Miso Caramel Pears with a Crumble Topping
Soft, golden pears marry with a crunchy umami miso crumble in this quick and simple dessert from Dominique Woolf, winner of Channel 4's The Great Cookbook Challenge.
From the book
Dominique’s Kitchen
The debut cookbook from the winner of The Great Cookbook Challenge
Fuss-free family favourites, from traybakes to curries
Packed with East and Southeast Asian flavours
Introduction
Salted caramel and I go way back. From fancy filled chocolates, to ice cream swirls, and best of all with just a teaspoon, I must have eaten litres of the stuff.
The addition of miso adds an umami saltiness that gives the caramel a rich depth of flavour and makes it all the more addictive (not that I needed an excuse!).
My cheat’s version in this recipe works beautifully with pears, but would also be fantastic with slices of pan-fried apple.
Ingredients
| For the crumble: | |
|---|---|
| 60g | plain flour |
| 30g | rolled oats |
| 2 tbsp | soft brown sugar |
| 45g | cold unsalted butter |
| For the pears and caramel: | |
| 3 tbsp | honey |
| 1½ tsp | miso or white miso paste |
| 120ml | milk |
| 30g | unsalted butter |
| 2 | ripe but firm pears, quartered or halved and cored |
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
First, make the crumble. Place the flour, oats and sugar in a bowl, and rub in the butter until combined. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a baking sheet and place in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown.
For the miso caramel, mix the honey in a bowl with the miso paste, then mix in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Set aside.
Melt half the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once melted, add the pears and cook for 5–10 minutes for quartered, 10–15 minutes for halved, turning occasionally, until the pears are golden, soft and cooked. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining butter to the frying pan and, once melted, add the caramel mixture and gently simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should darken in colour to a light brown, and thicken to a syrupy consistency.
To serve, pour the miso caramel over the pears and top with a sprinkling of crumble. Delicious with a good dollop of ice cream.
Note: Any leftover crumble topping will be delicious with ice cream or yoghurt. To serve 4, simply double the pear part of the recipe (the sauce may take slightly longer to reduce).
