Fresh juicy pears and the best dark chocolate are a match made in heaven. Pair them in a tart, in a cake, or even as they are for a delicious flavor combination. But have you ever tried them in pancakes? If this isn’t the best way to start the day, I don’t know what is!
Pears are one of my favorite fruits. They’re sweet, juicy, soft but with a bite and oh, so delicious. The first time I tried them with chocolate was when I tasted the famous Pear and Chocolate cake which is quite common in Italy.
I immediately loved the combination of sweet and bitter and I baked similar cakes and tarts whenever I had the chance.
Then, one Sunday morning I was preparing pancakes, as I often do on Sunday mornings, when I saw fresh pears in the fruit basket. The idea struck in my head immediately. Pear and Chocolate Chips Pancakes!
I rarely put fruit in my pancakes (I’m a purist) so I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. But it worked fine on the first attempt. The pancakes came out soft and flavorful, perfect.
This was one of the best breakfasts I had in a long time.
Which Pears Pair Best with Chocolate
There are several varieties of pears and some of them differ a lot in terms of sweetness and juiciness. I think these pancakes would come out delicious with any type of pears, but see below a list of the most common varieties of pears and their main differences.
For a perfectly balanced pairing with dark chocolate, you should use the sweeter varieties.
- Conference Pears. This is the variety I used for my pancakes. It’s a variety developed in Britain and it’s also very common in the Netherlands where I live. The texture is fine and soft and the flavor is very sweet.
- Bosc Pears. This variety is similar in appearance to the Conference Pears, but they’re crunchier when raw. They’re most often used for poaching as they hold their shape well when cooked. The riper they are, the sweeter they become.
- Bartlett / Williams. This is also another one of my favorite pear varieties. They are very common in Italy and often used in cakes and pies for their sweetness. They’re very juicy and sweet and I would definitely recommend this variety for this recipe.
- Anjou. These pears have a firmer texture and milder flavor but still sweet and juicy as most pears. They’re perfect for cooking or for eating raw.
For more detailed infortmation about pear varieties, visit the USA Pears website.
The Recipe
Pear and Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Flour, sifted
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- a pinch of Salt
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Pear
- 1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 tbsp Butter
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg with the milk until fully mixed. Add the vanilla extract.
- Add the sifted flour while continuing mixing. Add the baking powder and salt and mix until all combined.
- Peel the pear and remove the core, then chop it into small cubes. Add it to the pancake mix, then also add the chocolate chips and combine.
- Add the butter to the pan and let it melt at medium heat. Remove the eccess with kitchen paper but make sure the whole pan is greased.
- When the pan is hot, add a ladle of pancake mix in the center. When it's bubbly, after a couple of minutes, turn over with a large spatula and cook for another couple of minutes. Regulate the heat if necessary.
- Serve hot with a knob of butter and good maple syrup.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Have you ever tried the pear and dark chocolate combination? Let me know in a comment!
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