Spiced Pear Gingerbread
There is a new cookbook on my shelf, a recent arrival from the Berkshire kitchen of my friend, Alana. Actually, it hasn’t rested on the bookshelf yet; I’ve been keeping it with me in the kitchen for daily cooking, baking and tea-time reading.
The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking with Pleasure
is the second cookbook from Alana, and a long awaited companion to The Homemade Pantry. It’s a personal and passionate ode to home cooking without an ounce of pressure. Alana encourages aspiring cooks with memorable lessons such as Do Your Best and Then Let Go, Be a Beginner, and Do the Work. In fact, these guiding principles form the outline of her book, and she explains and expands on them in thoughtful essays that undoubtedly come from a place of learning.
I’ve been cooking plenty from The Homemade Kitchen already, so read on for more thoughts on the cookbook and a splendid giveaway, too.
There is a warmth in Alana’s cookbook that I recognized right away. It is the same generosity of spirit and open-armed welcome that I received last February when we dropped in to her home on my book tour. Having sipped Chemex coffee and devoured breakfast burritos in the same kitchen the book is named after, I can honestly say that The Homemade Kitchen is a truthful portrayal of the real thing.
Soup was the first dish I was inspired to make. Minestrone, to be exact, a recipe tucked into the back of a chapter titled ‘Use Your Scraps’ – a worthy cause that is close to my heart. And so I did just that, opening the fridge and turning odd bits of vegetables, leftover beans and some tired kale into a bowl of comfort food.
To keep everyone happy (although my crew adores a vegetable-filled bowl like the one above) I slid a batch of Alana’s Popovers into the oven 25 minutes before dinner. At my beckoning, the three little ones skidded into the kitchen and parked in front of the glass door of the oven to watch them puff. They rose to impressive heights, and stayed that way until we devoured them with our Minestrone.
It was a perfect October weeknight supper.
Spiced Pear Gingerbread
Alana introduced me to the term ‘snacking cake’, although I can’t remember exactly when. She has long professed a soft spot for tea and cake and really, what are October afternoons for if not for nibbling on cake while watching the leaves fall?
I debated long and hard between The Homemade Kitchen‘s seasonally appropriate Pear Gingerbread and the tempting Rhubarb Snacking Cake, because my little plant is still producing. In the end I decided to save the rhubarb for one last pie for Thanksgiving and reached for a box of Quebec pears.
Before long, the kitchen was perfumed with an intoxicating concoction of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The cake rose tall and turned golden, and it wasn’t long before Clara and I were tucking into a slice each. Delicious. Spicy and dense; not too sweet.
Our little family is going to face a few challenges in the coming months. Does knowing what lies ahead help ease the anxiety? Not really. But perhaps I can store a few pans of pear gingerbread in the freezer for the more difficult of days. Slowing down for tea and cake seems like a good way to come to grips with grown up issues. Add homemade applesauce and a little whipped cream and the road to recovery will be swift.
Pear Gingerbread
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter plus additional for the pan
- 1/2 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup or honey (I used honey)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar I used organic muscavado
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons ground ginger I used half fresh, half dried
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 2 Bosc pears peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch square or equivalent pan.
- In a small sacuepan, melt together the butter, syrup, and brown sugar over low heat. Gently stir to combine as the mixture melts. Set aside.8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and combine with a few strokes of a wooden spoon, taking care not to overmix.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 Tablespoons ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and yogurt. Add the egg mixture to the batter, and gently combine. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.1 large egg, 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- Lay the pears on top of the batter in a pinwheel shape. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the cake, 30 to 35 minutes2 Bosc pears
Notes
Wisely, Alana calls for a 9x9 inch pan. I only had 8x8 and the baking temperature was longer than usual, which made the edges of the cake dry out slightly. Go with 9x9!
Nutrition
If you get a chance, pick up The Homemade Kitchen in a bookstore and flip through it for the lovely photos. They are magazine-pretty, yet don’t feel staged – not an easy accomplishment.
When Alana and family dropped in on us earlier this summer, her daughter Rosie and my Noah perched on the sofa together with their mum’s cookbooks and chuckled at the photos of themselves on the pages. Alana and I elbowed each other and tried to listen into their nine-year-old commentary. It was all rather adorable. I’m happy Noah got the chance to commiserate with someone who understands what it’s like to have a photographer follow you around in the apple orchard.
Giveaway
Thanks to the lovely people at Clarkson Potter I have a very special giveaway for you!
Grand Prize:
One winner will take home a grand prize of:
- One Zwilling Stainless-Steel 6-inch Chef’s Knife (I own and love this knife)
- The Homemade Kitchen’ tote bag (these are beautiful!)
- A signed copy of The Homemade Kitchen
.
Second and Third Prize:
A copy of The Homemade Kitchen shipped to the doors of two runner up winners.
To enter: leave a comment on this post and tell me your current fall baking or cooking obsession. That’s it!
Giveaway ends Sunday, October 11, 2015 at 7AM. Winners will be announced in my Weekend Links post. Good luck to all!
Soups and homemade breads! Hearty,economical, warming, yummy and I love the way my kitchen smells while they’re cooking.
It`s all about the slow roasting of meats, stews and soups and allowing the fragrances to fill the rooms with warmth and love!
Apple crisp!!!!!
Apples, pears, and pumpkin baked goods. I love fall baking. I am also trying to master sourdough.
Currently anything with apples or pears in the recipe. Our garden (first fall we’ve spent here at this house) is BURSTing with these and I hardly know what to do with them all. And that’s with me giving them away hand over fist. 🙂 XXOO
I am obsessed with pureed pumpkin! Pumpkin cake, pumpkin cupcakes and pumpkin mashed potatoes!
I love the crisp fall weather, I’ve been in my kitchen canning fresh salsa green peppers, zucchini, onions, tomatoes all from my garden. Yesterday I peeled 40 lbs of apples and made a bunch of Apple pies, apple crisps and I even tried apple turnovers for the first time. I love looking on my cupboard and seeing the jars full of goodness and the sound of pinging as they seal.
Nora
apple pie pumpkin bread and ginger which i love I get to try you Pear Gingerbread.
apple pie, pumpkin bread and ginger which i love I get to try you Pear Gingerbread.
apple pie, pumpkin bread and ginger which i love I get to try you Pear Gingerbread.
First, I would like to say that I love your whole outlook on cooking – follows my philosophy as well. I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts and can relate. Your cookbook is proudly displayed in my kitchen and is forever being picked up and browsed as my guests linger in my kitchen.
This pear ginger cake has come at a perfect time. I was going to make individual apple crisp tarts for thanksgiving at my in-laws along with ginger snap ice cream sandwiches (for kids!)… Now, I am going to make this cake (along with ice cream sandwiches). And I can make it today! Even better.
My fav thing to make this season… Soup. Hands down. Along with some great homemade breads of course. Sweater weather. Love it. Cheers!
Using seedless Concord grapes today to make rosemary-grape focaccia!
Sounds wonderful!
Homemade soups! Mmmmm!
Nothing says “fall” to me quite so much as a big pan of onions cooking down really slowly on the stove. It’s the kind of thing that reminds me that even in the cold months ahead with no fresh lettuces and such food can be delicious, because storage crops are pretty magical if you take the time to cook them well 🙂
Anything apple… Especially warm baked oatmeal with chunks of apple.
I love lentil soup! It’s in my crockpot today.
Variety of apple, plum, pear & peach pies & canning sauces. Roasting the end of season tomatoes from the garden with my rosemary & hot peppers & local garlic. Plus lots of end of season canning & freezing…
I am making this soup and pear cake this weekend- perfect for cool October evenings- Thank you!
Oh, that cake looks lovely. I can’t stop with the apples right now, but pears are just as good, aren’t they?
This might seem silly, but I just discovered homemade applesauce after buying way, way to many bags of apple at the orchard. I had no idea homemade applesauce was a million times better. I’ve been canning gallons of the stuff!
And I guess soup is a full time obsession for me. As I was reading your post, I realized I had a clean-the-fridge minestrone soup in the slow cooker right now!
I’m obsessed with baking pumpkin goodies, especially pumpkin muffins
Snack cakes are so easy and they turn out so well!!
Hearty soups & stews; but I love to bake too!! Had a bumper crop of pears this year, so putting up pears for pie filling, pear butter, & pear syrup. Waiting for a good frost to sweeten the apple crop at my favorite apple farm in north GA.
Now that the weather is a bit cooler, I am thinking more about making casseroles. I already made a tuna noodle casserole this week. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
I love the sort of hunkering down and gathering together this time of year. The last of the tomatoes have been roasted, the zucchini has finally succumbed to the end of summer, and it’s time to cook things slowly. Roasts, stews, soups, and of course apples and pumpkin. Time to settle in for the winter!
Soups, love soup especially in the fall
Roasting a chicken in the oven and then making stock, we use the stock for Parmesan Risotto and Creamy Chicken soup.
I’m currently baking pumpkin bread, ginger pear cakes and gingerbread! Plan to try some new combos of veg soups too! Thanks for this opportunity- I now will be trying this snack cake! Love you blog!
I have been making lots of muffins and quick breads this fall. Mostly apple and pumpkin. They are a great quick snack and my son requests them in his lunch daily.
Pumpkin cookies! That’s my current fall baking obsession!
Currently am all about Curried Squash soup!
All types of soups and pumpkin whoopie pies.
Olive oil cake and homemade soups! (French Onion and Chicken Tortilla are two of my favorites to make.) And then there’s homemade pizza. Pizza forever!
My current fall baking or cooking obsession is using the seasonal produce. Curried Butternut and apple squash soup with roasted garlic, simmering on the stove . The scents fill the home ! And baking spiced pumpkin loaves. Tomorrow will be the apple and pumpkin pies for the Thanksgiving meal on Sunday.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
I recently rediscovered your blog right when I need to do some fall baking! I’m going to make this gingerbread for a bake sale at work. It looks amazing.
I’m going to make this recipe today. I have a bounty of pears and I love gingerbread. It looks so delicious. I love this time of year when spices are in the year. Thanks for the great recipes.
My fall baking obsession is anything with spices so this recipe fits the bill! When October rolls around I start thinking of cinnamon-y things and the smell of baking things filling my home.
My fall baking obsession is anything with pumpkin, and any artisan or specialty breads. Yum!
Anything pumpkin! And the last of the tomatoes put in the crockpot with onions, garlic and a touch of olive oil to sit for hours to make a homemade marinara….yum
Banana bread. I know, it’s not a typical fall “thing” to bake. It kind of goes along with finding something to pack in the kids’ lunches that is peanut free. I’ve been baking loaves of it lately – mostly to beat the fruit flies to the punch! Looking forward to trying this recipe though.
Applesauce and pear cake!
soups and baked goods are on my agenda this fall! thanks for introducing us to Alana!
Fall obsession? Two because the weather’s cooling – beignets and danish pastries!!
Today is canning day . Apple sauce and then, my tomatoes from the garden will be transformed in the delicious recipe I found on your website (tomato sauce). I’m also cooking my turkey for Sunday dinner and the smell in the house is incredible. Ah! Fall cooking warms me up. Have a nice day!
Love my pears…especially ginger pear jam. Looking forward to trying this gingerbread here in
Gatineau
Trying my hand at different types of scones right now.
I am currently on a Hash and Scramble kick. It takes no time to clear out the fridge, or get something from the garden and mix it with a protein.
I haven’t hit the ‘kitchen time stride’ that dark fall and winter nights prompt in me. I haven’t even baked anything yet…oddity.
Making pumpkin pies from sugar pumpkins I grew in my garden!!!
This fall I love to make pulled beef and pulled chicken so far. The meats are so moist and great for tacos, tortillas and warm.
Batches and batches of pear and apple sauce to store in the freezer for the winter. Will be trying this yummy snack cake!
I’m thinking cool weather, fall squash, and pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw in the near future. The weather, however, is NOT cooperating — it’s 102° in Burbank today! Will fall ever show up so I can spend a little time baking?
Thank goodness for salads and slow cookers for hot weather cooking.