Pear Galette

Galettes are quicker and easier than traditional tarts plus they have a wonderful rustic charm to them (especially when they aren't perfectly formed.) This pear tart is a delicious way to finish off a fall meal.

Crust

3/4 cup Partially Sifted Flour
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup cold milk

Filling

4 pears, peeled & sliced
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Mix together the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter until the the dough looks like oatmeal. Add just enough milk that you can work with the dough. Be careful not to over mix though: you'll get a tough crust. Roll out the dough into a flat circle on a piece of parchment paper and chill while you prepare the filling.

For the filling, mix together the pears, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and ginger. Mound it onto the middle of the crust and fold up the edges to make a couple inches of crust. 

Bake the galette for about 1 hour at 350F. Serve with a drizzle of honey. 

Ginger Pear Cake

Originally from the Foodland Ontario website (http://www.ontario.ca/foodland/recipes/buttermilk-pear-ginger-cake), the warm molasses and spicy ginger flavours of this cake make it a great choice for a brisk (okay, just darn freezing) day. 

2 ¼ cups Partially Sifted Flour
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, at room temperature
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
¾ cup fancy molasses
1 cup buttermilk
3 pears, peeled, cored and chopped
icing sugar

Whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat butter until it’s fluffy; add in sugar, egg and molasses beating between each addition. Add dry ingredients into butter mixture alternatively with the buttermilk. Beat just until combined. Fold in pears. Pour the batter into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 55 minutes at 350°F. Let cool and dust with icing sugar.