Carmel Pear Shortcakes With Whipped Cream And Butterscotch Sauce

CARAMEL PEAR SHORTCAKES WITH 

WHIPPED CREAM AND 

 BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE                        

Serves 8.

Ingredients:

Shortcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

 3 T. sugar

1 T. plus 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

5 T. unsalted butter, cut into

    small cubes

About 1 cup buttermilk

Shortcake Topping:

1/4 cup whole milk or cream

1/4 cup sugar

Pears and Whipped Cream:

3 T. unsalted butter

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and

    seeds scraped out

6 Anjou or Red Bartlett pears, peeled,

    cored and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup sugar, divided use

2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Butterscotch Sauce:               

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 T. unsalted butter

Pinch salt

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

*

Directions:

1. For shortcakes, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Cut butter into mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until butter is still visible but very small.  Gently stir in 1/2 cup of the buttermilk.  Keep stirring in more buttermilk until a soft dough is formed.

2. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and pat to a 1 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut out 8 (1 1/2 inch) circles with a metal cutter.  Place shortcakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush tops with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes; remove to a rack to cool

3. For pears, melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add the vanilla bean and seeds and pear cubes; cook until pears begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in 2/3 cup sugar and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until apples are soft and caramelized. Whip cream with 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla; refrigerate. 

4. For Butterscotch Sauce, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute; remove from heat and stir in cream and vanilla.

5.    Split shortcakes and place bottoms on serving plates.  Divide pears among shortcakes and drizzle with Butterscotch Sauce; top with whipped cream and then the shortcake top.  Drizzle more Butterscotch Sauce on the plate as desired.

Roasted Pear, Dried Cranberry And Spinach Salad With Cranberry Mustard Dressing

ROASTED PEAR, DRIED CRANBERRY 

AND SPINACH SALAD WITH 

CRANBERRY MUSTARD DRESSING 

Serves 6.
Ingredients:
Salad:
2 firm-ripe Anjou pears, peeled and 
   cut into 6 wedges each 
2 T. raw (coarse) sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1-6 oz. bag baby spinach
Dressing:
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 T. pomegranate molasses or honey 
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

*

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss pear wedges with sugar and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cut sides down. Bake for 15 minutes or until soft and browned on undersides. Slide paper onto a rack and cool. Toss sliced almonds and dried cranberries together in a small bowl; set aside.
2. To make dressing place dried cranberries, vinegar, pomegranate molasses or honey and mustard in the blender. Blend until smooth. Add the olive oil and blend; season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Place spinach in a salad bowl and toss with half the almond mixture and enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves well. Plate the salad and top with roasted pears and the remaining almond mixture. 
Salad recipe and photo property of Phillis Carey.

Pear And Almond Frangipane Tart

Pear and Almond Frangipane Tart

adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.  Makes one 9-inch tart
Ingredients:
Pâte Sablée
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoon butter, very cold, 

    cut into small pieces

1 egg yolk

Poached Pears
3 ripe medium pears (I used Anjou) – 

you only need 2 pears but I suggest 

having an extra one just in case you 

mess up a pear
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Frangipane
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds

2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg plus 1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:
For the pears: 

Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, cut the pears in half, remove the seed core and fibrous cores at either end, then peel the pears.

Add the pear halves to the simmering syrup and reduce heat to low. Cover, and let pears poach for about 10 minutes, turning them halfway. The pears will become slightly translucent, very tender, and easily pierced with a knife or skewer.

Let the pears cool in the liquid until room temperature before using. Or, you can store them in their liquid in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For the tart shell: Put the flour, confectioner’s sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse until the butter is cut into pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and combine in several pulses until the dough starts to turn from dry to clumpy. Do not let the dough form one giant ball or it will be be overworked – just keep checking after every pulse and when the dough pieces looks like they will stick when you press them together, stop.

Butter a 9-in tart tin with removable bottom. Turn the dough out into the tin and press into the bottom and up the sides with your fingers. You probably will not need all the dough – save the extra for patching the shell after you bake it. Do not press the dough too hard or it will become tough – just enough for it to form to the tin.

Freeze the tart shell for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to bake it, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

To partially bake the tart shell, take a piece of foil and butter the shiny side, then press the buttered side tightly to the shell. You do not need pie weights. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until the shell is dry and lightly colored. If any places have cracked, repair with the extra dough. Let cool on a rack until room temperature.

For the frangipane: 

Combine the butter and sugar in the food processor and combine until smooth. Add the ground almonds and blend together. Add the flour and cornstarch, and then the egg and egg white. Process the mixture until it is very smooth. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts just to blend. The frangipane can be used immediately or you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If it becomes too firm in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for a while to soften before using.

To finish the tart: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the frangipane evenly into the cooled tart shell (It should be liquid enough to smooth out on its own so you don’t need to work to much on it).

Take the poached pears out of their liquid and drain them on paper towels. You don’t want too much excess liquid or they will make the frangipane soggy. Cut each pear half crosswise into 3/8 in thick slices. Do not separate the pear half yet.

Slide a spatula or other flat utensil underneath the pear so you can transfer the entire half onto the tart. Press on the pear to fan the slices toward the top narrow end of the pear.

Slide the pear half onto the frangipane carefully – you can move the pear after you place it, but not much.

Repeat with three other pear halves until there are four halves on the tart, evenly spaced.

Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, until the frangipane is puffed, golden brown, and firm to the touch. Cool the tart on a wire rack.

Before serving, you can brush the pears with some warmed apple jelly to glaze, or dust confectioner’s sugar over the tart.