I forgot about pears. That sounds weird but whatever it's true. I got too worked up about apples this fall and I plum forgot about the danged pears! What a tragedy. Never fear, though, a delicious Ham Pear Arugula Grilled Cheese I devoured last weekend reminded me of the glory that is the pear. So I promptly went out and bought a metric ton of pears.
My first pear experiment was these scones. I've mentioned before that scones are kind of my thang. I love baking them. Love eating them. They're just my fave and it's high time I made a pear scone, right? So I did. This recipe tastes like fall but in a different way. Apples are switched out for pears and the traditional cinnamon spice is pumped up with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Add some cardamom if you have it, but have you priced cardamom lately? Ridic. Like $15 for a jar. That's not happening. But these scones will be amazing with or without the cardamom.
Let's just all agree to not forget pears, okay? :)
Chai Pear Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
3 large ripe pears, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or your hands until mixture resembles coarse sand. Stir in pear chunks. Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat together egg, vanilla, and heavy cream. Pour over the scone batter and lightly mix until the dough comes together. Add additional cream or flour as needed.
Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface, form a circle, and flatten it until it is about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut 8 equal pie wedges. Transfer scones to a baking sheet using a flat spatula and sprinkle the tops of the scones with a little granulated sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
3 large ripe pears, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or your hands until mixture resembles coarse sand. Stir in pear chunks. Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat together egg, vanilla, and heavy cream. Pour over the scone batter and lightly mix until the dough comes together. Add additional cream or flour as needed.
Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface, form a circle, and flatten it until it is about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut 8 equal pie wedges. Transfer scones to a baking sheet using a flat spatula and sprinkle the tops of the scones with a little granulated sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 8 scones
Source: slightly adapted from The Pastry Affair
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