Poached Pear Loaf

Difficulty:
1/5

Ease of preparation: Medium

Yield: 8 servings

 

Ingredients:

Poached pears

1 x 750 ml bottle Zinfandel wine or other red wine

1 cup (240 ml) honey

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon (5 ml) whole cloves

2 star anise

3 Bartlett pears, peeled with stems intact

2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice

 

Molasses loaf

2 ½ cups (600 ml) flour

1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda

2 teaspoons (10 ml) baking powder

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt

½ cup (120 ml) brown sugar

½ cup (120 ml) olive oil

2 eggs

2/3 cup (160 ml) molasses

½ cup (120 ml) milk

 

Method:

Let’s get baking!

 

To make the poached pears, add wine, honey, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise to a saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring, until it starts to simmer. Add pears and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, or until pears are tender but not mushy.

 

Remove pears from saucepan using a slotted spoon and let cool.

 

Boil poaching liquid until it reduces to a thick syrup. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and stir in.

 

To make the loaf, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar, olive oil, and eggs. Add molasses and milk and mix in. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and slowly pour in molasses mixture, then stir to combine.

 

To finish, preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).

 

Pour loaf mixture into a greased loaf pan to 2/3 full. Press a pear into the mixture stem-side up. Distribute the other 2 pears evenly through the loaf. Bake for 30 minutes.

 

Remove from oven and cover top of loaf pan with foil. Bake a further 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

 

Heat the poaching syrup. Cut loaf into slices. Plate slices and pour syrup over top.