Swedish Pear Pudding (Päronkräm)
This old-fashioned Swedish dessert is true comfort food: a silky, spoonable pear pudding served hot with fresh cream. It's one of the loveliest desserts I've eaten this year!
This old fashioned dessert is especially popular in the South of Sweden and Gotland. I recently encountered it on a lectureship in Sweden, where I noticed an abundance of pear trees. Almost every residential property had at least one fruit tree in their garden, and it was usually a pear tree. It led me to ask Swedes do with all of these pears, besides making delicious cider. The answer was ‘päronkrem’, literally ‘pear cream’, which is a very old dessert often served to small children. Admittedly, some Swedes still enjoy it into adulthood, and it’s an excellent way to mop up a glut of pears. They also make it with apples or rhubarb. ‘Päronkrem’ is simple a pear puree, lightly sweetened and thickened with potato starch. You’ll find potato starch in any Asian supermarket or online [BEST BUY]. It gives the pudding a very particular texture on setting that doesn’t quite work with cornflour. As Swedes do, serve this hot in a bowl with a generous slick of cold cream. I know it doesn’t seem much, and it might even be a hard sell, but this is one of the best desserts I’ve eaten this year. Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS (serves 2-3x)
4-5x ripe pears - 400g peeled and cored (sweet pears work best, like Bosc or Williams)
250ml water
2-3 tablespoons sugar or honey - or to taste
1 tablespoon potato starch
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
To serve: 100ml double cream or whole milk
WALKTHROUGH
Peel the pears and cut away the stems and core. Dice the pears into roughly 1/2-inch sized dice. You will need around 400g of diced pears.
Place the 400g diced pears into a saucepan along with 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice and 250ml of water. Place the pan onto medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer the pears for 10-20 minutes until they begin to soften and break down. The exact time will depend on the ripeness and type of pears used. Once soft, reduce the heat to low and mash the pears with a potato masher until smooth. You may use a stick blender for extra smooth results if desired - some Swedes do like this a little chunky.
In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of potato starch with 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix to form a thin slurry. Pour the slurry into the pear mixture over a low heat. Stir well and allow the mixture to boil and thicken.
Once thickened, taste the pear pudding and adjust the seasoning. It should taste slightly incomplete - like it’s missing something. That missing piece will be accomplished by the cream later when served. Add more sugar or lemon juice if desired. It should have the consistency of yoghurt - use more potato starch to thicken it or loosen with water if needed.
Allow the pear pudding to cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Spoon it into serving bowls and pour over a few tablespoons of cold cream or milk. Enjoy it with a spoon!
