Amaretto Pear Blintzes with Candied Almonds
Sometimes you can start with the simplest ingredients and end up with something special. This recipe is a perfect example. I had fresh pears and flour tortillas. I wanted to make a brunch dish for a friend so I added a few more ingredients and ended up with these pear blintzes. I make fruit blintzes with tortillas pretty often. I wanted these to be different. I added Amaretto to the pears and made candied almonds as a topper.
They look like a lot more work than they are. They were simple to make.
My friend said they reminded her of apple pie. In fact, she didn’t believe me at first, when I said they were pears. If you like the taste of homemade fruit pie, but don’t have the time to bake, these are a nice option. Because they are barely cooked, the pears retain some shape. In a pie, pears tend to fall apart.
Since we had them for brunch, I left them plain, but these would make a great dessert topped with whipped cream or ice cream. Even a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of caramel. Simple and quite flavorful.
Amaretto Pear Blintzes with Candied Almonds
Blintzes:
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas, I used whole wheat
2 oz. milk
2 T. butter
Filling:
4 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
½ c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
2 T. Amaretto
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Candied Almonds
¾ c. sliced almonds
½ c. sugar
¼ c. water
½ t. cinnamon
Place tortillas in shallow dish and drizzle the milk over them. Try to get some milk on each of the tortillas to soften them. While the tortillas are softening, prepare the filling. In medium skillet, combine pears with the rest of the filling ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Set aside. Combine almonds with the sugar, water and cinnamon in medium skillet. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook until liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Pour almonds onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet or foil. Spread out and allow nuts to cool.
Place butter in skillet and start to heat up the pan. While pan is heating, divide pear filling among the 4 tortillas. Place filling along center of tortilla and fold up edges over, to cover the filling. Heat the tortillas, seam side down, in the pan until golden, turning to toast evenly on both sides. Remove from pan and place on serving plate. Top with some of the candied almonds. Serves 4.
Pear and Oatmeal Muffins
It is pear season. While apples seem to get more attention, pears are a wonderful, versatile fruit.
Pears will ripen off the tree and are often picked unripe and allowed to ripen after harvest. Unlike a lot of other fruits, pears do not suffer from being picked before they are ripe. As they ripen, pears become very sweet.
I like to pick out both ripe and unripe pears at the local market. That way, I’ll have ripe pears over a longer period of time.
I had some ripe pears and wanted to do something with them. Since I had a friend coming for over breakfast, I thought muffins. It’s always nice to have an easy breakfast option on hand.
I started with a basic muffin recipe, and added some diced pears, cinnamon, orange zest, nutmeg and a cinnamon sugar topping, to make them special. And yes, you could substitute apples for the pears!!!
I was really happy with how they turned out. Not overly sweet, moist and tender. Here is the recipe.
Pear and Oatmeal Muffins
1 ½ c. flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 T. grated orange peel
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. each nutmeg and salt
½ t. baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. oil
¼ c. orange juice
1½ cups of peeled, diced pears – 2 or 3 pears should do it
2 T. melted butter, optional
cinnamon sugar, optional
Combine flour with the dry ingredients. Set aside. Combine egg with the honey, oil and juice. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until flour is just moistened. Fold in pears. Batter will be thick. Divide batter among 12 greased muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 375- degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While the muffins are warm, dip tops in melted butter and then dip in the cinnamon sugar, if you like. They are tasty, with or without the cinnamon sugar topping, but I like to add this last step. Makes 12.
Old-Fashioned Pear Cobbler
Cobbler is one of my favorite desserts for this time of year. I really enjoy making this pear cobbler for family and friends. Like apples, pears always remind me of Fall.
While cobblers can be made with any number of different fruits, I love using pears. It is one of the simplest desserts you can make from scratch, and one of my favorites, for sure.
In the time it takes to preheat the oven, you can have it ready to bake. This recipe calls for baking mix, like Bisquick or Jiffy Mix. I make my own- recipes follows- but use what you like. The cobbler is fine served plain, or with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream. It can also be served cold, but I like to serve it warm.
If you prefer, you can also make the cobbler with a combination of pears and apples.
Pear Cobbler
4 c. peeled and sliced pears
½ c. sugar
1 T. plus 2/3 c. baking mix (Like Bisquick or Jiffy Mix or even homemade)- recipe follows
1-2 t. cinnamon
2 T. packed brown sugar
¼ c. butter
2 T. milk
In 1-quart shallow casserole, combine fruit, sugar, 1 tablespoon of the biscuit mix and cinnamon. In medium bowl combine remaining biscuit mix with sugar. Cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in milk to make a soft dough. Drop by spoonfuls over fruit mixture. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into dough comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Serves 4-6.
Baking/ Biscuit Mix
8 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk
¼ c. baking powder
1 T. salt
2 c. shortening*
Sift dry ingredients together 3 times. Cut in shortening to resemble cornmeal. Keep in an airtight container. Store in a cool dry place and use within six months.
*You can use butter or coconut oil in place of the shortening. Just store in the fridge, if you do. I use coconut oil.
Cinnamon Pear Coffee Cake
This pear-studded cake is perfect to have with that morning cup of coffee- or for dessert. The tender cake is topped with chopped pears, cubes of cream cheese, cinnamon sugar and a vanilla glaze. The taste is amazing. I used Bartlett pears, but any ripe pear would work.
I will say up front, that this is not the prettiest cake out there. It comes out of the oven kind of lumpy, from all those pears and the tiny cubes of cream cheese. Once you top it with the cinnamon sugar, and later the glaze, it looks a lot better. It is one of the tastiest cakes, though, and isn’t that what’s important?
So if you want to enjoy one of my favorite Autumn fruits in a new way- try making this simple, tasty pear coffeecake. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Cinnamon Pear Coffeecake
1 stick (½ cup) butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. half and half
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
½ t. salt
2 lbs. pears, about 4 large, cored, peeled and sliced *
8 oz. cream cheese, cut in small pieces
Topping
3 T. cinnamon sugar
Glaze:
½ c. powdered sugar
1-2 T. milk
½ t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, half and half, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Pour directly over the butter in the baking dish, but do not stir. Drain pears well. Add the pears, arranging in a single layer as much as possible. Sprinkle cream cheese pieces over fruit. Place in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbling. When you remove the cake from the oven, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Set cake aside to cool. Make glaze by combining glaze ingredients. Add just enough milk for a nice consistency for drizzling. Drizzle over cooled cake. Store leftovers in fridge. Serves 12.
* To keep pears from discoloring place in a bowl with 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Spiced Pear and Oatmeal Muffins
It is pear season. While apples seem to get more attention, pears are a wonderful, versatile fruit.
Pears will ripen off the tree and are often picked unripe and allowed to ripen after harvest. Unlike a lot of other fruits, pears do not suffer from being picked before they are ripe. As they ripen, pears become very sweet.
I like to pick out both ripe and unripe pears at the local market. That way, I’ll have ripe pears over a longer period of time.
I had some ripe pears and wanted to do something with them. Since I had a friend coming for over breakfast, I thought muffins. It’s always nice to have an easy breakfast option on hand.
I started with a basic muffin recipe, and added some diced pears, cinnamon, orange zest, nutmeg and a cinnamon sugar topping, to make them special. And yes, you could substitute apples for the pears!!!
I was really happy with how they turned out. Not overly sweet, moist and tender. Here is the recipe.
Spiced Pear and Oatmeal Muffins
1 ½ c. flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 T. grated orange peel
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. each nutmeg and salt
½ t. baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. oil
¼ c. orange juice
1½ cups of peeled, diced pears – 2 or 3 pears should do it
2 T. melted butter, optional
cinnamon sugar, optional
Combine flour with the dry ingredients. Set aside. Combine egg with the honey, oil and juice. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until flour is just moistened. Fold in pears. Batter will be thick. Divide batter among 12 greased muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 375- degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While the muffins are warm, dip tops in melted butter and then dip in the cinnamon sugar, if you like. They are tasty, with or without the cinnamon sugar topping, but I like to add this last step. Makes 12.
Cinnamon Pear Coffee Cake
Cinnamon Pear Coffee Cake
This pear-studded cake is perfect to have with that morning cup of coffee- or for dessert. The tender cake is topped with a lot of pears, cubes of cream cheese, cinnamon sugar and a vanilla glaze. The taste is amazing. I used Bartlett pears, but any ripe pear would work. The 4 pears weighed about 2 pounds.
I will say up front that this is not the most photogenic cake out there. It comes out of the oven kind of lumpy, from all those pears and the tiny cubes of cream cheese. Once you top it with the cinnamon sugar, and later the glaze, it looks a lot better. It is one of the tastiest, though, and isn’t that what’s important?
So if you want to enjoy one of my favorite Autumn fruits in a new way- try making this simple, tasty pear coffee cake. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Cinnamon Pear Coffee Cake
1 stick (½ cup) butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. half and half
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
½ t. salt
2 lbs. pears, about 4 large, cored, peeled and sliced *
8 oz. cream cheese, cut in small pieces
Topping
3 T. cinnamon sugar
Glaze:
½ c. powdered sugar
1-2 T. milk
½ t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, half and half, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Pour directly over the butter in the baking dish, but do not stir. Drain pears well. Add the pears, arranging in a single layer as much as possible. Sprinkle cream cheese pieces over fruit. Place in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbling. When you remove the cake from the oven, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Set cake aside to cool. Make glaze by combining glaze ingredients. Add just enough milk for a nice consistency for drizzling. Drizzle over cooled cake. Store leftovers in fridge. Serves 12.
* To keep pears from discoloring place in a bowl with 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Duck with Pear Ginger Sauce
Duck with Pear Ginger Sauce
I love the way duck tastes when served with pears. Duck, with its dark, rich meat really works well with all sorts of fruit. I’ve made sauces and glazes for duck from cherries, prunes, mangoes, peaches and of course, oranges. Since I had several very ripe pears and a duck I was roasting I thought I’d try them together. Oh yum!!
I made a simple sauce out of the pears. I peeled them and diced them and put them in a small saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, about 1/4 cup of cider vinegar, some salt and pepper and a healthy splash of hot sauce. It needed something so I added about a teaspoon and half of grated ginger. That was the missing ingredient. It gave the sauce a nice bite. I simmered the sauce for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking. The pears were just starting to fall apart. When the duck was ready to serve I warmed up the sauce and spooned some on the plate.
To roast the duck: Let me say this was a locally grown duck so not as fatty as ducks I get at the grocery store. For the very fatty ducks you need to score the skin and trim off extra fat. If you don’t the skin won’t get crispy and isn’t very appetizing. Still, I wanted a nice high heat to crisp up the skin. I placed it on a rack in a roasting pan. I did cut up an onion and a small orange and placed them in the cavity. Sprinkled generously with salt and pepper and placed the duck in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then I turned the heat down to 425 until the duck was done. In this case, it was a smallish duck and cooked in about 65 minutes. It is OK if the duck meat is a little pink. Kind of preferred a little pink by most, but cook it to your own comfort level. Let duck rest 10-15 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.
Right out of the oven
Cabbage with Apples and Pears
Cabbage with Apples and Pears
I really do like cabbage. I think it gets overshadowed by its botanical cousins like kale and broccoli. Cabbage is loaded with vitamins- including vitamin C – and is so versatile. I could eat cole slaw every day of the week. It also is great in salads, soups and casseroles. Since I was doing a class on cooking with apples and pears I decided to combine these three ingredients together in one dish. I went a little sweet and sour with this one, adding 2 different vinegars and a bit of sugar. You could certainly add bacon or perhaps some hot peppers for variation. I served it as is, but will often stir in some cooked noodles just before serving.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage- with Apples and Pears
2 T. oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
8 c. shredded cabbage
2 c. chopped apples and pears, peeled if desired
½ c. cider vinegar
2 T. balsamic vinegar
¼ sugar, or more to suit your taste
salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion in oil until golden brown. Add cabbage and fruit and cook over medium high heat, stirring often until cabbage is wilted. Add remaining ingredients and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Adjust seasonings. Serves 4-6.
Note: You can serve this dish just as it is or you can add 8 oz. of cooked noodles when you add the vinegar for cabbage and noodles. Some people also like to make this dish with crumbled bacon or diced ham.
