Pears...the other fall fruit

Pears are often passed over in favor of apples this time of year.  What a shame, as pears can be delightfully married with so many different flavors, from savory to sweet.  So, to help you see the great possibilities with these delicious little gems, the next few postings will be all about pears.

We are heading out of town for a couple of days for a family funeral and I had four pears that were ripe and would be bad if left until Saturday.  We were in need of a snack for the car, so I made this lovely Pear Bread with Cinnamon and Ginger.  Cinnamon, ginger and honey marry really well with pears due to their mild flavor.  This is a nice alternative to zucchini, banana and apple bread, which we all tend to make a lot of this time of year.  So go ahead, give pears a try...I think you will be pleased with the result!

Pear Bread with Cinnamon and Ginger
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend (all purpose flour for those without allergies)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon peel zest
3/4 cup honey
1 cup shredded or chopped pears, moisture squeezed out
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat bottom and sides of loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.  Combine honey, pears, oil and egg in a stand mixer bowl.  Mix at medium speed until well combined.  Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Fold in chopped almonds.

Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle course vanilla sugar (or raw sugar) on top.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean, but still moist.

Cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes in pan and then turn loaf out and cool completely.  Slice and enjoy!