Cinnamon Pear Streusel Cake

Despite all my talk about not being crazy about sweets, I've apparently been baking up a storm.

I'm not sure exactly why.

Maybe part of it is a layover from the holidays when baked goods were everywhere.  Or maybe it's just that time of the year when you find yourself craving slightly sweet bits of comfort.

Not sure exactly what it is, but I'm not exactly sure I want it to end.  After all, I keep happening upon all of these delicious things.

Like this tea cake, for instance.

I haven't had a cake like this for years. It reminds me of something someone's grandmother would have made when I was a kid and served to us as an afternoon snack.

This tender cake isn't too terribly sweet. In fact it gets most of its flavor from the delicious fruitiness of fresh pears with the warmth of cinnamon, the sweetness of almond, and the delicious crunch of its buttery streusel topping.

It's one of those deliciously easy cakes you can throw together in less than 1/2 hour and keep on hand for company. It's great for brunch, but you could also serve it with a little bit of ice cream for an after dinner treat if you wanted to.

And it's got fruit and nuts in it, so it's good for you, right??

Cinnamon Pear Brunch Cake

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Delicious Dessert: Pear Burritos

  Fresh pears make a delightful addition to oatmeal on a cold winter morning. They can perfectly augment a simple lunch of cheese and crusty bread, or add depth and sweetness to a deliciously simple roasted turkey and brie Panini.  And the luscious joy of eating a perfectly ripe pear right out of hand should not be underestimated.

The fact is, on any given day, serving whole or sliced pears is absolutely effortless; but roasting pears is nearly as easy.   

Throughout fall and winter, one of my favorite treats is, in fact, pears tossed with a bit of melted butter and allowed to bask in the heat of a fairly high oven until their sugars caramelize and their flesh becomes perfectly and delectably tender.  You can roast just about any kind of pear as long as they are slightly firm and fragrant.  But, I have my favorites.

Tiny Seckel pears, available primarily in the autumn, are perfectly divine roasted whole or halved and served with roasted meats or atop salads with sweet glazed nuts and pungent blue cheese.  And I love the locally grown heirloom varieties that I can find at the farmer’s market in September and October, as they seem to possess an incomparable perfume and depth of sweetness.  But, during the mid-winter months, I love the brilliant deep maroon shade of the Red Anjou, which enjoys an extra-long season from mid-October through early-May.

One of my favorite things to do with Anjou pears is to slice them thinly, toss them with butter, and roast them in the oven until they’re just tender and beginning to brown.  While the pears roast, I’ll make an orange-scented sauce with apple juice, sugar, and warming spices.  And then, as the pears come out of the oven, I’ll wrap them in a flour tortilla with a dollop of mascarpone and a few dried sour cherries and then bake the luscious little packets with cinnamon and sugar until they’re crisp and warm.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or an additional dollop of mascarpone for a company-worthy dessert. 

Pear Burritos with Mascarpone, Dried Cherries and Cinnamon Orange Sauce

You can find this recipe, along with plenty of other mouthwatering dishes, on GoBoldWithButter.com  Seriously -- you should check it out.  So. Much. Good. Food. 

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Sammiches: Bourbon Chicken with Pears & Brie

Wow! Has it really been a week since my last post?
Life here at Burp! has been pretty hectic lately. Peef started a new job last week (yay for Peef!) and we've been doing some serious juggling to make sure that our schedules convene at all the proper moments. What that means is, we've not been reading (or writing) quite as much online.

That said, I do have a great recipe to share with you today.
If you think bourbon chicken should be relegated to the fast food court at the mall, I'm going to challenge you to change your tune.

This bourbon chicken recipe has been a staple in our kitchen for years. It makes a great stir-fry... but we think it really shines when used in a sammich.

You want to start off with some good quality split chicken breasts. Take each breast and place it between two sheets of waxed paper... then pound it with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until it is fairly thin.
Then, you'll want to take some brown sugar (or Sucanat), some bourbon, dark soy sauce, a bit of Dijon mustard, and some Worcestershire sauce - and mix it all together until well combined.
Lay the chicken breasts (the marinade will nicely accommodate 4-6 breasts) in a shallow container, season with salt and pepper, and then top with some sliced green onions.
Pour the marinade over the top and place in the fridge for a few hours. The chicken tastes best if you can marinate it overnight, but 4-6 hours also does nicely.
When the chicken has absorbed the flavors of the marinade, grill each breast 4-5 minutes per side on a grill pan (or outdoor grill) on medium-high heat. Admire the gorgeous grill marks.

You can eat the chicken as-is -- OR you can do as we we do and get to work on the fixins for a delicious sammich. First, thinly slice a Bosc pear (or two). Lay the slices on a section of French bread and top with a bit of brie and a chicken breast.
Then, take your sammiches and place them on a preheated panini press and grill them until they're warm and crips (you can also accomplish the same effect by placing the sammiches on a preheated grill pan and grilling them under the weight of a cast iron pan).
Top each sammich with a bit of watercress and get ready to drool.
You really can't beat this combination. The fresh spicy flavor of the watercress pairs nicely with the sweetness of the pear. It cuts the richness of the brie, and really complements the salty-sweet flavor of the bourbon marinade.

You can't beat this sammich paired up with a side of roasted asparagus for a great spring dinner.

Enjoy!

Bourbon Chicken Breasts



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