Fall Fruit Crumble with Feijoas and Almonds

This was originally supposed to be a pear and feijoa almond crumble, but I decided to do it with a mix of apples and pears and up the feijoa content. I also reduced the almonds slightly and added in some rolled oats to give it more of the classic crumble texture.

Fall Fruit Crumble

Adapted from NZ Women's Weekly

Ingredients

Fruit Mixture

• 2 pears, peeled and chopped
• 3 apples, peeled and chopped
• 6 feijoas, scooped and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 6 Tbsp. water, divided
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)

Topping

• 1/2 c. ground almonds
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 80g butter
• 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 1/4 sliced (flaked) almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Combine pears, apples, feijoas, sugar, and 1/4 c. of the water and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender.
4. Combine the cornstarch with the remaining 2 Tbsp. of water to make a slurry.
5. Stir the slurry into the fruit mixture and cook until glossy and slightly thickened (1-2 minutes).
6. Dump the fruit mixture into a 23cm (9") square baking dish.
7. Combine the ground almonds, flour, sugars, and butter and thoroughly combine.
8. Mix in the oats and almonds.
9. Crumble the topping over the fruit.
10. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes.
11. Serve with cream or ice cream.

I messed up getting this cake out of the tin. So the photo is a mess. It would've been nice to have an intact cake -- especially since I spent so long trying to arrange the pear slices prettily. But despite its dramatic self-destruction upon unmoulding, it still tastes delicious! So, definitely a keeper. Just be very careful getting it out of the tin.

[Update from 2026: it came out of the tin much more nicely this time!]

Pear Upside Down Cake

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

Topping

• 5 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2-3 pears, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds, ground

Cake

• 6 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 225g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 c. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce

Directions

1. Peheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 20-23cm (8-9") round tin.
2. Beat the 5 Tbsp. of butter with the brown sugar and maple syrup.
3. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan.
4. Toss the pear slices with the sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom.
5. Arrange the pear slices in the bottom of the pan.
6. Beat the 6 Tbsp. of butter with the sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
7. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
8. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt and sift in baking powder. Mix well.
9. Combine milk, vanilla, and applesauce in a measuring cup.
10. Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the milk mixture in two additions.
11. Give a final stir to ensure that everything is well-mixed.
12. Pour batter over pears.
13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until cake is done (60-70 minutes).
14. Run a knife or spatula around the edge of the pan and then invert onto plate and carefully lift off the pan.
15. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Oven pancakes (aka Dutch babies) are a big hit in our household. This one is a big eggier than I generally prefer, but still good nonetheless. And I did very much enjoy the sweet pear base.

Caramelized Pear Oven Pancake

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. butter, divided
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 4 c. diced pear
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 140g all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• icing sugar, to serve

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat in an oven-proof pan.
3. Add the brown sugar and pears and cook, stirring and turning occasionally, until pears begin to brown (5-10 minutes).
4. Add the lemon juice and cinnamon and stir to mix.
5. Beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla.
6. Stir in the flour and salt.
7. Spread the pear mixture into an even layer on the bottom of the pan and gently pour the batter over the pears in the hot pan.
8. Transfer to oven and bake at 220°C (425°F) until puffed and golden (20-25 minutes).
9. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Pears were on sale the other day and I vaguely remembered that I had a lot of pear recipes yet to try, so I picked a few up on spec. In the end, I was feeling too tired to do anything very involved last night, so I skipped over the upside down cake and the custard tart and the various other options in favour of this very, very simple roast pear dessert. The pears are simply oven-roasted with butter, glazed with a bit of honey and returned to the over for a few minutes, and then topped with a slice of brie. The recipe suggests adding a few toasted almond slices if desired, but TF and I both decided that we wanted ours plain.

Honey-Roasted Pears with Brie

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 4 pears, halved and cored
• 1-2 Tbsp. butter¹
• 2-4 Tbsp. honey
• 125g brie
• toasted sliced almonds, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a large baking dish with some of the butter.
2. Place the pears, cut-side-down, into the prepared tin/dish.
3. Melt the remaining butter and brush it over the skin of the pears.
4. Roast at 200°C (400°F) until pears are tender (15-30 minutes, depending on firmness of pears).
5. Flip pears over and brush with honey. Return to oven for 5 minutes.
6. Serve pears topped with cheese and almonds (if using).

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¹ The original recipe called for 1/4 c. of butter, but I thought that seemed like way too much, so I cut it back to just 2 Tbsp. That said, I think it probably would've been fine with even less butter and I'd be inclined to try using just 1 Tbsp. next time. ^Back

This is billed as a cross between French toast and bread pudding. I thought it leaned a little more toward the bread pudding end of the spectrum, but I suspect that that is, at least in part, down to the bread I used. Instead of the recommended challah, I used a bunch of stale kugelhopf, which is more of a cake than a bread in many respects. It worked well, but also made this feel like even more of a dessert than it already would have.

Also, as much as this was a tasty recipe, I have to question the proportions. Because, as written, it only calls for 250g of bread! And that was hardly anything. No way it would have made enough to either a) absorb the 2 c. of custard called for or b) feed the six people it claims to. I started with 400g of bread for mine and that still seemed pretty skimpy, so I kept adding more -- ~100g at a time -- until it seemed like there was enough bread for the amount of custard. I ended up using 700g of bread for mine! Now, that said, I think 600g would have been enough. But the kugelhopf needed to be used and I figured I could squeeze another 100g in, so I did. But, either way, there's not a chance that 250g would have been anywhere near enough for this recipe! I've written it up with a range given. Adjust according to your taste and the kind of bread you're using.

I think I'd also increase the pears more next time. The recipe only calls for two (which again, doesn't seem like very much for six people). But my pears were very small and I only had four left anyway, so I just put them all in. But, frankly, that still didn't really seem like enough. I think I'd want at least six or eight small pears next time (or four to six large ones). But, again, use your judgement and follow your heart.

Baked French Toast with Cardamom Pears

Adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp. unsalted butter¹
• ~6 pears (+/- 2 depending on size), peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
• 2-3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds (from green pods), ground
• 500-700g bread, cut into 2cm cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the pears, brown sugar, and cardamom and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
3. Remove from heat, add the bread, and toss to mix.
4. Grease a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
5. Dump the bread mixture into the baking dish and spread in an even layer.
6. Beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla.
7. Pour the egg mixture over the bread.
8. Let stand for 30-60 minutes. Alternatively, cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
9. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
10. Uncover and bake at 180°C (350°F for 40 minutes.
11. Serve topped with maple syrup.

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¹ I've given a range for the butter and brown sugar since adding more pears might require increasing the sugar and butter to match. ^Back

We had pears poached in white wine last week. And from there I moved onto poached plums, which were meant to get a red wine bath. (Although my poaching liquid was a bit of a franken-mix of red and white, but... close enough!) Well, after that, I still had a bunch of poaching liquid left over. And I hated to throw it out. So I picked out another wine-poached fruit recipe.

Honestly, I'd been hoping to do poached apricots next. They required a very similar poaching liquid, but with the addition of a small amount of rosewater. My intent had been to do the apricots and then, with the leftover liquid from that make these poached pears. But I couldn't find any fresh apricots (or nectarines) at the grocery store. So I skipped over that recipe for now and moved straight to the red wine pears.

As written, the recipe called for four Bosc pears poached in sweetened, spiced red wine. It used 3/4 c. of sugar to 750mL of wine + some cloves, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Since I already had a light syrup of a mix of red and white wine, cloves, cinnamon, lemon zest, star anise, peppercorns, vanilla, and ginger; I just reused it completely unaltered. And, since my pears were quite small, I tossed a few extras in. I managed to fit seven small pears into the pot with the poaching liquid.

Once I started boiling the syrup down, I gave it a taste and decided that it was slightly undersweetened for my liking. (I'm really not sure what the overall sugar-to-wine ratio was at this point. Since I'd already amended and reused it so many times.) So I stirred in 1 Tbsp. of extra sugar and let it continue cooking down. I feel like this produced a nice final result as a sauce to drizzle over the pears. That said, this is something that will be largely down to your personal taste (and the wine you use¹).

Pears Poached in Red Wine

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 4-8 Bosc² pears
• 750mL fruity red wine
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 strip of lemon zest (~5cm long and 2.5cm wide)
• 1 cinnamon stick (~7cm long)
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Peel the pears, leaving the stem on.
2. Using a small spoon or melon baller and starting from the blossom end, remove the cores. (Leaving the stem end in tact.)
3. Trim a thin slice off the bottom of each pear so it will stand upright.
4. Combine the wine, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a small pot and bring to a boil.
5. Add the pears. If there is not enough liquid to cover them, add water until it does.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until pears are tender (20-30 minutes).
7. Transfer pears to dish.
8. Increase heat to medium and boil syrup down until it is somewhat thick and volume is reduced to ~3/4 c.
9. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
10. Drizzle sauce over pears and serve.

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¹ This recipe (and the one for the poached plums that I did before this) calls for a "fruity red wine" and suggests a Merlot or a Zinfandel as good options. I wasn't about to go out and get a whole new bottle of wine just for this, so I used whatever I had on hand already. And I have no idea whether it was a "fruity" wine or not. (Although hopefully all the rounds of fruit poaching in it did serve to lend it some fruitiness.) I think it was relatively dry, but I have no idea whether that has any bearing on its fruitiness or not. I am not a wine person. ^Back
2 The recipe specifically calls for Bosc pears, so that's what I used. That said, I do think it would be interesting to try it with other varieties. I ended up using Bartlett pears for the white wine version and I quite liked those. Don't get me wrong, the Bosc were nice. I'd just be interested to see how Bartlett or Anjou pears turned out when given this treatment. ^Back

I've been on a bit of a poached fruit kick lately. First there were the quince poached in vanilla syrup. Then I was able to doctor the leftover syrup from that to make the poached quince with mascarpone, caramel, and gingersnaps. And, for this recipe, I was able to tinker with the syrup yet again to make these fabulous poached pears.

This does, of course, leave me with the same problem of how to write up the recipe. Since I don't necessarily want to have to make the previous two every time I make these pears. So, as before, I'm going to make a note of what I actually did here, but then write up the recipe (more-or-less) as given in the book.
For this rendition, I simply took the leftover syrup from the second batch of quince (which contained the leftover syrup from the first batch of quince, 1 1/2 c. of white wine, a vanilla bean, grated lemon zest, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, and 1 star anise) and added an extra 1/2 c. of wine and a few slices of fresh ginger.

The original recipe called for 2 c. of Riesling, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 strips of lemon rind, and 3 slices of fresh ginger. So, my version definitely had a few more spices in the mix, but I quited liked it. Especially the vanilla. Given that, I've included the extra spices in the recipe, but listed them as optional. Adjust as you see fit.

Pears Poached in White Wine

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 2 c. Riesling
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1-2 (7cm) cinnamon stick(s)
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 2-3 strips lemon zest
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)
• 1 star anise (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns (optional)
• 4 pears¹
• 1/4 c. chopped toasted or candied walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the Riesling, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, lemon zest, and whatever other seasonings you've chosen and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, peel and halve the pears. Use a spoon to scoop out the cores and remove the stems.
3. Add the pear halves to the poaching liquid, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until tender (10-15 minutes).
4. Serve as-is or topped with lightly sweetened mascarpone. (See quince recipe.)
5. Optionally sprinkle a few toasted or candied walnuts over the pears before serving.

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¹ The recipe didn't specify what type of pears to use. I thought anjou would be good here, but I couldn't find any at the grocery store. The bartletts looked quite nice though, so I went for those. ^Back

One of TM's friends ended up with a bumper crop of quince this year, so they've been sharing the bounty. And we got extra bonus pears along with our quince!
I have plans for the quince that should hopefully appear on the blog shortly. I actually debated doing up a simple poached quince dessert after dinner tonight. But the pears needed to be used more urgently, so I decided to start there.

I have a lot of pear recipes awaiting testing. But this one had the virtue of being very quick and easy to put together and only needing three pears, which, conveniently, was the exact number we were given. It is also delicious!

The original recipe acutally went for an almond theme. The pears were drizzled with amaretto and topped with toasted sliced almonds after roasting. I didn't have any amaretto, but I did have a bottle of Frangelico in the pantry. And I figured that pear and hazelnut is also a good combo. So I just swapped out the liqueur and replaced the almonds with chopped toasted hazelnuts. It worked very well, if I do say so myself!

Roasted Pears with Honey, Hazelnuts, and Greek Yogurt

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 3 pears¹
• 1/3 c. honey
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 2 Tbsp. Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
• 1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c. hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Peel, halve, and core the pears.
3. Bring the honey and bay leaves to a boil over medium heat.
4. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
5. Place the butter pieces evenly spaced in the pan and place a pear half, cut-side-down, on top of each one.
6. Cover and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 12 minutes.
7. Carefully flip pears over and baste with sauce.
8. Drizzle with Frangelico and return to oven.
9. Roast, uncovered, at 190°C (375°F) until pears are tender (~10 minutes).
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly (10-15 minutes).
11. Place two pear halves in a bowl and drizzle with a little sauce.
12. Top with ~1/2 c. of yogurt, ~1 Tbsp. of hazelnuts, and a bit more sauce and serve.

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¹ The original recipe called for 3 "ripe but firm" bosc pears. I'm not sure what variety we were given, but they definitely weren't bosc. They looked a bit like anjou, but I don't know my pears well enough to say for sure. Specifics aside, they were excellent in this application! So, personally, I wouldn't worry too much about what specific type of pears you have as long as they're good ones. ^Back

I really liked the pears with this pudding. And the coconut was nice. Although I didn't feel it came through as strongly as I would have liked. The pudding was also very thick. I ended up thinning mine out with milk before eating it. It was good though. We all enjoyed it. I just wonder if it might be improved by using slightly more liquid or less rice during the preparation. That said, adding the milk after the fact also worked fine, so it wasn't a big deal either way. Although, now that I think about it... we also ran out of pears well before we ran out of pudding, so maybe less rice would be the way to go. That way there'd be a better pudding-to-pear ratio and the pudding would hopefully have a somewhat looser consistency. Something to try for next time.

Coconut Rice Pudding with Gingered Pears

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kate Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 1 c. basmati rice¹
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% MF), divided
• 3 c. milk
• 1 (~440mL) can coconut milk
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
• 2 pears, peeled and chopped
• 1"/2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Directions

1. Combine rice, 1/2 c. of the half-and-half, milk, coconut milk, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is very tender (~30 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and spread coconut out on a lined baking sheet.
4. Toast coconut in oven until golden (3-5 minutes). Set aside to cool.
5. Toss pears with ginger and brown sugar and set aside for at least 20 minutes to macerate.
6. Stir remaining 1/2 c. of the half-and-half into the pudding.
7. Serve topped with pears and toasted coconut.

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¹ The original recipe called for 1 1/2 c. of rice, but, as noted above, this seemed like a bit too much, so I've scaled it back here. ^Back

I finally got (most) of the dried fruit needed to make this salad. I say "most" because it calls for dried pears which I've never even seen before! I figured I'd just sub some dried apples, but they're apparently on the "do not order" list at the local Bulk Barn right now, so that was a bust. In the end, I ended up lightly oven-drying an apple and an Anjou pear and using those in my salad and I think that worked quited well!

Winter Cabbage and Dried Fruit Salad

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 500g (~1/2 a head) red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 5-6 Tbsp. red wine or apple cider vinegar
• 5 dried apricots, chopped
• 5 dried figs, chopped
• 5 dried prunes, chopped
• 1-2 dried pears¹, chopped
• 1 dried apple, chopped (optional)
• 1 tart apple, julienned
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2-1 tsp. sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp. walnuts², chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Toss the cabbage with the salt, pepper, and vinegar, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours (or overnight in the fridge).
2. Add the apricots, figs, prunes, dried pear(s), and dried apple (if using).
3. Add the fresh apple, olive oil, cumin, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. of sugar, and the walnuts (if using).
4. Taste and adjust sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil as desired.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 5 dried pears! That seems like an insane amount to me. Maybe they meant 5 slices of dried pear. I ended up putting in 1 pear and 1 apple (plus the fresh apple) and that seemed about right to me. So, I think 2 dried apples/pears total is probably about right. ^Back
2 Normally when ingredients are listed as "optional", I always add it. But in this case I actually thought it would be nice with just the cabbage and fruit without the nuts. ^Back

This salad has a few variants, but we made the raspberries and blue cheese version; the others are documented below. Not a favourite, but I'd eat it again.

Marinated Beet Salad

Cook's Country October/November 2016, by Katie Leaird (p.17)

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 oranges
• 1L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¼ C shaved romano cheese
• ½ C walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Wrap beets and water in tin foil. Roast at 400°F for 1 hour or until fork-tender.
2. Whisk together vinegar, oil, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Once beets are cool, rub gently to remove skins, then cut into 1cm wedges.
4. Add beets to bowl with dressing, toss to cover, and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
5. Divide oranges into individual wedges.
6. Add oranges, greens, cheese, and walnuts to bowl with beets and dressing, and toss to combine.

---

Variations

Marinated Beet Salad with Pear and Feta

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¾ C crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp pistachios, toasted

Marinated Beet Salad with Raspberries and Blue Cheese

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ⅔ C raspberries
• 1 L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¾ C crumbled blue cheese
• ½ C hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

These were supposed to be parfaits composed of layers of sautéed apples and pears, topped with chopped walnuts and crystalized ginger. The pear-walnut-ginger combo sounded great!

I ran out of walnuts last week and I haven't had a chance to restock yet, but I figured it would be fine to substitute some chopped pecans for the walnuts. Pear-pecan isn't the classic combo that pear-walnut is, but it's still nice. Unfortunately, when I went to start peeling my pears this morning, I found they'd gone off and were unsalvageable. So, for this iteration, I ended up having to make it entirely with apples, rather than the pear-apple mix that the recipe called for. It was still good, but I think it'd be even nicer with pears.

Apple-Pear-Walnut Parfaits

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 2 pears, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp. cinnamon sugar
• 3 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 6 Tbsp. walnuts, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. crystalized ginger, minced

Directions

1. Heat the butter over medium heat and cook until it browns (~2 minutes).
2. Add the apples, pears, and cinnamon sugar and cook until slightly softened (~4 minutes).
3. Spoon ~6 Tbsp. of yogurt into each jar, top with ~4 Tbsp. of the apple-pear mixture, then add another 6 Tbsp. of yogurt and 4 Tbsp. of fruit. If there's any extra fruit left over, divide it among the jars.
4. Top each parfait with ~2 Tbsp. of the nut mixutre.

I thought this recipe sounded delicious and I've been wanting to try it out for a while. Unfortunately, I'm just very bad at coordinating having both the ingredients and the energy to make it. I finally did it though! I mean, I ended up having to substitute frozen kale for the fresh because I ended up using up all the fresh kale in another dish. But that worked out okay in the end. And we all got to enjoy delicious stuffed squash.

Between the cheese, the almonds, and the combination of butter and oil, this dish is a little more calorically dense than I'd prefer for a vegetable side. It is very tasty though. And relatively filling. And, although I haven't worked out all the nutritional information, I'd think it should pack a decent punch fiber- and nutrient-wise between the squash, kale, and apple. And it definitely feels a bit special and indulgant, which is nice.

I only tried the apple-almond version, but I've included the pear-hazelnut variant as well. It also sounds great (possibly even better than the apple one), but I didn't have any pears on hand, so I stuck to the apple recipe for this time around.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2016

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, quartered pole-to-pole
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil¹
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 170g kale, stemmed and sliced
• 1 Fuji or Gala apple, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 60g soft goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Scoop the seeds and guts from the squash wedges and discard them.
3. Drizzle the squash quarters with 1-2 Tbsp. of the oil, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and pepper and toss to coat.
4. Place the wedges with one cut side down on a baking sheet and roast until the downward-facing side is browned (~20 minutes).
5. Flip so that the other cut side is facing down and roast for another 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. Once cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the two least attractive wedges. Discard the skin.
8. Flip remaining six wedges skin-side-down on the baking sheet.
9. Heat 1/2-1 Tbsp. of the remaining oil over medium heat.
10. Add kale, apple, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt and cook, covered, until kale wilts (~3 minutes).
11. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated (30-60 seconds).
12. Add the scooped squash flesh, mix well, and cook until beginning to brown (1-2 minutes).
13. Push squash mixture to sides of pan and pour in remaining 1/2-1 Tbsp. of oil, garlic, and rosemary to the centre.
14. Cook until fragrant (30-60 seconds).
15. Stir the garlic mixture into the squash mixture.
16. Add the vinegar and cook until evaporated (~1 minute).
17. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
18. Divide filling among squash wedges.
19. Top with goat cheese and almonds. (~10g of cheese and 1 tsp. of almonds per wedge.)
20. Roast until almonds are browned and squash is heated through (5-7 minutes).
21. If desired, drizzle with extra oil before serving.

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Variations

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Pear and Hazelnuts

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, quartered pole-to-pole
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil¹
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 170g kale, stemmed and sliced
• 1 anjou pear, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 60g soft goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. chopped toasted hazelnuts

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¹ I halved all the oil quantities called for because I'm trying to lose weight right now. If you're also feeling calorie-conscious, then use the smaller amount of oil. If you're not worried about calories and would like maxium richness, use the larger amount. ^Back

Galbijjim (Braised Short Ribs)

I've been wanting to try this recipe for a while now. I was really surprised to see how much fruit it contained! You want me to make the sauce/gravy for my beef stew out of apples, pears, and kiwi? Really?! But it's great!

We'd already eaten this year's supply of beef ribs by the time I was making this, so I ended up cutting up a sirloin steak to go in the pot instead. I realize that this doesn't really give you the authentic galbijjim experience, but it's what I had available and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Galbijjim

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 900g Korean (brown) or Asian (yellow) pear
• 250g sweet apple (such as fuji or ambrosia)
• 150g kiwi
• 1 yellow onion (1/2 if it's large)
• 6 green onions (scallions), divided
• 3 c. water, divided
• 1/2 c. light (regular) soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. dasida (Korean beef stock powder)
• 3 Tbsp. mirin
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1.2kg bone-in beef short-ribs
• 300g daikon
• 200g carrot
• 125g fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 5 shishito peppers
• 1 red chile pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Peel the pear, apple, kiwi, and onion and cut into large pieces.
2. Place pear, apple, kiwi, onion, and 2 of the green onions in a blender with 1 c. of the water.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Add the light soy, oyster sauce, dark soy, dasida, mirin, sugar, sesame oil, and pepper to the blender and mix well.
5. Bring some water to a boil and blanch the ribs for 3-5 minutes.
6. Drain the ribs and return them to the pot.
7. Add the sauce from the blender.
8. Swish out the blender with the remaining 2 c. of water and add it to the pot with the ribs.
9. Bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, peel the daikon and carrots and cut them crosswise into 2cm pieces. Bevel the edges of the pieces if you'd like to be extra fancy.
12. Clean and trim the shiitakes. Put some decorative cuts in the caps if you'd like.
13. Chop the remaining 4 green onions and halve and deseed the shishito peppers.
14. Once the beef has cooked for 50-60 minutes, add the daikon and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
15. Add the carrot and mushrooms and cook until sauce reaches desired consistency (15-20 minutes).
16. Add the green onions, shishito peppers, and red chile (if using).
17. Serve with rice.

This was a fun recipe to do. I'd never poached pears before. They were still a little firm at the end of the poaching time. I think I probably should've cooked them for a bit longer. But they were still very tasty. And the syrup that went with them was amazing!

Poached Pears with Prunes

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 2L water
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 navel orange¹, sliced 5-6mm thick
• 1 (7-8cm) cinnamon stick
• 1 clove
• 1 bay leaf²
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 4-6 Bartlett or Bosc pears³
• 12 pitted prunes
• semolina almond cookies, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the water, sugar, orange slices, cinnamon stick, clove, bay leaf, and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Remove the core from the bottom end of one of the pears.⁴
4. Peel the pear, but leave the stem on.
5. Add the pear to the pot with the sugar-water/syrup and repeat the process with the remaining pears.
6. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
7. Add the prunes and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
9. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears, prunes, and orange slices to a bowl.
10. Boil the poaching liquid over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes.
11. Pour the syrup over the pears.
12. Pears may be covered and refrigerated for up to four days.
13. When ready to eat, return to room temperature and serve with semolina almond cookies on the side.

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¹ The original recipe calls for only 1/2 an orange, but I really liked the orange in it, so I've upped it to a whole orange. I ended up using a blood orange rather than a navel orange for mine, but it doesn't seem to have suffered any from the swap. ^Back
2 I opted to swap in an "Indian bay leaf" here. I believe they are actually cassia leaves, so they are a bit like a cross between bay laurel and cinnamon. I figured that, given there was already cinnamon in the recipe, the cinnamon notes of the Indian bay leaf would go nicely. I think either one works fine, so just use whichever you have/prefer. ^Back
3 I used four large Bartlett pears for my rendition of this dish. Given that they were quite large, I think I probably should've added 5 or 10 minutes to the poaching time. They were still pretty firm and a bit tricky to eat. ^Back
4 Wolfert says to do this with an apple corer or a long knife. I tried it with a knife and didn't have much luck. TF looked up instructions online and found a lot of advice saying to use a melon baller or a spoon. I had much better luck once I switched to a spoon. (I think I melon baller would've been even better, but I don't have one of those.) ^Back

TF was in the mood for stuffed pasta. I was planning to get some in the last grocery order, but I didn't like any of the options. We both thought that something vegetable-y sounded good and, aside from some spinach-ricotta ravioli, there wasn't really much available in the way of vegetable fillings. Then I saw that MamaEarth had parsnips available this week.

With parsnip in mind, I set about looking for homemade ravioli recipes. I found a few that looked nice. In the end, I decided to go with this agnolotti recipe, but swap out the fried mint for fried sage. I think I'd probably swap out the hazelnuts for leeks next time as well. The hazelnuts were okay, but I didn't feel that they added much to the dish. (Maybe they would've been more harmonious if I'd chopped them, but I was tired and didn't want to deal with trying to chop nuts without making a mess.)

Parsnip-Pear Agnolotti

Slightly adapted from Rhubarb and Cod

Ingredients

Pasta

• 165g semolina flour
• 165g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp. water

Filling

• 2-3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 very ripe bartlett pear, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. mascarpone cheese
• 1 egg, beaten (for sealing pasta)

Sauce

• 1/4 c. oil (for frying sage)
• 1/4 c. fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 1 leek, very well rinsed, white and light green parts thinly sliced
• Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

Dough

1. Combine the flours and salt and mix well. You can do this in a bowl or on a clean work surface.
2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add your eggs and water. If working without a bowl, make sure the well is very wide.
3. Beat the eggs with a fork and gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet.
4. Once most of the dry ingredients have been incorporated, start kneading. Add a bit more egg and/or water if necessary. Especially if you intend to roll out the pasta without the aid of a machine; dough that's a little bit softer will be easier to work with.
5. Once the dough seems supple and has a big of spring to it, wrap it in plastic wrap and set it aside for at least an hour.

Filling

1. While the dough is resting, make the filling.
2. Add the parsnips to a pot and add enough water to cover them.
3. Bring to a boil and cook until tender (5-7 minutes).
4. Drain the parsnips and add them to a blender or food processor along with the pear, garlic, and salt.
5. Blend/process until smooth.
6. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the mascarpone.
7. Cover and chill for at least half an hour.

Making the Agnolotti

1. Divide the dough into quarters.
2. Working with one quarter at a time roll it very, very thin on a well-floured surface.
3. Brush a little beaten egg on the dough.
4. Place a line of filling down the long side of the dough. (You can use a piping bag with a round tip if you want to be fancy and neat about it. I just used my fingers and a spoon.)
5. Fold the dough over the filling, then fold it over again.
6. Press your finger across the middle of the pasta tube.
7. Move over a few cm and press again.
8. Work from the middle out in both directions.
9. Once you reach both ends, use a knife or a bench/dough scraper to cut through the middle of each spot you pressed.

Cooking and Serving

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the sage leaves a few at a time.
3. As soon as they stop sizzling, remove them from the oil and set aside to drain.
4. Reserve the oil for another purpose.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
6. While you wait for the water to boil, melt the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the leek and cook until softened.
8. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for ~3 minutes.
9. Drain and add to the pan with the butter and leek.
10. Toss the ravioli with the butter to coat.
11. Remove from heat and transfter to a serving dish.
12. Top with fried sage and Parmesan.

For this one we actually had packages of "bibim ramen" on hand, so I skipped the sauce described here and just used the sauce in the packet. I've included the full sauce recipe here, but if making it with bibim ramen packages from the cupboard, skip all the sauce assembly.

Bibim Ramen

Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1 package ramen
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ⅓ of the ramen packet
• 1 hard-boiled egg, bisected
• ¼ apple or pear, julienned
• 2-3 slices cucumber, julienned
• a bit of cabbage, julienned
• sesame seeds

Directions

1. Cook ramen in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then quench in cold water.
2. Whisk together sugar, gochujang, vinegar, sesame oil, and ramen powder to form sauce; toss with noodles.
3. Top with egg, apple, cucumber, cabbage, and sesame seeds.

This recipe was part of a Hello Fresh dinner that included baked ravioli, but works fine on its own. The pears take a little while to cook but require almost no attention while doing so, so you can easily build this in parallel with something else.

I think this could probably have taken considerably more greens, perhaps twice as many, but it was tasty as is. It would probably also have taken very well to blue cheese.

Caramelized Pear Salad

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 2 pears
• 113g baby spinach, spinach-arugula blend, or similar greens
• 56g pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 30mL white wine vinegar
• 15mL dijon mustard
• 20+5mL sugar
• 30mL olive oil

Directions

1. Core pears. Slice into thin wedges.
2. Toast pepitas over medium heat, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove to plate.
3. Put pear slices, 20mL sugar, and 30mL water in pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, remaining 5mL sugar, olive oil.
5. Combine greens, pears, pepitas, and dressing.

I really liked this salad! I ended up making it with mature black kale, but I think it would've been even better with baby kale. That said, the mature kale was fine, just make sure you get enough of it. You may need more than one bunch depending on how big your bunches/packages are.

You can make this salad with romaine lettuce if you want. Personally I think it's better with kale though. I also think it'd be nice with a handful of toasted chopped pecans added. I don't think it needs the nuts, but they'd definitely be nice.

Apologies for the terribly presentation and badly lit photo; I was in a hurry.

Pan-Roasted Pear Salad

Adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2018

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. lard¹
• 200g bacon-flavoured tempeh
• 3 slightly underripe Bosc pears, quartered and cored
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ~1/2 c. vinaigrette²
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
• ~350g kale³
• 1/4 c. fresh chives, chopped
• ~1 c. crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

1. Melt lard over medium heat.
2. Add tempeh and cook until well-browned.
3. Remove tempeh from pan and set aside.
4. Toss pears with sugar.
5. Add pears to pan and cook, cut-side down, until well-browned (2-4 minutes). Flip to brown the other cut side (another 2-4 minutes).
6. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. Toss kale with vinaigrette and maple syrup.
8. Add tempeh, pears, chives, and blue cheese and serve.

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Variations

Dressing Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and whisk vigorously.
2. Omit maple syrup listed in main salad recipe as it will be incorporated into the dressing.

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¹ I used lard because I had some on hand and I figured why not make the tempeh extra bacon-y? If you don't have any lard lying around or you'd like to keep things vegetarian, feel free to substitute an oil of your choice. I'd probably roll with coconut or corn oil, but it doesn't really need to be anything specific. ^Back
2 The original recipe comes with instructions for making the dressing from scratch. We already had a bottle of homemade vinaigrette in the fridge, so I just used some of that. The original was pretty similar except that it used apple cider vinegar for the acid component whereas we'd used a mix of lemon juice and red wine vinegar. It also included a bit of maple syrup, so I just added the same amount of maple syrup after the fact. I think it worked out quite well. ^Back
3 If you end up using baby kale, you can probably reduce the vinaigrette and maple syrup slightly. (Maybe cut it back to 6 Tbsp. and 2 Tbsp. respectively.) ^Back

I was flipping through some old issues of Cook's Country and came across a recipe that I'd made, but never got around to doing a write-up for. It's been a while, but I seem to recall it went over fairly well. We to it to a friend's house for dinner if I remember right.

Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola and Pear

From Cook's Country October/November 2015

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. walnuts
• 1 ripe Anjou pear
• 3 Tbsp. red whine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. minced shallot
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 c. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 250g baby spinach
• 85g Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 c. pomegranate arils

Directions

1. Toast and chop the walnuts. Set aside.
2. Core and halve the pear.
3. Purée one half of the pear with vinegar, shallot, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper.
4. With blender or food processor running, slowly add oil in a thin stream.
5. Thinly slice other half of pear, toss with lemon juice, and set aside.
6. Toss spinach with 1/2 c. dressing.
7. Top with Gorgonzola, walnuts, pomegranate arils, and pear slices.
8. Drizzle with remaining dressing.