By CountryLiving
This
dessert comes to us from Alyssa Lindner, formerly pastry chef at Remi, a
New York City restaurant. Alyssa says a Teflon-coated cake pan will
work just as well as the springform pan we used. The surprise ingredient
is stone-ground cornmeal in the cake batter, which lends its crunchy
texture to luscious pears and caramelized sugar.
Level:
Moderate
Serves:
10
Ingredients
- 1¾ c. sugar
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 Bartlett pears
- ¼ c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- ¼ c. cornmeal
- 1 tbsp. cornmeal
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks
Directions
- Make the caramel: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place 1 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar liquefies and becomes amber in color. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and pour the caramel into an 8-inch springform cake pan, taking care to coat the pan bottom evenly. Arrange the pear pieces in a single layer on top of the caramel and set aside.
- Make the cake batter: Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Combine the remaining sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until thoroughly combined with each addition. Reduce mixer speed to low, add the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. Gently spread the batter evenly over the pears and bake until cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean -- about 45 minutes. Cool slightly and release the cake from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate and remove the springform pan base. Serve warm or at room temperature.
