Gingered Pear and Raspberry Pandowdy

When I am wanting a hearty dessert using fresh fruit, this has become my go-to cookbook. It's filled with fabulous recipes for everything from warm berry buckles and crumbly crisps to beautifully fruited bread puddings. It's filled with fabulous ideas of using up your fruit bounty and there is nothing more wonderfully abundant than fruit at this time of year.

I would never have thought of pairing raspberries with pears until I saw this fabulous pan dowdy recipe . . . and then it made perfectly delicious sense!!



Imagine it . . . firm, ripe pears . . . combined with fresh sweet ripe Scottish raspberries . . . all nestled beneath a biscuity blanket, lightly flavoured with candied ginger.



Oh my . . . but this is fabulously good.



Moreishly good.



Extremely tastilicious!!



Especially when served warm along with some nice cold pouring cream. 'Nuff said.



*Gingered Pear and Raspberry Pandowdy*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

There is something about this combination that is comforting and incredibly moreish. Pears and raspberries are a fabulous marriage . . . and the candied ginger in the topping is this dessert's crowning glory.

For the fruit filling:
96g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
2 TBS plus 1 tsp corn flour (cornstarch)
pinch of fine seasalt
4 large pears, peeled, cored and sliced (2 pounds of prepared fruit)
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
a generous half pound of fresh raspberries (2 cups)
1 TBS butter, cut into bits

For the topping:
175g of plain flour (1 3/4 cups)
3 TBS (plus 1 TBS for sprinkling) of granulated sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine seasalt
10 TBS cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 ounces chopped candied ginger (1/3 cup)
156ml plus 1 TBS of cold buttermilk (2/3 cup plus 1 TBS)



Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. Set aside.

Rub the sugar, cornflour and salt together for the fruit filling, in a large bowl. Todd with the pears and lemon juice until well coated. Gently fold in the raspberries. Trasnfer the fruit to the prepared pan. Dot with the butter.

Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk together with the granulated sugar, baking powder and sea salt. Drop in the butter. Rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the candied ginger. Stir in enough of the buttermilk to make a soft dough. Roll out onto a lightly floured surface to a round large enough to cover the fruit. Carefully place on top of the fruit. Brush with some of the remaining buttermilk and sprinkle with the remaining TBS of granulated sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes, in the lower third of the oven. Decrease the oven temperature to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the pastry it golden brown and the juices are bubbling and thick. Allow to cool for half an hour before serving.

This is fabulous when served with either ice cream, warm custard, or pouring cream. It will keep, covered loosely at room temperature for up to 3 days.