Recipe
February 6, 2018
Ask A Chef: Sticky Pear Pudding
Chef Jay Nutt of Mount Julian restaurant shares his recipe for Sticky Pear Pudding.
Q: I recently stayed at the Viamede Resort in Woodview, Ontario, and fell in love with the food at Mount Julian restaurant. Our meal was finished off with a mouthwatering sticky pear pudding. If I could make that at home I’d be a hero. Could you pass along the recipe? — Dana, Milton, Ontario.
A: This sticky pear pudding is one of those old-fashioned desserts that’s perfect for autumn and winter. Chef Nutt takes ginger, cinnamon and allspice, and combines it with grated pear to create a fluffy, sticky pudding that’s best served warm with ice cream. At Mount Julian, they make their own honey-ginger ice cream, but a great at-home shortcut is to sprinkle candied ginger over store-bought vanilla ice cream.
Directions
Yield: Serves 8
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 8 cups of a silicone or metal muffin pan with nonstick spray. In large saucepan, combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and milk. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Allow to come to a low boil for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda until combined (it will foam up). Set aside to cool, about 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk egg. Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and grated pears. Stir until evenly combined. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and stir until just moistened. Divide equally between prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 5 minutes.
- To make poached pear garnish, thinly slice pear lengthwise. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter; whisk in brown sugar until dissolved. In batches, add pear slices in a single layer, and poach for 2 minutes on each side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a sheet of parchment or wax paper to cool. Reserve any extra sauce for pouring on the dessert.
- To assemble, place one slice of poached pear in the bottom of each serving bowl. Place warm pear pudding on top, then add another slice of pear. Drizzle reserved sauce over top. Add a scoop of ice cream and sprinkle with ginger.