Recipe: Nut Tree Pear Bread (Nut Tree Restaurant)

NUT TREE PEAR BREAD
Source: Nut Tree Remembered: The Cookbook by Tara Baumann, Jim Moehrke, Roy Moehrke, 1997 (Vacaville Museum, CA - ordering info: 707-447-4513)

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 cups grated pear
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped filbert nuts, toasted and skinned

Cream the butter and sugar until light.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blend well. Mix in the lemon rind.

Grate pears (after peeling and coring) on medium grater or in food processor. Mix with lemon juice. Stir into butter mixture.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into pear mixture until just blended. Stir in nuts. Pour into a greased 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until golden brown and cooked in center. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan to complete cooling.

Tips:
Toast filberts at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes until skins begin to crack. Wrap in a towel. Let steam for 5 minutes and then rub off skins. Walnuts can be used in place of filberts. Toast before chopping.