Pear Almond And Dried Cherry Brown Betty Food

CHERRY AND COCONUT BROWN BETTY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch-square baking dish. Spread 1 cup cherries in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons coconut and 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Repeat three more times with cherries and dry ingredients.
• Cover baking dish with foil. Bake until cherry juice bubbles and candies a bit on the edges, about 1 hour. Remove foil and place dish under a broiler to toast the top layer, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Serve warm; pass a pitcher of chilled cream at the table for drizzling on top.

PEAR AND DRIED CHERRY CRISP WITH COCONUT-ALMOND TOPPING

Steps:

• For Topping:
• Mix flour, sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg in medium bowl. Add chilled butter and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add shredded coconut and sliced almonds and rub mixture with fingertips until small clumps form. (Topping can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For Fruit:
• Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter 13 x 9x2-inch glass baking dish. Toss pears, cherries, sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Transfer to prepared dish. Dot with butter. Sprinkle topping over. Bake until topping browns and juices thicken, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve with ice cream.

PEAR AND ALMOND BROWN BETTY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Drain pears, reserving 1/2 cup of the pear juice. Set reserved juice aside for later use. Spread half of the pear slices in lightly greased 9-inch square baking dish; sprinkle with half of the cookie crumbs. Repeat layers with remaining pears and remaining cookie crumbs; sprinkle evenly with almonds.
• Combine 1/2 cup reserved pear juice and the sugar; drizzle over ingredients in baking dish.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until hot and bubbly. Cool slightly. Serve warm topped with the whipped topping.

PEAR AND SOUR CHERRY BROWN BETTY WITH BRANDY HARD SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the hard sauce, in a medium bowl set an electric mixer on high and beat the butter until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add confectioners' sugar. When the sugar is incorporated, set the speed back to high. Add the brandy 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until combined. Beat in the nutmeg. Transfer the sauce to a ramekin or bowl, cover and refrigerate. Hard sauce can be made at least a week ahead, but allow it to come to room temperature before serving (about 20 minutes).
• To make the brown betty, heat the Cognac or brandy in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the liquid has come to a simmer, turn off the heat and add the cherries. Allow them to absorb most of the liquid, about 20 minutes.
• While cherries are standing, heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture for sprinkling. Add bread, butter and lemon zest. Toss until sugar has dissolved and bread is completely coated.
• In a shallow 1 1/2-quart gratin dish (or a 9-by-9-inch pan), scatter a little under half the bread cubes. Layer half the pear slices and half the cherries (along with any liquid) on top. Cover with a cup of bread crumbs and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons cider. Layer remaining pears, cherries and bread. Sprinkle top with remaining cider and reserved sugar-and-spice mixture.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Take off foil and continue baking, until crumbs are golden brown and pears are very soft, about 15 minutes more. Serve warm with dollops of hard sauce.