I personally think that pears are totally underrated. A favourite Autumn and Winter fruit, they’re versatile, delicious and deserve more attention. Baked, poached, pickled or fresh, green, golden or blushing red… let’s not let apples have all the fun! If you happen to be the proud owner of a bowl of under-ripe pears then listen up.
Poaching is perfect for underripe pears and this Poached Pear & Almond Loaf is seriously scrumptious. Sure, poaching might sound scary (I blame eggs for why poaching has gotten such a bad wrap!) but it’s actually ridiculously easy. This recipe by avid baker Charlotte Ree uses sweet, juicy Bosc pears. These babies are in season from March – November and have to be one of the best all-rounders for cooking.
Anyway, enough chit chat. Happy baking folks!
I Loaf You
“This is a showstopper. The stems of the pears are crucial to this dessert. I always poach a few additional pears as back up, should any of their stems break.” – Charlotte Ree
Ingredients
Poached Pear
- 400g sugar
- 6 cups water
- 6 bosc pears, peeled, with stems intact
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 vanilla bean, split in two
Almond Loaf
- 150g sugar
- 125g butter, at room temperature
- 160g sour cream, at room temperature
- 100g plain flour, sifted
- 100g self-raising flour, sifted
- 80g almond meal
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- double cream, to serve
Method
- Sprinkle each pear with lemon juice to avoid browning as you peel them. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add pears and the vanilla bean. Allow the pears to simmer in the liquid, covered with a square of baking paper, for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Turn occasionally to ensure even cooking. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a loaf pan and line bottom with baking paper so it extends over the sides of the pan. Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sour cream and beat until combined. Stir in the sifted flours and almond meal.
- Strain your pears.
- Pour the batter into your pan. Take three pears and arrange them in a straight line, one by one, with a 3cm gap between each. Gently push the pears to the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan before serving with double cream.
TIP Check your loaf at the 20-minute mark and straighten any pears that may have tilted to their side.
Best served with…
The perfect pair, serve your loaf with Marimekko’s Päärynä (Pear) patterned tableware. The fun, originally huge Päärynä (Pear) pattern displays the influence of pop art which was in Vogue when the fabric was designed. Design by Maija Isola, 1969.
Recipe from Bakeree by Charlotte Ree, featuring Marimekko. Charlotte is an avid baker, recipe developer and pun generator based in Sydney, Australia. BAKEREE is her first book. A collection of more than 30 cakes, cookies and sweets that showcase the joy of baking and eating. You can follow Charlotte’s love affair with baking on Instagram. Images by Luisa Brimble.
