- Rating:
- Servings:
- 12
- Difficulty:
- Total Time:
- Recipe By:
- Cory Schreiber
Ingredients
Filling
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 3 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1 cup Apple Cider
- 7 cups Pear use D'Anjou or Crimson Pears peeled cored and cut into medium dice (9-10 pears)
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Brown Sugar-Hazelnut Cream
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Hazelnuts toasted peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon Finely Ground Cardamom
Cake Batter
- 3/4 cup Flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Organic Oranges grated zest
- 1/2 cup Butter plus 1 tablespoon at room temperature
- 1/2 cup Sugar plus 1 tablespoon
- 3/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9 x13-inch baking dish.
Filling
In a medium saucepan, blend the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water, pears and spices. Cook over medium heat until the pears release their juices and the mixture is thick and clear, about 20 minutes. Stir in the butter. Pour the pears into the prepared dish.
Cream
Mix together all the ingredients for the cream in a medium bowl. Chill until ready to serve.
Cake Batter
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest; set aside. In a mixer bowl, with the mixer on high, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time, beating until creamy. On low speed, blend in the dry ingredients, vanilla, and apple cider. Pour over the pear mixture in the baking dish and spread evenly to the sides of the pan. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly and spoon onto dessert plates. Top each serving with a dollop of Brown Sugar-Hazelnut Cream.
Notes from the Chef:
If pumpkin pie is essential to the Thanksgiving table, there should be two or three more choices to fill the categories of dried and fresh fruits, nuts and, of course, chocolate to finish the meal. The multiple choices of dessert offers the option to linger just a little bit longer at the table. Since the pear has been proclaimed the Official Fruit of Oregon this year by Governor Kulongoski, I pay homage to and endorse his selection here.
The variety of pears from which to choose is daunting. Each pear affects the outcome of a dessert a little differently. Bosc is the keeper; even when ripe it is firm because it contains less moisture than most. It is not overly sweet, and is delicious whether it is marinated and roasted, slow-baked in cider or sliced raw into a salad. Bartlett pears tend to fade from market by early November, but Red Crimsons, small Seckels, French Butter and Concorde pears all have an extended season into winter, as long as the growers keep the pears in a cool space for slow ripening.
I have chosen to use D'Anjou pears in this recipe because of their mild sweetness and because they retain some texture when baked. There will be just enough of the pear’s liquid given off in the baking to enhance the consistency of the fruit base. If D'Anjou is not available, my second choice would be Crimson or Bosc.
The Brown Sugar-Hazelnut Cream can be made a day in advance, but do not add the hazelnuts until you are ready to serve the dessert. Any left over buckle makes a great breakfast the following morning.
