Maple Pears Food

MAPLE-PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter the bottom and side of a 9-inch round cake pan. Toss the pear wedges with 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large bowl; set aside. Bring 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the water and remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice to a simmer in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer, without stirring, until amber, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan, tilting to coat the bottom. Let cool, then top with the pears in a circular pattern.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, sour cream and maple extract in a large liquid measuring cup and stir until smooth. Beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the maple sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat until thickened, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture in two batches. The batter may look slightly curdled; keep beating and it will smooth out.
• Pour the batter into the pan over the pears and smooth the top. Bake until the top of the cake is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 20 minutes in the pan. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, then invert onto a serving plate and let cool completely.

SIMPLE MAPLE VANILLA BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). I don't line my baking sheet when I make these, but you absolutely can with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
• Cut pears in half, then cut a small sliver off the underside so the pears sit flat when placed upright on the baking sheet. See video above for visual. Using a large or medium cookie scoop or melon baller (or even a teaspoon), core out the seeds. Arrange pears, facing up, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon- feel free to add more cinnamon if you'd like.
• Whisk the maple syrup and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle most of it all over the pears, reserving about 2 Tablespoons for after the pears are finished baking.
• Bake pears for about 25 minutes until soft and lightly browned on the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with remaining maple syrup mixture. Serve warm with granola and yogurt. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

MAPLE PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat; add maple syrup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. When the mixture has cooled a bit, pour it into a 9-inch baking pan and arrange pear slices in an overlapping circle on top. With a handheld or standing mixer, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one egg at a time, continuing to mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk; do not overmix. Carefully spread the batter over pears, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 to 50 minutes; a toothpick inserted into center should come out clean. Let cake cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan; put a plate on top of cake and carefully flip it so plate is on bottom and pan is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PEAR MAPLE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat a 9-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven.
• Add the flour, pears, baking powder and salt to a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Add 5 tablespoons butter, pulsing until it resembles a coarse meal. Pour in the half-and-half and 2 tablespoons maple syrup and pulse until just combined. Transfer to a floured work surface and roll the dough into a square about 1/2-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter (or the rim of a glass works, too), cut 8 biscuits, re-rolling if necessary.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the hot skillet. Swirl the skillet to coat the bottom and sides with butter, then pour the butter into a bowl and mix with the remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Add the biscuits to the skillet and brush them each with a little of the maple butter, saving the rest for finishing.
• Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush the remaining maple butter on the biscuits and let them cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MAPLE PEARS WITH PECANS & CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Peel and halve the pears and scoop out the core with a teaspoon. Lay the halves in a shallow microwaveable dish, cut side down, along with the cranberries. Pour 2 tbsp of the maple syrup over and cover with cling film. Microwave on High for 3 mins until softened, stirring halfway through. Uncover and leave to cool for a few mins. Stir the pecan nuts through the syrup.
• Spoon into serving dishes, drizzle extra maple syrup, if you like, and serve with yogurt.

MAPLE-PEAR SHEET TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 13x18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water.
• If using a 14-ounce puff pastry package, roll the sheet to a 13-x18-inch rectangle on a floured surface. If using a 17-ounce puff pastry package, roll each sheet to a 9 1/2-x13-inch rectangle. Line up the two longer sides and overlap by 1 inch to form a 13-x18-inch rectangle. Brush egg wash in between to form a seam. Use a rolling pin to seal the seam.
• Transfer the pastry to the parchment. Fold sides of pastry towards center to form a 1/2-inch border on all four sides. Lightly score the border by using a paring knife to make small shallow diagonal cuts. Prick the surface of the pastry inside the border with a fork. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Slice the pears in half lengthwise, and then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Trim the seeds and core and toss the slices in the sugar. Arrange on the pastry and brush all exposed pastry (including the borders) with the egg wash.
• Bake until the crust is puffed and golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Brush the fruit and pastry with the maple syrup. Let cool completely, and then slice into squares to serve.

CROCK POT MAPLE-SAUCED PEARS

Steps:

• Peel pears.
• Core pears from bottom, leaving stems attached.
• Place pears upright in slow cooker.
• Mix remaining ingredients except cornstarch and orange juice; pour over pears.
• Cover and cook on high heat setting 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until tender.
• Remove pears from cooker; place upright in serving dish or individual dessert dishes.
• Mix cornstarch and orange juice; stir into sauce in cooker.
• Cover and cook on high heat setting about 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
• Spoon sauce over pears.
• **Use 1/4 cup honey instead of the maple syrup for a change of pace.

MAPLE PEARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Transfer to a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until pears are tender., In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Serve with warm pears.

SPICED MAPLE PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Push a clove inside each pear and lay on their sides in an oven-proof dish.
• Add Cinnamon sticks to dish.
• Scatter cardamom seeds on top of pears.
• Gently heat white wine, maple syrup and sugar until dissolved and pour over pears. Make sure that the pears are half covered.
• Cover dish with foil and poach for approximately 1 hour or until tender, basting occasionally. Remove cloves, cardamom seeds and cinnamon before serving.

MAPLE PEAR, PECAN & MASCARPONE ROULADE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Oil a 30 x 24cm swiss roll tin and line with baking parchment. Put the eggs, vanilla and both sugars in a large bowl, and beat with an electric whisk for 5 mins, or until thickened and doubled in volume. The beaters should leave a thick trail when lifted out of the mixture.
• Sift over the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ¼ tsp salt, and very gently fold in using a large metal spoon. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 10-15 mins until golden and springy. Leave to cool in the tin a little, then turn out onto a sheet of baking parchment dusted with icing sugar. Roll up from a longer end, along with the parchment, then leave to cool.
• Toss the pears with the lemon juice in a bowl, then tip into a sieve set over a bowl to drain off any excess liquid. Beat together the mascarpone, double cream and 3 tbsp of the maple syrup until thick and spoonable. Tip the pecans into a food processor and blitz until finely chopped, then spread out on a large sheet of baking parchment.
• When the sponge is completely cool, unroll and drizzle over the remaining maple syrup. Spread with three-quarters of the mascarpone mixture, then scatter over the pears and roll up again tightly. Spread the remaining mascarpone all over the outside of the roulade, then swiftly roll in the chopped pecans. Cut into thick slices and serve with an extra drizzle of maple syrup, if you like.