Ingredients

For the dressing

5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
2 teaspoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice
a quarter of a teaspoon dried, powdered ginger
a quarter of a teaspoon powdered vanilla
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
white pepper, just enough to taste

For the salad

1 large bunch of kale, stems and tough ribs removed
1 large and very firm pear, quartered lengthwise, cored and finely sliced (you can use a potato peeler to make really thin slices)
2 handfuls of shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar, secure with a lid and shake until perfectly combined. Set aside.

Break the kale leaves into slightly larger than bite-size pieces and put them into a large salad bowl, add the pear slices and the walnuts and toss. Serve with the dressing on the side, or drizzle lightly and serve.

Ingredients

For the filling

3 slightly under-ripe pears (Bartlett or similar), peeled and cut into pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 tablespoons agave syrup
juice of 1 lemon

For the crumble topping

100 g dark chocolate (or 1 bar)
4 handfuls of hazelnuts
a pinch of whole sea salt
3 tablespoons muscovado sugar
a few pinches of cinnamon powder
6 tablespoons whole rice flour
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
5 teaspoons hazelnut butter
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Makes 4 servings.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 150° C. In a medium bowl, combine the pears, the cinnamon, the agave and the lemon juice. Mix well, transfer the fruit mixture to a baking pan and bake for about 10 minutes.

Place the chocolate and the hazelnuts in a food processor and process until you reach a crumbly texture. Transfer the mix into a medium-sized bowl and add the salt, the sugar, the cinnamon, the flour and the cocoa powder and combine using a fork or your fingers. Add the hazelnut butter and the olive oil and rub everything together using your fingers until the butter and the oil have been evenly distributed through the flour and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Remove the pear filling from the oven and arrange the crumble randomly on top of the fruit. Bake for another 10-15 minutes (at 150° C). Remove from the oven and let coola bit. Serve warm (or you might as well like it at room temperature).

Ingredients

1200 g peeled, cored and coarsely chopped, ripe pears
400 g rice malt syrup
juice of 1 lemon
half a teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Makes about 2 jars, 350 g each.

Directions

Put the pears in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the malt syrup, lemon and cinnamon and toss until combined. Let the fruit marinate for 30-40 minutes then start to cook it over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the pears start to liquify, change the heat to low, add the thyme and simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the jam has thickened, stirring constantly to keep from sticking to the pan. When the jam has reached setting point, pour it into individual jars. Let cool before covering each jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a very cool, dry, dark spot (I usaually store it in the fridge, this way it keeps for up to 1 year).

Pears and chocolate: a classic combination which is always a winner. When selceting the pears for this cake, make sure they’re firm and under-ripe. If you’re using sweetened dark chocolate, lower the amount of rice malt syrup.  

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour
1 cup whole kamut flour
4 extra firm Bartlett or other firm pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 tablespoons unsweetened pear juice
5 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
1 bar dark chocolate (100 g)
3 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
9 tablespoons rice malt syrup
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 pinch whole sea salt
½ teaspoon powdered, dried ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180° C, lightly oil a 20 cm round cake pan and sprinkle with some flour. In a large bowl, sift together the kamut flour, almond flour, salt, cocoa powder, corn starch, cream of tartar and ginger. Place the olive oil, rice malt syrup, milk and pear juice in a blender and blend until combined. Melt the dark chocolate bar over very low heat, stirring constantly (dilute it with some rice milk if necessary). Add the liquid ingredients and the melted chocolate to the flour mixture and stir well. Fold in the pear chunks and stir gently until they are incorporated into the batter (which should be rather thick). Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for approximately 1 hour (using a wooden stick to check donness). Let cool before removing the cake from the pan.

Firm, possibly under-ripe, Bartlett pears definitely work best in this kind of pie. For more taste and sweetness, get organic ones, if you can. Before filling the mini pies, make sure you cook the pears in a saucepan until they’re softened.

Ingredients

For the pie crust

pie crust (you can find a recipe here), about 3-4 mm thick, for 6-8 mini pies

For the filling (quantities indicated here are enough to fill 6-8 mini pies)

4 extra firm Bartlett or other firm pears, cored, peeled and cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons rice malt syrup
1 pinch powdered cinnamon
2 teaspoons mirin
2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
1 pinch whole sea salt

Directions

Pie crust

First, make the dough for the mini pies and place it in the fridge for 1 hour. While the dough rests in the fridge, prepare the filling.

Filling

Put the pears, raisins, pine nuts, salt, mirin, apple juice concentrate and cinnamon into a saucepan and cook over a very low heat for 8-10 minutes with a lid on. In a cup, blend the almond butter and malt syrup together and add the mixture to the fruit. Stir well and keep cooking for 1 more minute with the lid off. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Making your mini pear pies

Preheat the oven to 180° C. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour and roll the dough out to the desired thickness (3-4 mm). Oil your mini pie pans or muffin tins and sprinkle with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough in the pans, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, and pour the pear mixture onto the dough. Cover with another layer of dough, poke a few tiny holes on it and press down on the edges making sure they’re sealed (if necessary, trim off any excess). Transfer the mini pies into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until nicely golden.