Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread

Let your pears ripen on the counter until slightly soft to the touch, about 3-5 days.

-For the syrup, in a small saucepan combine the following…

¼ cup brown sugar

2 TBS white sugar

2 TBS butter

1 TBS water

-Stir together over low heat until butter melts, then pour the syrup into a 8 x 8 glass baking dish.

-Peel, core and slice enough pears so that you have about 1 heaping cup.

-Arrange on top of the syrup.

-Stir together then set aside the following…

1 cup flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp sea salt

-In a mixing bowl combine the following:

1/3 cup softened butter

½ cup brown sugar

-Beat together until light and fluffy.

-Add in 2 eggs and beat another minute.

-Measure the following out:

½ cup molasses or honey

½ cup buttermilk

-Take turns adding the molasses/honey and buttermilk into the batter until all is incorporated.

-Spoon the batter over the pears in the baking dish.

-Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

-Let cool about 5 minutes then turn onto a platter.

-Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

Upside-Down Peach Cornmeal Cake

For those of you with fruit shares…

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

-Score the skin of 4 peaches or 6 donut peaches with a few strokes of a knife.

-Then slice them in half and remove the pits.

-Melt ¼ cup unsalted butter in a large 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

-Add ½ cup packed brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and blends with the butter to form a caramel.

-Remove from heat and arrange the fruit halves on top of the caramel, cut side down.

To make the cake…

-Whisk together 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup fine cornmeal, 1½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda and ½ tsp fine sea salt in a bowl.

-Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer cream together ½ cup unsalted room temperature butter and 2/3 cup granulated sugar for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

-Add 2 eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

-Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.

-Measure ¾ cup of buttermilk. Set aside.

-Stir in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

-Spread the batter evenly over the fruit in the pan.

-Bake for about 45 minutes until the center of the cake springs back lightly when touched.

-The cake will need 20 minutes to cool until you flip it over.

Upside-Down Asian Pear Gingerbread

-For the syrup, in a small saucepan combine the following…¼ cup brown sugar, 2 TBS white sugar, 1 TBS butter and 1 TBS water.

-Stir together over low heat until butter melts, then pour the syrup into a 8 x 8 glass baking dish.

-Peel, core and slice enough Asian pears so that you have about 1 heaping cup.

-Arrange on top of the syrup.

-Stir together then set aside the following…1 cup flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground allspice and a big pinch of salt.

-In a mixing bowl beat together 1/3 cup softened butter and ½ cup brown sugar until light and fluffy.

-Add in 2 eggs and beat another minute.

-Measure ½ cup molasses or honey and ½ cup buttermilk.

-Take turns adding the molasses/honey and buttermilk into the batter until all is incorporated.

-Spoon the batter over the pears in the baking dish.

-Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

-Let cool about 5 minutes then turn onto a platter.

-Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

Cantaloupe Ice Cream

-Peel 1 cantaloupe.

-Cut into 1-inch chunks.

-In a large bowl, combine the cantaloupe with 1/3 cup of sugar.

-Cover and allow to marinate for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.

-In a saucepan, simmer the marinated cantaloupe pieces in the juices of the marinade over medium-low heat.

-Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove and cool.

-Puree the cantaloupe mixture in a blender or food processor.

-Add 1½ TBS lime juice and process again.

-Cover and chill for an hour.

-In a large bowl, combine the following:

1¾ cups half-and-half

1¼ cup coconut milk

½ cup sugar

-Stir in pureed cantaloupe, stirring gently to mix.

-Freeze mixture for about 2 hours, then transfer to an ice cream maker and proceed with the manufacturer’s instructions for making ice cream.

-Place cantaloupe ice cream into an air-tight container and return to freezer for 2 hours before serving.