Pear and Walnut Cake

So its the start of December and our Christmas tree has come down from the attic and is standing upright in our living room and, shimmering it little lights.  The next couple of weeks we will be turning out minds to getting Christmas gifts to put beneath the tree.  But for me its still too early to start sharing festive recipes, so I will share this Pear and Walnut Cake that i made a few months back with pears I had picked from the garden. 

I don't remember the recipe I used - I think it may have been adapted from this recipe for Courgette, Apple and Apricot Cake, that is what happens when you don't write up a blog post.  What I do remember though, it was moist and delicious.  

Other Pear Recipes 
Chocolate Pear Crown Cake
Cinnamon Pear Cake

Last of October Harvest

I started writing this post early October and then every Monday since, but I never actually got round to sharing it.    

 I've just been busy and tired a bit like this dead sunflower and artichokes. 

I think I am looking forward to November when things around me will be a bit quiet, so that I can also tend to the garden that is looking rather bleak.  I haven't had the opportunity to go out and tidy it up as its been raining, pretty much every weekend. 

 I picked this courgette and a strawberry early October.

And the tomatoes from early this month

I I know its looks like the same bowl of tomatoes, but I assure you its not - just take a closer, these were picked the second week of October 

I adapted a recipe for Briam - Easy Greek Vegetable Bake with some of the vegetables from the garden.

I had picked all the pears and made a Savoury and Sweet pear tart .  Excuse the ugly picture, but the tart was lovely, the pear almost tasted like marzipan.  

We still have Rainbow Swiss Chard in the garden, but not much else. 

Oh and some chillies - growing outdoors would you believe?!

I am sharing this blog post with Dave over at Happy Acres who hosts Harvest Monday every week.

Moveable Pear Cinnamon Cake

So hello November and to warm delicious Cinnamon Pear cake.  

And it really was delicious.  

The pears in this cake came from the garden.  Its the first year we have ever had pears from the tree. In fact its been a good year with cooking apples too.  

I wanted to present the pears standing upright like a crown - see this chocolate pear crown cake - but the pears did not want to play along.  I still think this cake looks pretty stellar. 

For the recipe, please follow this Cinnamon Plum Cake and just replace the plums with pears.  

Easy Pear and Cinnamon Loaf

I have to confess that I have really lost my blogging mojo lately, so regular readers I do hope you will forgive me.  I just don't have the mental energy when I get home from work so my blogging is likely to be weekly, I hope you will stick around. 

I share with you a recipe for an Easy Pear and Cinnamon Loaf adapted from A Girl Called Jack by Jack Monroe. 

I flicked through the cookbook to see if it had a recipe for pears as I had a load that were beginning to go really soft.  I could not find a pear recipe int he cookbook but noted that I could adapt the Apple and Cinnamon Loaf. 

Pear, Apple and Ginger Crumble

My husband picked up two bags of pears a couple of weeks back, I have to say I don't like it when he does this, as he never eats the fruit fresh and it sits there, for days, no for weeks going dark and very soft.  I often think its a ploy on his part.  He knows I won't let the fruit go to waste or even the compost bin, and secretly wishes them to somehow magically be transformed into cake or some other sweet thing, and often his little fairy grants his wish.  I wish my little fairy would make me cake!

Anyway, I did originally have intentions on making this Savoury Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Tart, and still may do as I still have half a dozen brown freckled pears left over, but at the weekend I ended up making a belly warming Pear, Apple and Ginger Crumble.  

Its been a long while since I've made a pear crumble, the last time was in my first year of blogging and it was with hazelnuts.  This was different in that it had no nutty crunch, but it had warmth and a little fire from the fresh ginger.  I served this golden pear, apple and ginger crumble simply with some home-made custard, but cream or ice-cream would have been nice too.  

Apple - Pear, Spinach and Brie Pizza

As a food blogger, I am very surprised at myself in that I have hardly any pizza recipes on my blog.  I can't even think of the reason why this may be the case, its not even that we order pizza's.  

Oh well, today that is going to change.  

I had been given three pears by my parents a week or so back, around the same time I was given green tomatoes.  I was glad to have them, already in my head making plans to make this Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Tart, but had completely forgotten about them as they got hid under the pile of citrus fruit to stave away my recent cold.   Thank you to those of you who came by to wish me well.  I do feel much better.

I made this (above) Pear, Spinach and Brie Cheese pizza yesterday later afternoon, and again this afternoon encouraged by my husband who really, really liked it.  

Chocolate Pear Crown Cake

Well I have used up the last of my mothers homegrown pears for this sensational Pear Chocolate Cake.  I was so happy with it as it was more than a feast for the eyes.

Celia Brooks Brown describes this as a 'Chocolate Upright Pear Cake', I think she could have easily called it 'Chocolate Pear Crown Cake' as that is what it looks like when you bring it ceremoniously to the table, albeit a rustic autumnal crown!

I loved how the pears looked poking out proudly.  The pears also look great when you cut into the cake, revealing a caramel coloured glacé underneath. Although cocoa and almond flavoured, this is not an overly sweet cake which I must admit I appreciated. Serve this cake with cream or ice-cream.

I am sharing this with Chocolette and Chele who are celebrating one year of the We Should Cocoa Challenge.  The theme for September is to create a chocolate masterpiece to celebrate a virtual birthday party.  I thought to myself well this glorious crown cake would fit the criteria perfectly. I've had fun participating in We Should Cocoa the past year, submitting sweet recipes such as Chocolate and Lime Halva; White Chocolate Banoffee Roulade; and more recently Courgette and Apricot Muffins - So I want to say Well done to both Choclette and Chele for bringing We Should Cocoa to blogland; and may there be many more in the years to come.

I often post adapted recipes from cookbooks and I know Celia Brooks Brown would not mind me sharing the recipe for her 'Upright  Pear Chocolate cake', but this time I want to encourage you to treat yourself to a copy of Celia Brooks Brown book New Urban Farmer; or at least borrow it from the library.  I have cooked a number of recipes from the book, including the most delicious Rhubarb and Lentil Curry and Chard and Sorrel Kuku; and for those of you who still have a load of green tomatoes, well she has an excellent recipe for Green Tomato Curry too.

Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Tart

As well as the Sweet Pear Tart, I mentioned I had made a Savoury Pear Tart. 

Well as promised here it is, in all its flowery autumnal glory.  I sliced the pears wafer thin, so that I could decorate the top of the tart for visual appeal.

I was rather proud of my culinary work of art that I found it too hard to slice into, but you all know that greed finds a way. And it was worth it.  This is a textual tart: softness from the set eggy milk, oozy twang from the blue cheese and crunch from the walnuts.  The pear flavour is very mellow.

I am submitting a slice of this Savoury Pear Tart to Fabilicious Food who is hosting September: Simple And In Season.  I am also sharing this with Lady Behind the Curtains Cast Party Wednesday#14 and Simple Lives Thursday#61 hosted by Gnowfglins.
Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Tart
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
170g plain flour
A pinch of salt
85g cold butter
2 tablespoons cold water
Method for short crust pastry
Sift the flour with the salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons cold water to the mixture. Mix to a firm dough. It may be necessary to add more water. Chill, wrapped for at least 30 minutes before using.
Preheat oven to gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 8- 9 inch round dish, then bake blind.

For the Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese filling

Ingredients
1 – 2 medium pears, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
1 – 2 medium pears sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
50g walnuts, chopped
2 eggs
100ml milk
150g blue cheese, sliced or crumbled
Method
Heat the oil and gently fry the shallots in oil until very soft, then add in most of the pear slices, keeping back for the topping and sauté for a few minutes. Season to taste and turn off heat.
When cool evenly spread into the pastry case and scatter over the walnut pieces and cheese.
Now whisk together the milk with the eggs and a little seasoning, then pour over the filling. Neatly arrange remaining pear slices.
Bake in oven gas mark 5 for 30 – 35 minutes. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Autumnal Pear and Almond Tart

You may remember the Plum and Almond Tart I made a couple of weeks ago.  Well this is exactly the same recipe, but in place of the sweet and sharp crimson plums...

I am using mottled green pears from my mothers garden.  My mother said this was the first year that her pear tree had rewarded her with many, so many that she was happy to part with some and I was happy to accept.  The eating apples here are from my fathers allotment.  

I've made two recipes with the firm pears so far.  A savoury Pear Tart and a sweet one - a Pear and Almond Tart.  This autumnal Pear and Almond Tart had a golden honey crunch on the outside and squidgy softness on the inside.  It was very moreish, leaving you wanting for more.

I am sharing this recipe at Tasty Tuesday Parade of Food hosted by Beauty and Bedlam; The Hearth and Soul blog hop hosted by 21st Century Housewife, Tea Party Tuesday hosted by Sweetology, Tea for Two hosted by The Plumed Pen, as well as Tuesdays at the Table; Fat Tuesdays and Lady Behind the Curtains Cast Party Wednesday#14. Please do go by and check out the other contributions.

Pear and Almond Tart
Serves 6
For the Rich Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients
170g plain flour
Pinch of salt
100g unsalted butter
1 medium egg yolk
Cold water, to combine
Method for the Rich Shortcrust Pastry
Sift the flour with the salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons water and add to the mixture. Mix to a firm dough. Chill, wrapped for 30 minutes before using. Roll out to line a 13 x 4 inch loose bottomed flan tin.
For the Pear and Almond Filling
75g unsalted butter
100g golden caster sugar
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
65g ground almonds
40g plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - 2 medium pears, thinly sliced.  I used a mandolin.
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 4.
Lay the sliced pears at the base, keepign some back for the topping.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and egg yolk. Fold in the ground almonds and flour and vanilla extract. Spread the mixture over the pastry base and pears, then neatly arrange the remaining sliced pears on top. Bake in oven for 25 - 30 minutes, until lightly golden and firm to the touch. Serve warm.

French Pear Tart

This is what I decided to do with the pears that I had left over from the jam recipe.
French Tarte de Cambrai a moist, buttery pear pudding cake
Serves 6 – 8
Ingredients
4 – 6 ripe pears
2 tbsp Sugar
For the batter
110g self-raising flour
A pinch of slat
80g caster sugar
4 tbsp sunflower oil
120ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 6. Grease a 9 inch shallow cake tin. Peel, core and half the pears. To make the batter, sift the flour and salt. Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the oil, milk and eggs. Beat together slowly combining into a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Arrange the pear slices on top, and then sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until golden and puffed.

Eat warm with cream.

Sungold Pear Jam

Our allotment neighbours pear tree is mostly leaning on our side, and recently with a gush of wind here and there, we had an unexpected pear windfall to enjoy. Before I picked them up and claimed them, I asked D about etiquette, should I throw these back to her plot or take them as an unexpected bonus from mother nature. He said they’ve fallen on our side, take them unless you want the slugs to have them. So I did.
During the course of the week, I must have gathered about 18 small pears.

I am not really one for eating pears, so yesterday I decided to make this pear jam recipe. It's a good recipe as it shows gives you step by step instructions, except silly me did not follow them to the end. As you will note, my pears are up on one end, well apparently I should have turned the jar upside down whilst it was cooling and this would have distributed the pears a bit more evenly and I didn't use a vanilla pod. Also according to the recipe, it takes about 6 hours, mine didn't take that long, maybe two hours in all.

The sun gold colour looks fabulous just like golden syrup. I think this pear jam would be great on croissants!

Hazelnut and pear crumble

One of my fellow allotmenteers Willie has a pear tree on the corner of his plot. Pears were hanging of his tree in mid October. Willie told me to help myself when they were ready as they were still a bit hard then. I went back a fortnight later to help myself to half a dozen or so, but not a single pear was to be seen in sight. Apparently, someone had helped themselves to all of his pears without his permission. A lot of this is beginning to happen at the allotment site.

Anyway, here is a a delicious seasonal pear crumble made with Conference pears from somewhere in England. The recipe is adapted from Entertaining with Friends.

Hazelnut and Pear crumble
Serves 4 - 6
850g conference pears, peeled and sliced
1 large lemon, zest and juice
30g of muscovado sugar plus tablespoon for syrup
1 teaspoon of ground ginger

Method
Preheat oven gas mark 6.

First put all the crumble ingredients in a pot and cook on low heat for 25 - 30 minutes, till pears are tender and cooked through. You could also do this in the oven. When cooked drain pears with slotted spoon and keep the juices.

For the crumble topping
100g plain flour
30g light muscovado sugar
60g butter or vegan margarine

50g nibbed hazelnuts

Put crumble topping ingredients, except for hazelnuts in a food processor and blend to get a fine crumb like texture. Spread the crumble on a baking tray and bake for just over 5 minutes until lightly toasted. When cool gently mix in hazelnuts.

Pile the pears into oven dish or individual rings. I used 8 to 9 cm steel rings to make 6 individual ones. Then scatter a layer of the crumble over the top, pressing it on gently.

If doing individual rings, cook for about 10 minutes and longer if in a larger oven dish.

While crumble is cooking, return the saved pear juice to the heat and add 1 tablespoon of muscovado sugar and bring to a boil, then turn the heat low until the juice has the consistency of thick pouring syrup.

Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Serve crumble with a little pear ginger syrup on each.