Monday, November 08, 2004
Use canned pears to make deliciously different treats
Eating canned pears is a great way to get the recommended number of fruit servings in your diet. They are available all year long, and are not high in calories if you buy them in juice or light syrup. But pears don’t have to be only a healthy snack. In addition to being good straight out of the can, they also add a moist sweetness to many baked goods.
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Mixes are a convenient shortcut to a homemade treat, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add something extra to make the treat special.
Pear-Cranberry Coffee Cake
1 15.6-ounce cranberry-orange quick bread mix
1 15-ounce can sliced pears, drained and halved
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
Prepare bread mix according to package directions; pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle lemon juice on pears; arrange over batter.
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add butter; mix until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over pears, Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Makes 9 servings.
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The pears add a sweet surprise to every slice of this low-fat cake that has only 4 grams of fat per serving.
Low-Fat Pear Bundt Cake
1 15.25-ounce can pears in light syrup, drained, syrup reserved
1 18.25-ounce white cake mix, unprepared
2 egg whites
1 egg
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10-inch fluted tube pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour; set aside.
Chop pears. Place pears and syrup in a mixing bowl; add cake mix, egg whites and egg. Beat with a mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and beat for 4 minutes.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Makes 16 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
Store unopened canned fruits in a cool place and they should retain their quality for a year or more. Canned fruit stored longer often is safe to eat but may have lost some color, flavor or texture. After canned fruit has been opened, store leftover fruit in the refrigerator and use within a few days.
The Practical Pantry ©2004 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
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