There’s a lot of eating heading our way, with both Thanksgiving and Christmas on the radar. However, just because the holiday season can be a time of excess, doesn’t mean it has to be a time of waste. This pear ginger bread pudding recipe helps you to not only utilize leftover bread from any of your upcoming feasts, but also infuses your gut with some warm, comforting holiday flavors.

What I love most about bread pudding is that even though it has the texture and taste of a recipe only someone’s grandmother could whip up just right, it’s a comfort dish we can all master. In other words, you can’t mess it up. Chop, mix, pour, bake and boom! You’re done.

In this bread pudding recipe, fresh pears contribute an unmatched delicate, moist richness that is tender to the bite and is superbly accented with cinnamon, sugar, crystallized ginger, and dried apricots. The result is a truly indulgent dessert, but that’s kind of what we’re looking for until the new year!

Pear Ginger Bread Pudding Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 cups stale white bread cubes
• 3 pears, cored, and chopped
• 1/4 cup diced crystallized ginger

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Roughly chop the apricots. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the apricots and bourbon. Let the mixture simmer for about five minutes, or until the apricots have softened considerably and absorbed the bourbon. Set the saucepan aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add the eggs, cream, milk, two tablespoons sugar, two teaspoons cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and cardamom. Whisk until well combined. Fold in the bread cubes until all the pieces are just coated. Let the bowl sit for five to ten minutes to allow for the bread to fully absorb the liquid.

Next, stir in the chopped pears and diced crystallized ginger. Transfer the mixture to the greased baking dish and use a spatula to spread the bread pudding evenly. Sprinkle the remaining one tablespoon sugar and one-half teaspoon cinnamon evenly across the top of the bread pudding. Place the dish into the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread pudding is golden-brown and set.

Let the bread pudding cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish each slice with more cinnamon sugar and pair with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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The post Ginger-Pear Bread Pudding Gives Leftover Thanksgiving Bread a New Life appeared first on EcoSalon.

Make the puree for this poached pear and gin cocktail the day before so your happy hour can be truly happy.

The delicate sweetness of pear juice is enhanced in a fool-proof simple syrup. Simple syrup is simply sugar and water. Many recipes call for one part sugar and one part water but I don’t like my cocktails to be extremely sweet. This recipe calls for less sugar and relies on the natural sweetness of the pear.

As for the pears, I like to use over ripe Boscs or Bartletts in a pinch. Bosc pears are usually thinner than the more common and plump Anjou pears. Bosc pears are usually light brown with textured skin. Use very ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears if you can and by poaching the pears in syrup you’ll preserve the flavor without adding too much sweetness.

Gin is a sweet liquor to begin with so I recommend using a more aromatic gin like Hendricks which will add herbal notes. Sometimes I find that too many herbal notes make a cocktail taste like a bubble bath, but you should be okay with this one. Plus, adding a lemon peel balances the sweetness and ads a pop of color.

Pear Gin Cocktail

Makes 4 cocktails

Ingredients

1 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 Bosc pear
1 lemon
4 oz Hendricks Gin 

Directions 

Peel and slice the pear into small pieces. Add to a medium sauce pan with the water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a slight boil (about 5 minutes) and then simmer over low heat for 10 minutes to poach the pear.

Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then puree in a blender or food processor.

Add 2 oz. pear puree and 1 oz gin to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for 20 seconds and pour into a champagne flute. Use a vegetable peeler to peel a 2 inch strip of lemon peel and add to each glass.

Note: this recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for more guests.

Related on Eco Salon

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Photo credit: Ally Jane Grossan

The post Delicious Gin Cocktail Recipe with Poached Pear Simple Syrup appeared first on EcoSalon.

Power charge your morning. 

A friend joked recently that if you’re kale obsessed you could call yourself a “kalivore.” Call yourself what you want, but a kale smoothie is the perfect way to start the day. Drink this first thing, and you’re quickly energized. Yes, it’s bright green and you might be a little skeptical about drinking it, but you’ll soon find that it’s a delicious and vitamin packed staple that you don’t want to go a morning without.

Kale and Ginger Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 apple, chopped
• 1/2 pear, chopped
• 4-5 leaves of Lacinto kale, center stem removed
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
• 1/4-1/2 cup water (depending on desired consistency)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and mix until fully pureed. Note: if you do use a food processor, you will end up with a slightly chunkier smoothie.

This makes enough for about two pint glasses.

Get creative:

Feel free to go crazy with this recipe, it’s hard to mess it up. I like to add in chopped pineapple for a slightly sweeter flavor. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also add in additional greens like cabbage or lettuce.

Want more food inspiration? Check out the rest of our Sunday Recipe series.

The post Sunday Recipe: Kale and Ginger Green Smoothie appeared first on EcoSalon.