Midnight Pear Quickbread

Sometimes a favorite new recipe is created by the collision of desire and constraint. Desire: Zucchini bread at 10pm on a Thursday night. Constraint(s): No zucchini, only a half cup canola oil, and a village with narry a store open past 7:30pm.

What I did have: Some ripening pears in the fridge, plenty of olive oil, and an itch to open my new jar of pain d'epices (otherwise known as pumpkin pie spice) purchased at Goumanyat & Son Royaume, my favorite spice store in Paris. I'm using as little white flour as possible these days, and decided to go all in with whole wheat.

After several expectant peeks through the oven door (alas, a watched cake does not bake faster), I was ready to eat a slice right out of the pan. It was absolutely what I wanted. The cake was moist but not cloying (thanks to those juicy pears). The heft of the whole wheat flour and the warmth of the spices made it not unlike the French pain d'epices - honey cakes traditionally made with rye flour. This may not be as sweet as some of the quickbreads Americans are used to (I only used 1 cup sugar for 2 loaves). A decade in France has tempered my palate, and my love of super sweets has gone way of the Twinkie (not extinct, but not likely to pass my lips again).


Perfect the next morning with a spoonful of fromage frais (try greek yogurt or whipped cream cheese in the US) and some apple kiwi jam...

Midnight Pear Quickbread

3 cups whole wheat flour
2.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice (ginger, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg)
1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large handful golden raisins

3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (Cassonade, raw sugar)
2 cups grated pear (very ripe)
2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp of ground vanilla powder)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl: beat eggs, add oil, sugar, whisk to combine. Add pear and vanilla, combine.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, stir just enough to combine.

Grease two loaf pans. Divide the batter between the two. Bake for 45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Turn out on a wire rake to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temp. Also great toasted with a plain yogurt and jam.

Makes 2 loaves, each serves 6