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WINDFALLS

seasonal Recipes from our resident Foodie Laura Coate

One of the most exciting discoveries was made a couple of weeks ago, while meandering back from a trip to the river.

We crossed a small bridge and ambled passed an old mill building – now a rather lovely house. In front of the mill stood a pear tree, brandishing a large handwritten sign stating, “Free Pears”.

Nothing could have endeared me more to our new surroundings, as I happily plucked a few caramel coloured pairs from its branches and then more from the grass beneath.

The wonderful Sarah Raven features a cake in her Garden Cookbook, which deals – in the most delicious sense – with my usual November bounty of quince from my parents’ orchard. I’ve tweaked it a fair bit, so that it now features this year’s windfall pears (and she too claims to have taken the recipe from the inimitable Monty Don, so I don’t feel too unworthy in sharing it here in its new guise).

Follow Laura for updates and recipes: Instagram @foodwithfolk For the Pears 3 pears 2 large, unwaxed lemons 75g unrefined caster sugar 2 bay leaves, or half a vanilla pod 50ml water

For the Cake 150g soft butter, plus 30g 150g soft brown sugar 2 large eggs, beaten 100g flaked almonds, processed to breadcrumb texture, plus 50g left in flakes 85g plain flour 1 heaped tsp baking powder

Butter and line a 26 cm cake tin and pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/gas mark 6.

For the pears, pare the zest from one of the lemons and add this to a pan, along with the juice from both, the caster sugar, water and your flavouring of choice. Bring to a gentle simmer

Meanwhile, peel and halve the pears. Add these, core side down, to the pan so that they fit snuggly. Cut a circle of baking paper slightly larger than the circumference of the pan and gently press this on top of the pears, before adding the pan lid. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until the pears are just tender.

Set aside while you get on with the cake.

In a freestanding mixer (or using electric beaters), beat together the butter and sugar until pale. Meanwhile, stir together the processed almonds, flour and baking powder. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition. (Feel free to add a spoonful of the dry ingredients after each dash of egg if you’re concerned about the mixture splitting.)

Once you’ve incorporated all of the egg, fold through the remaining dry ingredients.

Remove the pears from their poaching liquid, core and dice into 2cm pieces. Full these well into the cake mixture. You can add a teaspoon or so of the poaching liquid if you feel the batter is a little stiff.

Spread the batter evenly in the cake tin (don’t worry – it’s a shallow cake!) and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a small pan and add half the leftover pear-poaching liquid. Tip in the last of the flaked almonds and stir to coat, before removing the pan from the heat

After 30 minutes, remove the cake from the oven and spread the almonds and their liquid evenly over the top of the cake. Reduce the oven temperature 160°C (fan)/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 20 to 30 minutes (checking after 20) or until the top and almonds are golden brown.