The Saturday Pear Cake
The quote, “a pear is never better than just before it goes bad” is from Mimi Thorrison’s recent book, French Country Cooking – a book I am paging through slowly and absorbing every word, recipe and sentiment of, up into my pores. To me, her life is idyllic – she lives in a gorgeous part of France, Medoc, has an eye for great and beautiful things, and whiles away her hours cooking, baking, playing with her kids and dogs, meeting and greeting all her old-fashioned neighbors, decorating her home (she fell in love with a broken-down old manse and sensed a connection to a previous occupant and cook) and having the whole experience expertly photographed by her husband, Oddur.
I’m not sure why God made January. It always seems like the most forlorn month of the year. It goes on forever, there’s little to look forward to and unless you are lucky enough to escape to some far off warm, sunny and sandy island, you’re bound to be searching around from something to keep your mind occupied. Of course, there’s always the temptation to cook and eat yourself into oblivion, but I digress.
And so, January for me, is usually a month for dreaming. And, reading. And, looking at pictures in other people’s books. And, looking at seed catalogs and garden photos. I always save my favorite pile of new books for this time of year when we can often be stuck in the house due to cold and bad weather.
This January, I have a pile of gorgeous books that I am indulging in. Cecil Beaton at Home, Paolo Moschino’s Signature Spaces, The Strawberry – History, Breeding and Physiology by George Darrow and The French Chef in America – Julia Child’s Second Act by Alex Prud’homme are in my current pile.
Mimi’s quote stuck in my head the other day after finding some near-the-end bosc pears in my fruit bowl. First, on the spur of the moment, I imagined-up my new favorite vinaigrette, the Pear, Ginger, Parsley and Lime vinaigrette in my Wednesday post (https://kitchen-inspirational.com/2017/01/25/just-everythings-getting-old-spinach-salad-chicken-avocado-pear-toasted-pecans-pear-ginger-parsley-lime-vinaigrette/). I then kept in the back of my mind those 3 other bosc pears I had on hand that were inching toward oblivion.
not your most physically beautiful specimens, but oh so fragrant and juicy – and they fit Mimi’s specifications precisely!
Today, I finally got the chance to use them up. Each pear was in the exact perfect state that Mimi noted – just before it goes bad. Here is my adaptation of her Everyday Pear Cake.
Saturday Pear Cake – adapted from Mimi Thorrison
3 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp finely grated nutmeg
1 rounded tbsp fresh grated ginger root
zest of 1/2 highly-fragrant tangelo (or navel orange) – about 1 rounded tsp
6 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ripe bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/8″ slices
muscavado sugar – for dusting the pan and for topping the pears
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9″ springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper. Sprinkle muscavado sugar over the bottom and sides of pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and tangelo zest.
In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the ginger root and blend. With the mixer on low, gradually blend in the flour mixture, just until the flour barely disappears. Mix in the vanilla extract and butter and blend just until mixed in.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and run a rubber spatula around the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the flour is all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Arrange the pear slices in a circle with narrow edges toward the center. Fill in the center with small cut pieces. Sprinkle muscavado sugar over all.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove the collar of the springform pan (do not run a knife around) and cool the cake completely.
Serve the cake with a dollop of creme fraiche with a spritz of Pear Brandy and sprinkle some chopped hazelnuts over if you’d like.
Before I sign off here, I’d like to wish one of my favorite role models ever, Sylvia Weinstock, a very Happy 87th Birthday!!!!!!! Sylvia continues to thrive in her iconic specialty cake business in New York City, seems oblivious to her years and is dedicated to the creative art that keeps her engaged, stimulated and happy. I hope to emulate her in some (any) small way, by blowing through the decades to come, having fun – cooking, baking, traveling, writing, snapping photos, chasing bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and on and on! Thank you Sylvia for all of your inspiration! I love you!
Enjoy!
