Chocolate Almond Sherry Cake With Caramelized Pears Recipes

Steps:

• To prepare the cake
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of a buttered 8-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep) with a round of foil and butter foil.
• In a food processor grind almonds fine with 1/4 cup sugar. Add chocolate and, pulsing motor, chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks with 1/4 cup remaining sugar until thick and pale and stir in almond mixture. (Mixture will be very stiff.)
• In a large bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites with salt until just stiff. Stir one third whites into almond mixture to lighten it and fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Pour batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. let cake cool in pan on a rack about 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl stir together orange juice, Sherry, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until sugar is dissolved. With a skewer poke holes evenly in top of cake and spoon juice mixture evenly over cake.
• Let cake cool completely. Run knife around edge of pan and invert cake onto plate (discard foil). Cake keeps, wrapped and chilled, 5 days.
• To prepare the sauce
• In a small saucepan heat half-and-half over moderate heat until it barely simmers. In a small bowl whisk together yolk, sugar, Sherry, and a pinch of salt.
• Whisk 1/4 cup half-and-half into yolk mixture to temper it and pour yolk mixture into remaining half-and-half, whisking.
• Cook sauce over moderate heat, whisking, until thickened (160°F. on a candy thermometer), about 3 minutes, being careful not to let it boil. Transfer sauce to a small pitcher and chill, covered partially, at least 30 minutes. Sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 2 days. Makes about 2/3 cups.
• To prepare the pears
• Cut pear (unpeeled) into eights and trim core. In a heavy 8-inch skillet heat butter over moderately high heat until melted and foamy. Add pear wedges and sauté 1 minute on each side. Sprinkle sugar over pear wedges and sauté, turning a few times, until sugar is caramelized and pear is tender, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Serve cake at room temperature with Sherry custard sauce and caramelized pears.

Steps:

• Butter a 9-inch round baking pan.
• To make the fruit topping, put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan (one with a tight-fitting lid) and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then cover and cook for 2 minutes. (Covering in this way allows the steam to wash down the sides of pan, which will prevent any sugar crystals from forming.) Uncover the saucepan and continue to boil the sugar, gently and slowly swirling the pan as needed to cook the caramel evenly, until it becomes a dark amber color. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow it to harden. The pan will be very hot from the sugar, so take care in moving it if you need to. Fan the pear slices on top of the caramel in a circle around the perimeter, filling in the center with the remaining slices.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• To make the cake, place the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and melt, stirring occasionally. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Transfer the melted chocolate to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake bounces back slightly when touched. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a plate, leaving the pan on top of the cake for 5 minutes before you remove it. Serve the cake warm, topped with a small dollop of Chantilly cream or a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
• Storage: Wrapped in plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.