Cook of the Month: Peggy Key,

One of our long-time contributors to the recipe pages, Peggy Key of Grant, Alabama, says she’s been making her winning recipe for Fresh Pear Cobbler for more than 20 years. The original recipe came from a newspaper, but it’s so old that by now it’s yellowed with age. Picking her own pears was easy years ago when her family had pear trees, but now she, like many of us, is able to get Bosc pears year-round in the grocery store. The cobbler makes its own crust as it spreads out while baking, and is especially tasty with ice cream on top. Peggy says the recipe can also be easily adapted for diabetics or anyone who needs to watch their sugar intake, by simply substituting a sugar substitute for the brown sugar in the pear mixture and in the batter.

Fresh Pear Cobbler

6 cups (about 2 pounds) Bosc pears, peeled and sliced

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¾ cup apple juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon butter or margarine

Batter:

½ cup plain flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon bak ing powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 egg, slightly beaten

In a medium bowl, combine pears, brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, apple juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Toss lightly; pour into an 8x8-inch baking dish. Dot top with 2 tablespoons butter. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all batter ingredients; beat with wooden spoon until smooth. Drop, in nine portions, over filling, spacing evenly. Batter will spread during baking. Bake 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and crust is golden. Serve warm, with whipped cream or ice cream. Makes 9 servings.

Ilove to cook. I love to cook with seasonal fruits and vegetables and turn them into glorious creations. This recipe is one like I like to specialize in. It’s a recipe that shows you how you can take simple things and create a scratch-made masterpiece. For this one, I like to use my pie crust recipe, which can be found at thebutteredhome.com. However, you can also simply use a store-bought crust. And to really kick things up, try making it with pre-packaged puff pastry. The method is the same for all three. Using pears is perfect for a tart, as the fruit can really stand up to the cooking process and time, and keeps more of its composition than do apples or other similar fruit. We hope you try this fancy pants recipe and love it as much as we do! Find more recipes at thebutteredhome.com.

2 peeled and sliced Bosc pears (or any other variety; Bosc is most commonly found in any region, all year long)

1-3 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

2 tablespoons honey

Wash and peel pears. Slice ¼-inch thick and set aside. Prepare pie crust and place on base of spring form pan. Drop base in the sides and secure. Use fingers to form a pretty edge that stands up about ½-inch.

Mix 1 tablespoon of sugar and flour and sprinkle over crust. Place pears on tart in whatever pattern your heart desires. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.

In a small boiler, heat marmalade, honey and last 2 tablespoons of sugar just until combined and loose. After 40 minutes of bake time, drizzle the marmalade honey mix on top and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the tart is brown and pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan.

Cool in pan for 15-20 minutes. Remove springform sides, cut and enjoy!