One of my favorite bites from last year was the sample of a sweet bread shared by Miles Compton (aka Miles of Chocolate). The Pear Bread sample was a tantalizing taste of things to come, a treat scheduled for the 2006 holiday season, set to be the second product from his company. Moist, fine-textured, chock-full of toothsome chunks of fresh pear, spiced with ginger, and accented by the occasional crunch of sliced almonds, it makes a wonderful companion to tea or coffee, and it is delightful plain or toasted. In fact, toasted slices were irresistible when slathered with softened cream cheese mixed with a little chopped candied ginger. According to Compton, the Pear Bread will be limited to the holidays, so be sure to get it while you can. Look for loaves of Miles’ Pear Bread at the Boggy Creek Farm stand, Central Market, Whole Foods Market, Grape Vine Market, and P&K Grocery.
This article appears in December 8 • 2006.