Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
3 Beurré Bosc pears, peeled, halved and cored
1 cup caster sugar
3 cups water
3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
175g soft unsalted butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 cup shifted self-raising flour
1 teaspoon sifted baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
100g ground almonds
Vanilla custard to serve
METHOD
1 Heat the oven to 180C. Line a 23cm cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
2 Put the caster sugar and water into a saucepan and gently cook until the sugar dissolves. Add the pear halves to the pan. Gently cook the pears for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from the syrup using a slotted spoon and cool. Throw away the syrup.
3 Sprinkle the cake tin with the brown sugar and arrange the pears cut side down over the sugar.
4 In a large bowl cream the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, along with 1 tablespoon of flour, beating well between each addition. Fold through the remaining flour, baking powder, cinnamon and almonds.
5 Spoon over the pears and smooth the surface. Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until skewer inserted into the pudding comes out clean. Remove from the oven and carefully turnout onto a serving plate. Cut into slices and serve with vanilla custard.
The Carousel thanks Rediscover Australian Pears: Volume 2 cookbook. Buy the book here.