Deanna, that sounds excellent. I love pears. Thanks for sharing. I might try 1/2 oil and 1/2 buttermilk for a change.

It must have been the weekend for baking. Here's my contribution. It turned out very well and I'm sure would be good with pumpkin or any squash as well as sweet potatoes. I added a notation to toast the pecans.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Maple Pecan Sweet Potato Quick Bread

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads  Quick

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups all-purpose flour -- unbleached
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup sweet potatoes -- cooked, cooled and mashed
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs -- at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter -- melted and cooled
1/4 cup milk -- at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans -- toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the sweet potatoes, maple syrup, eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; add the sweet potato mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in the pecans. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Remove the pan to a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan; finish cooling on the rack. Store the completely cooled bread in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Allow the bread to reach room temperature before serving.

This bread freezes well.

Note: To really gild the lily, try mini-loaves with a cream-cheese frosting or a glaze.

Carol

Carol,
I had closer to 3 cups of chopped pears so I reduced the oil a bit. I also used 1/2 c. of whole wheat flour in place of part of the white flour.
I made 8 small (standard, I guess, but I usually make the "Texas-size") muffins and two loaves...a little shorter than they would have been otherwise (grin).
We are eating the muffins, froze one loaf and gave the other to the co-worker I got the pears/plums from!
This one is a keeper for me!

I am going to try it with apples and walnuts next!
Let us know how it turns out with the buttermilk!!!
Deanna

ooh, thanks, Deanna! I just got a bag of pears from a neighbour, too.

I baked something not dissimilar last night, wanting to have something ready for breakfast. Noting that there were three pears at the 'use it or lose it' stage, I remembered picking up a recipe card from the Ontario Apple Growers at the local food event in August, and made it with pears instead. Came out lovely and moist; I didn't bother to peel the pears because the were getting soft and it would've been hard to do, but there was no problem; I also skipped the cinnamon sugar topping and it was still tasty; and the recipe is on the low side for oil and sugar:

Chunky Cran-Apple Muffins
[from Ontario Apple Growers]

3/4 c natural bran
3/4 c milk
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 c chopped, peeled ONTARIO APPLES
[that's what it says LOL -Z]
1/2 c dried cranberries

Topping
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

In large bowl, combine bran and milk; let rest 5 minutes. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, soda, and nutmeg.
Stir brown sugar, oil, and egg into bran mixture. Stir in dry ingredients till just combined. Stir in apples & cranberries.
Spoon batter into greased muffin cups.
For topping, combine granulated sugar & cinnamon; sprinkle over muffins.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 18 minutes.

This makes a dozen standard muffins or 8 large ones.

Mmmmmm...
When's breakfast?

I wonder if those are Ontario CANADA apples or Ontario OREGON? LOL!
We grow a lot of apples here in Oregon....

I'll bet the cranberries add a nice "zip" and moistness.
So, how were they?
Deanna

Well, that's odd. My second post was lost.

Ontario, Oregon. That's a good one. I just read Oregon provides 84% of the nation's pears, so we can definitely use good recipes.

Thanks for the additional notes, especially regarding the whole wheat. I just ordered King Arthur Flour's new Whole Grain Baking Book, not just for the recipes but to learn techniques for utilizing whole grains.

I make a carrot cake with 1/2 the oil of the usual and then buttermilk and that turns out really well, so I'd assume it will work in your recipe too.

How long did you bake the muffins and small loaves? I told Annie next time I bake the Maple-Pecan I'll do the same because a 2-pound loaf is just too much unless I cut off a portion and freeze it. I was just too tired last night post-picking, drying tomatoes, making pot roast and baking to fiddle with more than one pan. I basically just threw it in.

We're getting quite a nice thread of quick bread recipes. The apple-cranberry sounds great also, so now I have two new ones to try.

Carol

Alright Carol.......you should know better than to reference something like Maple-Pecan and not include the recipe!!! LOL 'Specially when we have such a great search engine here (I'll probably get booted now).

I think the muffins baked about 15-20 minutes (till they're done...toothpick...yada, yada.....grin...).
My loaves weren't that much smaller and they baked the full 40 minutes.
Deanna

The recipe's right up above in my first post, LOL.

Thanks for the timing info. That's helpful.

Carol

Geez...........

Right hand in the air.....

"I promise to actually read the thread before posting from now on, forever and forever."

:+)
Thanks Carol.
Deanna

Deanna, I guess you and Carol are allowed to use apples from Ontario, Oregon, since it'll save you a lot on shipping costs and phytosanitary certificates for cross-border agricultural goods. ;-)

The apple muffins came out really nice. Moist, with a mildly spiced flavour, not too sweet. (When I was awash in peaches in late August I found a peach muffin recipe on the net and tried it, but didn't like it all that much --- came out far too sweet for me.) I don't see any need to add the cinnamon-sugar topping! The dried cranberries add an occasional bit of chewy zing.

I think I'll make a double batch for the freezer. Maybe some apple, some pear.

BTW, does anyone have the book BEARD ON BREAD? (Carol??) I used to have it, and it had a lovely quickbread made with fresh chopped apples, peel and all. I went looking for it to try doing it with pears, and darned if I can find the book! I am trying to remember if I've seen it since the move. Sigh.

Zabby

Carol,
Funny, I just ordered that book too. I try to sneak whole grains into the children without their noticing. I have successfully swapped half the white flour in banana bread for a combination of whole wheat and ground flax. They did not even notice.

I have Beard on Bread. If you give me a little time zabby, I'll look up the recipe and post. I'm just taking a break - roasting a second huge batch of tomatoes, late corn, red sweet peppers, Walla Walla sweet onions, basil, parsley, garlic, kalamata olives, capers and olive oil. Tried it yesterday for freezer storage and liked it so well I'm doing a second massive batch today. Cooked down to almost nothing, the most intense flavor. I'm just thinking it will be a taste of summer on bruschetta mid-winter.

Carol

Readinglady -- that sounds DIVINE! I'm drooling over the keyboard right now.

Emily

Yum, Carol, that does sound really good and I have tomatoes left. Hmmmm...

Oh yeah, quick bread and pears. My favorite pear recipe isn't a quick bread but it's darned good and combines two of my favorites, pears and maple.

Individual Maple Pear
6 servings
3 pounds pears, peeled, cored, quartered
2/3 cup + 9 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
9 tablespoons whipping cream
melted butter
sugar to taste
nutmeg to taste

For the filling, combine the pears, 2/3 cup syrup, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a bowl and mix well. Divide evenly among 6 custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place a pat of butter on top of each one. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until heated through. For the topping, place the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a food processor. Add 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the cream, 9 tablespoons syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla and process until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto the hot filling. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. Bake for 14 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden brown.

I don't have a food processor, so I just used my hand held pastry blender to cut the topping. This is sooooo good, I love it, I'm just waiting for the pears to get ripe.

Annie

Ohhhh, Annie....

I'm having friends for dinnner on Saturday and I think you may have just planned our dessert. Mind you, these are real fit, lean guys who, the last time they came and I fed them the healthiest cereal in the house for breakfast, said cheerfully that it was nice to eat it as a "treat" because they rarely had anything "with so much fat," so they might die of shock at the taste of the cream.... ;-)

Z

Annie, that sounds delectable. Another keeper.

It appears Deanna started a "Fall Desserts" thread. Boy, I can see the pounds piling up. We're all like bears fattening for the winter.

Zabby, here's the bread from James Beard. I had to dig this book out. Whenever I do I'm reminded what lovely recipes it has.

Raw Apple Bread

[Beard's comment: "A rather unusual baking powder bread that you will find delightfully textured and interesting in color and flavor. It keeps very well and, as a matter of fact, will be better if left to mature for at least 24 hours. It is a fine bread to give as a gift."]

(1 large loaf)

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
2 tablespoons buttermilk or soured milk
1 cup coarsely chopped, unpeeled apples
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated lemon rind

Cream the butter or margarine, add the sugar slowly, and continue to beat until light and lemon-colored. Beat in the eggs.

Sift the flour with the salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in the apples, nuts and vanilla or lemon rind.

Butter a 9 or 10x5x3-inch loaf pan. Spoon the batter into the tin and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 50-60 minutes, until the loaf pulls away slightly from the sides of the tin or until a straw or cake tester inserted in the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then loosen from the pan and turn out on a rack to cool completely before slicing.

VARIATION: Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon chopped nuts on top of the batter before baking.

Carol

Be careful, Zabby, that recipe has both butter AND cream, although I admit I used 2% milk in it because that's what I had and it was still pretty darned good.

Just tell the guys that the pears make it health food. Ahem.

Carol, this is so good, it's my absolute favorite dessert. I'll have to check out that fall desserts thread, though. Like I need dessert, LOL, I'll gain back the entire 40 pounds that I lost this summer on my own personal "Work Your A** Off" diet.

Annie

Annie,
You are so right. Plus, if I get good local butter and cream then it's not pigging out, it's a cultural experience!

BTW, is there a word missing from the title --- is it "individual maple pear ____" (tarts? compotes?) Or is the essence of mapleness and pearness all it needs for identification?

Carol,
Thank you SO MUCH for another helpful recipe "reading"! I have been tearing the house apart looking for that book specially for that recipe. (The other ones from there I particularly LOVE are

--- the "French-Style Bread," which is great because it makes a fresh, crisp-crusted, European-type bread with only ONE rise --- can be done in under 3 hours, with only about 20 mins total work from the baker!)

--- a cranberry quick bread, which I think calls for rose water; (I had vaguely misremembered the rose water as being in the raw apple bread, but I see it doesn't)

Recently I Googled the French-style one and found a close variation on line, which saved my meal; and I won't need the cranberry quick bread till closer to Christmas, by which time I hope to have found my book, LOL!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to making the raw apple with some of our great local apples. I love that you don't even peel them.

Z

You're right, Zabby. The Quick Cranberry Bread calls for rosewater. There's also that Quick Fruit Bread that can be made with prunes marinated in Madeira with pistachios and rosewater or instead of the prunes, candied orange and orange flower water.

I know this book doesn't get the "press" of the current favorites but some of his recipes are hard to beat. My votes are for Jane Grigson's Walnut Bread from Southern Burgundy and the Norwegian Whole-Meal Bread with Potatoes.

Carol

Sorry, Zabby, that should be "Cobbler". My own personal favorite dessert. I don't care much for pie crust and mostly just eat the filling, but I love cobbler.

Annie

Annie,
Next time you feel like pie, you can come to my house and we'll share......... I like the crust and could do without the filling most of the time! Except Pumpkin and key lime..............don't touch my filling on those two!

Do you have the "Upside down cobbler" recipe from Ruralite?
It's actually Wild Blackberry Pudding.
You can mix the "topping" right in the casserole dish, spread 2c. of fruit over that, sprinkle with sugar to taste and pour boiling water/fruit juice on top and bake.

I LOVE the one dish aspect!!!! And it's really good with a peach/pineapple combo.

I'll get the actual recipe tonight and post it.
Deanna

Annie, I'm with you --- not a huge fan of pie, mostly because of the crust. Though I've realized lately that I do enjoy a REALLY GOOD pie crust sometimes, if it's really flaky and still fresh and hot and not yet soggy. But I have no talent for making it myself (I'm more of a bread girl and tend to overmix pie crust), and I rarely have a really good one.

And in any case I'd usually rather a crumble or a cobbler.

Will sure try yours!

Thanks.

Carol,

The thought of madeira-soaked prunes don't do much for me, I'm afraid (I'd always rather DRINK my potables WITH my dessert than soak the latter in the former, but that's just me). But I was recently thinking of trying that walnut bread.

Mmmm... we've now finished the pear-cranberry muffins (got three breakfasts out of the dozen), so it's time for another baking project....

Zabby

I know what you mean, zabby. I mentioned it only because of the rosewater component. I'm more drawn to the candied orange and orange-flower water variation.

Still, when I look at that little book I'm impressed by the high percentage of appealing/interesting recipes. Not the case, sad to say, with many other cookbooks.

Carol

Here's the Wild Blackberry Pudding recipe as promised.
I sub whatever fruit happens to be in season!

Wild Blackberry Pudding (from Ruralite's Favorite Recipes)
Cream together:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. shortening (or butter)
1 egg

Add:
1/2 c. milk
1 c. four
1/4 teas. salt
2 teas. baking powder

Mix together and put in bottom of casserole (at least 2 qt. and I just mix it right in the casserole dish).

Add on top:
2 c. fruit
1 c. sugar (I almost always reduce this by half)
1 c. boiling fruit juice and/or water.

Bake:
350 for about an hour or until dough comes to the top and is nicely browned.

Good warm or cold! I've burnt my tongue on this one!! (grin)
Deanna

Deanna, that sounds really good, as I've mentioned, I like fruit desserts better than any other kind. This kind of reminds me of that hot fudge pudding cake Grandma used to make, where she poured the boiling water over the top and it made cake with it's own hot fudge.

Annie

And is grandma's recipe available??????

Carol,

Yeah, but if that book wasn't so small and pocket-sized maybe I'd still be able to find it! I suddenly had an image of seeing it in one of my sisters' kitchens --- I think I might have brought it to a family gathering at her place where I came early and made bread there or something. Alas, she's possibly the only person on earth who's a worse housekeeper than I, so it's probably gone for good in that case....

Zabby

Deanna, of course it is. There are optional nuts in this recipe, but Grandma never used them. We nearly always had this hot from the oven, with vanilla ice cream. It's one of the few desserts I really liked even though it didn't have any fruit in it. Plus, it gets mixed up right in the pan, so no extra bowl to wash!

HOT FUDGE PUDDING CAKE

1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbls cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbls vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup nuts (optional)
1/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cup hottest tap water

Heat oven to 350. Mix flour, sugar, 2 tbls cocoa, baking powder and salt in an ungreased square pan, 9x9x2 inches. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla with fork until smooth. Stir in nuts, if used. Spread in pan, sprinkle with brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Pour hot water carefully over batter. Bake 40 minutes. While still warm, spoon into dessert dishes and top with ice cream. Spoon sauce from pan onto each serving

9 servings

I haven't made this in a long time, I'm going to have to put this on the dessert menu soon.

Annie

Oh boy does that sound good.
I am not a huge chocolate fan (don't anybody hit me...), but there are just some things, sometimes that sound really good.

This is on my list to try THIS weekend!!!
Thanks for sharing! And I love old recipes that call for basic things I always have in the house!
Deanna