Pear Cobbler with Blueberry Streusel topping

 

So, my first Cozy Little Kitchen order was quite exciting to receive!  I was asked to bake something for some good friends to take home to their family Christmas dinner.  Family Christmas, Me?!?  So of course I was ecstatic and honored to do so.  How could I pass this rare opportunity to share my humble baking skills with my friends' loved ones?  Our friends requested the Pear Cobbler with Blueberry Streusel topping. I have this baked for them before and we all just loved it!  However...I must give credit where it's due; this is based upon a Tyler Florence recipe that I have from one of his cookbooks.  I love Tyler's cooking and recipes -- after he won us over with his Ultimate Chicken Parm recipe!  (That's for another blog....)

Anyway, you may be thinking, "Pears and Blueberries?...little bit of an odd combo."  The original recipe actually calls for using cranberries, which you know I love. The first time I made it I only had blueberries on hand so that's what I tossed in, and it turned out to be a perfectly delicious decision!  This cobbler, unlike most southern cobbler recipes I know, has the pears only cored and cut in halves and then delicately arranged around the dish.  I think this makes the dessert look more elegant while showing off the almost feminine curves of the pears.  (Also, saves you time on chopping!)

I love making this dessert!  This time I made it, I actually prepped some of the ingredients the night before to save on time the next day.  I put all of the dry streusel topping ingredients (everything but the butter and blueberries) together in a zip lock bag.  I did the same with the dry ingredients for the filling, and I washed the fresh blueberries and had those ready in the fridge.  I feel more organized whenever I prep what I can beforehand and the actual baking process doesn't seem as intimidating, especially when you are short on time.


There are a couple of things I would do differently the next time I prepare this wonderful dish. First, I wouldn't let the butter soften as the recipe says.  This may just be something I am doing the wrong way, but I have found that when it get softened it is much more difficult to make a crumbly streusel on the top.  Before I put mine in the oven, it looked a bit gobby and wet.  Although the outcome was quite mouth watering and they said it was delicious, I just got a little frustrated while I was cutting my butter into the dry ingredients.  Well, this is something that would be up to you -- but the next time I think I am going to try to keep the butter cold. Second, this dish will bubble a lot in the oven. Although mine never bubbled over, you may want to put a foil-covered baking sheet on the rack below just in case.

This enticing cobbler will fragrance your home of fruit and cinnamon like an Amish bakery, and after you take it out of the oven it will be a rustic beauty cooling on your stove top for all to see.  The deep purple hue of the blueberries that burst, melts into the golden buttery goodness of the topping making it look almost too good to eat.--almost!
It was a pleasure to make this delicious dessert for dear friends over the holiday season.  This cobbler is perfect to eat after a comfy supper on a chilly winter night.  Serve a warm scoop of cobbler with homemade whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream and enjoy!

Pear Cobbler

Unsalted butter, at room temperature
Granulated sugar
4 Bartlett Pears
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (or not)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 by 8in. baking dish or deep dish pie pan.  Dust the dish with the granulated sugar and tap out any excess.

Peel the pears and cut them in half through the stem end.  Use a melon baller to scoop out the cores.  Put the pear halves in a large bowl and sprinkle with vanilla and toss.  Then sprinkle over the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and toss so that the pears are really well coated with the flavorings.  Set the pears in a single layer, cored side down, in the baking dish.

Now make the topping.  In the same bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt and mash it all together with your fingers.  Toss in the blueberries.  Crumble the topping mixture over the pears in a baking dish and bake until the topping is nice and crunchy and browned and the pears are very tender, 35-40 minutes.  (I baked mine the entire 40 minutes.) Let cool for at least 20 minutes and serve warm!

Nana's loved Apple Pie

Nana's Apple Pie. Those are words of joy in our family, for it is made with love....and lots and lots of sugar and butter! My husband's Nana is known to make one of the best apple pies you will ever eat and everyone in the family knows it! It is the one pie that doesn't need any whipped cream, ice cream, or drizzle of anything to make it better. This is a pie that goes in a flash when brought to a gathering, and yet it is a recipe that seems to be untouchable. Yes, this is a pie that I mustered up the courage to bake for my deserving husband on exam week. A time that is so intense for him only something like Nana's Apple Pie could ease the stress and tension that only medical school can bring. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it turned out!

Though I cannot give you the recipe of this delectable dessert, I will give you a couple secrets about it's yummy deliciousness. Jonathan apples. They are the only apples to make this pie so good. Jonathan's can be difficult to find. They are grown in Washington from September-January, but I have only found them Sept.-Nov. myself. They are a bit tart and a bit sweet. They are perfect in this recipe because they cook down so they are not in the least crunchy but in fact melt in your mouth soft.The other tip is that the apples are sliced very thinly. This also adds to the melting in your mouth apple and, the thinner they are sliced the more surface area for all the sugary goodness to coat! As you can tell this pie has a streusel like topping that is like heaven!

As each family usually has their own "passed down" and much-loved recipes, this is definitely one that I imagine will see many generations of cooks. Is there is a heritage recipe in your family that is passed down?