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1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
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2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, nutmeg, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
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3. In another medium bowl, lightly beat the egg, then add the vanilla, butter and 1/2 cup turbinado sugar. Mix thorougly. Then add the pear sauce and mix thoroughly.
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4. Add the pear sauce mixture to the dry ingredients in small additions, mixing thoroughly between each addition. Divide batter among 12 greased muffin tins. On top of the batter, place the slices of pear, pushing them vertically into the batter (you may need to trim some slices so they fit). Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
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5. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and your entire house is filled with delicious smells. Remove and allow to cool (before proceeding to eat the entire batch). Makes 12 muffins.
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For Pear Sauce:
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Pear sauce (or even applesauce, for that matter) is, in my house, the easiest thing ever. Simply take a bunch of pears (for this recipe, I probably had 10 to 12 pears), wash, peel and slice them into thin, uniform pieces.
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Place in a heavy-bottomed stock pot, add maybe 1/2 cup of water, then cover and turn to medium. Then leave them to cook, stirring occasionally, for the next 3 hours or so. I usually don't add any sugar or spices- a blank canvas is best to start with- but feel free to doctor it however you'd like.
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Also, peeling your fruit is optional- often I don't peel things, and the result is a chunkier, less-lady-like sauce that's still awesome.
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Note: In this recipe, I also call for turbinado sugar. You'll notice the turbinado sugar doesn't quite dissolve into the mixutre like regular granulated sugar, and that's what I like about it. In the finished product, it provides good texture and a bit of graininess. If, however, you're less of a rustic, feel free to go for white granulated or brown sugar.
