PEAR, HONEY AND GINGER PUDDING

SERVES 6–8

PREP + COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR

This dessert is pure autumn comfort. Try it with fresh ginger finely grated into the batter to give it a fresh zing.

• 90 g honey

• 30 g butter, diced

• 4 cooking pears, peeled, cored and cut roughly into 2 cm pieces

GINGER SPONGE TOPPING

• 150 g (1 cup) cake wheat flour

• 13/4 tsp baking powder

• 150 g unsalted butter, softened

• 130 g caster sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger, or to taste

TO SERVE

• icing sugar, for dusting

• vanilla-bean ice cream, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 170˚C. Bring honey and butter to the boil in a pot. Add the pear, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pear is just tender (5–7 minutes). Spoon the fruit into a 1.5-litre baking dish.

2. For the ginger sponge topping, sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions, then add ginger. Stir in the flour mixture until well incorporated. Spoon the batter evenly over the pears. Bake until the topping is risen and golden brown (30–35 minutes).

3. Dust with icing sugar and serve with ice cream.