring to make a roux for about one minute. Do not brown the flour. Now with a whisk, add the cream and on low heat cook while stirring constantly for about four minutes or until it thickens. Add the cheese to the cream mixture and let it melt. Set aside.
In a blender, puree the pear and stock mixture until really smooth. Return to saucepan and add the cheese mixture and heat through. Gradually add the wine. When the soup is heated through (not boiled), ladle into your prettiest bowls and top with a spoonful of the salsa.
This is a really great soup and will make your guests glad they know you. You may also find that some of your guests (or family) will ask when they are AGAIN on the guest list.
Strata-style French Toast
Easter is around the corner and that usually means company’s coming…I know it is at our house. Here is a really different stuffed french toast and is really yummy. This can either be Breakfast or Lunch…in our case, Brunch!
- 24 3/4″ thick slices of Italian bread about 3 inches in diameter
- 12 slices of very thin cooked ham
- 12 very thin slices of cooked turkey
- 2 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 12 slices (again thin) provolone cheese
- 4 beaten eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup light cream
- pinch of nutmeg
- shredded orange peel
- 3 tbsp. Grand Marnier
Arrange one half of the bread slices in the bottom of a greased 3 quart rectangular baking dish. Top each slice in the dish with a slice of ham, turkey, the pears and cheese (cut to fit). Top with the remaining bread slices.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and beat well until thoroughly blended. Pour evenly over all the bread and lightly press the bread down so it is covered with the liquid. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 30-35 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
Let stand for 10 minutes before trying to serve. Serve with warm Cranberry-pear sauce.
Cranberry/Pear Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups Cranberry juice
- 2 level tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. finely grated orange peel
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1 pear, peeled, cored and chopped
In a small saucepan mix together 1 1/2 cups of cranberry juice cocktail (I prefer the White Cranberry Juice) with 2 level tbsp. cornstarch.
When blended, add 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. finely grated orange peel, pinch of cinnamon. Cook until it thickens and is bubbly. Cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in pear. Serve warm.
This makes 12 servings, so you can cut and plate and either pour sauce on each one or let the guests add their own sauce. In this case, serve in individual gravy boats. This is so cool to do.
Can you say “damn I can do this”?
Apple/Pear Tartin
This is a funny one. We were getting ready to roll out the puff pastry so I could make my custard tarts and realized we had one sheet too many, but it was thawed. We are having company tonight for dinner (orphan neighbors-each has a partner away), and I needed a dessert.
We were looking for a way to use the pastry and realized we had 3 pears and one apple. Light goes on….if we saute the fruit in a sugar syrup with cinnamon and nutmeg (fresh) for about 10 minutes, adding golden raisins as well, we could use it all up.
Roll out the pastry, enough to cover the baking dishes you are using, and hang over the sides. Make a caramel sauce to use later. Voila! Dessert fit for a king. This was soooo easy and my husband is the genius this time. His idea for the puff pastry. Is it really a tartin? Only if you stretch the truth just slightly.
Reheat in the oven to get hot, put the whole dish on a plate, drizzle caramel sauce over the top and add a dollop of whipped cream on top. Works for me…now what kind of a martini shall I use? Later.
French Toast with Pears and Pomegranate Sauce
Every once in awhile you feel like going the extra mile and don’t know where to start. Noooo! Martinis for breakfast is a real bad choice. ‘Cuz then you would miss this wonderful recipe. Besides, this is from my cookbook “The B & B Cookbook” from Amazon.
This serves 2 and you will need:
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp. cardamom, divided
- 2 thick slices of bread
- 4 tbsp. butter, divided
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ripe, but still firm, red skinned pear, cut into thin slices
Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and 1/2 of the cardamom and pour into a 9″ square glass baking dish. Add bread and let stand about 10 minutes, turning over with a spatula until the mixture has been absorbed.
Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a fry pan over medium heat. Add the pear slices. Saute for 3 minutes until soft and transfer to a plate.
Add 2 tbsp. butter to fry pan; add juice, brown sugar and cardamom simmering until it thickens and syrupy (about 5 mins). Remove from heat. Melt remaining butter on griddle, add bread slices and cook until golden (about 3 minutes each side) cut in half and divide onto plates. Top with pears, spoon sauce over top. Serve (with a big smile, of course) immediately.
In a word or two….yummy-yummy.
Chocolate Pear Martini
Last night I tried this one on friends (one had never tried martini’s before) and a gentleman said “is this REALLY a martini”. It is a nice one for Father’s Day as well. Of course it is….read on
Chocolate Pear Martini
- 2 shots pear vodka (Blue Goose is the best)
- 2 shots Godiva White Chocolate liqueur
- 2 shots Baileys
Fill shaker with ice and shake the ingredients a few seconds to get cold. Strain into chilled martini glasses and garnish with a slice of fresh pear. Sooooooo good!
Brandied Balderson Aged Cheddar, Pecan and Pear Crostini
This is such a nice appetizer to serve. Has a tang from the Balderson Cheese, sweet from the pear and a little crunch from the toasted pecans. Try it and, like Mikey, you’ll like it.
Serves 4
- 4 oz. crumbled cheese
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. brandy
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 16 baguette slices
- 1 red skinned pear, thinly sliced
Preparation:
Turn broiler on.
Make sure cheese and butter are at room temperature. Mash with a fork until smooth. Stir in brandy and add to the cheese mixture. Place baguettes on a cookie sheet, toasting one side under the broiler. Remove from the oven and on the untoasted side, add a slice of pear and top with a tsp. of the cheese mixture.
Broil four to six inches from the broiler for about two minutes or until it gets bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle each baguette with the chopped pecans. Serve! YUM.
Virtual Whaaaat?
We have a virtual tour of our place this morning and a showing in the afternoon. You want another what today? Maybe later. Oh, wait a minute. Try this martini out. It is really nice.
Chocolate Pear Martini
- 2 shots of pear vodka
- 2 shots of Baileys
- 2 shots white chocolate liqueur
Pour into shaker filled with ice and shake a few seconds. Strain into chilled martini glasses and put a small slice of pear on the side of the glass. Really smooth!
Taste Rating: 9