Pear and Chocolate Tea Bread

This is a recipe I use to make at my tea house for bridal and baby showers.  The bread tends to be moist.  When I think of pears I think of Autumn and the need for warm, comforting things.  This bread can be warmed up with a scoop of ice cream with a drizzle of dulce de leche or caramel for a nice dessert too. 

1 ¾ cups flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 ¼ teaspoons cream of tartar

½ teaspoon salt

4 Bartlett pears, 1/2 inch cubed and divided

2 large eggs

1 stick of soft unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

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Pear and Chocolate Tea Bread

1. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Butter a bread pan.

4. Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

5. Put half of the pears in a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

6. Process to a puree, about 30 seconds.

7. Add the eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract and process until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds.

8. The mixture may look slightly curdled.

9. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until the flour is evenly moistened.

10. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped pears.

11. Gently stir the remaining pears and the chocolate chips into the batter.

12. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

13. Sprinkle the reserved pears over the top of the loaf, pressing them gently into the loaf.

14. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

15. Cool the loaf thoroughly in the pan on a wire rack.