Sweet contentment
Juicy and warmly spiced, these baked apple and pear puddings promise comfort on a dreary day
WINE-POACHED PEARS
This simple, elegant and relatively light dessert (as winter puddings go) can be made up to several days in advance and kept refrigerated; return the pears to room temperature before serving. It is truly delicious with a rich and creamy accompaniment such as mascarpone, thickened cream or vanilla ice cream. 750ml bottle good red wine 150g sugar 3 tablespoons runny honey 1 lemon, juiced 1 cinnamon stick 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise 1 large strip of orange zest 1 whole clove 1 black peppercorn 4-8 firm pears (depending on size, your pot and
how many you want to feed) In a saucepan large enough to hold the pears standing upright, combine the wine, sugar, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, vanilla pod, orange peel, clove and peppercorn. Warm over low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
Peel pears but leave them whole. Place pears in the wine mixture and simmer, uncovered, until tender (test with the tip of a sharp knife). Timing depends on the quantity, size and ripeness of the pears, about 20-35 minutes.
Transfer pears to a shallow, nonreactive bowl using a large slotted spoon. Continue cooking the poaching liquid over medium heat until reduced by half.
Cool then strain through a sieve and pour over the pears. Leave pears in the liquid, turning them occasionally, for at least 3 hours before serving. Serves 4-8
PEAR COBBLER
A cobbler consists of a sweetened thick batter poured over fruit and baked into a satisfying sponge. Other quaint names for it include grunt, slump and buckle. It is classic comfort food, easy to make and even easier to eat. Enjoy this pudding warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream. 900g (about 6-7) pears, peeled, cored and sliced 75g brown sugar 2 tablespoons plain flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 orange, finely grated zest Cobbler batter: 300g plain flour 200g sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 250ml milk 125g butter, melted 1-2 tablespoons extra sugar or cinnamon sugar, to sprinkle Heat oven to 190°C and grease a large baking dish, such as an oval one about 22 x 27cm.
In a bowl combine pear slices, brown sugar, flour, vanilla and orange zest. Toss gently with your hands to combine, then arrange in an even layer in the bottom of the baking dish.
To prepare the cobbler batter, combine flour, sugar and baking powder in a separate bowl.
In a third bowl, stir together the milk and melted butter.
Gradually pour milk mixture into dry ingredients, beating with a wooden spoon until just smooth.
Drop spoonfuls of batter on top of the pears, leaving gaps but spreading to the edges. Sprinkle extra sugar or cinnamon sugar on top and bake until golden brown, about 40-50 minutes. Serves 6
DUTCH APPLE PIE
This streusel-topped classic is delightfully spiced. Some apple varieties hold together better than others when cooked so don’t be disappointed if the filling falls out somewhat when you come to serve – the pudding will still taste fabulous. 400-500g ready-made shortcrust pastry 1.3kg (about 7 large) apples, eg Cox’s, Braeburn,
Jonagold or Golden Delicious 100g sugar 100g sultanas 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice Streusel topping: 90g brown sugar 45g plain flour 120g butter, chilled 1 teaspoon each: ground cinnamon, nutmeg and
allspice 80g walnut pieces Heat oven to 180°C. Butter and flour a 24cm springform cake pan.
Roll out pastry on a floured work surface and line the pan all the way up the sides to the top edge. Refrigerate while preparing the apples.
Peel, core and dice apples and put in a bowl. Add sugar, sultanas, cinnamon and lemon juice and mix together well using your hands.
Place all the topping ingredients except walnuts in a food processor and process to form coarse crumbs. Add walnuts and pulse just a few times to combine.
Put apple mixture in the pastry-lined pan. Sprinkle topping mixture over in an even layer, going all the way to the edges, and tidy up the edges of the pastry.
Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 25-30 minutes, until the top of the pie is golden.
Serve pie warm with whipped cream. Serves 6-8
OATY APPLE & RAISIN CRUMBLE
Adding brandy, raisins and honey to the apples makes this old favourite special. 2 tablespoons brandy 1 tablespoon runny honey 50g raisins 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled cored and sliced 75g caster sugar Crumble topping: 75g wholemeal flour 30g rolled oats ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 75g butter, chilled and cut into cubes 60g brown sugar Heat oven to 200°C and grease a medium size baking dish.
Put brandy, honey and raisins in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
Put apples and caster sugar along with 2 tablespoons cold water in a separate saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until apples have softened. Stir in raisin mixture and let cool. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
To make the crumble topping, put flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and butter in a bowl. Rub in butter using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Stir in brown sugar and sprinkle mixture evenly over the apples. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the topping is crisp and golden.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or chilled cream. Serves 4