No Partridge in this Pear Tree

Ok, my sweet dear readers….Yep! we are still on Fall and Apples and Pumpkins and wait a minute…wait for it… Pears!!!!

I really like pears and right now those wonderfully bronz-y colored bosc pears are showing up in roadside stands, farmers markets and supermarkets!

They are here for such a short time…and they just call out my name when ever I see them.

Perhaps it is their shape…you know how “they”, whoever “they” are….say a woman’s body is apple shaped or pear shaped? Well, I do believe my body can be described as pear shaped…thanks to the gene pool of my grandmother and aunt!

Perhaps that is why I relate to these odd shaped fruits. 😉

How about a little Pear 101?

I bought a couple different varieties, even though I am drawn to the Bosc pears.  

Don’t ask me why, but them seem more “Fallish” than their common green counterparts, the Bartletts. (they are the pears most often seen in supermarkets and in the canned variety) 

Pears are a very healthy fruit….they can be responsible for reduced Diabetes 2, heart disease and cancer risks. Pears are easily digested due to the low acid nature of this rotund fruit and they are considered hypoallergenic.

The descriptions below are the pears that I purchased at one of our farmers markets.

• Bosc: cinnamon brown-skinned pears with long tapered necks with a honey-like but complex flavor
• Red Anjou: reddish maroon in color and high in anthocyanins and are especially gorgeous in a salad
• Green Anjou: a widely available, compact, and short-necked pear. It doesn’t change color much while ripening, so you’ll need to use the stem test to see if it is ripe

What is the step test you may ask? One of the farmers was kind enough to enlighten me.

When trying to determine whether a pear is ripe, don’t start by squeezing the whole fruit. Instead, it is recommended that one gently press only at the top of the pear, near its stem. If that spot gives in to pressure, the pear is probably ripe for eating. If the flesh feels extremely soft, almost to the point of being squishy, the pear is overripe. Like most fruit, food safety commands one cook overripe fruit and not eat them raw.

Ok!!! There you have it all in a nutshell or should I say Pear skin?!!

Sooooo now that I have these pears….I got to thinking about Pear desserts….and there are many recipes.  However, I decided to put pears in a cake…..much like we put apples in Apple Cake.  There are two easy recipes at the following links:

Apple Cake

New Week Blessings!

And if pears would be a great addition to a cake….and chocolate is good anytime…why not add chocolate chips to this pear cake?

Ooooohhhhh right now I am salivating over chocolate dipped pears that I saw once in a French Cook Book…but I digress, as usual.

Ya know… most likely a cake with similar ingredients could be found in almost any European bakery, so make this cake and sit outside at a bistro table and enjoy zee fruit of zee labor! 🙂

My dear readers, I introduce you to a Chocolate Chip Pear Cake, printable recipe below.  

Perhaps the pear was placed just a little bit too low into the batter….in other words, don’t press your pear too deep into the batter!

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and your little cake is ready to be served! 😉 Breakfast, Tea time or Bedtime Snack!

Have a great and blessed day!

Chocolate Chip Pear Cake

2015-10-08 07:06:38

Have this for breakfast with that black cup of coffee or with afternoon tea.....or for an evening snack...Golly, anytime is a good time!

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Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup canola oil
2. 3/4 cup sugar
3. 2 eggs at room temperature
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 1 cup cake flour*
6. 2 teaspoons baking powder
7. 1/3 cup milk
8. 4 pears peeled, halved and cored, two of them chopped up into small pieces, the other three intact but cored
9. 1/2 cup mini or regular sized chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line the base and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan or use two 6 inch layer cake pans...OR you can use a 9X13 baking dish
2. In a large mixer bowl, beat the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla for at least 3 minutes. this adds the necessary volume, so don't skimp.
3. Sift in half of the flour and baking powder and add half the milk and gently fold into the batter.
4. Sift in the remaining flour and the milk.
5. Fold in the pears and chocolate chips.
6. If using two pans, divide the batter in half or if using one pan, pour the batter into a greased and floured pan.
7. Slice the pears but leave in the shape of a pear and place gently on top of the cake batter. If I am making two layers, I place one pear on each layer...if I am making one round layer...I just decorate as I see fit....one in the middle with 2 placed randomly or 3 around the edges. Your choice.
8. Bake for about 1 hour or until a tooth pick comes out clean...it may take a little longer depending on your oven temp
9. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar if desired

Notes

1. I use a melon baller to core the pears and a potato peeler to peel them.
2. If you do not have cake flour, you can make cake flour by mixing 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour?

Me and My Captain https://meandmycaptain.com/