I considered making this side dish as part of our Thanksgiving feast but was unsure if the bag of root vegetables I received in my CSA share contained rutabagas or turnips! I didn’t want to take the risk. 😉
The interior of a rutabaga is a creamy yellowish-orange versus a turnip which is very white inside. Rutabagas are also much more mild and sweet in flavor compared to a turnip which can be spicy like a radish.
This recipe was adapted from 177MilkStreet.com, contributed by Rose Hattabaugh. I modified the method and proportions. I loved the combination of the starchy caramelized roasted rutabagas with the sweet pears and browned butter. Very nice.
Yield: Serves 8
6 T salted butter, divided
1 1/2 T minced fresh rosemary, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/4 pounds rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 ripe but firm Bosc pears (about 1 pound), unpeeled, quartered, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 T honey
2 tsp sherry vinegar OR cider vinegar OR white wine vinegar
Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. (I set my oven to convection roast.) Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan over medium, melt the butter; remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and 3 tablespoons of melted butter.
Add the rutabaga and toss to coat, then distribute in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet; reserve the bowl.
Roast the rutabaga for 15 minutes on convection or up to 20 minutes in a standard oven.
Meanwhile, in the same bowl, toss the pears with 1 tablespoon of the remaining melted butter; set aside.
Set the pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over medium and cook the butter, occasionally swirling the pan, until the milk solids at the bottom are golden brown and the butter has a nutty aroma, about 1 minute.
Off heat, whisk in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon chopped rosemary, the honey, vinegar and generous 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; transfer to a heat proof bowl, cover and set aside.
When the rutabaga has roasted for 20 minutes, add the pears to the baking sheet and toss to combine with the rutabaga. Roast until a skewer inserted into the rutabaga and pears meets no resistance and the rutabaga is well browned, 10 to 12 minutes; stir once about halfway through.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, immediately drizzle the rutabaga and pears with the browned butter mixture and toss to coat.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a serving dish. (I sprinkled fine sea salt over the top of the dish.)
My husband isn’t partial to summer fruit- with the exception of freshly picked strawberries. He loves bananas, Bartlett pears, and cantaloupe. 🙂 Before the summer berry and peach baking season, I made these pie bars to embrace sweet and juicy Bartlett pears.
The bars have a Danish-style pie crust which very tender because it incorporates milk and egg yolks instead of ice water. It was really delicious. I also loved the cream cheese glaze spread over the top.
This recipe was adapted from 100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen with Classic Cookies, Novel Treats, Brownies, Bars, and More by Sarah Kieffer. I weighed most of the dry ingredients as well as the peeled and cored fruit. I also used fine sea salt and omitted the brandy.
It was a wonderful springtime dessert but it would also be fabulous for Thanksgiving.
For the Crust:
1/2 cup (120 g) whole milk, plus 1 or 2 T if needed
2 large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups (355 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 T granulated sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
2 cup (2 sticks or 227 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 20 pieces
For the Apple-Pear Filling:
8 cups (1100 g) Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced 4mm thick (I used 6 organic pears)
1 cup (150 g) peeled and grated Gala apples (I used one large Gala apple)
1/3 cup (65 g) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, plus 2 T for sprinkling
3 T cornstarch
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 T brandy (I omitted it)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Egg Wash:
1 large egg
pinch of fine sea salt
1 T (15 g) water
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
2 oz (57 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 T whole milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt
1 to 1 1/4 cups (120 to 145 g) confectioners’ sugar
To Make the Crust:
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and egg yolks. Place in the refrigerator.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour, granulated sugar, and salt on low speed until combined.
Add half of the chilled butter and mix on low speed until the butter is just starting to break down, about 1 minute.
Add the rest of the butter and continue mixing until the butter is broken down in various sizes. (most should be the size of small peas but some pieces may be larger) Make sure that all of the flour is moistened.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the milk-egg mixture, and mix until the dough starts to come together. If the dough is having trouble coming together, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk.
Divide the dough in half, place each piece on a separate piece of plastic wrap and flatten each slightly into a square.
Cover and refrigerate until cool but still soft, about 45 minutes.
On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll one square of the dough into a 9×13-inch rectangle (22×33 cm). (I covered the top with plastic wrap and rolled the dough 1/8-inch thick, using a bench scraper to cut pieces and patch to form the proper shape.)
Transfer the dough to a 9×13-inch metal baking pan. Gently pat the dough into the bottom. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
Roll out the second square of dough into a 9×13-inch (22 by 33 cm) rectangle using the same method. Place on an inverted sheet pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
To Make the Filling:
Use a food processor to slice the pears 4mm thick and coarsely grate the apple(s).
Combine the sliced pears, grated apple, brown sugar, 1/4 cup (4 T or 50g) granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
In a small liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the melted butter, brandy (if using), and vanilla. Pour over the pear-apple mixture and toss to combine.
To Make the Egg Wash:
Whisk the egg, salt, and water together in a small bowl; set aside.
To Assemble:
Fill the prepared pie shell with the pear-apple mixture and smooth the top.
Remove the top crust chilling on the inverted sheet pan from the refrigerator. Place the dough over the top of the filling. (It does not need to be sealed to the bottom layer.) Trim any excess with kitchen shears or a sharp knife.
Gently cut a few steam vents into the top layer of dough. (I cut 11 vents.)
Chill the pie in the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place a sheet pan on the oven rack while the oven is preheating. (The preheated sheet pan helps crisp the bottom of the pie crust.)
When the pie is ready to bake, brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with the 2 T reserved granulated sugar.
Transfer the pie to the preheated sheet pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. (I baked mine for 50 minutes.)
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool while you make the icing.
To Make the Cream Cheese Glaze:
In a small bowl, use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
Add 1 cup (120 g) of the confectioners’ sugar and mix again until smooth. If the mixture is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar until the desired consistency is reached.
Once the bars are cool, top them with the glaze; spread to the edges.
Note: The pie bars are best eaten the same day they are made but can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
I served this elegant tart on Thanksgiving Eve this year. It was very well received! The classic combination of pears and almonds was absolutely delicious.
This recipe was adapted from Dolester Miles’ recipe in Frank Stitt’s Southern Table: Recipes and Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill, via The Washington Post. The restaurant is located in Birmingham, Alabama. I used poaching liquid instead of rum in the filling and reduced the baking time. Wonderful!
Yield: 8 servings
For the Crust:
1 cup plus 3 T flour, plus more for the work surface
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
For the Pears:
3 cups granulated sugar
6 cups water
half a vanilla bean, split
one 3-inch cinnamon stick
5 (large) to 6 almost-ripe, firm pears, such as Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc, peeled, halved lengthwise and cored
For the Filling:
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup finely ground blanched almonds
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 T Calvados, dark rum, or poaching liquid
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 cup blanched/slivered or sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish
To Make the Crust:
Use cooking oil spray to grease a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
Place the flour in a food processor.
Sprinkle the salt and cubes of butter into the flour. Pulse until the butter is pea-sized.
Pour the egg over the mixture; pulse just until the dough begins to come together.
Turn the dough out onto the counter, and then gather it into a disk.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 1 day.
Lightly flour a work surface. Unwrap and roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. (I roll the dough out between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.)
Transfer it to the tart pan, using your fingertips to line the pan with the dough. Trim the edges even with the rim of the pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.
To Poach the Pears:
Combine the sugar, water, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the pears; once the liquid begins to bubble at the edges, cook the pears for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are tender and the tip of a paring knife slips into them easily. Let them cool in their liquid. Discard the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean.
To Make the Filling and Finish the Tart:
When ready to assemble, make the filling: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, preferably on convection.
Toast the almonds in a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat for several minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally to avoid scorching. Cool completely before using for the topping.
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer; beat on medium speed for several minutes, until light and fluffy.
Reduce the speed to low; add the egg, ground almonds, flour, Calvados, rum, or poaching liquid and the almond extract. Beat for about 2 minutes, until smooth.
Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator. Unwrap and pour in the filling, spreading it evenly.
Remove the pears from the poaching liquid, placing them in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the poaching liquid for this recipe; reserve and refrigerate the rest for poaching more fruit later.
Place the pears cut sides down on the tart filling, side by side with the narrow ends facing in, until the entire surface of the tart is covered with pears. Cover the edge of the tart to prevent over-browning and bake (middle rack) for about 28 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, cook the reserved cup of poaching liquid in a small saucepan over high heat until it has reduced to a glaze – about 2 to 3 tablespoons total. Remove from the heat.
Once the tart comes out of the oven, brush it with the glaze, then scatter the toasted almonds evenly over the top. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
Note: The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. The pears can be stored in their cooking liquid in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The poaching liquid can be reused.
This is an elegant and light dessert for a special occasion. Years ago, we were served this dish at a neighbor’s dinner party and my husband and I made it quite often for a few years. We loved it. I made this updated version to serve my family on Thanksgiving Eve this year. I thought that it was a perfect dessert for the evening before a day of indulgence. An added bonus was that the pears could be poached ahead of time and stored in the poaching liquid.
This recipe was adapted from Alton Brown via Food Network.com. I poached the pears cut in half rather than whole, and, as my neighbors did when they served this dish, added freshly whipped cream and crushed amaretti cookies as toppings. Lovely.
Yield: 8 servings
1 (750-ml) bottle white wine, Riesling or Viognier (I used Pinot Grigio)
1 cup water
5 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped
5 firm Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled, halved, and cored (preferably using a melon baller)
freshly whipped heavy cream, for serving
crushed amaretti cookies, for serving
Place the white wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean and pulp into a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. (I used an enameled cast iron pan with a glass lid.)
Peel, halve, and core the pears.
Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid (cut side up), cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Turn the pears cut side down and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the pears are tender but not falling apart. Maintain a gentle simmer.
Remove the pears to a serving dish and place in the refrigerator.
Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan, increase the heat to high and reduce the syrup to approximately 1 cup of liquid, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Do not allow the syrup to turn brown.
Place the syrup in a heatproof container and place in the refrigerator until cool, approximately 1 hour.
Remove the pears from the refrigerator, spoon the sauce over the pears. At this point, the pears can be stored overnight.
Place a pear half in a bowl and drizzle with sauce, top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream, and sprinkle with crushed amaretti cookies. Serve.
This cake was just calling for all of the Bosc pears that I’ve received in my CSA share recently. I love it when I have all of the ingredients readily available to make a special treat. 🙂
As a side note, I don’t really understand the idea of a “snacking” cake. This is definitely a CAKE. The brown butter glaze was absolutely essential and absolutely fabulous. Yes, it was easy to eat and, yes, it’s not a fancy layer cake. I also suppose it would be a wonderful snack! We enjoyed it for dessert. 😉
This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I incorporated whole wheat pastry flour and decreased the amount of fresh nutmeg. I also omitted the nuts. Delicious!
1 cup/227 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, more to grease the pan
1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
1/2Â cup/100 grams dark brown sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
â…› teaspoon ground clove
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 to 4 large pears (2 1/4 pounds/1 kilogram), peeled, cored and shredded or finely chopped (to yield 2 1/2 cups) (I finely chopped the prepared pears in a mini-food processor.)
2 ¾ cups/350 grams all-purpose flour (I used 175 g all-purpose flour & 175 g whole wheat pastry flour)
¾ cup/75 grams rolled oats
½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped, optional
For the Brown Butter Glaze:
5 tablespoons/70 grams unsalted butter
2 tablespoons/25 grams dark brown sugar
1 cup/125 grams confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons/45 milliliters heavy cream or milk, more as needed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of coarse salt
Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-2-inch square or 9-inch-round pan and line bottom with parchment paper. (I used cooking oil spray.)
Using a stand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add sugars, baking powder, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves and baking soda and beat for 1 minute.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
With the mixer on low, beat in half the pears, and then beat in the flour until smooth.
Beat in remaining pears, then the oats, beating until well incorporated.
Beat in nuts, if using.
Spread batter in the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed in the center of the cake, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, melt butter, then let it simmer until the foam on top falls to the bottom of the pot and turns brown, about 3 minutes. It will smell nutty and rich when it’s ready.
Whisk in brown sugar until it dissolves.
Whisk in confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla and salt until you’ve got a thick glaze with the texture of hot fudge sauce.
Spread this over the cooled cake. Let the glaze set for at least 2 hours before serving.
This cake was nutty, earthy, and really really moist. The entire house smelled absolutely incredible while it baked- much of the credit should be given to the orange zest in the batter. Even more wonderful orange flavor was added after the cake was removed from the oven when fresh orange juice was drizzled all over the top. Fabulous!
This recipe was adapted from Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes from our Kitchen by Zoe Nathan with Josh Loeb and Laurel Almerinda. I weighed whole roasted almonds and then finely ground them in a mini food processor instead of using store-bought almond flour. I used fat-free Greek yogurt instead of whole plain yogurt. I also substituted oat bran for the toasted wheat germ in the original recipe. Wheat bran or ground flaxseed would also work as substitutes. I also baked the cake in a 9-inch springform pan instead of a 10-inch cake pan.
The authors offer seasonal adaptations to this recipe by substituting blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, apricots, peaches, or figs for the pears. Yummy!
Yield: Makes one 9-inch cake
For the Topping:
1/2 cup (110 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
55 g (1/2 cup plus 2 T) almond flour
20 g (1/4 cup plus 2 T) rolled oats
50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
30 g (1/4 cup) whole wheat flour
3 T all-purpose flour
2 T oat bran, toasted wheat germ, wheat bran, or ground flaxseed
2 T light brown sugar
1/4 tsp coarse salt
20 g (1/4 cup) sliced almonds
For the Cake:
170 g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 T light brown sugar
3/4 tsp coarse salt
1 T pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
160 g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
55 g (3/4 cup)Â oat bran, toasted wheat germ, wheat bran, or ground flaxseed
25 g (1/4 cup) almond flour
3 T rye flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (240 ml) plain yogurt (I used fat-free Greek yogurt)
zest of 1 orange, *fruit reserved*
3 pears, peeled and thickly sliced into 6 pieces each (I used Bartlett pears)
To Make the Topping:
In a medium bowl, combine the butter, almond flour, oats, granulated sugar, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ, brown sugar, and salt. Blend with a pastry blender until homogenous.
Add sliced almonds and blend with your fingers. Refrigerate until needed.
To Make the Cake:
Position a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line and grease a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Incorporate the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl well.
Pause mixing and all the all-purpose flour, wheat germ, almond flour, rye flour, baking powder, baking soda, yogurt, and orange zest. Mix cautiously, just until incorporated. Do not over mix!
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and cover evenly with the pears.
Top with the crumble, allowing a little fruit to poke through.
Bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or up to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Do not over bake!
Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan; then squeeze the orange over the entire cake.
Remove the side of the pan and gently pull the parchment paper from every nook and cranny of the cake.
Note: This cake is best served the day it is made, but it will keep, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 days at room temperature.
My daughter has been asking for an upside-down cake! When I spotted this seasonal recipe, and had all of the ingredients on hand, I made it to surprise her. 🙂 A springtime spice cake was such a nice change of pace. The spices worked nicely with the blueberries and pears too. The mini size was just the icing on the cake. 😉
This recipe was adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics. I used my pretty Daisy cupcake pan- so pretty!
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for tin
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
12 teaspoons packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
1 ripe Bartlett pear, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into thin wedges
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (I used freshly ground)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large whole egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection.
Generously butter the cups and top of a muffin tin with six 8-ounce cups. (My 8-ounce cup muffin pan is a Daisy Pan! I used cooking spray instead of butter to coat the details more easily.)
Place 1 teaspoon butter in each muffin cup. Top each with 1 tablespoon corn syrup; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons light-brown sugar.
Arrange 7 to 9 blueberries in each cup.
Cut pear slices to fit the shape of muffin cups; place 4 or 5 pieces on top of the berries, spreading slices to cover berries.
Arrange remaining berries over the pears, and set tin aside. (I didn’t have leftover berries!)
Into a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat granulated sugar and remaining 5 tablespoons butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk; beat until smooth.
Combine the vanilla with the buttermilk.
With mixer on low-speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, and beginning and ending with flour.
Pour 1/3 cup batter over fruit in each muffin cup. Gently tap bottom of tin against counter several times to evenly distribute the batter.
Bake cakes until golden around the edges and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 17 minutes on convection, or up to 25 minutes in a standard oven. Remove from oven; let cool in tin.
thebrookcook 