Italian Chocolate Pear Pie, Gluten & Dairy Free

While we were in Italy a couple months ago, we attended a private Tuscan cooking class in the charming little town of Cetona.  Along with learning how to make Pici pasta (which I am still trying to master at home) came this recipe from the chef at Osteria del Merlo.  While its difficult to understand exactly what is Tuscan about this dessert, whats not to question is how perfect it is!  The combo of the chocolate + pears is so unique.  Did I mention how easy this is to make?  It might be the least time constricting item I've baked in a while!  Perfect to pop into the oven before the hubbs gets home....bonus points if he thinks you spent hours in the kitchen whipping this together :) When you read the list of ingredients, you'll feel zero guilt associated with gettin' down on this dessert.....so go ahead, dig in! 

This is my own version that I adapted, made to be a bit healthier (gluten and dairy free).

Heaps of thanks to my bff Jennie-boo for jotting down the measurements of this recipe during our cooking class, knowing that I should someday place it on my blog!  She baked this at home recently and replaced the pears with apples....also sounds delish! Let me know if any of you make this swap and how it turns out.

Ingredients

5 eggs
1 cup sugar substitute (I used Z Sweet)
1 1/2 cups gluten free white rice flour
10 pears, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thickness (look for a sweeter variety such as Bosc)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
Splash of brandy if available (I substituted the brandy for 1 tsp vanilla extract)
Dash of cinnamon
Whip cream if desired (I used almond milk whip cream)


Directions

1)  Combine flour, cinnamon, and baking soda; set aside.
2)  Beat eggs with sugar substitute until well combined; add in brandy (or vanilla extract).  Slowly add in flour mixture until thoroughly mixed.
3)  Add pears to the mixture and toss until batter is evenly distributed.
4)  Pour mixture into a pie pan that has been sprayed with non stick spray and top with chopped dark chocolate.
5)  Bake @375 degrees for about 1 hour, or until center is set.  The top with get a little brown, but this just makes it crispy and delish!
6)  Serve w/ whip cream and enjoy!


Thanks for reading my blog! xo