Pear Butter with Mulberries

What do you do when you have more ripe pears than you can eat? Make pear butter of course!

I have made pear butter a few times now and it has become a favorite around here. I shared a basic recipe that is tried and true, but this time I mixed it up a little and threw in some juicy mulberries we tucked into the freezer this summer. Why mulberries? Well because mulberries are very good for you! (That and Marinn asked that I make it purple.) Fruit butters are one of my favorites to make because they are fairly simple recipes and when you let your fruits condense down into a thick, creamy butter you get so much flavor in every bite.

Once again I had some wonderful people share their fruit with me this year so I started with fresh, ripe pears that were locally grown. It doesn't get better than that!

Pear and Almond Tart

I have dug myself out from under the mountain of pears!

I had a few pears left ripening on my counter that I needed to use so I whipped up this lovely little tart (and promptly ate a HUGE piece!) I kept the flavors mild and simple so the pears shine through but this recipe could easily be spiced up with a little cinnamon and cardamom. The flakey crust makes it perfect for a light dessert or breakfast pastry.

Pear and Almond Tart

Ingredients
Puffy pastry sheet, thawed
4 small pears
1/2 cup ground almonds
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup honey, warmed

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to remove creases. Place onto baking sheet and pierce with a fork every couple inches to prevent air bubbles.
In a small bowl combine ground almonds (I used my blender to grind them. Approximately 1 cup sliced = 1/2 cup ground), sugar, and flour. Add the room temperature butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle onto the pastry leaving about a 1/2 inch perimeter.
Next peel, core and thinly slice the pears. Toss them with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Lay them on the pastry in rows, slightly overlapping.
Brush the pears with melted butter and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and brush the pears with warmed honey. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned.
allow to cool slightly before serving.

Pushing Daisies Pie (Pear and Gruyere Pie)

As soon as I had pears to bake with I knew I wanted to make a pear pie.  I bought Gruyere cheese to go in it, but I had no idea why I wanted to use this. That was until I searched recipes online- then it came to me...

When I was a nanny the series Pushing Daisies was on TV and I LOVED it! Every Thursday morning, during nap time, I would watch the show recorded from the night before and I was so sad when they canceled it.  It was such a cute/quirky story line with an adorable cast, the best clothes, and, of course, The Pie Hole- where they made amazing pies. In the show they made a pear and gruyere pie to cheer up Chucks aunts. Apparently this was burned into my subconscious because I needed to make this pie! I found this recipe and modified it a little.

Poire Belle Helene

Pears, pears, and more pears! My husband just shakes his head as I continue to haul home more fruit but I can't resist. It's free, not treated with any chemicals, and my kids get to go pick it and see where their food comes from- how can you lose?

I made pear sauce, spiced pear butter, and now I'm working on baked goods starting with: Poire Belle Helene cupcakes. It is based off the french desert which is pears served with ice cream and covered in chocolate sauce.

This recipe is from a cook book my sister gave me called Cupcakes Galore. It is actually the first recipe I've tried from this book and has made me excited to try more!

Spiced Pear Butter

I used the lovely pears I received earlier this month to make some delicious pear butter. I had never had pear butter before but after trying this recipe I'm hooked. I think I may even like this better than my beloved apple butter!