Weekend Cooking: Chocolate Pear Pudding
January 29, 2011 25 Comments
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. It is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Last week, I wanted to make a nice and quick desert for my family, and decided to make a Chocolate Pear Pudding from Nigella Lawson’s website. Each month, she has a “Cookalong” where one recipe is featured which readers can make and comment on. The chocolate pear pudding sounded easy and yummy.
It’s a recipe that you can probably make any time, as it needs only some basic cupboard ingredients.
You can read the full recipe on Nigella’s website, but it’s very simple: put some canned pears at the bottom of an oven dish, and cover this with a mixture of flour, cocoa powder, sugar and eggs. Of course, some baking powder too and some bicarbonade of soda, which I was very proud to have.
You see, I haven’t been able to find baking soda in Netherland but in England it’s easy to get hold of. So when I was there over Christmas, it was on my shopping list!
Anyway, you just mix it all (with some vanilla extract) until it becomes smooth. Our dough wasn’t runny enough (or our baking dish was too big) so we weren’t able to cover all the pears, but this didn’t matter. The dough spread out during cooking to fill most of the dish.
What else can I say? It was delicious. Nigella speaks of the need of chocolate sauce but we found it rich enough. It reminded me a lot of brownies (on top of pears, that is!), but the brownies I make don’t contain any flour.
We ate it still warm, with ice cream (just plain vanilla) and it was lovely.
About Leeswammes
Yum!
The recipe sounds great. I wonder how it will taste with some apples.
Maybe, 30creative. Not sure about apples. Maybe it would work because they would turn to a sort of mush (and you need something soft). But I’m not sure if apples and chocolate is the best combination. How about raspberries?
Nigella is so much fun to watch and I think this recipe sounds delicious.
Yes, I like watching Nigella too, Mary. She makes nice food looks like something we deserve rather than something we shouldn’t really have. Thanks for visiting my blog.
yumyumyumyumyum. Seriously, I could eat that whole thing in one go.
Nah, much too rich, teadevotee. But try it… and let me know!
I bet my hubby would love this. he loves pears. I never thought to combine pears with chocolate.
Yes, Diann, pear and chocolate make a great combination.
Ummmmm warm pear cake with vanilla ice cream? I’m on a plane on my over. I’ll bring some baking soda with me.
Ah, more baking soda. Thanks, Beth! 🙂
I’m sure I would love that. Yum!
not sure I like the idea of chocolate and pears…but warm with ice cream, I would give it a go. 🙂
I adore pears and love the idea of covering them with chocolate! This looks so easy. Thanks for sharing.
It’s very easy, Michelle. Actually, my sons of 13 and 12 made it while I was cooking the main meal. It’s that simple.
Oh anything that has chocolate is hard for me to pass up!
This looks lucious! I love that close up photo — kind of abstract art.
Ha ha, it wasn’t meant as art, but it shows the texture quite well, I thought. Thanks for commenting, Joy.
Sounds delicious
Yum, pear and chocolate! Did you use canned pears like the recipe calls for? Why not fresh ones? Also, didn’t know we could get canned pears in Holland 🙂
Baking soda is at least readily available at every “toko” (Asian store) 😉 (In case you run out soon)
Yes, I used canned pears, because I had them in the house. Fresh pears are a problem as they ripen at their own pace and I can never plan in advance when they are ready to use. We use them only as a snack between meals. How come you did not know we have canned pears here? Do you use fresh fruit mainly?
Toko is a great advice, thanks! I didn’t know about that. I bought two tubs which probably will last me beyond their expiration date. 🙂
This sounds and looks delicious! Thanks for posting it.
This sounds yummy.
What an interesting combination. I wouldn’t think to put pears and chocolate together.
Pingback: Nigella Lawson Caramel Croissant Pudding Video Recipe « The Cooking Channel