SERVES 6
Every time I eat pouding chômeur when I’m back in Montreal, I am mystified that it hasn’t yet taken the rest of North America by storm. This classic French-Canadian pudding cake is a simple, wintery delight, made in a somewhat funny fashion: Dollops of thick cake batter are dropped into a pan and then covered with a healthy pour of maple syrup, which soaks into the batter as it bakes to form a delicious, gooey cake. I like to make it with cinnamon-sugared pears, which add both dimension and texture.
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1 firm-ripe Bosc or other good baking pear, cored and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar, divided
3/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
Kosher salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
¾ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 large egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche, or sour cream for serving
Special equipment: 2-quart gratin or 8-inch square baking dish (2 inches deep)
Heat the oven to 350ºF with the rack in the upper third.
In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the pear slices, 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, ⅛ teaspoon of the cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pear begins to soften, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the maple syrup, cream, a pinch of salt, and ¼ cup water just to a boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, the remaining ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture (the batter will be very thick).
Pour about ⅓ cup of the syrup mixture into the deep 2-quart gratin or 8-inch square baking dish. Dollop the batter on top in about five ¼-cupfuls, spacing the mounds evenly over the syrup. Arrange the sliced pears on top of the mounds and drizzle with any juices from the skillet, then pour the remaining syrup mixture over the top.
Set the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the cake is just golden but still syrupy, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm, spooned into bowls with vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche, or sour cream on top, if desired.