38 LISTENER JUNE 1 2019
Simplicity itself
Moist, delicious and easy to prepare, these
seasonal loaves by Bernadette Gee are perfect
for snacking on during the colder months.
FOOD
THIS LIFE
T
he challenge of build-
ing a career making
sweet treats has taken
Bernadette Gee from
the Royal New Zealand
Navy to her Magno-
lia Kitchen cafe and
custom-cake business in Silverdale,
north of Auckland.
Along the way, there have been
three children, a husband, hard
graft at farmers’ markets, a hugely
popular Instagram account that
features the self-taught baker’s
elaborate special-occasion cakes
and, now, her first cookbook,
Magnolia Kitchen.
Her advice for the pear and chai
loaf is to make it ahead, then slice
it up and freeze it. “When you have
visitors, just grab a couple of slices,
pop them under the grill to defrost
and toast, then load them up with
butter. You want to be able to see
teeth marks in the butter when you
take that first warm bite.”PEAR AND CHAI LOAF
4 ripe pears
2 eggs
250g brown sugar
350g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
150g butter
100g chai syrup (I use Hakanoa)
100g milk
TOPPINGS
2 tbsp brown sugar
75ml maple syrupPreheat the oven to 170°C. Grease a
standard loaf tin with a little butter,
then line with baking paper.
Peel and core one pear, then
roughly chop into 1cm pieces. Peel
the other pears, leaving the stalk
on (for visual effect). Keeping those
pears whole, cut out the furry bit
on the bottom and use an apple
corer to remove just the core. Do
this gently, because the stalk end at
the top of the pear needs to remain
intact.
Using a mixer, beat the eggs and
sugar until thick and fluffy, then
add the flour and baking powder
and beat to combine. Place the
butter, chai syrup and milk in
a microwave-proof bowl, then