Pear Kuchen With Ginger Topping Recipes

PEAR KüCHEN

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Stir together milk and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar in bowl of mixer. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
• Add 1/4 cup flour, beating at medium speed until combined. Add whole egg, yolk, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in 1 1/4 cups remaining flour. Increase speed to medium and add butter, then continue beating, stopping and scraping down side of bowl once or twice, until dough is shiny and forms strands from paddle to bowl, about 3 minutes. (Dough will be very soft and sticky.)
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Roast Pears while dough rises:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Peel pears, cut lengthwise into eighths, and core. Toss pears with melted butter and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a 13- by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and arrange in 1 layer.
• Roast pears, gently turning and stirring occasionally, until just tender and lightly caramelized, about 45 minutes. Transfer pears to a plate with a slotted spatula. Stir bread crumbs into baking dish, scraping up all brown bits and butter, then transfer to a bowl. Stir hazelnuts, cinnamon, and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar into bread crumbs.
• Assemble and bake kuchen:
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Transfer dough to springform pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula to cover bottom.
• Sprinkle half of crumb mixture over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Gently toss roasted pears with remaining crumb mixture and scatter pears over dough. Let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm draft-free place, 30 minutes.
• Bake, uncovered, until firm to the touch and deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack, 20 minutes, then carefully remove side of pan. Cool to barely warm or room temperature.

PEAR KUCHEN WITH GINGER TOPPING

Steps:

• Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except Ginger Topping, pears, whipping cream and egg yolk in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.Select Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use delay cycles.Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands. Cover and let rest 10 minutes on lightly floured surface. Prepare Ginger Topping.Grease rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan. Arrange pears on dough. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the topping sprinkle remaining topping over pears. Cover and let rise in warm place 30 to 45 minutes or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)Heat oven to 375°. Bake 20 minutes. Mix whipping cream and egg yolk pour over hot kuchen. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons topping. Serve warm.For Ginger Topping:Mix all ingredients.1 serving: 230 calories (70 calories from fat) 8g fat (3g saturated) 45mg cholesterol 260mg sodium 38g carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber) 3g protein.SUCCESS TIPPears are flavorful and juicy when at their seasonal peak. If pears are not in season, you can make this kuchen with canned pears. You will need 3 cups of well-drained, canned sliced pears.Try ThisWhen peaches are in season, make this custard-based kuchen with sliced fresh peaches. To peel the peaches easily, drop them into boiling water for just a minute, and then remove them with a large slotted spoon. Immediately place them in iced water to stop the cooking. The peels will slip right off.From "Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook, The Goodness of Homemade Bread the Easy Way." Text Copyright 1999 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

PEAR KUCHEN

Steps:

• Make the dough: Warm milk to 110 degrees (or until warm to the touch), sprinkle with yeast, stir and let stand for 5 minutes until dissolved. Add butter and stir until mostly melted.
• Butter or oil a large bowl. In a second large bowl, whisk together sugar, salt and egg yolk. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Add warm milk mixture and stir until combined and dough comes together in a smooth, sticky ball, about 2 minutes. Transfer to prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours. (Alternatively, dough can rise in refrigerator overnight.)
• Meanwhile, make the pastry cream: Place a fine-mesh sieve on the rim of a medium bowl. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Whisk in flour, egg, milk, salt, cardamom pods and anise seed. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken, then whisk constantly until it starts to boil. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 2 more minutes, then immediately pour mixture into fine-mesh sieve. Use a spatula to push it through sieve and into bowl. Let cool, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then stir in butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the streusel: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add butter pieces and toss to coat. Use fingertips to rub butter into dry ingredients until pea-size lumps form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Roll out dough: Butter two 9-inch pie plates. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and with floured hands gently knead it into a log. Divide log in half and flatten into discs. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each disc into an 8-inch round. Transfer rounds to pie plates, pressing dough to edges of pan and just slightly up sides. Let rise for about 20 minutes while you prep fruit.
• Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Peel and core pears, then slice them lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and toss to coat.
• Assemble the kuchens: Spread about 1/4 cup pastry cream on bottom of each kuchen, stopping 1/2 inch from edge of dough, then arrange pear slices in an overlapping circular pattern on top. Divide remaining pastry cream between kuchens and carefully spread it evenly over pears. Sprinkle streusel over both and bake in center of oven until dough is light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (If your oven can't accommodate both kuchens, refrigerate one while the other bakes.) Serve warm or at room temperature. Baked kuchens can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen up to 1 month. Rewarm before serving.

PEAR-GINGER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease bottom and sides of 8- or 9-inch square pan with shortening.
• In 1-quart saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2/3 cup brown sugar. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Pour into pan; spread evenly. Arrange pear wedges over brown sugar mixture, overlapping tightly and making 2 layers if necessary. Sprinkle 1/4 cup crystallized ginger evenly over pears.
• Toss 1 tablespoon flour and 1/4 cup crystallized ginger to coat; set aside. In medium bowl, mix 1 1/3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat 1 cup brown sugar and 6 tablespoons butter with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, beating after each addition until smooth. Stir in ginger-flour mixture. Spread batter over pears and ginger.
• Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes on cooling rack. Meanwhile, in chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream on high speed until it begins to thicken. Gradually add granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, beating until soft peaks form.
• Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Serve cake warm with Ginger Whipped Cream. Store cake loosely covered.