Pears

A pride of lions, a herd of cattle, a flock of sheep. Is there a word for a large number of pears?

Whatever the word is, I recently had one on my counter, and it made me very happy. Once I'd made the usual muffins and crisps, though, I still had a couple left over. I needed another recipe before they over-ripened.

I found this scone recipe in the deep recesses of my bookmarks. Adding pears to scones wasn't intuitive, but I loved the way they were partnered with almonds. And scone recipes are so quick and easy, I knew they'd be ready in no time.

The flavours worked as well as I hoped. With the sweetness of the glaze, they make a perfect teatime treat - maybe even breakfast, if you're in the mood for something sweet. I think they'd be lovely even without the glaze.

And I'll make them again, the next time I'm the owner of ... an abundance of pears.

Pear Almond Scones with Honey Almond Glaze
(adapted from Good Life Eats)

For the scones:

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, sliced
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 Tbsp honey
1 pear, peeled and diced (approximately 1 scant cup)

For the glaze:

1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp honey
a couple of drops of almond extract
about 1 Tbsp milk (to reach desired consistency)
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Cut the mascarpone cheese and butter into the flour mixture until you have coarse crumbs. Mix well and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together egg, milk, almond extract and honey.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour in the egg mixture and the diced pear. Gently stir until the dough forms together, then turn it out on a piece of parchment paper placed on a flat surface. Knead it a few times, being gentle to avoid squishing the pears. Flatten into an 8-inch round and transfer dough and parchment paper to a baking sheet. Score into eight equal triangles.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

For the glaze, combine powdered sugar, honey, and almond extract. Add milk until desired consistency is reached. When scones have cooled completely, drizzle with glaze and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Simplicity

This recipe, and its photos, have been sitting in my files forever, waiting to be posted. I'm not sure why, other than it never seemed like much of a recipe. There are 7 ingredients and two sentences, which basically amount to, "Mix everything together and serve."

That's just part of what makes it so perfect. It doesn't hurt that two of the three salad components are taken from the freezer, and the dressing is made from pantry staples. It also doesn't hurt that the flavour is surprisingly complex, and a great side dish for grilled meat.

I think I just talked myself into posting it.

Edamame, Red Pepper and Corn Salad

(from Canadian Living)

Ingredients:

2 tsp sodium-reduced soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp liquid honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup frozen edamame, thawed, drained and patted dry

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed, drained and patted dry

1 cup diced sweet red pepper

In bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and garlic until blended. Stir in edamame, red pepper and corn.