September is the beginning of the autumn season. Easy to prepare, even for the novice home cook, pears whether served poached, spiced, baked or in a tea loaf are the perfect complement to a lunch or dinner menu, afternoon tea or as a light snack.

POACHED ANJOU PEAR in Orange Sauce and Spiced Syrup with Raspberries

4 Anjou Pears, peeled and cored; 1 pint of Raspberries;

ORANGE SAUCE: 1/2 cup milk; 1/4 cup heavy cream; 1 tsp. sugar; 3 egg yolks; zest of 2 oranges. Orange Sauce: ; Mix the cream, milk & orange zest, infuse for 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Cream the yolks with the sugar. Boil the infused milk & cream; add to the creamed egg yolks. Mix all together well. Cook the sauce over a medium heat, stirring with a spatula until it has the consistency of a sauce. Do not boil the sauce. Set aside.

SPICED SYRUP: 1 quart of water; 3 cups of granulated sugar; 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg; 2 cloves; 1 vanilla bean opened or 2 tsp. vanilla extract;

SPICED SYRUP PREPARATION: In a heavy saucepot add 1 quart of water, all syrup ingredients except the pears. Bring to a boil. Poach the peeled and cored pears in the spiced syrup on a low flame until tender (about 30 minutes). Keep the pears in the syrup until ready to plate. Remove the pears from the syrup and set in the center of a desert plate. Pour the orange sauce around the pear and garnish with fresh raspberries.   Serves: 4

SPICED PEARS in MAPLE SYRUP 

4-6 pears, peeled and cored from the bottom, with stems attached; 1- cup maple syrup; 2 TBS) butter, melted; 1 tsp. grated orange peel; 1/4 tsp. ground ginger; 1 TBS cornstarch mixed with 2 TBS. orange juice.

Place the pears upright in large pot (with cover). Mix together the maple syrup, butter, orange peel, and ginger and pour over the pears. Cook tightly covered in a 300 degree F oven. Transfer the pears to a serving platter or individual serving dishes. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the liquid in pot and cook covered until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the pears. Serves 4 to 6.

BAKED PEARS

6 BOSC or ANJOU PEARS; juice of one lemon & one lime; 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon and 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon; pinch of sugar or pinch of brown sugar.

In a bowl squeeze the juice of one lemon and one lime, add a pinch of sugar (to cut the acid), and add 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon. Mix together.

Cut the pears in half and scoop out and remove the core. Place the hollow side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle extra ground cinnamon on top of each pear. Pour extra juice over the pears and into the baking dish.  Bake the pears in a 425- degree F oven for 12 to 45 minutes or until softened. Baste occasionally with juices.

Serve cold with ice cream or fresh berries and custard sauce, if desired. {You may also serve the orange sauce of above}

Toasting Walnuts

Place whole or half natural raw walnuts on a cookie sheet and roast for approximately 5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and allow the nuts to cool down. When the walnuts are cool enough to handle, place on a sheet of wax paper. Using a mallet or the side of a can, roll over walnuts to crush into small pieces; set aside.

CUSTARD SAUCE

2 cups milk (May be nonfat Lactaid milk, not skim); 3 egg yolks; 1/4 tsp. salt; 3 TBS sifted granulated sugar; 2 tsp. Pure Vanilla extract; Optional: orange zest, ground cinnamon and Vanilla Ice Cream.

In a saucepan, heat milk to scalding point. In a bowl beat egg yolks slightly, add in sugar and salt. While constantly stirring, add the scalded milk in small amounts at a time to the egg mixture until blended. Cover the saucepan. Place over a low flame until the mixture thickens to a consistency that allows the mixture to cover a wood spoon. Cool for 15 minutes. Then, add the Vanilla extract and orange zest. Allow all to cool down. Place in a covered container into the refrigerator until well chilled. Serve with the pears.

Place a pear half on a plate, surround with seasonal berries.  {Optional- Fill the center with Vanilla ice cream.} Pour the custard sauce over the pears and around the rim of the plate.  Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

CINNAMON~ PEAR ~ WALNUT TEA LOAF

1-½ cups All–purpose Flour, sifted; 1 teaspoon Baking Powder;

1 teaspoon Salt; 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, Saigon if available;

1-teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¾ cup Brown Sugar; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten by hand; ¾ cup unfiltered Olive Oil; 1 teaspoon Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract: 3 Tablespoons of Honey; clove if available; 2 cups of Pear, peeled, cored and finely diced or grated. Bartlet, Anjou, Bosc are best for baking. 1-¾ cups Walnuts, chopped. Set aside 1/4 cup for topping. Plain Pre roasted walnuts are even tastier.

PREPARATION: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray the bottom and sides of a 9”x 5” baking loaf pan with PAM™ Baking spray.  Dust the same with Domino Light Brown granulated sugar, or white granulated sugar.

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until blended together. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, oil, honey and grated pear. Slowly fold in the flour mixture until the batter is damp and fully blended.  Add 1- ½ cup of walnuts until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Place the batter into the loaf pan and even out with an offset spatula.  Give the loaf pan a few taps to release any air bubbles in the batter.  Sprinkle ¼ cup walnuts across the top of the batter. Set into the oven on the middle rack.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes.  Cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester removed from the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool down for 15 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve sliced.  May be stored in cellophane for a week.  May be securely wrapped for the freezer for three months.

Recipes and Photo ©Ellen Easton