Ginger Pear Upside Down Pie Recipes

UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR GINGERBREAD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in brown sugar. Spread over bottom of a greased 9-in. round baking pan. Arrange pears over top., For cake, mix milk and vinegar; let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, beat egg, brown sugar, molasses, melted butter and milk mixture until well blended. In another bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, salt and cloves; gradually beat into molasses mixture. Spoon carefully over pears., Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.

UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR PIE

Steps:

• FOR THE TART:
• Peel, halve, and core pears.
• In a 9- to 10-inch ovenproof non-stick skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and stir in sugar (sugar will not be dissolved).
• Arrange pears, cut sides up, in skillet, with side parts at rim of skillet.
• Sprinkle pears with cinnamon and cook without stirring until sugar mixture forms a deep golden caramel. (This can take as little as 10 minutes or as much as 25, depending on skillet and stove.) Cool pears completely in skillet.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into an 11-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and arrange over caramelized pears. (If you use prepared piecrust, just use the whole round and don't worry about its being a little more here and less there. All good.) Tuck edge around pears.
• Bake tart in middle of oven until pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Have ready a rimmed serving plate slightly larger than skillet.
• As soon as tart has finished baking, invert plate over skillet and, wearing oven mitts and keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert tart onto plate. (This is a bit scary, but it works!)
• Serve tart warm or at room temperature, with chilled whipped cream or ice cream.
• FOR THE PASTRY DOUGH:
• Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes.
• To blend by hand:
• In a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated, and test mixture again. (Do not overwork or add too much water; pastry will be tough.)
• To blend in a food processor:
• In a food processor pulse together flour, butter, shortening, and salt until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps.
• Add 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse 2 or 3 times, or just until incorporated.
• Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing 2 or 3 times after each addition until incorporated, and test mixture again.
• (Do not overprocess or add too much water; or else pastry will be tough.)
• To form dough after blending by either method:
• Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions.
• With heel of hand smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat.
• Gather dough together and form it, rotating it on work surface, into a disk.
• Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 1 day.

GINGER PEAR PIE

Steps:

• preheat oven to 425.
• combine first 6 ingredients in a saucepan stir in pear slices.
• bring to a boil on medium heat and boil for 1 minute.
• add butter and pour into pie shell.
• for topping combine flour, brown sugar, and ginger in a bowl.
• cut in butter until mixture becomes crumbly.
• stir in pecans and sprinkle over pears.
• bake for 20-25 minutes until topping is golden brown.

PEAR AND GINGER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• First, prepare the pan. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray, Line the pan with a 10-inch round of cooking parchment, pressing into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides.
• Cut 2 tablespoons of butter into about 1/4-inch chunks and drop evenly over the parchment in the pan bottom. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup brown sugar and the crystallized ginger.
• Peel the pears and cut in half, lengthwise. Then, slicing perpendicular to the cut edge, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. With a paring knife, cut the core from each slice. Arrange the slices flat, in a single layer, over the sugar mixture in the pan, trimming pieces as needed to fit.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and allspice.
• In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar until well blended.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in molasses.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beating until incorporated, then beat on high speed just until well blended. Pour batter over pears.
• Bake at 325 degrees F until a toothpick inserted in the center (but not in the fruit) comes out clean, about 1 hour and 35 to 40 minutes (cake center may settle slightly).
• Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
• Remove the pan sides. Place a platter over the cake, then, holding the two together, turn both over, so the cake is right-side up. Carefully remove pan bottom and parchment. Serve warm.

GINGER PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a 9-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with a 10-inch circle of parchment paper.
• To make the topping, combine 3 Tbs butter, ½ cup brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat for about 1 minute; then pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan, completely coating the parchment paper. Place the quartered pears on top of the butter-sugar mixture, lining the pieces up tightly in a decorative circle so that none of the bottom shows through.
• To make the batter, cut 2 sticks of butter into 1-inch pieces, and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add ¾ cup brown sugar, and cream the mixture on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until it is smooth and a pale tan color. Add the grated ginger, and beat 1 minute more.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed and making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding another. When all the eggs have been added, slowly pour in the molasses and beat to fully mix.
• In a separate medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to fully combine.
• Alternately add small amounts of flour and buttermilk to the batter, stirring and folding with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are just absorbed. Do not overmix the batter.
• Carefully transfer the pan to the center rack of the oven, and bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the cake's center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cover the pan with an upside-down serving plate; then carefully invert them together. Release the sides of the pan, and lift it away. Gently lift the pan's base off the cake, and peel away the parchment paper. Allow the cake to cool for a half hour or so, and serve warm, with whipped cream.