We're charging forth in search of recipes for our holiday iPad app. Naturally, we turn to pears. They're the seasonal cook's best friend in colder months, starring poached or baked on a dessert plate, perking up green...
These are not your usual contests. We have a slightly nutty system but it works. Together, the Food52 community has created two cookbooks this way -- there’s no stopping us now. Read about it
Read about it »
photo 1 of 21
Powdered sugar, butter, all-purpose flour, vanilla, lemon, Granny Smith apple, pear (we used Bartlett), rosemary, milk, egg, salt!
photo 2 of 21
If pear is the star of this danish, rosemary wins for best supporting flavor -- it's in the filling and the dough.
photo 3 of 21
For butter's first trick (and not its last), it gets buzzed up into a simple, flaky food processor dough.
photo 4 of 21
Buzz! We call this versatile move The A&M Lean.
photo 5 of 21
Pinch! Just checking to see if it feels like wet sand, with some pea-sized pieces of butter, as hardlikearmour requests.
photo 6 of 21
Some water and beaten egg gets mixed in for a soft, rich dough.
photo 7 of 21
Part (wo)man, part machine on this task. With your hands, you can feel just when the dough comes together without over-working it.
photo 8 of 21
Our favorite way to roll out pastry crust: between two floured layers of plastic wrap.
photo 9 of 21
See, no tearing!
photo 10 of 21
Four hands make transferring this wide load a cinch -- but if you only have two, you can just flop it over the rolling pin for extra support.
photo 11 of 21
A&M pat this baby into place -- don't tug or stretch the dough, just ease it in.
photo 12 of 21
Filling time! Some handsome Bartlett pears are eager to serve.
photo 13 of 21
This is why we love hardlikearmour -- her filling was runny in an earlier iteration, so she added grated Granny Smith apple to boost the pectin and thicken the sauce. It works beautifully and adds a gentle tartness.
photo 14 of 21
This is the way we core our pears (and apples) -- with a melon baller! Single use, shmingle use.
photo 15 of 21
Amanda steadies the filling bowl while Merrill digs in to get the job done.
photo 16 of 21
We liked the hearty chunkiness of the pears, but you're welcome to cut them more finely.
photo 17 of 21
More butter! This time, to dot the filling.
photo 18 of 21
Onto the top crust -- A&M team up again to fold the edges under.
photo 19 of 21
After baking the beauty for 45 minutes and cooling for 15 more, we pour on the simple vanilla glaze. This detail really puts the Danish in it.
photo 20 of 21
Holiday breakfast, anyone?
photo 21 of 21
Feeds a (very happy) crowd.
Check out the Q&A and meet this week's winner!
Read More »
photo 1 of 15
Ready to go: egg, butter, flour, wheat germ, pear, brown sugar, walnuts, buttermilk, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg.
photo 2 of 15
Merrill peels a pear (we used Bosc and didn't want any tough skin stowed away in the cake.)
photo 3 of 15
Why, Mr. Brown Sugar, what a nice hat you're wearing today!
photo 4 of 15
This cake packs a lot of spice.
photo 5 of 15
A sweet little admirer stares watchfully into the food processor.
photo 6 of 15
Amanda freshly grates nutmeg.
photo 7 of 15
A pile of pears dusted with spices -- they're everywhere!
photo 8 of 15
Merrill whips the eggs and buttermilk into shape (for the cake).
photo 9 of 15
More butter joins the dry ingredients in ye old trusty food processor.
photo 10 of 15
Wet meet dry, like sand on the shore.
photo 11 of 15
Gently layering the pears.
photo 12 of 15
They're drowning! Just kidding: the penultimate layer of batter.
photo 13 of 15
And, this wouldn't be coffee cake ...
photo 14 of 15
... without the crumb topping.
photo 15 of 15
Good morning!
