I made this cake the other day and found it to be utterly delicious! It's fresh and sweet, but not too sweet. The cake does not rise particularly high; when baked it is maybe 2 inches tall. The recipe is written in weights, so you'll need a metric scale to measure everything out. If you don't own a scale, I highly recommend you buy one if you plan to do much baking in your life. I find it an indispensible tool.
Melissa of melissamakesbread.com, a professional baker in the Catskills, recommends this pear cake be made with Devoe pears, an heirloom variety of pear, and one of our pear selections this week. These pears are aptly described by her as having "long narrow neck[s] and tight, juicy, honey-flavored flesh." The cake looks amazing!
Ilene Rosen’s Maple Butter Baked Seckel Pears
From NY Magazine
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup (preferably grade B or dark amber)
6 to 10 medium to larger-size seckel pears, stems on
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut pears in half lengthwise.
Brown butter in a small saucepan, and combine in bowl with the maple syrup. Mix well.
Toss pears in bowl to coat with mixture, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
This is a wonderfully simple version of ratatouille, from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables.
Ratatouille
1 large eggplant
salt
3 onions
3 rd bell peppers
4 summer squashes
5 tomatoes
6-12 cloves garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
optional: hot pepper flakes
1 large bunch of basil
Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch cutes. Salt it liberally and leave it to drain in a colander
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 small head red cabbage, cored and shredded
Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and soy sauce in a bowl. Place the shredded cabbage in a separate bowl. Pour balsamic vinegar mixture over the cabbage, and toss to coat.
Thanks to the Prarieland CSA in Champaign/Urbana, IL for this delicious sounding recipe.
Kohlrabi Gratin
4-6 kohlrabi with leaves
1 T butter or olive oil
1 clove garlic
2-3 T sliced green or bulb onion
3-4 c stock
3-4 T flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces sharp cheddar or other strong cheese, grated
In honor of our first basil share this week, I've decided to focus on pesto. This is the best time of year for basil, and what better way to use it than making pesto? I have been making this amazing concoction for many years, but only this year have I learned to make really good pesto.
In honor of our first basil share this week, I've decided to focus on pesto. This is the best time of year for basil, and what better way to use it than making pesto? I have been making this amazing concoction for many years, but only this year have I learned to make really good pesto.