Patty Pinner
Down Home Pear Cobbler Patty Pinner
3 fresh pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Pinch of ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
Pinch of ground nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup water
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, combine the pears with 1 cup of the sugar, the melted butter and the pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg. Set the bowl aside.
In another bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the pear mixture.
In another bowl, combine the milk, the remaining 1 cup sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the batter is smooth; the mixture will be thin.
Place the butter in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, then place the dish in the over to melt the butter. Remove from the oven as soon as the butter is melted. Pour the batter over the melted butter. Spoon the pears over the batter. The pears should not extend more than 1 inch from the top of the dish.
Sprinkle with additional cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and serve hot or cold.
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Patty Pinner was born and raised in Saginaw, spending her childhood in the vibrant Black community on Sixth Street. Her large extended family was full of wonderful cooks who lovingly passed on recipes, traditions, and kitchen secrets from generation to generation. Patty shares her fondest memories and stories of her family as well as their recipes in her books, passing these beloved traditions on to her readers.
While the Sixth St neighborhood of her childhood has since been demolished, Patty vividly recalls the people and places, including several family homes and dry cleaner. Every Saturday morning her grandparents would take the bus downtown to go to the hardware store, the paint store, the park, Seitner's Dress Shop, Jacobson's Department Store, Granville's Shoe Store, and the Hat Shop before meeting on the corner of East Genesee and Washington to commence their short walk home.
The history of many of these locations and stores are preserved by the Castle Museum.
If you would like to try any of Patty’s other delicious recipes you can find her cookbooks at the Saginaw Public Libraries or online.