Poached red anjou pear suspended in gingerbread cake spiced with star anise, cinnamon stick and fresh ginger drowned in hot buttered ginger liqueur.
Red anjou pears, grown right here in the USA are in season throughout fall. I try to take advantage of eating in-season fruits. They are good for you, packed with fiber and they're nature's candy. Nothing says fall like a warm gingerbread dessert. And when you can couple that with pears, well, now we're talking.
This seasonal dessert starts with a red anjou pear poached with the skin on. The skin is too pretty to discard, plus it has nutrients and fiber. The poached pear is then floated in the center of richly spiced gingerbread cake batter and baked to a deep rich brown until the house smells like a German fairy tale.
Cover the children's eyes, and turn the page to an adult novel as we ladle the pear gingerbread with hot buttered spirits — pear and ginger liqueurs — to emphasize the distinct fall fruit flavor and to give the dessert ultimate sophistication. The sauce tastes like a spiked creme anglaise. Read on for the recipe.
The Recipe
LFG Pear Gingerbread & Hot Buttered Ginger Liqueur
Poached Pear
1 Red Anjou Pear
1- 2 C Water (depends on pot, but enough to nearly submerge the pear)
1 Star Anise
2 Cinnamon Sticks
5 Slices Fresh Ginger
Gingerbread Cake
1 Poached Red Anjou Pear
1 Cup LFG Flour Blend
2 T Lakanto Monk Fruit
1/2 t Pure Stevia Extract Powder
1 t Baking Powder
1/4 t Salt
1 t Ground Ginger
1/2 t Ground Cinnamon
1/2 t Ground Clove
1/2 t Fresh Grated Ginger
1/4 t Cardamom
2 T Yacon Syrup
1/2 t Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 C Pure Olive Oil (not EVOO)
1/4 C Plain Coconut Yogurt
2 Eggs
2 T Poached Pear Water
Hot Buttered Pear Liqueur
1T Pear Liqueur
1 T Ginger Liqueur
4 T Butter
2 T Arrowroot Starch
1 C Grassfed Heavy Cream
2 T Poached Pear Water
1/4 t Salt
Instructions:
Step 1: Poach the Pear
In a small, deep saucepan, add water, star anise, cinnamon sticks and ginger slices and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer. Carefully place the pear into the center of the saucepan to cover the pear. Add water if needed. Simmer for 15 minutes. Lift the pear out carefully with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep the poached pear water for later the rest of the recipe.
Step 2: Make the Gingerbread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a small crock, like a Le Creuset small Dutch oven. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with a hand mixer for one minute until fluffy like cake batter. Add a little extra poached pear water if necessary. I live at high altitude, so adjust for your area. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until cake is a rich brown and the pear is fork tender.
Step 3: Make the Hot Buttered Ginger Liqueur
In a small saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in arrowroot starch to form a roux. Whisk in cream until smooth. Add alcohols and salt. Simmer until mixture reduces to a rich creamy sauce. Set aside until time to serve. Reheat for serving, and if necessary, give the sauce a whirl in the blender to make it extra creamy. It should have the consistency of creme anglaise.
To serve, cut the cake in quarters being careful to slice through the pear to keep it in the cake. Plate the slices and drizzle with the hot buttered ginger liqueur sauce.
Pear gingerbread makes and elegant "special holiday" dessert. Enjoy!