24th Harvest Week <> October 8 - 14, 2001

How about a break from beets, green beans and potatoes (well, recipes anyway)? Time for something in the dessert department! - Debbie

Baked Pear Pudding
(I've reduced this recipe down from one made with 10 pears, as we don't ever get that many at one time - Debbie)
Serves 6

6 pears, peeled, quartered, and tossed with 1-2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 C milk
1/4 C + 2 tbsp. heavy cream
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C flour
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (or seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod)
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
fresh grated nutmeg
hot maple syrup as an accompaniment

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a buttered 2 qt. casserole, arrange the pears decoratively. In a blender or food processor, blend milk, cream, 1/2 C of the sugar, the flour, the eggs, and the vanilla until batter is just combined. Pour over pears, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C sugar and nutmeg, and dot with butter. Bake in upper third of oven for 45 minutes or until top is golden and pudding is set. Serve warm or at room temperature, with maple syrup (optional).

Apple-Pear Cobbler with Cheddar Crust
6 - 8 servings
modified from a Bon Appetit recipe clip-ping (I reduced this one by half! - Debbie)

Filling:
3 tbsp. butter
2 lbs. pears (about 5), peeled, cored, quartered and cut into 1/2" wedges
2 lbs. apples (about 5), prepared same as pears, above
1/4 C + 2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 C whipping cream
1/4 C apple juice

Topping:
1 C all purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. chilled butter, cut into cubes
1/2 C (packed) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 2 oz.)
1/3 C milk
1 small egg (or just the yolk of a large egg)

For filling: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in skillet, sauté pears and apples until soft, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining filling ingredients and transfer to 13x9x2 glass baking dish.

For topping: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Add chilled butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese. Beat milk and eggs in small bowl to blend, then add to flour mixture (dough will be stiff). Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto filling, spacing evenly. Bake until bubbling, and toothpick inserted into topping comes out clean, about 35 - 40 minutes. Serve warm.