Tucked inside is a great collection of tempting recipes showcasing the sumptuous pear in all its versatility. These recipes range from the subtly sweet to the sassy savory. This book, created by Sharron Zoller, features over 200 favorite recipes, many from local outstanding cooks, beautiful photographs of pears, and a display of pear packing labels. This year, 2010, is the 18th annual Pear Festival. The Festival celebrates the agri-tourism of Kelseyville, The Pear Capital of the World, and the crown jewel of the summer fruits, the Pear.

For copies of the Pear Cookbook send a check for $17.50 made out to:
Kelseyville Pear Festival
P.O. Box 384
Kelseyville, CA 95451

Sample Recipes:

Pearfection Cake

Cream together:
1 cup shortening
1 ½ cup sugar
1 egg

Add:
2 cups, plus 1 tablespoon flour
1 cup buttermilk, with 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in it

Fold in:
2 ½ cups diced pears

Pour into well greased and floured 9 X 13 pan

Combine:
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkle evenly over the top of the cake and cut through with a knife.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until cake tests done.

Pear Upside Down Cake
(makes two 9 inch cakes)

¾ cup original Smart Balance, softened and spread in bottom of pans
1 ½ cups loosely measured light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon mixed into sugar

Sprinkle sugar mixture by hand into pans.

5 pears, peeled and cored and cut in half and sliced

Arrange slices in a pinwheel in pans.

1 Duncan Heinz Golden Butter cake mix made with:
3 eggs
1/3 cup Canola oil
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon Maple flavoring

Batter should be a little stiffer than usual cake batter.

Spoon batter carefully over pears in prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes. If cake browns but is still “gooey” by toothpick test, turn oven to 325 degrees and continue baking until tests done.