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1
Preheat oven to 375?F. Oil jumbo muffin tins.
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2
In a blender, combine ground flaxseed and 1/4 c warm water. Blend until thickened and light in color.
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3
Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, oils, milk, flax paste, poaching liquid and diced pear. Fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
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4
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full with batter. Spoon a heaping spoonful of jam on top of each one and use a chopstick to swirl it through the batter a few times. Lay pear slices on top (about 5 per muffin) and sprinkle tops with sugar.
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5
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, stopping halfway to rotate pan.
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6
Remove muffins from oven when a tester comes out clean and cool for 10 minutes. Invert muffins in their tins to finish cooling.
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7
Add all ingredients to a pot and cover surface with a parchment circle. Simmer all ingredients over low heat for approximately 30 minutes, until liquid has reduced and pears are tender but not falling apart. You may want to flip the pears halfway for even cooking.
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8
Remove pears and place in refrigerator to cool. Strain remaining solids from poaching liquid and discard. There should be about 1/2 cup of liquid. (If there is extra, use all and compensate by reducing the milk in the muffin recipe, conversely, if there is less, add more milk.)
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9
When pears are cooled, cut off top knobs so that each half is domed shape. Cut the domes into thin slices and reserve for decoration. Dice the knobs to be added to the batter.
