When I was at the nearby farm, England Acres, to cut a bunch of dill to make pickles last weekend, I picked up a flyer for an organization called Fermentation on Wheels. They have a traveling culinary research school bus on a mission to provide free food workshops, encourage sustainability, and teach fermentation. The inside of the school bus was converted into a kitchen, workshop, and fermentation lab. They travel the country connecting consumers to farmers and encouraging strong food values.
They collaborate with businesses, schools, and community centers to develop a schedule of workshops available to all ages and socioeconomic levels, potlucks, visual arts projects, and culture exchanges. I will catch them next time so I can to get photos and more info. Now they are in PA heading toward NY, so check out their schedule.
A farmer had some nice Asian pears last weekend and I have wanted to try this recipe on the back of Wholesome Sweeteners Fairtrade Organic Light Brown Sugar package. It’s originally from Chef Gale Gand, and modified somewhat here. I used five pears because they were on the small side.
Pear Streusel Coffee Cake
1 1/4 C flour
2 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 C organic whole milk
4 T unsalted butter, melted
4 ripe pears, unpeeled and sliced or chopped up
For the streusel topping:
½ C light brown sugar
1/4 C flour
3 T cold unsalted butter
1 t cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400. Combine the flour with baking powder, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and then mix in the milk and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the pears and mix well. Pour into a sprayed 9×13 baking dish.
To make the streusel, cut the cold butter into the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until well combined. Sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake 30 minutes until it is golden and dry on top.
