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Ham, Brie & Pear Panini

By in Lunch 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

ham pear brie panini

I went out on a limb last week with this recipe. We had some brie in the fridge and some beautiful red pears on the counter and I just couldn’t resist putting them together in a sandwich. I figured my hubby, whose not a fan of fruit in savoury applications, would not be too thrilled with lunch that day. But to my shock, when he tried it he said, “this would be even better with ham”. My mouth hit the floor. But, I went along with it and we slipped some ham into our sandwiches. He was right, that ham took the sandwiches from good to great.

Even if you’re normally not a person who likes fruit with meat or other savoury items, I encourage you to give this a try. Brie and pear are a fantastic paring, but add to that the smokiness of ham and the zip of mustard and you’ve got one perfectly rounded, killer sandwich. Proof that you should never give up trying new things, you just have to find the right combination.

Ham, Brie & Pear Panini

  • 2 slices whole wheat bread
  • Dijon mustard
  • sliced brie
  • 1/4 pear, sliced
  • sliced ham (or Canadian bacon)
  • baby spinach

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Spread one side of each slice of bread with olive oil spread. Flip them over so they’re butter side down. Spread one slice with a thin layer of mustard. Top with slices of brie, pear, ham and  a small handful of spinach; top with one more slice of brie (to help it stick together). Top with remaining piece of bread, butter side up. Place on  preheated skillet and let cook until bread is browned and cheese starts to melt. Flip sandwich over carefully; once flipped press down firmly with the spatula to help everything stick together. Cook until both sides are browned and crisp, and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Alternately you can cook this in a Panini press or in a waffle iron.

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

By in Breakfast, Cakes, Snacks, Sweets 12 Comments Tags: , , ,

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

It took me four hours to get this coffee cake in the oven. This has no reflection on the difficulty of the recipe but rather my life as a mom. From exploding diapers to early bath times to bedtime tantrums this cake went through many waiting periods. I think it”s pretty safe to say it”s a foolproof recipe.

I”m a big fan of coffee cakes. They”re not overly sweet and, just like muffins, they”re really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. :) This cake is light in both taste and texture. A refreshing break from all the heavy and rich baked goods that are everywhere this time of year.

My hubby isn”t a fan of pears but he loved this (LOVED it). So did I. It”s one of those cakes that”s hard to stop eating. Breakfast. Coffee. Dessert. Too many excuses to steal a little slice.

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Streusel & Filling

  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 cup cold butter

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Cake

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup butter , softened

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 (8 oz) carton sour cream

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the streusel topping and filling: Stir together walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl grate cold butter into flour and break up with your fingers to make coarse crumbs. Stir 3/4 cup of the nut mixture into the flour mixture to make streusel. Set remaining nut mixture and streusel topping aside.

For the cake: Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl beat the softened butter until smooth. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in flour mixture and sour cream, in three additions, starting and ending with flour.

Spread two-thirds of the batter into a greased 9 inch springform pan. Sprinkle with the reserved nut mixture. Layer pears on top. Carefully spread remaining batter over the pears. Sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. For a crunchy topping, sprinkle with the 1/2 cup walnuts. Bake an additional 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the side of the springform pan. Cool one hour before serving.

Makes: 12 servings

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

Almond Pear Tart

By in Fall, Fruit, Pastries, Sweets, Thanksgiving 12 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Almond Pear Tart

I am pretty sure that I have not yet had the chance to meet all of my lovely readers, and you know what? I would love to meet you! So why not introduce yourself? And, for those of you that I have had the honour to “meet” already, I would love to know more about you. To get the ball rolling I will fill you in on some tidbits about me that you may not know:

A couple of years ago I was a live host of an hour long radio show for young teens. I also script wrote and directed a short mini-drama for each show called “The Adventures of Bob and Alfred.”

I used to volunteer at a hospital where I accidentally dropped a frog on an immobile elderly lady. I promise we were only trying to add a little excitement to her life, just not that much.

I also used to be the bus driver for said hospital and ended up lost in the woods with 5 old people, trying to find my way back to the hospital, while one of them got up every time I stopped because she wanted to go to the bathroom in the woods.

I am extremely stubborn and if you tell me that I can”t do something, I will just have to prove you wrong. This is how I blacked out just before the finish line in the 200 metre dash in my high school track-meet. But, I still came in third, gosh darn it!

Now it”s your turn. You don”t have to get quite so personal. But, I would love to know something about you. So, fill me in people!

Almond Pear Tart

Now about this tart. Let me tell you, it is delicious. Neither me or my husband have stopped thinking about it since I made it. And, he doesn”t even like pears! We managed to polish it off the day after it was made. There is so much wonderful flavour in this flaky pastry parcel. The sliced almonds add a lovely nuttiness, while the lemon zest adds a brightness that make it taste fresh and inviting. The crust itself is amazing, I may just use it for all of my freeform tarts. It”s easy to work with, flaky and buttery. Just perfect! I will be making this again soon, and this time I think I might try it with apples, for my loving husband (even though he gobbled it down just fine with pears). :)

Almond Pear Tart

adapted from TasteofHome

  • Pastry dough

  • Pear filling

  • 1 Tbsp. butter

  • Egg wash (1 egg white + 1 tsp. water, whisked together)

  • 1 Tbsp. sugar

  • Glaze

  • 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

  1. Roll the pastry dough out to a 14 inch circle. Place on a large baking sheet.

  2. Spoon the filling over the pastry leaving a 2 inch wide rim. Cut the butter into small cubes and sprinkle over the filling. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling, pressing the pastry together, to seal.

  3. Brush egg wash over the pastry and sprinkle with sugar.

  4. Bake at 375°F for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown.

  5. Pour glaze over the warm tart and sprinkle with almonds.

Serves: 8-10

Pastry Dough

  • 1 1/3 cups flour

  • 3 Tbsp. sugar

  • 1/4 tsp. salt

  • 7 Tbsp. cold butter, cubed

  • 2-3 Tbsp. cold water

  1. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in cold butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Add water 1 Tbsp. at a time until the dough sticks together to form a ball. (You may need more water depending on the humidity in your area. Just make sure it sticks together without being sticky to the touch.)

Pear Filling

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • 1.5 tsp lemon zest

  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • 4 medium sized ripe pears, peeled and sliced

  1. Toss together all ingredients until pears are well coated.

Glaze

  • 1/4 cup icing sugar

  • 1.5 tsp. milk

  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

  1. Mix together until smooth. (Do this just before glazing so that it does not start to set)

*Note on toasting almonds: My preferred way to toast nuts is on the stove top in a frying pan. Just place over med. heat, stir occasionally and keep a close eye. As soon as you can smell the nutty flavour and see a bit of color they are done. You must keep a close eye because they can go from perfect to burnt pretty fast.

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