Ginger Pear Cake

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup wheatgerm
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shredded coconut
4 ounces butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3 large eggs
1 peeled and chopped pear


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

mix flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, all spice, salt, and coconut. Melt butter with half the water.

Whisk brown sugar, second half of water and molasses until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Add butter mixture, whisk until smooth.

Pour batter into greased 9 inch cake pan, and scatter pear chunks evenly over top.

Bake about 35 minutes, until center springs back when you press on it. Cool slightly before removing from pan.

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practically verbatim from a twospoons recipe.

Almond Pear Bread

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 heaping Tbs cinnamon
1 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs honey
2 cups pears, peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in mixing bowl, stir well.
In a medium bowl, stir together oil, eggs, sugar, pear, nuts, and vanilla. Scrape the pear mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until the flour is incorporated and the batter is evenly moistened.

Divide batter into two greased loaf pans and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until bread is browned and firm. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then turn it out onto a plate or a wire rack to cool completely, top side up.

optional tips: sprinkle batter with oats prior to baking, or sprinkle with powdered sugar after removing from oven.

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Adapted from a Slow Like Honey recipe.

Togolese Couscous with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

for Couscous
1 box (about 2 cups dry) couscous
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth
1/2 cup milk

for Sauce
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 small to medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 bell pepper and/or small zucchini, diced
2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup tomatoes, cut into chunks (I used canned tomatoes)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp chille powder
1/2 paprika
fresh cilantro and/or mint to taste

To prepare couscous, combine water, broth and milk in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Added couscous, remove from heat, and cover with lid. Let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

For peanut sauce, heat oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook until onions become transparent. Add bell pepper and/or zucchini, along with broth. Stir until heated through. Add peanut butter and tomatoes and mix well (a whisk works well to disperse the peanut butter). Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep sauce from burning or sticking to bottom of pan. Add rinsed beans to the sauce, and stir in ground ginge, chille powder and paprika. Add fresh cilantro and/or mint and remove from heat.

To serve, place a bed of couscous in a bowl and cover with Peanut sauce. Add additional vegetables to your liking, ad spritz with lime juice.

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Espresso Pear Panna Cotta

Ingredients
1/2 cup strong coffee
1/3 cup sugar
1 medium pear
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
3 Tbs milk
3 tsp powdered gelatin


Heat coffee and sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Slice pears into 1 cm thick slices. Add pear slices to coffee mixture and cook over medium heat until soft (10-20 minutes) and syrups has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and place pear slices in the bottom of 4 small bowls or ramekins. Evenly distribute syrup over pears.

In a medium sauce pan, combine cream, milk, brown sugar and contents of vanilla bean. Heat until boiling on medium high, then remove from heat. Meanwhile, combine 3 Tbs milk and powdered gelatin. Stir until gelatin has dissolved. Whisk gelatin mixture into cream mixture, and set aside to cool.


When cream mixture has cooled, evenly distribute between bowls. Cover with plastic wrap, be careful not to let the panna cotta touch the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.

To serve, place each bowl in a larger bowl of hot water to loosen the edges. Place a small plate on top of the bowl, and quickly invert.



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Adapted from a spicyicecream recipe.

Peach Berry Apple Pie

Ingredients

For Crust (3)
3 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup butter, cold, cubed
1/3 cup ice water

For Pie
2 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup berries (I used frozen blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries)
1 cup peaches, cubed
2 Tbs flour
2 1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs lemon juiceCombine flour, and powdered sugar. Cut in cold butter. Add water, bit by bit, squeezing it with your hands as you go. Add just enough water so that dough holds together. Divide dough into three parts and wrap two parts in plastic wrap, store in freezer for further use.

Press crust dough into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing all the way up the sides of pan. Place in freezer to chill for 20 minutes (so that crust won't shrink as much while baking). Remove from freezer, poke with a fork all over the bottom of the crust, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove crust from oven and layer apple slices along bottom of pan. Mix berries with four, sugar, nutmeg, and ground ginger. Spread berries over top of apples. Arrange peaches slices on top of pie. Pour cream all over pie, then sprinkle with lemon juice. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 more minutes or until golden brown.

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Sundried Tomato Rolls

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp (1 package) yeast
1/3 butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 Tbs warm milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
milk, for brushing

To make dough, mix 1 1/2 cups flour with salt in a large bowl. Stir in yeast, then add butter, mild and eggs. Mix to form dough. Spread the remaining flour on a working surface, and slowly knead it into the dough (if dough is still very sticky, slowly add more flour, only as much as you need). Knead for about five minutes, until dough is soft and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, cover with a towel and let rise at room temperature for1-1 1/2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.

Turn dough out onto work surface and gently knead in sun dried tomatoes. (If tomatoes were canned in oil, make sure they are well drained, and use a little extra flour when kneading them into the dough). Divide dough into 8 equal size balls and place them on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 min.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush rolls with mild and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

share.eat.repeat.Adapted from a Cook's Library recipe.

Pumpkin Pear Strudel

Ingredients

For puff pastry
1 1/8 cups flour
pinch salt
3/4 cup cold butter
about 1/2 cup cold water

For filling
2 large pears, peeled, cubed
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1 Tbs cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger

To make the puff pastry, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Rub in 2 Tbs butter with hands. Gradually add water until dough comes together (you probably won't need all the water). Wrap in plastic wrap, chill for 30 min. Leave remaining butter out to warm to room temperature. Roll dough into rectangle, less than 1/2 inch thick. Place remaining butter over middle third of dough. Fold sides over butter, like a letter, and press seems on the side to seal. Roll dough into original size. Fold into thirds. Roll folded dough back to original size and again fold in thirds. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 min. Repeat rolling out and folding procedure twice more. Roll dough out into a larger rectangle twice as thin.

In medium bowl, mix together pear, pumpkin, sugar, almonds and spices. Spoon longways along center of dough, covering approximately the middle 1/3 of dough. With the short side of the pastry facing you, slice sides into 1 inch strips at a downward diagonal slant, starting 1 inch from the filling, and cutting towards the edge. Starting at one end, take the first strip and fold up over filling. Take the first strip from other side, and overlap the previous strip over the filling. Repeat, alternating sides until all the strips are covering the filling. Wrap the final ends neatly around the end of the filling.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Carefully transfer pastry onto a greased baking sheet. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.

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Adapted from an Allrecipes recipe.

Espresso Chocolate Shortbread

Ingredients
2 tbs instant espresso powder
1 tbs hot water
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chocolate chips coarsely chopped (or mini chocolate chips if you have them)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Dissolve espresso power in hot water. In mixing bowl beat together butter and powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and espresso. Stir in chocolates.  Mix in flour until dough just forms. Transfer dough into a greased 9x9 baking pan. Press dough down, and stab it with a fork over and over again. Cut into squares. Bake for 25- 30 minutes, or until the edges get very brown, and pull away from sides.

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Adapted from a SmittenKitchen recipe

Pear Pie

Ingredients

For Crust (3)
3 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup butter, cold, cubed
1/3 cup ice water

For Pie
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbs flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 lemon zest and juice
5 cups peeled sliced pears
1 tbs butter



Combine flour, and powdered sugar. Cut in cold butter. Add water, bit by bit, squeezing it with your hands as you go, until a dough just forms. Divide dough into three parts and store two parts, wrapped in plastic wrap for further use.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Press dough into 9 inch pie pan, setting any excess aside. In a large bowl mix together sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest.

Layer pear slices onto pressed dough. Sprinkle sugar mixture and dot with butter. Repeat. Use excess dough to make a lattice covering the top of the pie.

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350 and bake for approximately 40 more minutes.

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Adapted from a Williams & Sonoma recipe and a Allrecipies recipe.

Citrus Hazelnut Bars

Ingredients Crust:
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/6 cup chopped hazelnuts

Filling:
2 eggs
1/6 cup chopped hazelnuts
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp grapfruit zest (optional)
1 Tbs orange juice (adjust if lime or lemon juice is unavailable)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs powdered sugar (for dusting)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, beat butter on medium for 30 seconds before adding the sugar and beating until thoroughly combined. Beat in flour. Add hazelnuts. Mix until crumbly. Press into bottom of ungreased 8x8 square pan. Bake for 10 min, or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile in large mixing bowl stir together eggs, sugar, flour, zests, juices, and baking powder. Beat for two minutes at medium speed. Pour over hot baked crust. Sprinkle with hazelnuts. Bake for approximately 20 min, or until lightly brown around the edges while center is set. Let cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.



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Adapted from a Better Homes and Garden's recipe

Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Cut in butter until dough resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins and chocolate chips. In a separate bowl mix together buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until the dough comes together. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently four or five times. Form a 1 1/2 inch high disc, divide in two, and divide each half into thirds. Bake on a greased baking sheet for approximately 20 min

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Lemon-Poppy Seed Shortbread

Ingredients
1/2 cup + 3 Tbs butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cup flour
2 Tbs poppy seeds
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until creamy. Add flour, poppy seeds and salt until smooth. Press dough evenly into 9 inch cake or pie pan. Lightly prick the surface all over with a fork. In pan, cut wedges or squares (depending on your pan shape). Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

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Adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe.

French Baguettes

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water, warm
1 tsp yeast
3 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

Combine water and yeast in a bowl, and let stand for five minutes. Stir in flour and salt until just incorporated. Cover with a cloth and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Empty contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, resilient and elastic (10 to 12 minutes), adding as just enough flour to keep it from sticking. Form dough into a ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rise at room temperature for 3 hours, punching down once after 1 1/2 hours. Form dough into two long baguettes. Place on greased pan dusted with cornmeal.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a pan full of water on lower rack to create steam.

Let rise again for another 30 minutes. Score loaves with a sharp, serrated knife. Place on top rack in oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Cake
3/4 cup butter
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs

Icing
2 Tbs plus 2 tsp well-shaken buttermilk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.

For icing:
While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.

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Virtually verbatim from an epicurious recipe

Poolish Bread

Ingredients

Poolish
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Final Dough
1 pound flour
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups water (10-12 ounces)
1 teaspoon yeast
2 teaspoons salt
all of the poolish

Day before: Mix ingredients for poolish in small bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave poolish out at room temperature overnight.

Day of: Combine flour with yeast and salt. Add water and mix until just incorporated. Cover with cloth and let sit for 20 minutes. Add all of the poolish from the night before and knead, adding as much flour as you need to create a soft elastic dough. Knead 8 to 10 minutes. Let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Shape dough into one big loaf. Let rise for another hour. Preheat oven to maximum temperature. Place a pan full of water on lowest shelf to create steam. Bake bread 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake for 20 more minutes.

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Adapted from a The Fresh Loaf recipe

Sour Cream Berry Coffee Cake

Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream (light)
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

1 – 2 cups berries (frozen or fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc)

Topping
3 Tbs sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter, gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. On lowest mixer speed, fold in sour cream, and then flour mixture, and last the berries. Put half of the batter into greased and floured angel food cake pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon mixture. Spread the rest of batter into pan and sprinkle with remaining topping.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (may take up to 10 minutes longer). Cool completely before taking out of pan to avoid falling apart.

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