I got a call from a friend recently who told me that he had a box of small deliciously ripe pears and he wanted me to have them.  He was right – the pears were juicy and utterly delicious and I was delighted to receive them.

So at Hunters Lodge we had pears in yoghurt for breakfast, pears in lunch boxes and slices of pear on oatmeal crackers and topped with farmhouse cheddar.  Delicious!  The timing was really good because I had just realized that I had way too many packets of ground almonds in the cupboard.  And that’s how these little pear and almond fairy cakes came about…

INGREDIENTS

125g butter softened

125g caster sugar

100g ground almonds

50 g self-raising flour

2 large eggs

140g ripe pears, chopped finely

2 tablespoons milk

2 tsp Demerara sugar

20g flaked almonds

METHOD

Preheat the over to 180 degrees.

Place 12 cases in a bun tin.

Mix the flour and ground almonds together and set aside.

In a bowl, beat together the butter and caster sugar.

Add 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of the flour/ground almonds and mix well.

Add the 2nd egg and the remainder of flour and mix well.

Mix in the pear and add the milk.

Put a dessertspoonful of the mixture in each case.

Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top and top with Demerara sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cool on a wire tray.

“Food from an Irish Garden” is available in bookshops nationwide and through Orpen Press. 

If you would like to book Fiona for a talk/demonstration email: fiona.dillon@hotmail.com or phone 085 1057314