Pear Cake With Grappa Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Make pear cake: Preheat oven to 350 and lightly butter and flour an 8 1/2" springform pan, knocking out excess flour.
• In a bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon and baking powder.
• In another bowl, with an electric mixer beat together butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour misture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until it is just combined after each addition. Stir in grappa.
• Peel and core pears; cut into 1/2" dice. Fold pears, raisins or prunes and pine nuts into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle top with remaining tablespoons sugar. Bake cake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it, 45 - 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack and remove side of pan.
• Make grappa sauce: In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together eggs, sugar and cinnamon until thick and pale. In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt butter and stir in egg mixture. Cook sauce, stirring constantly, until it is thickened and registers 165F on a candy thermometer (c. 7 min). Remove bowl from pan; stir in cream and grappa. Serve cake with warm sauce.

Steps:

• In a medium Dutch oven, combine the grappa, sugar, orange zest, salt, red pepper flakes, cloves, peppercorns, rosemary and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar; cook for 5 minutes. Carefully place the pears halves, cut-side down, in the poaching liquid. Cover with a piece of parchment pressed directly to the surface of the liquid, and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pears to cool in the liquid for 5 minutes. Then remove the pears with a slotted spoon to a plate to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Cut each pear half into 4 wedges. Gather a few leaves of arugula and bundle them together with a pear wedge. Lay the bundle on one end of a piece of speck and roll up to enclose; secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining pears, arugula and speck.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, spread granulated sugar in an even layer. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until sugar around edge of pan melts and begins to turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir until all sugar has melted and mixture is translucent and golden.
• Add pear chunks to caramel, and stir to coat. Cook, covered, over low heat until very soft, 6 to 8 minutes, swirling pan occasionally. Using a potato masher, mash pears until they are broken down but still slightly chunky. Continue cooking, uncovered, 5 minutes more, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch (12-cup capacity) Bundt pan, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, baking soda, pepper, and nutmeg; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. With mixer on the lowest speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour. Add reserved pear sauce and mix to combine, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Do not overmix.
• Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth with a small offset spatula. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until cake is a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Invert cake onto a wire rack set over a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool 10 minutes. Once cool, pour the glaze over the top, letting some drip down the sides. Alternatively, dust with confectioners' sugar. Garnish with pear chips, if using.