food & photography
Warm fragrant spices, uplifting the mellowness of firm pears, encased in a crisp puff pastry is something which definitely celebrates autumn. Looks like, rains have completely drifted away now. Mornings and evenings have started becoming more pleasant and in fact even sun is not that harsh. It has started getting better day by day, with us now in September….
It’s time when flavours of fall have taken over the summer bounty. Although we are observing late rain showers this year, but few things have different story to tell. It’s time when market is flooded with fruits of fall. Pears, apples and pomegranates are back in abundance with their ripest and sweetest form ever. It’s one of my favourite seasons besides spring. While Spring has the beauty of blushing flowers and red juicy strawberries, fall on the opposite side has the myriad colours of drying falling leaves and fragrant pears and ruby red pomegranate pearls.
And I thrive on fresh seasonal produce. You’d have seen the regular use of seasonal produce in my baking, which clearly tells how I love them in my cakes and bakes. They bring a life in entirety to the regular home bakes I keep on trying regularly. Ironically it keeps the regular feel far away from such easy home kitchen recipes. And what else one could dream of – a simple and sometimes an old recipe getting revived with the new seasonal flavours.
I baked one chocolate chunk pear cake few days back which almost reminded me of the Chocolate & Pear Teabread, which I had baked last year. Sadly, I couldn’t take pictures of it, as I was in hurry to get home soon and meet the parents. And I was itching so badly, that I wanted to get at least one Pear recipe this season, before they get disappeared off the shelves.
So determinedly, I baked this Pear Ginger & Rosemary cake {actually, three mini loaves} and took photos of them. Now, if I talk about the ginger, it was from the jar of remaining candied ginger from the last year’s Chocolate Chip & Candied Ginger Cookies. Ginger, which is again a flavour of festive season, pairs really well with Pears.
And the Rosemary, just accentuates the flavour of aromatic Pears and the spicy sweet ginger. Such beautiful medley of flavours! And I am in love with them. And if that isn’t just enough for you, I tell you that these cakes are baked without eggs. Wow!!! isn’t that just a bonus, for all you lovely vegetarian people. I think it is, at least for my mommy, who doesn’t eat eggs. She just loved them.
This isn’t just any dry or dense teabread or loaf, which you would come across. Neither is this similar to ones which desperately wait to be picked up in a display case in a coffee shop, probably for weeks.
Because this is the most moist loaf you would ever enjoy. Full of goodness of fragrant ripened chunks of pears and the utter delicious dark chocolate chips. A melt in your mouth deliciousness.
You wouldn’t require to slather this with butter or any other spread for that matter. This is so good on it’s own. And why not? Seasonal lusciously ripened and vibrantly green pears make this loaf so special. Seasonal produce can do wonders to even an easiest of a recipe.
Pears are in abundance in market now. In fact, I see only one fruit these days, Pears, Pears, Pears. All over, wherever you could see. You just can’t ignore them. So I bought two kilo of pears last week. Took one for the afternoon snack at work, chopped another one in my breakfast bowl of milk and cereals, almost everyday. But still couldn’t be able to finish them up that way.
And I had this recipe of chocolate and pear tearbread from very talented Kathleen King, author of Baking for Friends and owner at New York’s famous Tate’s Bakeshop. Her passion for baking shines through her simple and homey recipes, which she has developed over the years, while baking for her friends and family.
Isn’t this great already? Spreading the joy through sweet and delicious baked goods. And I feel awesome, coz this is almost what I do. Bake for my friends and family. Or to be true, I get some easy folks for my new trials and errors. 🙂 And that’s not enough, I get constructive feedback in return.
Ok, so now talking about the recipe, it calls for a good amount of chopped pears, which not only make this loaf moist but also quite fragrant. There are enough chocolate chips, but not overpowering the delicate pears. And the flavors of brown sugar and butter really come through.
It took longer than, what the recipe suggests though. But definitely, that extra wait was worth. Kids enjoyed this and so did my adult friends.
Recipe adapted from Baking for Friends
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
100 gm butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and diced (about 2 cups)
1 cup dark chocolate chips/chunks
Instructions