Spicy Caramel Pear Ice Cream

A few weeks ago I wrote about some Spicy Caramel Pears from David Lebovitz that I paired with chocolate cake.  The pears are baked in an intoxicating sauce of butter and brown sugar along with a warm complement of cognac or brandy.  There's also a healthy dose of cinnamon, cloves, star anise and pepper for lots of depth and complexity.  Once they're baked to a soft and juicy texture, the sauce is finished with a splash of cream to give it a touch of luxury.  It's a great aromatic pear dessert made even better when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I always find the transition between seasons to be sort of slow pokey.  It takes me a while to shift from one set of seasonal pastry and dessert ideas and ingredients to the next.  But with each successive visit to the markets I start to shift gears.  And since pears are the fruit of the moment and I happen to really love pears, I decided to re-visit David's easy and delicious recipe and turn the baked pears into this spicy caramel pear ice cream.  And it was ridiculously easy to do!  I simply took the baked pears and the sauce and pureed them in my trusty food processor.  Then I added more cream, a balance of milk, some lemon juice and a good pinch of salt.  The result of this little excursion is some really good ice cream and a house that smells incredible with the warm spices of the season.  It's another good way to enjoy David's inspired pear dessert and definitely make the shift to fall.

Bench notes:
- Pears should be ripe but firm so they'll be tender and juicy for perfect flavor and texture.
- Depending on the size of your pears and the amount of the resulting puree, add the cream and milk, lemon juice and salt to your own taste.
- You can certainly make this all in one day but I did it in three stages.  I first baked the pears and let them sit overnight with the sauce to encourage the spices to flourish.  The next day, I pureed the pears with the sauce and added the remaining ingredients.  I let that chill overnight.  The next day I churned the ice cream.



Spicy Caramel Pear Ice Cream
Makes about 1 1/2 - 2 pints

Spicy Caramel Pears
adapted from Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz

2 oz (4 T) butter
1/2 C light or dark brown sugar, packed [I like dark]
15 whole cloves
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 t black peppercorns
1/4 C Cognac, brandy or rum [I used rum]
4 pears, Comice or Bosc [I used D'Anjou]
1/4 C heavy cream

For the Ice Cream
1 1/2 C - 2 C heavy cream, to taste
1/2 C - 1 C milk, to taste
2 t lemon juice, to taste
pinch salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Choose a baking dish large enough to hold the sliced pears in a single layer.

Cut the butter into small pieces and place it in the baking dish with the brown sugar.  Set the dish in the oven for a few minutes until the butter is melted.  Crush the whole spices by placing them in a plastic bag and pounding with a rolling pin.  Peel and core the pears and cut them into quarters.

Remove the dish from the oven and add the crushed spices and liquor.  Stir to combine all the ingredients.  Add the pears and toss everything together to coat the fruit.  Arrange pears in a single layer.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 - 45 minutes, depending on the size and firmness of your pears.  The pears should be easily pierced with a knife but not mushy.  Stir and baste them a couple of times during baking so they're evenly coated with the sauce.

Remove the pears from the oven and lift them out of the cooking liquid and onto a plate to cool.  Scrape all the juices and spices from the baking dish into a saute pan.  Add 1/4 cup cream and cook over medium heat until the mixture turns a deep color, thickens and caramelizes.  Strain the finished sauce into the bowl of a food processor and let it cool.

Add the pears to the food processor and process with the sauce until you have a smooth puree.  Pour into a bowl and whisk in the cream and milk to taste, depending on how much puree you have and how you want to balance the richness.  Then add lemon juice and salt to taste.  Start with the lower end of suggested amounts and keep adding and adjusting these last ingredients until you have the right strength of flavor and a balance of sweet, fat (mouthfeel determined by the ratio of cream and milk) and brightness (lemon juice and salt).  Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze according to your ice cream machine's instructions.  Pour into a clean airtight container, press a piece of plastic wrap into the surface, cover and place in your freezer to firm up.

Whole Wheat Apple Spice Cake

With the onset of fall, this is the season for apples and spice.  It also feels like a good time to invite the wholesome goodness of whole wheat flour.  With a chill in the air and evenings soon scheduled to arrive a bit earlier, there's plenty of reason to warm up the kitchen with the scent of a spice cake baking in the oven.

Baking with whole wheat flour isn't what it used to be.  With access to better quality flour and more balanced ingredient ratios found in today's recipes, whole wheat pastries no longer suffer from being too heavy, too dense and too dry.  And that means the flavor is much improved as well.

Thankfully, apple cakes have many lives.  There are so many great versions and traditions to choose from.  Here the apples are baked in familiar upside down fashion with brown sugar.  Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and molasses lend character and complexity to the cake batter along with the flour.  This is one way to welcome the oncoming fall harvest.  If you're like me, there can never be too many apple cakes.



Bench notes:
- I used Fuji apples.
- The ground wheat germ in whole wheat flour contains oil that can become rancid over time.  Whole wheat flour will keep 1 - 3 months at room temperature.  For longer storage, place it in an airtight container or freezer bag in your refrigerator.  It will maintain good quality for about 6 months in the refrigerator and up to 12 months in the freezer.  If you store it in the freezer, bring it to room temperature before use.  The very cold temperature of frozen flour will discourage the baking properties of yeast or baking powder.
- I like King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour for its superb flavor and easy availability.  It's milled from the hard red spring wheat of the northern Great Plains and uses 100% of the wheat berry, which provides the full flavor and nutrients of the bran and the wheat germ.  I think it's the best of its kind.
- Now is a good time to take stock of your spice collection.  Check to see if you have everything you need for holiday baking and whether your spices are fresh.



Whole Wheat Apple Spice Cake
Serves 8 - 10

2 apples
1/4 C dark brown sugar, packed
pinch cinnamon

1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t allspice
pinch nutmeg
1/2 C canola oil
3/4 C dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 C molasses
2 eggs @ room temperature
1 t vanilla
1/2 C buttermilk @ room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9" x 2 1/2" cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.

Peel, core and cut apples into 1/2" slices.  Place in a bowl and toss with the brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.  Set aside.

Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together.

Whisk the oil, brown sugar, molasses, eggs and vanilla together until thoroughly blended.  Add a third of the flour mixture alternately with half the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.  Mix until completely combined and there are no streaks of flour.

Arrange the apples in the prepared pan along with their juices.  Pour the cake batter evenly on top of the apples and gently tap the bottom of the pan on the work surface to release any air bubbles.

Bake 28 - 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake.  Place a platter on top and invert the cake.  Carefully remove the parchment and cool completely.

Buckwheat Shortcakes

Today is officially the last day of summer.  So what else could I do but whip up a fresh batch of shortcakes?  But not just any old shortcake for this occasion.  For something unusual and delectable, I baked these Buckwheat Shortcakes from Alice Medrich.  They're tender little cream scones that are wonderfully light and flavorful.

Shortcakes are incredibly easy to make and quick to bake.  This recipe has the perfect balance between all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, sugar and salt.  With a delicious light note of buckwheat flavor, they go well with acidic fresh fruits of the season.  And although the recipe calls for strawberries, I had some blueberry and plum compote waiting for companionship and I think this pairing is terrific.  And I bet fresh peaches or figs would also be really incredible.  So tuck this recipe away for the next time you have some of these fresh fruits on hand.  You'll be very pleased to have this unusually delicious shortcake in your repertoire.



Bench notes:
- Medrich recommends lining the baking pan with two layers of parchment to protect the bottom of the shortcakes from browning too much.  Or you can double stack two baking sheets.
- My shortcakes were done in 12 minutes so be sure to check on the early side.
- I buy small quantities of buckwheat flour at my local bulk market.  It has a higher fat content so it's likely to go rancid in large quantities.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before use.
- For a blueberry compote: Place 1 1/2 C fresh blueberries, 2 T - 2 1/2 T sugar (to taste), 1 1/2 T water and a pinch of cinnamon in a saucepan and simmer on low heat for 2 - 3 minutes.  Dissolve 3/4 t cornstarch + 3/4 t cold water and stir into the blueberries along with 3/4 t lemon juice.  Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes, stirring to keep from scorching.  Set aside to cool and thicken.  Toss in a couple of sliced plums for variation.
- For another delicious fall and winter shortcake, try Gingerbread Shortcake with Pears.



Buckwheat Shortcakes
adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

Shortcakes
1 C + 2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 C + 2 T buckwheat flour
1/4 C sugar
1 3/4 t baking powder
3/8 t salt
1 C heavy cream

Filling
2 - 2 1/2 pints fresh ripe strawberries
1 T - 2 T sugar, to taste
1 1/4 C heavy cream
1 T sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with two layers of parchment.

Sift the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl.  Make a well in the center and pour in the cream.  Using a rubber spatula, push the dry ingredients into the well with a folding motion just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  The dough will look a bit shaggy.  Gather and press the dough into a cohesive ball and turn out onto a floured surface.  Pat dough into a 6" x 6" square that is 3/4" thick.  Using a sharp knife and a quick up and down motion, cut into 9 squares.  Place them 1" apart on prepared baking sheet.  Brush with cream or milk and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake until golden brown, 12 - 15 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

For assembly, hull and slice the strawberries and toss with 1 - 2 T sugar, to taste.  Whip the heavy cream with 1 T sugar until it forms very soft peaks.  Slice each shortcake in half and place bottom half on a plate.  Spoon a generous amount of berries and a dollop of whipped cream.  Cover with top half of the biscuit and serve.  

Warm Double Chocolate Brownie Cakes

Whenever you bake recipes from Emily Luchetti, you can pretty much bet you're in for a full treat. Everything she does has the right balance of ingredients, clear instructions and straightforward preparation. She also clearly has a fondness for chocolate and today's dessert focuses on her easy recipe for dessert brownies.

This is a brownie on the cakey side of the spectrum. The batter is baked in a muffin tin so the edges end up chewy like a brownie while the interior has a soft open crumb. There's melted chocolate that gets folded into the batter. There's also some cocoa powder to steel each bite with extra deep chocolate flavor. And then there's more chopped chocolate added to the batter that melts into the cake. It's definitely a triple threat. Served alongside your favorite ice cream, this is a good dose of pleasure for chocolate aficionados.

Bench notes:

- The eggs and sugar are beaten to the ribbon stage, which takes about 5 - 6 minutes on a stand mixer. This process aerates the batter and ensures the sugar is dissolved to avoid graininess. When you think you've reached the ribbon stage, lift the beater about 6" and let the ribbons of batter fall to the surface. If they hold for a second, it's ready.

- My cakes were done in 18 minutes. To avoid over baking and having them come out too dry, check yours early to see how they're doing. A toothpick inserted should come out with moist crumbs.

- I used semisweet chocolate, natural undutched cocoa and a scant 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

- The brownie cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Warm Double Chocolate Brownie Cakes

adapted from Emily Luchetti for Food and Wine

Makes 8 cakes

5 oz butter

5 oz milk chocolate, chopped

3 T cake flour

1/3 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C cocoa powder

1/2 t salt

2 eggs

3/4 C sugar

1/2 t vanilla

vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 8 cups in a standard-sized muffin pan with butter and flour.

Melt butter in a saucepan and take off the heat. Add 1/5 (1 oz) of the chopped chocolate and whisk until melted. Cool slightly.

Whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder and salt.

Beat eggs with the sugar until pale and thick and the mixture ribbons when you lift the whisk, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Beat in the melted chocolate and butter and then add the dry ingredients in three additions, scraping down the bowl. Stir in remaining chopped chocolate.

Portion the cake batter into prepared muffin cups and bake for about 22 minutes or until cakes are risen and spring back when lightly touched. Cool cakes in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack. Serve warm with ice cream.

Yogurt Cake with Strawberries & Zabaglione

If you've ever had a slice of authentic Tiramisu, you know quite well the dreamy deliciousness of Italian zabaglione. It's a dessert cream made with sweet Marsala, sugar and egg yolks and it's sublime. Layered with a light cake that has been imbibed with the buzz of coffee or espresso, it transforms into a heavenly dessert. So heavenly in fact, it's been a widely beloved dessert in America for years.

Zabaglione, or sabayon as it's known in France, is made by gently whisking the ingredients over a water bath until it thickens into a foamy light custard. Once it's cooled, it's folded with whipped cream to add another layer of lusciousness. It's pretty easy to prepare, takes just a few minutes and is a perfect complement for the bright juicy acidity of fresh strawberries. And it's a surprisingly light dessert cream given the ingredients.

As we move rapidly toward the fall season, we are seeing less and less of all the fruit that makes pastry so beautiful in the spring and summer. But if you happen to have the company of some delicious strawberries to revere, consider this lofty pairing. Add a slice of Yogurt Cake and it's a perfect comfort to welcome the season ahead.

Bench notes:

- I like olive oil in this cake but canola can certainly be substituted.

- Letting cake cool for 10 minutes after removing from the oven and before depanning ensures that it's cool enough not to be too fragile but still warm enough to release from the pan with relative ease.

- Marsala is a wine produced in Marsala, Sicily. Use a sweet Marsala for desserts rather than dry Marsala, which is used in savory dishes such as Chicken Marsala.

- For lighter fare, skip the cake. The fruit and the zabaglione are a feast.

Yogurt Cake with Strawberries & Zabaglione

Serves 8

1 1/2 C flour

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 C olive oil

1 C sugar

3 eggs

zest of 1 large lemon

3/4 C plain yogurt

1/2 t vanilla

2 pints fresh strawberries

4 egg yolks

1/4 C sugar

1/2 C sweet Marsala

1/2 C heavy cream

For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9" x 2 1/2" cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the olive oil, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, yogurt and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Cool cake for 10 minutes. Invert it and gently peel off the parchment. Revert it again and place right side up on a wire rack to cool completely.

When ready to serve, hull and slice the strawberries and set aside.

For the zabaglione, place the egg yolks, sugar and Marsala in a heatproof bowl and set over a water bath of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk constantly, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, and cook about 5 - 7 minutes until the mixture is thickened, expanded in volume, opaque and slightly foamy. Remove from heat and continue whisking for another minute to blend thoroughly. Set aside to cool.

Whip heavy cream to soft peak and fold into the cooled zabaglione. Place a slice of cake on a plate, distribute the sliced strawberries and garnish with a dollop of zabaglione. Serve immediately.

Peach Pecan Galette

A couple of winters ago I made a very delicious Cranberry Walnut Crostata from a recipe by Marcel Desaulniers by way of Rose Levy Berenbaum in her Pie and Pastry Bible. I loved the dough because it was the first time I worked with a nut pastry without having to struggle to roll it out. It has just the right ratio of ingredients to make it supple and easy to handle.

When I bought what will likely be some of the last gorgeous peaches of the summer, I thought it would be fun to try that dough again. And since peaches often seem to evoke the south as do pecans, I decided to switch out the walnuts in the pastry dough for pecans.

If you're lucky enough to possess some juicy sunset glow peaches, you may want to celebrate them in simple style with this rustic galette. It's pretty easy to make and even easier to enjoy. Not too sweet, not too rich - just right for a light and delicious close to an end-of-summer soiree.

Bench notes:

- Lightly toast the pecans in a 350 degree oven for about 8 - 10 minutes or until they just start to give off a light toasty aroma.

- The pastry dough has less sugar and less butter to make it less fragile. The pecans in the pastry dough should be finely ground with the flour to making handling and rolling out the dough effortless.

- Berenbaum advises against substituting almonds (too hard) or pistachios (too soft) for the nuts in the dough.

- You don't need a lot of extra flour to roll out the pastry, just enough so it isn't sticking to the rolling pin or the parchment. Use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour remaining on the surface of the pastry before you add the fruit.

Peach Pecan Galette

pastry dough adapted from Desserts to Die For by Marcel Desaulniers and Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum

Serves 6 - 8

1/2 C (about 2 oz) pecans, toasted

1 T + 1 t sugar, divided

pinch of cinnamon

1 C flour

1/4 t salt

2 oz (4 T) cold butter, cut into pieces

1 egg yolk

3 T ice water

2 large or 3 medium fresh peaches

2 1/2 T granulated or brown sugar

1 T flour

Egg wash

1 egg

1 T water

few grains of salt

Subtract 2 tablespoons of pecans from the 1/2 cup. Chop them into small pieces and combine with the 1 tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Set aside as a garnish to sprinkle on top of the edges of the formed pastry just before baking.

For the pastry, place the flour, 1 teaspoon of sugar and remaining pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground into the flour mixture. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse until the texture looks like coarse meal with a few larger pieces of butter. Whisk together egg yolk and ice water. Add to dough mixture and pulse until dough begins to come together in clumps and there are no dry flour patches.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic, bring it all together and form into a disc. Wrap tightly and chill for 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.

When ready to assemble, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour. Roll into a 14" circle, using a light dusting of flour as you go to prevent sticking. Slide the rolled dough and the parchment paper onto a baking sheet or pizza pan. Chill while you prepare the filling.

Cut the peaches into wedges and toss with the sugar and flour until all the pieces are evenly coated. Arrange them on the dough leaving a 1 3/4 " border around the edge. Fold the border of dough over the filling, tucking and pleating in places where needed. Refrigerate until your oven is ready.

For the egg wash, whisk together the egg, water and salt until fully blended. Brush the border of pastry lightly with egg wash (you only need a bit) and sprinkle with the reserved 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans and sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake for 28 - 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool for at least 15 minutes on a wire rack.