Joy the Baker » pear

Pear and Cranberry Crumble

joythebaker — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:27:29 +0000

Here’s the thing about a trip to the Emergency Room. In most cases, what you wear stumbling into the ER is what you wear walking out of the ER.

So… what you’re able to throw on as you’re stumbling around your bedroom, trembling like a maniac, halfway doubled over in pain, just trying so so hard to find your favorite scarf… those decisions that you make in those moments, are decisions that you’ll be living with once the ER times are over. It’s not a time to worry about fashion. I know this. Believe me… I know these things aren’t all that important. I’m just saying….

I’m just saying…

If you find yourself leaving the ER wearing the cropped lavender pajama pants that your mother handed-you-down, the cardigan you addicentially shrunk in the dryer, and your furry floppy slippers… the only thing that will be on your mind is how grateful you are for IV medicines and doctors that know things.

And the other thing that might be on your mind is… well, the fact that you’re wearing all of the things that you shouldn’t be wearing… in public. But you’re healthy. You best walk tall.

Enough about all that ER mumbo jumbo.

Look at these pears! We’re going to make them even more delicious than they already are, with love and spices!

Crumbles are the easiest and the most lovely thing to make this Fall. They will make your house smell INCREDIBLE!

The secret to an awesome crumble? Extra crumble! I add a hearty amount of crumble topping right into the fruit. Just… yes!

Baked up. Sweet living. Just look at this. It’s like breakfast made best friends with dessert.

This crumble is sweet and tender. The cranberries add just the faintest note of tartness… and that beautiful cranberry color.

So simple and so satisfying.

If you can’t make this crumble during this bonkers holiday weekend… please give yourself some time to make it in December. Dreamboat major.

Speaking of the holiday weekend. It’s almost Thanksgiving here in the states.

I know nothing about turkey… but I can tell you a thing or two about bread, pie and cake.

(from top left to bottom right)

Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Pear Spice Cake with Walnut Praline Topping

Dad’s Perfect Sweet Potato Pie

Honey Cranberry Cornmeal Quickbread

Pear and Cranberry Crumble

makes 1 8×8-inch dish

Print this Recipe!

For the Filling:

4 ripe but still firm pears (I prefer Bosc or D’Anjou pears)

1 heaping cup fresh cramberries (I meant cranberries)

3 tablespoons raw sugar (granulated or brown sugar will also work)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

sprinkling of fresh lemon juice

For the Topping:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup raw sugar (just use more brown sugar if you don’t have raw)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into cubes

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take out an 8×8-inch baking dish and set aside.

First prepare the filling. Cut the top stem and bottom butt off of each pear. The bottom will give you a stable base to peel the pears. Use a small paring knife to peel the pears. Slice each pear in half. Use a small teaspoon to gently run down the length of the inside of the pear, removing the fiberous inside spine, and then scooping out the seeds. Dice the pears into hearty bite-size chunks and place in baking dish. Pour cranberries into dish. Top with sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Toss lightly and set aside.

Next prepare the topping. Whisk together flour, brown sugar, raw sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and oats. Add unsalted butter and incorporate with your fingers. Work the butter into the topping mixture until it is well incorporated and some butter bits are still the size of oat flakes or small peas. Add about 1/3 of the topping mixture to the pear and cranberry mixture. Toss to incorporate. Place the remaining topping on top of the mixture.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until bubbly and delicious smelling.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes before serving. This dish is perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Crumble lasts for up to 3 days, covered, in the fridge.

My Favorite Fall Recipes

joythebaker — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:20:07 +0000

Autumn is settling in. Autumn has settled in, and here I am ready to accept it. I’m also ready to accept the fact that my days in the kitchen are about to dramatically increase (if you can believe that) as my cravings for apple crisp (lovelovelovelovelovelovelove), pumpkin cookies and cranberry treats become harder to ignore. I’m less ready to embrace the way my jeans are tightening around my thighs… or maybe it’s my thighs growing inside my jeans. Either way, the tightness and the sucking in of the tummy seems to be just a part of the season.

What are you up to in the kitchen these days? Here’s some food for thought Yes… I totally just said that.

Mocha Hazelnut Marble Cake. This cake was gorgeous, classy and utterly fine… until I tried to transport it in a fancy cake stand and got this glistening chocolate glaze exactly everywhere. Everywhere. Lesson learned.

Sweet and soft Ginger Chewies. Full of molasses attitude.

Spiced Pear Walnut Cake with a praline walnut glaze. How about I just go ahead and make the glaze and then spoon it into my mouth… forget the cake. This beauty is all about the glaze.

Cinnamon Spice Buns. The dough is spiced. The filling is sugar and spice. There’s butter and glaze. Make this a part of your life please.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding. I ate the whole pot. The whole pot. By myself.

Pizza. Homemade pizza. Easy. Not hard. Worth it’s weight in gold and precious stones.

Pear Spice Cake with Walnut Praline Topping

joythebaker — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:35:15 +0000

Kid Table. Can we talk about the Kid Table? The Kid Table was something that I had to endure every holiday from the age of three to um…. present. You know what the Kid Table is, right?

The integral family socialization tool. The foundation of society. The folding table and chairs circa 1943 that your Grandma busts out every every every Christmas. Who sits at this pint sized table? Certainly not Grandpa, Grandma, or any other high ranking family members.

It’s called the Kid Table for a reason. It’s where you dump all the kids. In the adult mind, I think it’s the “sit down, eat your Christmas dinner, and if you’re going to throw your Jello salad at each other, I prefer to ignore it” table.

The Kid Table still exists in my family. One small catch: there are no more kids in my family.

Let me just say that Christmas dinner at the Kid Table is now…. more awesome than ever! Kid Table got cool. Kid Table is now the place to be. Boom… youth success!

There’s nothing like wine, family smack talk with your cool uncles, and stealing all of the thunder from the main table. They would sooooo like to think they’re the main event. False. Kid Table… cooler than ever!

And now… Pear Spice Cake.

SpicySweet.

This recipe is adapted from an old school Gourmet Magazine recipe. By ‘old school’, I’m talking early 1990′s. Way back in the day, right?

The pears add a delicate flavor and lots of moisture, but the cake doesn’t exactly scream pear right in your face. It’s more of an awesomely spice cake with an out of the world praline topping. If you wanted to experiment with fruits like apricots, apples, raisins, I don’t think you could go wrong.

Pear Spice Cake with Walnut Praline Topping

adapted from Gourmet, December 1992

Print this Recipe!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cups buttermilk
3 pears, peeled, cored and diced into roughly 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 to 1 1/4 cups of fruit)
1 cup walnuts (3 ounces), toasted , cooled, and finely chopped

Make cake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour bundt pan.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat together butter, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 4 with a handheld. Add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches, mixing well after each addition. Fold in pear pieces and chopped walnuts.

Beat egg whites in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold stiff peaks, then fold whites into batter gently but thoroughly.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely.

Walnut Praline Topping

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cups walnuts, roughly chopped, toasted

Stir golden brown sugar, whipping cream and 1/2 cup butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until smooth. Boil 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in walnut pieces. Spoon warm topping over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.