Tag: australian pears

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Foodie Friday: Pear and ginger cheesecake

Foodie Friday

Brought to us by Australian Pears, this unique ginger and pear cheesecake combination makes for an impressive entertaining choice. How good do the pears look piled up on top? This recipe works well with Beurre Bosc or Packham pears.

Pear and ginger cheesecake

Makes an 8 inch round cheesecake serving 8-10 people | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 60 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 pears, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
  • 20 Digestive biscuits (approx. 1⁄2 a pack)
  • 75g unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tubs (750g) smooth ricotta
  • 1⁄2 cup castor sugar
  • 1 tsp powdered ginger
  • 4 medium eggs, lightly beaten
  • Crystallised ginger (optional)

Caramel Poached Pears

  • 5 pears, peeled, halved or quartered and cores removed
  • 4 cups water
  • 3⁄4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
  • 40g salted butter

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (150 degrees celsius for fan-forced ovens). Grease the base and sides of an 8 inch spring form pan.
  2. Process the biscuits in a food processor until they form a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and mix. Pour the mixture onto the base of the pan and press with your fingers to form an even crust. Refrigerate until set.
  3. Beat the ricotta, sugar and powdered ginger together until smooth. Add the eggs, a little at a time and continue to beat till fully blended. Fold in the chopped pears.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the oven for approx. 50-60 minutes.
  5. While the cheesecake is baking, poach the pears. In a large pot, combine the water and sugar over medium-high heat. Add the lemon juice. Once sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Submerge pears in the simmering liquid, adding more water if necessary to just cover the pears. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle large enough to cover the pot. Ease the paper down into the pot until it is touching the surface of the liquid.
  6. Simmer the pears until a knife inserted directly into a pear meets little resistance (about 30 minutes). Remove the pot from the heat and cool the pears completely in the poaching liquid.
  7. To make the caramel sauce to drizzle over the pears, reduce the poaching liquid to about 1⁄2 a cup. Add the cream and butter and simmer until the mixture is thick and glossy.
  8. When the cheesecake has baked and a crust starts to form all over the cheesecake (the top will become light golden brown) and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, turn off oven, leave the door ajar and let the cheesecake cool completely before releasing the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The cheesecake can be refrigerated and stored covered up to 3 days in the fridge.
  9. When ready to serve, top with caramel poached pears and crystallised ginger (optional).

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Foodie Friday: Pear and brie focaccia

Foodie Friday

This week’s recipe is brought to us by Australian Pears and it’s a beauty. A great combination of salty and sweet, pears are the perfect complement to the recipe’s melted brie and honey balsamic vinegar. Beurre Bosc or Packham pears will work best and ideally, the pears should be slightly firm.

Pear and brie focaccia

Serves 4 | Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 1.5 hours proofing time) | Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 200ml water
  • 1 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 320g plain flour
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1⁄2 tsp salt

Toppings

  • 1-2 pears, sliced into 3mm thick slices with mandolin
  • 65g brie, cut into thin slices
  • 1⁄4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1⁄2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Method

  1. Prepare the dough by first mixing together water, yeast and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour, olive oil and salt and knead with the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes. Shape into a ball and put in a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film. Proof the dough for an hour or till doubled in size
  2. When the dough has finished proofing, lightly grease a baking tray with olive oil and press the dough out on the baking tray to a rectangular shape, approximately 0.5-1cm thickness. Cover loosely with a tea towel and set aside to proof for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
  3. When ready to bake, place the pear slices, brie and walnuts all over the dough. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or till the edges of the dough start to become golden.
  4. As the focaccia is baking, mix the honey and balsamic vinegar together.
  5. Lightly season the focaccia with salt and pepper before drizzling the honey and balsamic vinegar over the top. Serve it warm.

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Foodie Friday: Sticky pear pudding

Sticky pear pudding

Foodie Friday

This week’s recipe comes to us courtesy of Australian Pears and Masterchef winner Larissa Takchi. Known for her original and striking desserts, Larissa has created this pear-driven version of the classic sticky date pudding, just in time for the entertaining season. “Pears work wonderfully with the spices in the pudding!” says Larissa.

Sticky pear pudding

Serves: 8 | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes for individual puddings

Ingredients

Pear and Ginger Cake

  • 3 pears, grated with a box grater or mandolin
  • 165g caster sugar
  • 125g unsalted butter, cubed, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 60g golden syrup
  • 150g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp. ground ginger
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp. bicarb soda
  • Pinch of salt

Caramel Sauce

  • 150g unsalted butter, softened
  • 300g dark muscovado sugar
  • 1 tbsp. golden syrup
  • 200ml double cream

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180oC fan-forced.
  2. For the pear and ginger cake, lightly spray an 8-cup mini loaf cake tin with canola spray and set aside.
  3. Place the sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the golden syrup and mix to combine. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift in the flour, spices and bicarb soda. Fold through gently.
  5. Add the pear, a pinch of salt and 160ml hot water and fold through until just combined. Pour into prepared tins and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, to make the sauce, melt the butter, muscovado sugar and golden syrup over a very low heat in a heavy-based saucepan. Once the butter’s melted, stir gently until everything else is melted too. Now stir in the cream, then turn up the heat and when it’s bubbling and hot, take it off the heat.
  7. Remove from the oven and place the tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack.
  8. Plate up each cake and serve with sauce on top.

Note: You can serve hot or leave to cool. If you don’t have a mini loaf tin, you can use a muffin tin.

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