Pear and Cardamom Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

It's the same every autumn. Pears sit quietly in the wings while apples take center stage.

It's no wonder. Think about it. Do kids crave candied pears every Halloween? Do moms pack pear sauce in their kids' lunch boxes? Can something be as "all-American as pear pie"?

Pears are good. Some pears, such as Seckel pears -- diminutive, super sweet fruits-- are surprisingly good. Overall though, they just don't get the respect of apples.

When it comes to baking, however, pears blossom into something special. In fact, I have made this cardamom coffee cake with pecan streusel twice -- once with apples and once with pears. You can tell which one I preferred.

Given their mild flavor, pears work beautifully with cardamom, a enticingly fragrant spice. Though a relative of ginger, cardamom has a unique flavor that is difficult to describe. It is intensely aromatic yet not overwhelming in flavor. It has notes of ginger, clove, and citrus, which is why it works so well when paired with fall fruits.

So, go ahead and give pears a little limelight.

So tell me, do you like pears?
What are your favorite ways to cook and bake with pears?

Oh, and congratulations, Haley! You are the winner of Food to Live By.

Haley was chosen by using the random integer generator at Random.org.

Pear and Cardamom Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel
Print recipe only here.

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup chopped pecans
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Cake:
1 cup diced, peeled, firm but ripe pears, such as yellow bartlett or bosc
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter or coat with cooking spray an 8 inch square pan.

To make the streusel, in a small bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, cardamom and pecans and toss until well combined. Pour melted butter evenly over mixture, and using your fingers quickly toss and pinch the mixture until little pebbly pieces form. Refrigerate while making the cake.

Peel and dice pears and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, and cardamom.

In another large bowl, using an electric hand mixer cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat at medium speed until light. Reduce speed to low and add the buttermilk. Beat until well blended. Add the dry ingredients; beat until just incorporated and the flour is dissolved. The batter will be thick and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the diced pears until well blended.

Pour the batter into the pan and gently shake it to even it out. Sprinkle the pecan streusel evenly over the top of the cake and press lightly with your hands.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool at room temperature.

Unmold the cake, and place on a rack. Allow to set for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

You might also like:

Tuscan Torte di Mele (Apple Cake)







Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cranberries, Raisins, and Pecans





Fresh Pineapple, Banana, and Pistachio Cake with Rum Icing





Helen's Plum-Raspberry Cardamom Crumbles at Tartelette
Shreya's Thri-Laddoo (a type of Indian festival food) from Mom's Cooking


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Election Day Harassment and All-American Apple Sauce

Unlike the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Florida, California was pretty much a lock for Mr. Obama from the outset. I didn't get a single phone call to try to win my vote. Even when I went to vote last Tuesday, I wasn't harassed for being a liberal or a conservative; I was, however, harassed because I don't like stickers.

After I voted, an impossibly-perky, election worker armed with a roll of stickers stopped me on my way out:

Perky young election worker: Wait! Wait! You forgot your "I Voted" sticker.

Me: Oh, no thank you.

Perky young election worker: You don't want a sticker?

Me: No, thanks.

Perky young election worker: But how will people know you voted?

Me: Well, as long as I know I voted, right?

Perky young election worker: Well, at least take a sticker for your husband. (Jabbing the stickers towards me.)

Me: No thanks. He won't want a sticker either.

Perky young election worker: (Now drawing attention to us from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents) But how do you know he doesn't want a sticker?

Me: OK. I'll take his sticker.

Perky young election worker: Are you sure you don't want your own sticker?

Me: (fearing for my safety) OK, sure. I'll take a sticker.

I felt like I was in the Seinfeld episode when Kramer refuses to wear the AIDS ribbon during an AIDS walk:




Feeling patriotic (and now safely away from intense polling girl), I decided to go home and make an all-American apple pie. Then I remembered that I really don't like making pie crusts that much, so I made all-American apple sauce instead.



This Cranberry, Raisin, and Walnut Apple Sauce is a variation on my basic homemade apple sauce. It gets a kick of flavor from tart cranberries and sweet raisins. Enjoy it as is or serve it warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla bean ice cream. After all, ice cream always gets bi-partisan support.

Homemade Cranberry, Raisin, and Walnut Apple Sauce
Yields 5 cups, cooked
Print recipe only here.

8 McIntosh, Rome Beauty or other sweet apples (about 8 cups), peeled and chopped**
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cups water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Place all ingredients from apples through nutmeg in a deep pot. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, or until the apples begin to break down. Lower to a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes, or until the apples are completely soft. Stir well with a spoon until a thick sauce forms.

Leave a few lumps and bumps in it or puree it in a blender for a smooth finish. Just make sure to let it cool first before pouring it the blender! Stir in the raisins and walnuts. Let the sauce cool before serving.

**Like Jeff's mom, Dorothy, of Dorothy's Broccoli Pasta and Italian Almond Biscotti, I leave the skin on one or two apples to impart a warm reddish color to the sauce. If you don't like the texture of the skin, you can puree the sauce until it dissolves.

You might also like these recipes featuring apples:

Crunchy Veg Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing





Apple, Fennel, and Celery Salad





Red Lentil Mulligatawny with Apple-Celery Salsa





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When Life Hands You Dented Apples, Make Apple Sauce

My local market recently had a sale on apples. Since it's well past apple picking season, I decided to stock up. I spent 10 minutes carefully selecting the most perfectly shaped, shiny Macs, Rome Beauties, and Pink Ladies I could find.

I gently placed my bags of apples on the conveyor belt at the checkout. As I continued to unload my remaining groceries, from the corner of my eye I saw my apples disappear from the belt: blam! onto the scale, then blam! into the grocery bag. Before I could utter a word, it was too late. My previously pristine apples were irrevocably spotted with unsightly blemishes.

Rather than trying to eat around the bruises, I did what any resourceful food blogger would do: I made apple sauce. Homemade apple sauce is infinitely better than bottled. With no additives or preservatives, it's healthier too. Plus when you make it, your entire house smells like freshly baked apple pie; that's reason enough to not buy the bottled kind.

Though I love to eat apple sauce on its own, it's surprisingly delicious with other foods. I've become excited about getting up in the morning since I began swirling apple sauce, dates, and walnuts into my oatmeal.

I love butternut squash simply roasted, but I really love it filled with homemade apple sauce, toasted pecans, and ground cinnamon and nutmeg.


How I make homemade apple sauce:

• I use sweet, juicy, meaty apples such as Rome Beauties or McIntosh. Though I love tart and tangy Granny Smiths and Pink Ladies for eating apples, I wouldn't recommend them for apple sauce.
• Like Jeff's mom, Dorothy of Dorothy's Broccoli Pasta and Italian Almond Biscotti, I leave the skin on one or two apples to impart a warm reddish color to the sauce. If you don't like the texture of the skin, you can remove it before serving or puree the sauce until it dissolves.
• For a basic apple sauce, I use apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. For variety, I sometimes add a splash of fresh lemon juice or some ground nutmeg, ginger, or cloves; golden raisins and dried or fresh cranberries are wonderful add-ins too. And who could argue with pouring some pure maple syrup or honey in for added sweetness?

Homemade Apple Sauce
Yields 5 cups, cooked
Print recipe only here.

8 McIntosh or Rome Beauty apples (about 8 cups), peeled and chopped
3 cups water
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Place chopped apples in a deep pot. Add water, sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, or until the apples begin to break down. Lower to a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes, or until the apples are completely soft. Stir well with a spoon until a thick sauce forms.

Leave a few lumps and bumps in it or puree it in a blender for a smooth finish. Make sure to let it cool first before pouring it the blender! Otherwise it will blow the cover off. Not that it has happened to me.

Let the sauce cool before serving.

You might also like my:
Torta di Mele (Apple Cake)
Warm Citrus and Banana Cups
Baked Yams with a Citrus Glaze and Toasted Pecans

More about apple sauce from Marisa of Slashfood.
Try a delicious recipe for Latkes with Apple Sauce created by the Iron Chef, Mario Batale, and posted on Serious Eats.

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Missing New England, Finding Solace in Tuscan Torta di Mele

I miss apple-picking in New England. Overall the produce found in Southern California is superior to anywhere we have lived, but just like football, when it comes to apples, you simply can't beat New England. (Sorry Bolt fans.)


New England has scores of picturesque orchards with rolling hills and countless trees. There are few pleasures in life as satisfying as biting into a just picked Macoun apple while standing in the warm sun on a chilly fall New England day.

The first autumn that Jeff and I lived in North Carolina, we planned our annual apple-picking day. When we arrived ready to pick, we were aghast that our treasured McIntosh, Macouns, and Cortlands were nowhere to be found. Instead we had to make due with Red Romes, Galas, and Arkansas Blacks (a hard, tart apple which became my new favorite).

Just as we got used to our apples in the Southeast, we then moved to California and had to learn an entirely new set of apples. Though crunchy, sweet Fujis are probably the most popular apple here, my local favorite is the Pink Lady. Unlike her name, she's quite sassy, just right for an eating apple. Then there's the Winesap, which according to Riley's Farm of Oak Glen, CA, is the "Celebrity Rock Star of Apples." No wonder. It's deep crimson red, super firm and crispy, and assertively tart. Definitely not an apple for the timid.

When my mom's lovely friend Anne gave me an authentic Tuscan recipe for Torta di Mele (apple cake), she said it called for Golden Delicious apples. I was stunned. Of all of the apples I have eaten in my life (and I have eaten a few pecks), I have never eaten a Golden Delicious apple. This is probably because I always associated them with Red Delicious apples -- the tasteless, waxy school cafeteria apple -- the thought of which elicits painful middle school memories.

Since downtown San Diego isn't home to any apple orchards, I went to the supermarket and purchased eight Golden Delicious apples. Expecting them to be bland and mushy, I was pleasantly surprised when my first bite (which snapped with crispness) revealed a mild, juicy sweetness.
Golden Delicious apples don't seem pale to me anymore; they seem delicate. Their soft golden skin is dotted with tiny brown specks and a shy pink blush. They are ideal for eating and maintain their shape well when baked. It's official. I'm a Golden Delicious convert; after trying this Tuscan apple cake, you will be too.

Since the egg whites are whipped and folded into the batter, it makes a lighter cake, yet it's so chock full of juicy, sweet apples that when you slice it, it looks almost custardy on the inside. It's a lovely cake to have with an afternoon tea or even a glass of wine. It's slightly sweet, exceptionally moist, and whole-heartedly satisfying.

I am submitting this post to Andrew of Spittoon Extra, this month's host for the always scrumptious Sugar High Friday, created by The Domestic Goddess. This month's topic is drunken apples, or apples and alcohol. With Golden Delicious apples and Calvados, an apple brandy from Normandy, France, this dessert fits the bill, deliciously.

Torta di Mele (Apple Cake)

Print recipe only here.

4 eggs, separated
2 lbs Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced (about 6 apples)
juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup Calvados**
1 cup sugar
12 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 Tbsp baking powder (that's correct, I swear!)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

To coat the pan:
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place sliced apples in a medium bowl; add lemon juice and Calvados and toss well.

In a medium glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form, about 5-6 minutes.

In another medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, and egg yolks. Mix with a hand mixer until well combined. Add sifted flour, baking powder, and spices, and mix until well combined.

Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter, then fold in the apple slices.

Coat a 9-10 -inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Add 1 Tbsp of butter in small pieces to the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar. Pour the batter on top, and smooth it out with a spatula.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Then bake for 50-60 minutes at 325 degrees F or until a knife inserted comes out clean and the top is golden brown and puffed up.

**Calvados is an apple brandy available at liquor stores and some supermarkets.

You might also like:
Warm Citrus and Banana Cups
Italian Pignoli Cookies (Pine Nut) Cookies
Italian Ricotta Pie with Pineapple
Olive Oil Cake with Rosemary and Lemon

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