It's time for cobbler, folks!

Millie said the other day, and I think it’s true; that Summer is the season for lazing and Autumn the time for productivity.

Does cooler weather do that to you to? That goal setting, that bedroom cleaning, that leaping out of bed (at 9:30 –shhhh!) to go apple picking…

There is a million other things I could say I love about Fall, but I’ll spare you the winsome list that everyone writes, but no one cares about reading. Instead I’ll cut right to the heart of the matter and the core of this ‘busy-ness’. I’ll give you a hint to what we all really love about this season.

Hint: It happens in the kitchen.

Yes, yes…food of course. Good food. The fattening, sweet, fragrant kind. We’re all sick to death of salads, thank you!

Here is what I made the other day…with local pears. I feel so virtuous.

Gingerbread-Pear Cobbler

The Pear Layer:

12 medium pears, peeled and sliced
¾ cup white sugar
2 tbsp. Lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. Lemon zest
2 tbsp. Crystallized ginger, minced
1 ½ tbsp. Flour
2 tbsp. Butter, cubed

The Cobble:

2 cups flour
5 ½ tbsp. White sugar
1 tbsp. Ground ginger
2 ½ tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp. Cinnamon
¾ tsp. Cloves
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking soda
8 ½ tbsp. Butter or margarine
2 large eggs
6 tbsp. Milk
1/3 cup molasses
¾ tsp. Vanilla

The Sprinkle:

½ cup sliced almonds
2 tbsp. white sugar
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly butter 9 x 13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, toss sliced pears with sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, crystallized ginger and flour. Spread into prepared pan and dot with butter.
In a medium bowl, stir flour, sugar, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, salt and baking soda with a fork. Work in butter until it resembles the size of small peas. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour in milk, eggs, molasses and vanilla. Stir until just blended. Dollop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the pears to create a cobbled effect, taking care to space the dollops about 1 inch apart. Don’t spread the dolloped cobbles out! (Say THAT three times fast – dolloped cobbles, dolloped cobbles…)
Sprinkle the whole shebang with nuts and sugar. Pop into oven. Bake until pears are tender and topping is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest at least 20 minutes before serving.

If you’re me, eat it with coffee cream poured on top OR you can serve warm with ice-cream and whipped cream. Yeah. Not much of decision, I know.

~Olivia