Pear Küchen Recipes

Steps:

• Make the dough: Warm milk to 110 degrees (or until warm to the touch), sprinkle with yeast, stir and let stand for 5 minutes until dissolved. Add butter and stir until mostly melted.
• Butter or oil a large bowl. In a second large bowl, whisk together sugar, salt and egg yolk. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Add warm milk mixture and stir until combined and dough comes together in a smooth, sticky ball, about 2 minutes. Transfer to prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours. (Alternatively, dough can rise in refrigerator overnight.)
• Meanwhile, make the pastry cream: Place a fine-mesh sieve on the rim of a medium bowl. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Whisk in flour, egg, milk, salt, cardamom pods and anise seed. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken, then whisk constantly until it starts to boil. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 2 more minutes, then immediately pour mixture into fine-mesh sieve. Use a spatula to push it through sieve and into bowl. Let cool, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then stir in butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the streusel: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add butter pieces and toss to coat. Use fingertips to rub butter into dry ingredients until pea-size lumps form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Roll out dough: Butter two 9-inch pie plates. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and with floured hands gently knead it into a log. Divide log in half and flatten into discs. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each disc into an 8-inch round. Transfer rounds to pie plates, pressing dough to edges of pan and just slightly up sides. Let rise for about 20 minutes while you prep fruit.
• Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Peel and core pears, then slice them lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and toss to coat.
• Assemble the kuchens: Spread about 1/4 cup pastry cream on bottom of each kuchen, stopping 1/2 inch from edge of dough, then arrange pear slices in an overlapping circular pattern on top. Divide remaining pastry cream between kuchens and carefully spread it evenly over pears. Sprinkle streusel over both and bake in center of oven until dough is light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (If your oven can't accommodate both kuchens, refrigerate one while the other bakes.) Serve warm or at room temperature. Baked kuchens can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen up to 1 month. Rewarm before serving.

Steps:

• Make the shell:
• In a small saucepan cook the butter over moderate heat until it is golden brown, being careful not to let it burn, let it cool, and chill it just until it is no longer liquid. (The butter may be browned 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Let the butter soften at room temperature before using.) In a bowl cream together the browned butter, the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar and beat in the egg, the vanilla, and the almond extract. Into the bowl sift the flour, the baking powder, and the salt and beast the dough until it is just combined. Chill the dough for 30 minutes and press it onto the bottom and side of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim.
• Make the filling:
• In a saucepan of boiling water blanch the peaches for 1 minute, drain them, and refresh them under cold water. Peel the peaches, halve them, and cut 3 of the halves into 1/8-inch-thick slices, reserving the remaining half for another use. Arrange the slices decoratively, overlapping them slightly, in the shell, sprinkle them with the sugar, and bake the kuchen in the lower third of a preheated 375°F. for 20 minutes. Arrange the raspberries decoratively over the peaches and bake the kuchen for 10 minutes more. Transfer the kuchen to a rack, brush the fruit with the jelly, and let the kuchen cool for 15 minutes. Remove the rim of the pan and serve the kuchen warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. , Arrange peaches over crust. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over peaches. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine egg yolks and sour cream. Spread evenly over peaches. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over top. , Bake 30-35 minutes longer or until set. Serve warm or cold. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture. Spread dough with hands over the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of prepared springform pan. Arrange peach slices in a spoke pattern over the dough. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt. Cut in butter to form a dough. Pat lightly into an ungreased 11x7-in. baking pan. , Arrange peaches over the crust; set aside. In another bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in the sugar, salt, flour and sour cream until mixture is smooth. Pour over the peaches. , Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°; bake 35 minutes more or until center is set. Serve warm or chilled. Store in the refrigerator.