gateau de Poire

It's that time of year again. Pears! Four cases of these beauties! (yikes)

Actually it feels a touch early to me this year. I thought I usually started this madness in late August - but maybe I am just not remembering correctly. 
The whole 'Pear, Peach, whatever fruit' episodes come about because I have a friend, who has a mother, who works at a job where she gets tons of stone fruit. Every year we are the lucky recipients of whatever she is able to throw our way. Right now it's all about pears and I have been in a frenzy in the kitchen trying to use them up. I've decided to avoid canning this year 
(i know...dumb...) 
(And especially dumb since we all know I will eventually be canning!)
But right now it's been all about cakes and jams.
Here's the favorite so far.

Gateau de Poire - Pear Cake.

I love this cake. 

Maybe because it's not too sweet? Maybe because of that to-die-for that crispy outside edge? Maybe because it's actually pretty quick to make and requires no fancy shmancy ingredients? Or maybe because the fruit choices are somewhat interchangeable depending on what is flooding my kitchen? Whatever it is, I hope you try this one. 

And grab your springform pan.

YOU WILL NEED:

12 tablespoons butter - divided.

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour.

6 firm pears.

1 cup + 2 tablespoons of sugar.

1 tsp baking powder.

1/2 teaspoon salt.

1 lemon - zest and juice.

3 large eggs.

TO DO:

Peel, core and chop 4 of the pears. I like big chunks.

In your stand mixer - place the flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup of the sugar.

Zest the lemon into this mixture and give it a light stir.

Set aside.

In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of the butter.

To this pan add the chopped pears + juice from half of the lemon + the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Medium to medium high heat.

Give it all a good stir and cook about 15 minutes - until the pears have softened but are still firm and until there is almost no liquid left in the pan.

Stir frequently to make sure the guys on the bottom don't get too crispy.

While the pears are cooking, melt the remaining 10 tablespoons of butter and let cool slightly.

Prep your spring form pan. Either butter and flour the inside really well - or use a nonstick spray.

Oven to 350 - middle rack.

Peel and slice the remaining 2 pears.

You need these to make the top all pretty (this is also totally optional)

I only wanted the pieces that were about the same length and pretty for decorating. The pieces from the sides that are too small, I chopped these in half and threw them in with the pears on the stove (no waste)

Use the last half of your lemon over the tops of these pears and give them all a rub - just make sure they are all coated with lemon juice. This helps to keep the fruit from turning yellow/brown ick.

Set aside.

Back to the stand mixer - give all that stuff a good mix. 

Add the eggs. 

Mix well.

Add the melted butter.

Mix just until most is incorporated.

There may be a little butter floating around the edge and that is fine.

Finish mixing the batter by hand.

Time to assemble the cake!

Scoop the cooked pears into your prepared pan.

Pour the batter over the top.

Level it out as best you can.

Arrange your pear slices all around the top.

Skinniest parts of the sliced pears need to be in the center.

Wide part of the pears on the outside edge.

Into the oven this goes for 35 minutes.

Check the center with a toothpick - a little crumb sticking to the toothpick is a good thing.

Remove and let cool for a couple hours IN the springform pan.

Serve with salted caramel sauce (recipe up soon)

Enjoy!

limoncello cakes

Why Limoncello Cakes? Because I was cleaning out the freezer the other day and found this bottle of Limoncello in there.

I also found several other unidentifiable items in ziploc baggies that ended up in the trash. My freezer seems to have become the Bermuda Triangle of unknown food stuffs...some very strange items.
Anyway, I had a recipe for Limoncello Tiramisu I wanted to try - yuck! 
Next on the list was a lemon curd with Limoncello - yuck! 
So I moved on to cake. I found this recipe on the internet and after FOUR batches I am finally happy. FOUR!!! I think the family is done with lemon cakes but they are also happy because it is so delicious!

here you go...


YOU WILL NEED:


11 little ramekins
1 baking sheet tray
non stick food spray 
(don't spray the ramekins until just before you're ready to fill them)


1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar plus 1 teaspoon
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
(you're going to need around 10 total so just keep juicing)
3 tablespoons Limoncello
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract


2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt


couple cups of heavy whipping cream
2 or 3 tablespoons of confectioners sugar
(i don't like it too sweet so i just add sugar until i'm happy with it)
a mixture of your favorite berries


For the glaze:


2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons Limoncello
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
dark chocolate bar for grating over the tops of the cakes


more confectioners sugar for dusting.


TO DO:


oven to 300


zest 1 or 2 lemons
juice 4 or 5 lemons
set aside

cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
add eggs one at a time.
mix well then add the canola oil.
turn mixer up to medium high and mix really well.
turn mixer back down to low and add the yogurt then lemon zest.
slowly add the lemon juice and Limoncello.
add the vanilla extract.
turn mixer to high for about 15 seconds then back to low.
make sure there are no lumps.


in a separate bowl whisk together all the remaining dry ingredients.
slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
mix only until incorporated then turn mixer off.
continue to mix by hand making sure there are no lumps again.


now spray all the ramekins.
evenly fill each dish with the batter.
smooth out the tops with the back of a spoon.

i know this photo only shows 9 but you really want 11 cups.


into the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
tops should be light golden brown.

while the cakes are baking wash the stand mixer bowl because you're going to need it for the whipped cream (unless you have an extra one)
using a spoon or a small whisk mix together the glaze ingredients (confectioners sugar, lemon juice and Limoncello)
make sure this mixture is completely smooth.

now the tricky part.
while the cakes are still hot you need to get them out of the ramekins and onto a cooling rack for glazing.
sorry there is no photo here.
first run a very sharp knife all around the insides of the dishes.
now i'm right handed so i'm wearing an oven mitt on my left hand and have a pair of rubber tongs in my right hand.
using the tongs i get the ramekin into my left hand - hold firmly - over the cooling rack i flip it over - and the cake should just slide right out.
(how's that for the worst tutorial ever?)


glaze - the idea here is to make sure there is glaze running down the sides of each cake.

use all the glaze.
let cakes cool.


make the whipping cream.


FINALLY it is time to put the whole thing together (or you could eat it just like this with a spoonful of whipped cream on top - pretty great either way)
But in case you want to put the whole thing over the edge,
put a dollop of whipped cream on a small plate - this will help to keep your cake from sliding all over the place.
then a cake.
then grate chocolate all over the top.
add a good spoonful of whipping cream.
add some fresh berries.
dust with confectioners sugar.
serve.

Chocolate Hazelnut meringue cookies

I made this cake
























Nine inch disks of rich meringue - morsels of chocolate and hazelnut in every bite - layered with homemade whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings. The combination of flavors was fantastic!

Then I tried to cut this cake

























Yes - that is the hand of my then 5 year old. As you can see slicing this cake was a bit of a challenge. After attempting to slice a second piece it looked like this




Needless to say, I needed to make some adjustments.

I decided to make the cake into cookies and hope for the best. Maybe the cookies would be a bit more user friendly and still present as beautifully as the cake did (the cake no-one could touch)

 For the cookies YOU WILL NEED:

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts - toasted and chopped (do this part first and then set aside until ready to use)

6 large egg whites - at room temperature

dash of salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup mini chocolate chips (use the mini - do not use the regular size - it makes a difference)

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (around half a cup worked out fine)

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

dark or bittersweet chocolate for shaving



TO DO:

In the bowl of a standing mixer (use the whisk attachment) beat the egg whites with a dash of salt until you get soft peaks - while waiting for this melt the 6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate then set aside - Slowly add the sugar into the egg white mixture until you get stiff peaks. Add the vanilla extract and give everything a quick mix again. Now fold in the hazelnuts that you already toasted and chopped and have let cool. Then pour the melted chocolate down a side of the bowl and carefully fold it into the egg white mixture.



























Give everything a light stir - just enough to get some pretty color going throughout the mix.

Do drops of about a tablespoon size of meringue mixture - enough to fill the cookie sheet since they do not spread very much


























Bake at 200 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Then let cool in the oven for another hour or so. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes.




In the meantime make the whipped cream and mix with dark chocolate shavings (this is the 3 cups of heavy whipping cream and a 1/3 cup of confectioners sugar)









Serve the cookies with a small bowl of the cream on the side for dipping - maybe add some more chocolate to the top of the whipped cream (why not?)  Delicious.

Pound Cake and Berry Compote

I did make this pound cake. But honestly, I think one purchased from your local bakery will work just fine.



I probably should not call this a compote since I skipped the whole step of making the simple syrup and adding vanilla or any other flavorings. This is basically a cup and a half of fresh berries - zest from 1 lemon and juice from half the lemon - then 1 tablespoon of sugar (more or less depending on your tastes) Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook on low heat just until the liquid looks syrupy (I think thats a word?) Immediately remove from heat - pour over a slice of pound cake - add whipped cream (I forgot that part) serve immediately.

Quick and tasty

Fresh Lemon Cake

I think the scent of fresh lemons is one of my favorites. Whether baking, adding to fresh pasta or even in soap, it is always lovely. This cake has a lot of steps - I seem to need and use every measuring cup I own - but is worth it in the end. Tart and sweet all at the same time. But not heavy and overpowering with lemon taste. Always a great aroma in the kitchen and always a hit at whatever party it attends.


YOU WILL NEED:


2 sticks butter (room temperature)
2 cups sugar for the cake
3/4 cup sugar for syrup
4 large eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup grated lemon zest (5 to 8 lemons - save these - you will need the juice)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice for the cake
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice for the syrup
3/4 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract




TO DO:


Oven to 350


Prepare the baking pans - 2 - 9inch rounds if you have(or 1 - 9inch round and 1 9inch square which is what I have) Grease and flour well or use a non-stick spray
Break the eggs into a measuring cup (or some other cup like container) Set aside. Zest and juice the lemons according to needed measurements. Pour the buttermilk into another measuring cup then add 1/4 cup lemon juice and vanilla - stir and set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter and the 2 cups sugar in the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until white and fluffy - maybe 5 minutes on medium speed.  Add the eggs one at a time.  Add the lemon zest. Stop and scrape the sides of the mixer bowl with a rubber spatula and scrape the zest off the paddle. Mix another 30 seconds then turn mixer to low and add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately. Mix just until incorporated. Divide evenly between the pans and bake 40 minutes - check with a toothpick or cake tester - bake additional time as needed. Mine are usually done at 40 minutes but I know my oven runs a bit hot.


Cook 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice over low heat stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.


When the cakes are done cool for 10 minutes, cover with a plate then flip over. Cake should fall right out. I usually flip the cake again so the 'pretty' side is on the top (you can use another plate or like me, just use my left hand covered with an oven mitt then slide it back onto the original plate - and yes - there were several disasters the first few times - I learned the 10 minute cooling time is crucial)
Spoon lemon sugar syrup over cakes then allow to cool
Can keep covered with saran wrap at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.