cake 15 pear up-side down cake

caramelize: to convert or be converted into caramel.

i expected, somehow, the definition to be as powerful as the act, and laughed how I felt disappointed in the meager description.

to caramelize – to transform raw sugars into deep, crackle-crusted, butter-rich, glistening gorgeousness; to bring sugar to the brink of burnt, revealing its richest expression of sweetness.

when you roast veggies, the sugars caramelize, delivering fuller flavor of the vegetable itself and crisped, browned edges.

when you make caramel for desserts, you bring simple syrup through a gentle boiling from clear to amber darker and darker as you please.

for this pear up-side down cake—a local, seasonal iteration of the more salient pineapple; not unreminiscent of tarte tatin—whisk together 2 tablespoons of water and ¼ cup of sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and swirl the pan once in awhile for 8 -10 minutes. Now is a moment for kitchen mindfulness. Don’t wander away and let the syrup burn: you will have to start over and your pan will be a mess. when the sugar is a deep amber, turn off the heat and swirl in a tablespoon of butter.

heat the oven to 350˚. Line a 9-inch round baking pan with a circle of parchment paper and butter the lot. Pour the caramel into the pan and swirl to coat the bottom.

slice 4 or 5 Seckel pears (or 2 or 3 large pears like Bartlett) thinly; easily done on a mandoline. Lay pears slices in a pretty overlapping pattern in the caramel.

whisk together ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons of flour, 3 heaping tablespoons of hazelnut meal, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt.

separate two eggs: the whites into a big bowl and the yolks into a smaller one. Beat the egg whites until frothy all the way through.

cream together a softened stick of butter and ¾ cup of sugar. Beat in the egg yolks. Grate in an inch or so of fresh ginger. Beat in the dry ingredients alternately with ½ cup of whole milk. Gently fold in the egg whites. Scoop and scrape the batter over the pears, smoothing the top. Pop in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until the cake is golden brown and springy.

let cool for half an hour or so before attempting to remove from the pan. Cut around the sides with a knife and flip onto a plate. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream to be fancy; eat for breakfast as is.

6 cake: country-fresh pear cake

to spare my household another deluge of sugar, i turned to my wholesome stand-by Nikki & David Goldbeck’s American Wholefoods Cuisine: over 1300 meatless wholesome recipes from short order to gourmet (1983). “To have your cake and eat it too,” they explain, “The trick is to make the dessert an integral part of the meal.”

perfectly ripe farm fresh pears in hand and breakfast in mind, the Am Wholefoods’ Country-Fresh Pear Cake recipe answered the call. Just a few luxurious touches like a slab more butter and a crushed almond crust, made it just a twinge more…femme.

draw 2 eggs out of the fridge to warm. Preheat the oven to 350˚ then line and butter a 9 inch round pan. finely chop about a cup of almonds, roasted work fine, to dust the sides and loosely cover the bottom of the pan.

peel, core and chop 4 pears. the recipe calls for 2 pounds; i had 2 large and 2 small pears and that was plenty of pear.

melt 3 tablespoons of butter (one more than our wholesome friends recommend) in a liquid measuring cup then measure in a generous ½ cup of honey and ¼ cup of cream.

beat together—wholeheartedly— the eggs, butter, honey and cream. Add a dash of salt. Sprinkle in ¾ cup whole wheat flour and ¾ cup of cornmeal, through your fingers like you’re making polenta, and fold into the batter. The cornmeal taste and texture compliments the pears yet makes for a denser cake; you can make it as prescribed with all whole wheat flour or lighten it up by using yogurt and adding a teaspoon of baking soda. Fold in the pears.

pour into the pan. Spread to the edges and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. And bake for about 45 minutes. Enjoy warm with vanilla or ginger ice cream if you feel that way about it. Or eat with coffee in the morning.