Mom's Chocolate Pear Upside Down Cake

Tradition [truh-dish-uh n] noun : 1. the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction 2. characteristic manner, method, or style


I've been struggling with this post, which is why it has taken so long to arrive in this space.  I keep sitting down to write and coming up blank.  I love this recipe, I love its origins and what it has become.  So what's the problem?  And what does that have to do with the definition of tradition that I wrote above?  Both valid questions.

The thing is, I really don't know.  I can guess, sure, but it's not clear to me yet what the block is about.  Too many things to list here, I suppose- maybe in a future post.  Probably all boiling down to life, kids, responsibilities.  You know, the stuff that distracts from really living fully.  Buuuuut...... I try not to make this blog a personal diary so much as an exploration of the thoughts that run though my day with enough frequency to make them relevant.  It's not a true confessions page though.  So lets keep it lighter, shall we?  

In the meantime I'm trying to overcome my blogging block by going back to my roots.  Which always leads me to my Mom.  Hence the nod to tradition referenced earlier.  The cake I'm offering up today is one of those cakes that I can remember her making since I was a small child.  She grabbed the recipe from a magazine long ago and it was one of those total 70s recipes.  Canned fruit, maraschino cherries, you know the kind.  She did away with the cherries from the start but pretty much stuck to the recipe otherwise.  I thought I might take it a step further (and kick tradition to the curb, if you will) and modernize it just a bit more.  So gone is the can of sugar-laden fruit; replaced instead by gently poached pears who's poaching liquid is also used to make the caramel-ly goodness that is characteristic of an upside down cake.  It's a nod to tradition without being strictly traditional.  And maybe just the thing to kick my blogging butt out of its funk.

Chocolate Pear Upside Down Cake
Makes 1 8x8 inch square or 9 inch round cake.
For the printable recipe, click here.

This update of my Mom's classic is enhanced with poached pears but its still a simple cake at heart.  If you don't have time to poach your own pears, by all means use pears canned in their juices (not in syrup!).  The recipe has pecans in the ingredient list but you won't see them in my photos because my little family doesn't appreciate them.  So I guess they're optional but really great if you have them.

For the pear topping:                   
1/4 cup (4 tbs) unsalted butter           
1/2 cup packed brown sugar               
2 tbs pear poaching liquid                
4 poached pear halves (recipe to follow)                       
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans           
                       
For the cake:
1 1/4 cup sugar    




1 1/2 cups all purpose flour                        
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbs softened butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the 1/4 cup of butter and pour it into a 9 inch square cake pan.  Drizzle the corn syrup over the butter and then sprinkle the brown sugar in the pan. 

Cut the pear halves into 4 equal portion lengthwise and arrange the pieces in a sunburst pattern over the mixture in the baking pan.  Sprinkle the chopped pecans around the pears.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (fitted to a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer with beaters attached), beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating fully between additions.  Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk in three additions.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Pour the batter into the pan gently so as to disturb the pattern of the pears as little as possible.  Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean of batter or very wet crumbs.  Cool the cake for about 5 minutes and then run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen.  Invert the cake onto a serving platter.  Cut into squares.


Poached Pears
2 ripe but still firm pears
1 quart water
1/2 cup honey

Stir the water and honey together in a 2 quart pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium heat.  In the meantime, peel, quarter and core the pears.

When the water/honey mixture comes to a boil add the pears.  Turn the heat down to medium and simmer the pears for 20-25 minutes or until the tip of a sharp knife easily pierces the pears.  Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and cool making sure to reserve 2 tablespoons of the poaching liquid.

Pears can be stored in the cooled poaching liquid in the refrigerator until use.

Grain and Dairy Free Chestnut Flour Brownies

I feel spectacularly lucky to be living in Europe with my family.  The opportunities to experience the cultures and explore the history of this continent are the stuff of dreams for most people.  And we get to live that dream.  I spend a lot of time trying to photograph and document all of our travels and even the moments that have become commonplace for us because of living here.  My goal is to have a physical reminder of all the things we have seen and done so that my children will be able to hold onto the memories that they have made here.  I'm pretty confident that my oldest will be able to remember some of the highlights on his own, but at 6 years old Wyatt probably will only be able to retrieve bits and pieces if he's lucky.  And the baby has no idea that she isn't actually European, so photos of her in the incredible places she's been will be like looking at some other person's life when she flips through them in a few years.

To me, it's those memories that are the most important to take away with us from this adventure.  Much more so than any souvenir that will be stuck on a shelf or broken within days of buying it.  They will build my kids into the adults that they will be one day (sooner than I am ready for!).  I know for sure that mine have influenced my personality in so many ways.  We didn't take fancy vacations, we just didn't have the money for that.  So the memories that influenced me the most are of the times I spent in the kitchen with my mom and grandmother.  My skills are only so good because of the experiences that I was allowed to have alongside those two women.  To say that my most influential memories are all about food is an understatement.  In fact, even what I can recall from the few vacations that we did take is food.  Salty, delicious Virginia ham and Death by Chocolate in Colonial Williamsburg, anyone?  Or maybe catching crabs and eating pizza and boardwalk fries at the Jersey shore?

Recently, my mom has been struggling with some health issues and has been forced to reevaluate the way that she eats as a result.  She hasn't been able to eat many of the wonderful foods that she and my grandmother taught me how to make as a child.  I can't imagine how difficult it must be to have the memories of the pastries, cakes, and breads that she knows so well and not be able to eat any of them.  When we visited back home just last week we had a big family gathering.  After making cakes, cream puffs, breads and lemon bars for days, my mom had to just sit by and watch everyone else eat them.  As the guests started to leave and only close family was left lingering and chatting she asked me to make these for her.  Just a little pleasure in a moment when there were so many things she had to stay away from.  It was, of course, the least I could do for the woman who's lessons made me the person that I am.  I had been tinkering with a recipe that includes none of the things she has to stay away from but is still the comfort food she longs for.  I'm thrilled that by the end of that evening, I was able to present these brownies to her and hopefully, create another one of those memories that stays with you for a lifetime.

Grain and Dairy Free Chestnut Flour Brownies
Makes 12 brownies.  Adapted from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.
For the printable recipe, click here.

I found chestnut flour in a natural food store recently and decided to give it a try.  It's so different from the other nut flours I've used before.  Unlike the grainy texture of almond or hazelnut flour, chestnut flour is silky and really feels like wheat flour.  It's a bit on the expensive side, but in this recipe a little goes a long way.  One bag will last quite a while if you care for it (like other nut flours, it stays the freshest when stored in the freezer).  In this recipe it really does well and helps give the brownie structure without imparting an overly nutty flavor.  The other new ingredient for me was coconut oil.  Admittedly, I cannot stand coconut.  So I was definitely hesitant to give it a go, but there really is no other good substitute for butter in a recipe like this except maybe vegetable oil.  I have to say that the coconut oil ended up doing a good job.  And while there was a slight aroma of coconut, I was happy that I couldn't taste it at all in the finished brownie.  Success.

5 tbs coconut oil
1 1/3 cups (8 oz) 60% cocao semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cups cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup chestnut flour, sifted

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil.  Once the coconut oil is melted stir in the chocolate chips and remove from the heat.  Stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture and then add the vanilla and eggs.  Stir until all are well combined.  Then add the chestnut flour and stir vigorously.  The batter will appear slightly curdled at first.  Keep stirring and you will see and almost magical transformation into a thick, smooth batter.  Pour the finished batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top appears to have dulled in shine just a little bit and the center is just barely set.  Cool completely and then cut into 12 squares.  The brownies will keep for a couple of days stored in an airtight container.

Brown Butter Nutella Krispie Treats

Sometimes you just need to have a little fun.  These, my friends, are just the sort of fun I'm talking about.

I have to confess that I am very, very late to jump on the Nutella bandwagon.  Even though I grew up living with my Italian mother and grandparents we never had the stuff around much.  Maybe it's more of a northern Italian thing so my southern Italian family just never acquired a taste for the chocolatey/hazelnutty goodness.  It's a question with no answers. 

Happily, though, I can report that in my old age I have joined the dark side and have come to appreciate this beloved treat.

It doesn't hurt that I just happen to live less than 30 minutes away from a chocolate factory that makes their own version of a chocolate and hazelnut spread.  And that I like it just a little bit better than the Italian stuff.  Before you go accusing me of blasphemy let me just note that I'm not putting down the original, I simply happen to think my local stuff is better.  The Ritter Sport chocolate company has been in the area for 100 years and is the stuff of legends around these parts.  I suppose I have more of an emotional attachment to the Ritter Sport chocolate hazelnut spread (which is called NussNugatCreme- nut nougat cream) after being introduced to it nestled within a crepe along side sliced bananas and crushed hazelnuts in the sweet little factory cafe on a rainy day.  Who wouldn't fall in love at first bite?

I was compelled to buy the half kilogram sized tub of it at the factory Shoko (Chocolate) Shop.  And that wasn't even the big one.

I've slathered the chocolate hazelnut spread on pancakes and toast and swirled it between layers of cinnamon-scented sweet dough to make the most luxurious, hangover curing sweet rolls ever.  But that tub still calls my name from the back of my fridge. Today I've used it to gussy up an old favorite, rice krispie treats.  These krispie treats are just a little fancy and a whole lot of fun.  And as Cindi Lauper sings, girls just wanna have fun.....

Brown Butter Nutella Krispie Treats
Makes 12 bars.  Embellished very slightly from Smitten Kitchen's delicious recipe.
For the printable recipe, click here.

This recipe doesn't stray too far from its humble roots.  There's a bit of extra butter that gets a few more moments in the pan to toast up the milk solids and give it a nutty edge.  And then there's that stripe of chocolate hazelnut spread tucked in between two layers of the buttery marsmallowy (can I use that as a word?) krispies.  I suppose that if that's too much effort, you could always just mix the Nutella into the melted marshmallows and skip the layering step.  These are delicious either way.

 1 stick (8 tbs or 100g) butter
1 10 oz bag marshmallows
a generous pinch of sea salt
6 cups rice krispie cereal
2/3 cup Nutella or your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread

Generously butter (or spray with nonstick spray) an 8x8 baking pan with 2 inch sides.

Warm the Nutella in a small pot or in the microwave until it melts.  Keep warm.

In a pot large enough to hold and stir the 6 cups of cereal, melt the butter of medium heat.  Once the butter melts, continue to cook it gently until the milk solids turn a light golden brown and has a nutty aroma.  Pour in the marshmallows and stir over low heat until the marshmallows have melted and the mixture is silky.  Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the salt.  Carefully mix in the krispie cereal until it is completely coated in the marshmallow mixture.

Pour half of the marshmallow coated krispies into the prepared pan.  Press it down with lightly oiled hands or wax paper so that it compacts and fills the pan in one even layer.  Reserving 1 tbs to use as a topping, pour the melted Nutella over the bottom layer of krispie treat and spread to cover.  Press the second half of marshmallow krispies over the Nutella layer using the same method as the first krispie layer.

Let the krispie treats cool and set up in the pan for 5-10 minutes.  Cut it into 12 squares and drizzle the tops with the reserved tablespoon of Nutella (rewarm if necessary before drizzling).  Serve with a big glass of milk.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cream Scones

I had a serious chocolate craving this morning.  As in, the sort of craving that I just can't get beyond or concentrate on anything else until I do something about it- STAT.  But what do you do about a chocolate craving at 8:30 in the morning?  It didn't quite seem justifiable to simply start snacking on a chocolate bar.  Not at that early of an hour.  So my solution was to throw together my quickest go-to scone recipe and throw in some chopped chocolate.  That's sort of breakfast-y, right?  At least that's what I told myself.

The scones hit the spot, no doubt about it.  Maybe even a little too much.  Three mini-scones later and I knew I had created a monster.  I had hoped to pawn the rest off on my husband's co-workers, but he breezed out the door before I could shove them into his hands.  So I sent out an emergency text to my two favorite neighbors- "Please rescue me from my chocolate craving and take some of these scones off my hands!".  I have the best neighbors.  They saw my plight and saved me from eating the other dozen scones sitting on my counter.  Okay, so maybe they were having chocolate cravings too.  Regardless, I got my fix and then passed on the rest to some very thankful friends.  I'm like a baked goods and chocolate happiness ambassador around here.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cream Scones
Makes 16 mini scones.
For the printable recipe, click here.

These scones do not fall in the "diet food" category.  They're definitely a treat to (attempt to) eat in restraint.  That's also why I made them mini-sized.  If you want to try to reduce the guilt of the scones, you could replace the sour cream and heavy cream with plain Greek yogurt.  They won't be as rich, but I suppose that would be the goal, right?  You can mix the dough quickly in a food processor or do the whole thing by hand.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbs cold butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 ounces of dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 egg white, beaten with 1 tsp water
2 tsp turbinado (raw) sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

If using a  food processor:
Place the dry ingredients into the bowl of the food processor.  Pulse a few times to incorporate.  Add the butter to the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is about the size of peas.  Add the sour cream, heavy cream and pieces of chocolate.  Blend until the ingredients just come together.

If mixing by hand:
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the pieces of butter and with the tips of your fingers, two knives or a pastry blender, crumble the butter into the dry ingredients.  Stop when the butter pieces are roughly the size of peas.  Chop the chocolate into pieces somewhere between fine and coarsely sized.  Stir the chocolate, sour cream and heavy cream into the mixture in the bowl until they just come together to form a ball.

For both methods:
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Gently gather the dough into a ball then press into an 8 inch square.  Cut the dough into 4 large squares and then cut each large square into 4 equal sized small ones.   Place the squares onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush the tops with the beaten egg whites and then sprinkle them with the turbinado sugar.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges turn golden and the tops of the scones spring back when lightly pressed.  Serve warm or keep wrapped tightly for up to one day.  You could also freeze the unbaked scones on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer safe bag.  Simply remove the scones from the freezer and place them right into a hot oven on a prepared baking sheet.  No need to thaw them, just add a few minutes to the baking time.