Pear Bars

I hope everyone had a great long holiday weekend. Sorry for the late post. We went to Arizona over the weekend and had a fabulous time! We set out to leave on Monday and only made it a mild down the road before we decided to turn around and try again the next day. Traffic was not moving. So today is my first day back at work. 

We had so many adventures over the weekend! My favorite part was swimming in the pristine fresh water of Lake Mohave at Katherine's landing. 

The water was a warm 85 degrees, and I could have stayed there all day long. 

We also visited the small mining town of Oatman. It was a lot of fun shopping and feeding the burrows!

Lastly I was so pleased to find out our chihuahuas like riding on the boat! They even went for a swim!

Now on to the food. I did cook while we were there. My friend brought more pears for me to work with and I made the most scrumptious treat for them. These are definitely a treat. Save this recipe for a time you really want to treat yourself! They are full of sugar and not for daily eating. But if you are to bring a dessert or if you want to celebrate, these are to die for!

Tomorrow I will be back to posting healthy recipes for you all. Enjoy this one!

Pear Bars

from Kleinworth and Co

Shortbread bottom:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups Multiuso Multi-Purpose gluten-free Flour Mix

(if you are not gluten-free, you can use regular all purpose flour).

Caramel Topping:

1/2 cup salted butter

1 cup brown sugar- packed

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup quick cook oats

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pear - peeled, cored & diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat 9x13 pan with cooking spray, foil, or parchment- set aside.

In bowl of electric mixer- cream butter, sugar & vanilla.

Add egg & beat until fluffy.

Stir in salt.

Beat in flour 1 cup at a time.

Press dough evenly into pan and use a fork to make holes in the dough.

Bake 15 minutes or until just set & beginning to turn golden in color.

Remove & let cool.

Prepare Caramel.

Make sure your pear is cut up into small pieces.

Melt the butter over medium heat in saucepan.

Add brown sugar and agave nectar.

Bring to a very low boil, stirring constantly.

Let cook over very low heat, stir in oats, vanilla & pears.

Remove from heat.

Let sit to cool until thickened- about 10 minutes.

Pour over shortbread in pan.

Transfer to refrigerator & allow to completely cool before cutting- at least 2-3 hours.

Yum!

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Pear Torte

 
I mentioned yesterday that I had a bunch of fresh picked organic pears. I knew right away I wanted to make a delicious torte! This was a major success! So easy to make gluten-free using any good quality gluten-free flour. 

I shared with my neighbors and my husbands work, since I am still limiting any and all sugars. I got a thumbs up from all who tried it, and a couple people asking for the recipe. So here it is! 

Gluten-Free Pear Torte

adapted from http://userealbutter.com/

Serves 8.

Crust:

1 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Manini's)

2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

8 TBSP unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp whipping cream

Pear filling:

4 large pears, sliced (peeling is optional)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 cup water

Prepared the fruit: Heat the water, cinnamon, and ginger together in a medium

saucepan until the water boils. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the pears. Simmer

for 3-4 minutes until the fruit is soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

Frangipane filling:

8 tbsps butter

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup almond paste

2 tsps lemon zest, fresh

1/4 cup ground almonds

2 egg whites, beaten foamy

confectioner’s sugar for dusting

First you must start by making the crust: 

Place the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and whipping cream to the dry ingredients. Pulse until it resembles wet sand. 

Place the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Using the plastic, gather the dough into a ball and press it together into a disc. 

Wrap with the plastic and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured work surface. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place the tart pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

Set the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown. Let it cool until ready to use.

Next make the frangipane filling:Beat the butter, confectioner’s sugar, flour, almond paste, lemon zest, and ground almonds in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the egg whites.

Preheat oven to 350°F

Assemble the tart: . 

Set the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet.

Spread the frangipane filling evenly over the baked crust, smoothing the top.

Arrange the fruit slices on the frangipane. 

Bake for 30 minute. Dust with confectioner’s sugar when the tart has cooled.

Carefully remove the sides of the torte pan and move to dish for serving.

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Pear Butter

This past week I spent a few days with several of my close girlfriends. It was so nice to get out again and get in a lot of laughter! These ladies have been such a blessing to me! On the last day three of us went down and picked some pears from one of my friends pear trees. Lovely natural organic pears. 

So I was super happy to get busy in my kitchen creating a bunch of different pear dishes. Since they are in season, I will be sharing these recipes with you over the next few days. 

I started off with Pear Butter. So easy to make and so yummy! 

Pear Butter

10 pears, peeled, cored and cut quarters.

3/4  cup brown sugar (or agave or sucanat, you can also use 1/4 cup stevia if going for sugar free)

1 cinnamon stick

pinch of sea salt

Put all the ingredients into a crock pot (slow cooker). 

Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. 

Remove the cinnamon stick, let cool slightly then puree to desired consistency. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

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Healthy easy lunch and snack cups

I had a nice little surprise from Musco Family Olive Company in my mail, so I wanted to tell you about them.

Introducing new Olives To Go! 

A tasty wholesome snack that is portable, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, cholesterol-free, and GMO-free. With added perks of being Vegan and only 40 calories

These tasty ready-to-eat, liquid-free, easy-to-open cups are filled with California-grown large pitted black ripe olives. 

A great easy, fast, no mess option to throw in your lunch bag, purse, sports bag, or just to have at your desk. 

Find out where to buy them HERE.

While I was provided a sample of these olives, all opinions on the product are my own. 

A Healthy Treat

Hi everyone! It is so good to be back! As you all know I had a battle with Cervical, Ovarian, and Uterine cancer. I am proud to announce that on August 5th I had several successful surgeries to remove it all. The largest tumor was 5 inches long and 4 inches wide, similar to the size of a softball. While I am still on the mend from all of this. I am proud to announce my pathology came back and I am now Cancer free. I am so blessed they caught it all early and through a series of "accidents" they found all of it. The last big one, they didn't find until they went in! 

With being down so much the last few months, I have naturally had a big struggle eating healthy. Thankfully I had friends and family making meals. In between meals I ate Enjoy Life Foods Decadent bars. 

These indulgent bars come in 4 unique flavors, including: S’mores, Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate SunButter®, and Cinnamon Bun. Each bar is topped with a complimentary melt-in-your-mouth white or dark drizzle (depending on the flavor). Decadent bars are a great anytime snack or a luxurious dessert. All bars are gluten-free, free from the top 8 allergens, and verified by the Non-GMO project.

It is hard to find GMO free snacks that are gluten-free as well. Grab some of these for your school lunches!

While I was not paid for this, I did receive a sample of the bars from Enjoy Life Foods and had to share my love for them with you guys.