Sticky Pear Pudding

For a twist on a classic try swapping out dates for pears – they work wonderfully with the spices in the pudding. Try this recipe with Packham or William pears – they are great all-rounder pears that can be eaten fresh or used in cooking.

Serves 8
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes for individual puddings

Ingredients
Pear and Ginger Cake:
3 pears, grated with a box grater or mandolin
165g caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, cubed, softened
2 eggs
60g golden syrup
150g plain flour
1 tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. bicarb soda
Pinch of salt

Caramel Sauce:
150g unsalted butter, softened
300g dark muscovado sugar
1 tbsp. golden syrup
200ml double cream

Method

For the Pear and Ginger Cake, lightly spray an 8-cup mini loaf cake tin with canola spray and set aside.
Place the sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the golden syrup and mix to combine. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift in the flour, spices and bicarb soda. Fold through gently.
Add the pear, a pinch of salt and 160ml hot water and fold through until just combined. Pour into prepared tins and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, melt the butter, muscovado sugar and golden syrup over a very low heat in a heavy-based saucepan. Once the butter's melted, stir gently until everything else is melted too. Now stir in the cream, then turn up the heat and when it's bubbling and hot, take it off the heat.
Remove from the oven and place the tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack.
Note: You can serve hot or leave to cool! If you do not have a mini loaf tin, you can also use a muffin tin.

Larissa Takchi Dares to Pear Desserts

The MasterChef winner and dessert extraordinaire has put the 'pear-fect' spin on three popular desserts to sweeten taste buds this entertaining season 

This year's MasterChef winner, Larissa Takchi, who shot to fame thanks to her delicious and striking desserts, has created three unique pear dishes just in time for the start of entertaining season. Switching out the traditional fruits used in some of Australia's most well-known desserts, Larissa has created three daring pear-ings including; Sticky Pear Pudding, Dark Chocolate Mousse with Marsala Pears and Caramelised Pear Bread. 

Larissa commented; "I absolutely love cooking with Australian Pears and experimenting with these traditional dessert recipes has been a lot of fun. Pears are a great option when cooking savoury and sweet dishes, and luckily for us Aussies we have a wide range of pear varieties grown here in Australia, available all year round and each with unique flavour profiles and colours. 

"I also love how versatile pears are which is why I often incorporated the fruit into dishes during my time on MasterChef and on the menu at our aptly named Wild Pear Café! Their gentle sweetness allows them to pair well with a number of ingredients, and they can be enjoyed fresh, grilled, poached, puréed or baked – making them one of my favourite fruits to cook with." 

Larissa has provided her top tips for using pears: 
• If you're looking for a ripe pear, press the neck lightly near the stem – if the flesh gives a little, the pear is ripe and ready to enjoy! There are a couple of sure-fire ways to speed up the ripening process too – pop them in a paper bag or sit them snug next to other fruit in a bowl. 
• Experiment with different varieties of pears depending on your dish – William and Packham pears are sweet and juicy so taste great fresh or cooked. Try Beurré Bosc for poaching – they have a buttery flavour and are slightly firmer, so hold their shape well during cooking. 
• Pears compliment a wide range of ingredients – try these pear-ings: cinnamon, ginger, chocolate, citrus, honey, cheese, ricotta, nuts, vanilla, wine, pork and chicken. 
• Don't overlook an overripe pear – they are fantastic for chutneys and jams

For more ins-pear-ation visit AustralianPears.com.au.