I have been lurking on this forum for a while now, and thought I would introduce myself. I have gotten many wonderful ideas from this forum already--thank you all for your wonderful tips and recipes! I am an avid cook, and in my new house have many fruit trees, so I'm entering the wonderful world of canning as well.

Here is my first recipe contribution!

I found out I have celiac disease this year and so this holiday season was trying to find some gluten-free celebratory dessert recipes. I also have 4 pear trees in my backyard, and in my effort to use up pears, I came across this recipe. It is easy and fabulous and has been a huge hit the two times I've served it (once with fresh pears and once with canned). I substiuted toasted almonds for the hazelnuts--and managed not to burn them by taking the recipe's advice to toast them in the oven along with the meringue. The recipe comes from Jamie Oliver and is on the Food Network website. ---Betsy

Tray Baked Meringue with Pears and Toasted Hazelnuts

Ingredients

4 large free-range or organic egg whites

1 1/4 cups raw sugar (regular works fine)

Pinch sea salt

4 ounces hazelnuts, skins removed

2 (14-ounce) cans halved pears, in syrup

2 pieces stem ginger, thinly sliced, optional

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70 percent cocoa solids)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 ounces icing sugar, sifted

1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped out

1 orange, zested

Directions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a sheet of waxed paper.

Put your egg whites into a squeaky clean bowl, making sure there are absolutely no little pieces of egg shell or egg yolk in them. Whisk on medium until the whites form firm peaks. With your mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and the pinch of salt. Turn the mixer up to the highest setting and whisk for about 7 or 8 minutes, until the meringue mixture is white and glossy. To test whether it's done you can pinch some between your fingers - if it feels completely smooth it's ready; if it's slightly granular it needs a little more whisking.

Dot each corner of the waxed paper with a blob of meringue, then turn it over and stick it to the baking sheet. Spoon the meringue out onto the paper. Using the back of a spoon, shape and swirl it into a rectangle. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until crisp on the outside and a little soft and sticky inside. At the same time, bake the hazelnuts on a separate sheet in the oven for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Drain the cans of pears, reserving the syrup from 1 can. Cut each pear half into 3 slices. Pour the pear syrup into a saucepan with the ginger, if using, and warm gently over a medium heat until it starts to simmer. Take off the heat and snap the chocolate into the saucepan, stirring with a spoon until it's all melted.

Take the meringue and hazelnuts out of the oven and leave to cool. Place the meringue on a nice rustic board or platter. Whip the cream with the sifted icing sugar and the vanilla seeds until it forms smooth, soft peaks. Smash the toasted hazelnuts (in a kitchen towel) and sprinkle half of them over the top of the meringue. Spoon half the whipped cream over the top and drizzle with some of the chocolate sauce (if the sauce has firmed up, melt it slightly by holding the saucepan over a large pan of boiling water). Divide most of the pear pieces evenly over the top. Pile over the rest of the whipped cream and pears. Drizzle with some more chocolate sauce, then sprinkle over the remaining toasted hazelnuts with some grated orange zest. Serve straightaway. If you're making this in advance, get everything ready and assemble at the last minute.