Pear Pudding

Just out of the oven
Image: Sinead Fox

Having reviewed Fay Ripley’s “What’s for Dinner” I promised myself that I’d try the Pear Pudding recipe so I finally got to last weekend.
I posted a photo on Facebook and Twitter and the requests for the recipe rolled in (OK there were three, but in my terms that’s a tsunami of requests).

So here it is, a proper old-fashioned dessert, warm, sweet and comforting. We all loved it, and since I’d been given some Avonmore dessert cream in my goodie bag from a demo I went to last week I drizzled it all over (OK I DROWNED it in the stuff) and it was perfect. Custard or plain vanilla ice-cream would also be a great accompaniment.

Another good thing is that it reheated really well, so you could make ahead if you had company. I think it would work well with other fruits too and will probably try it with tinned peaches soon.

It’s a great recipe to let the kids help with too, the pears don’t need to be prettily cut, the eggs can take a beating, and Cathal’s favourite is to assist in the sieving and the beating.

Can you tell I love it? Hope you do too.

Pear Pudding
From “What’s for Dinner” by Fay Ripley
Ingredients
180g plain Flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
150g Butter
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
60 ml milk
150g Golden Caster Sugar (This is available in some supermarkets, I used regular caster sugar which is fine)
An extra tablespoon of your sugar of choice
2 x 400g tins of pears in juice (400g each)- chop these into pieces

Square dish – mine is 9X9 inch

Preheat the oven to 180C . Line your tin with baking paper.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl, then add the caster sugar. Melt the butter.
Separately (Fay recommends in a jug) whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together.
Next you carefully whisk this wet mixture slowly into the flour mixture, add the melted butter last.
Pour this mixture into the prepared tin, then scatter the chopped pear pieces all over it. Put in the oven, set the timer for about 17 minutes (halfway), sprinkle the extra tablespoon of sugar on top and bake for another 17 minutes (ie 35 minutes total).
Enjoy slathered in a dairy product of your choice.

Mmmmm
Image: Sinead Fox

Blatant product placement- some free Avonmore dessert cream
Image: Sinead Fox