Pear Almond Pie Food

ITALIAN PEAR ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375° F.
• Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and white sugar together at medium speed until pale in colour and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl between eggs (be sure to get all the way to the bottom of the bowl, where unincorporated butter can hide.. With the mixer on low, mix in the all purpose flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan and use a spatula to even out the mixture. (Batter will be thick and fill the pan only to about an inch thick).
• Prepare pears, by peeling, then cutting in half from the stem end to the bottom. Use a small spoon to remove the core and also scrape away the thick spine that runs up to the stem end. Set aside.
• Arrange the pear halves in a circle on the top, cut side down and with the thin end towards the centre of the cake. Sprinkle flaked almonds over-top. Bake in pre-heated 375° oven for about 35 minutes, or until the cake tests clean when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake.
• Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin, then run a knife around the outside and carefully remove the ring and base. Dust with icing/confectioners' sugar before serving.

ALMOND-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Shape almond paste into a disk. On lightly floured surface, roll or pat into 8-inch circle. Place in bottom of pie crust.
• In large bowl, mix pears, 2 tablespoons sugar, the flour, apple pie spice and lemon juice; mix well. Spoon over almond paste in crust. Place top crust over pears. Seal edges and flute. Cut slits in crust to vent steam. Brush top crust with egg. Sprinkle with almonds and 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until pears are tender and crust is deep golden brown. Cool at least 1 hour before serving.

ALMOND, PEAR AND CHERRY POCKET PIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
• Lightly flour your work surface. Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet at a time and roll each into a 10 by 15-inch rectangle. Using a ruler, cut each into 2 (5 by 15-inch) rectangles, then cut each rectangle into 5 (5 by 3-inch) rectangles. Transfer the 20 rectangles on to the baking sheet and chill in the fridge until cold.
• Peel, halve and core the pears, and then cut them into 1/4-inch thick slices. Toss them with the almonds, cherries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and almond extract.
• Remove the rectangles from the fridge, place 5 of them on a new baking sheet and evenly spoon half the fruit mixture onto them, leaving a little bit of a border all around. Beat the egg and lightly brush the borders. Lay 5 more rectangles of dough over the filling. Use a fork to press them gently sealed. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Brush the tops with the beaten egg. Cut 3 vents, about 1/2-inch long, in the top of each pie. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake, rotating once, until the crust is golden and you see the juices bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the pies on a cooling rack at least 20 minutes before serving.

PEAR-CARDAMOM PIE WITH ALMOND CRUST

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Blend flour, marzipan and salt in processor until marzipan is finely ground. Add butter and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix 3 tablespoons pear nectar and almond extract and blend in using on/off turns. Gradually blend in enough pear nectar by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours. (Dough can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
• Make filling:
• Grind brown sugar and vanilla bean in processor 1 minute. Add cornstarch and cardamom and process until vanilla bean is almost completely blended. Transfer to large bowl. Add pears and pear nectar; toss to coat.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out 1 dough disk between sheets of floured parchment paper to 13-inch round. Peel off top sheet of parchment. Invert dough into 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Peel off top sheet of parchment. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Transfer filling to crust. Roll out second dough disk between sheets of floured parchment to 13-inch round. Drape dough over filling. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Press edges together to seal; fold under. Crimp edge decoratively.
• Gather scraps and reroll between sheets of floured parchment. Cut out leaf shapes using cookie cutter. Arrange atop pie. Brush top of crust (not edge) with glaze. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut several slits in top to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake pie 15 minutes. Cover crust edge with foil to prevent over-browning. Continue baking until crust browns and pears are almost tender when pierced with skewer, about 40 minutes. Cool pie on rack at least 1 1/2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

ALMOND-TOPPED PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Combine the cornstarch, ginger and salt in a large bowl.
• Add the corn syrup, melted butter, lemon juice and lemon rind, stirring until smooth.
• Add the pears and toss until well coated with the corn syrup mixture. Arrange the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.
• Prepare the Almond Topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, and ginger in a bowl. Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender, until crumbly. Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle over the pears.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 60 minutes or until the topping and crust are golden brown. (Ovens vary greatly, so use your best judgement on total baking time.).
• Cool on a wire rack.

PEAR & ALMOND FLAPJACK TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out pastry and use to line a 23cm tart tin, leaving a slight overhang. Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans, then bake for 20 mins. Remove the beans and paper, then return to the oven for 10 mins more, or until the pastry is biscuity brown.
• Meanwhile, toss the pears in the sugar and spice, then set aside. To make the topping, tip the oats, flour and ground almonds into a large bowl with the sugar and a pinch of salt, then rub in the butter with your fingers until you have a soft mixture. Stir in the golden syrup.
• Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the pears over the base of the tart, then flatten the oaty pastry into a round and place it over the pears - push/spread it with your fingers so the pears are completely covered. Scatter with flaked almonds and an extra sprinkling of sugar, then bake for 30 mins. Allow to cool for a few mins, then serve warm with pouring cream or custard.

ALMOND PEAR TART

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10-in. circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. , In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar and flour; add pears and toss to coat. Spoon over the crust to within 2 in. of edges. Fold up edges of crust over filling, leaving center uncovered. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. , Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Sprinkle with almonds; bake 5 minutes longer. Using the parchment, slide tart onto a wire rack to cool.