Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread

Our favourite dessert this fall is the Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread recipe from the cookbook Simply in Season. You should probably make this. Soon. IT IS SO TASTY!

1. Put 3 or 4 Tbsp of butter in a baking dish (a bit bigger than a pie dish). Stick it in the oven as it warms up to 350.
2. Assemble these three bowls: First bowl - combine 1.5 cups of flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of each nutmeg, allspice and salt
3. Second bowl - combine 1/2 cup molasses (or honey) with 1/2 cup buttermilk (sour milk, kefir, etc.) Third bowl - whip together 1/3 cup of butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 egg. 
4. Take your pan out of the oven. The butter should be all melted. Add 3-4 TBsp of brown sugar. Slice up 2-3 peeled pears and lay them in the pan. 
5. Add the first two bowls you assembled, alternately, into the third bowl of butter, sugar and egg. Stir it all together and pour over the pears. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
6. Let it cool for just a few minutes. Pry the edges loose and invert the cake onto a platter. Serve with whipping cream.