This week I’ve made a riff on Eve’s pudding, a simple, comforting dessert of gently cooked apples topped with a light, buttery sponge. Mine is made with pears, though, and I have incorporated walnuts for texture and depth of flavour (the crunchy, sugary topping is my favourite bit). Serve after Sunday lunch with plenty of custard. Pear and walnut pudding Prep 20 min Cook 35 min Serves 6-8 100g walnuts 5 ripe pears 35g caster sugar Squeeze of lemon juice ½ tsp vanilla bean paste ¼ tsp ground nutmeg Cream or custard, to serve For the sponge 80g salted butter, softened 80g caster sugar, plus extra to top 1 large egg 80g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp milk Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Put the walnuts on a baking tray and roast for 10-12 minutes, until toasty. Remove, leave to cool, then blitz half of the walnuts in a food processor and roughly chop the rest. Meanwhile, peel and core the pears, then chop them roughly. Put them in a pan with the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and nutmeg, and cook on a low heat on the hob for five to 10 minutes, until the pears have softened. Transfer to a 22cm baking dish and leave to cool a little while you prepare the topping. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then, one by one, beat in the egg, flour, baking powder and blitzed walnuts. Stir in the milk, then spoon the batter on top of the pears (it’s fine if they’re not completely covered). Top with the chopped walnuts and a teaspoon of caster sugar, then bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool a little before serving warm with custard or cream.