This week there was a chill in the air as I headed to the market. It’s the first hint of fall. I’ve been thinking about making a pear upside down cake all week. Well I lucked out this week because I found the first Bartlett pears of the season. So I’m off to the kitchen to whip up some magic.
This cake has a great savory taste and a delicate crumb. This cake combines all of my favorite flavors into a truly satisfying dessert. The nice thing about this cake is that is perfect for after dinner, the next morning for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but I wouldn’t count on it lasting that long.
¾ C unsalted butter
2 bartlett pear, cored and cut into ¼” slices
1 ¼ C sugar
1 C hazelnuts, toasted and chopped.
1T thyme
1/3 C bourbon
½ C brown sugar
3 eggs
1T vanilla
11/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 C flour
3/4C plain yogurt
Preheat oven to 350.
In a buttered 9” cake pan arrange the pear slices in a pattern and set aside.
In a 10” pan (no non stick) bring the1 cup sugar and ½ cup water to a boil. Lower the temperature to simmer and let it boil away until it turns to a nice caramel golden color. Stir in half of the nuts, thyme and salt. With the pan off the heat stir in the bourbon. Pour over the pears.
Cream the butter, brown sugar and the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour and the yogurt. Stir in the remaining hazelnuts. Spoon the thick batter over the pears and bake for 45 minutes. When it’s done let it rest for a couple of minutes and flip it onto a cake platter.
2 comments:
The pears look great! We actually just harvested the first crop of pears from our backyard trees and the resulting pear cobbler my mother-inlaw made for us was fantastic.
I noticed that huckleberries were also finally available at the local farmers market. We usually make crepes filled with huckleberries and soft whipped cream, which is fantastic, but I have never tried them in other ways. Any suggetions on what to do with them?
Sorry I've been out of town this week so I didn't get a chance to reply. After I got back from Las Vegas I headed straight for the Mountain. I was hoping that I would find some Huckleberries when I was up there, but no luck. But I've been thinking about what I wanted to do with them all week.
My first thought is this... The two things I love most about Huckleberries are their tart flavor and their lovely plump texture when they are fresh. So I would try to take advantage of both. Once again I'm gong to be out of town this weekend so I wont be able to get them at the market, but if I can still find them the second week in October I promise I’ll make something with them and blog about it.
Here is a list of the things I’m thinking of making:
Goat cheese tart with Huckleberries baked in the goat cheese. I really think the plain tangy goat cheese will pair nicely with the huckleberries.
The second dessert I’m thinking of is Swedish cream with huckleberry coulis. Swedish cream is kind of like a panna catta and I have a great technique for making a spectacular huckleberry sauce that I can't wait to share with everyone.
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