You Asked For It...
Greetings from Chicago, where it's snowing lightly. Nothing like the forecasters promised, but my friends' kids are begging me to take them sledding after school nonetheless. In Chicago, it seems like there is always enough snow for sledding.
Phase One of the Gingerbread House Project will commence this afternoon, with the purchase of supplies and preparation of stencils. I'll keep you posted this week; apparently, the two cats, Lolo and Soda Pop, have volunteered to supervise the construction site. Photos to come as well.
In yesterday's edition of What's Cooking, I promised to follow up on a few holiday items that required some legwork.
After receiving a question from a reader in Capitol Hill about pre-shucking oysters for a party, I emailed my pal Jon Rowley, a former fisherman and oyster guru, based in Seattle. His thoughts on the briny matter:
"Pre-shucked oysters are okay but are much better if served within five minutes off the knife. For a party, consider hiring an oyster shucker (restaurants serving oysters can usually suggest one) and set up an oyster station people can saunter up to on arriving. People love getting an oyster directly from the shucker. Chill oysters to a crisp with ice before shucking."
"If oysters MUST be shucked in advance, put the top shell back on and refrigerated until served. Remove the top shell to serve."
And in case you're wondering what to offer in the beverage department, Rowley suggests "a dry, crisp, clean-finishing 'oyster wine.' The Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc is always a winner with oysters on the half shell."
I received a bunch of requests for the killer upside-down pear gingerbread cake that I brought out of the archives for a party last week. It's still a winner, redolent of molasses and warming spices. Even good for breakfast.
Upside-Down Pear-Gingerbread Cake
Adapted from the December 1997 issue of Martha Stewart Living
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons butter (1 1/4 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for pan
5 large ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons brandy(note: I used rum and it was just as delicious)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
Method:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan; set aside. (note: I have used a springform pan as well)
In a large bowl, toss pears with lemon juice.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add half the pears, cut-sides down, in single layer, cook until brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked pears to a plate. Cook remaining pears; transfer to plate. Add booze to pear juices in skillet, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cook, stirring, until reduced to syrup, about 1 minute.
Pour into cake pan, fan out pears in single layer; arrange so the tapered sides lie in same direction. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt; set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons of butter until fluffy. Add brown sugar; beat on medium-high speed for three minutes. Add eggs; beat to combine. Beat in molasses and grated ginger.
Add half of flour mixture; combine on low speed. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and boiling water, beat into batter. Beat in remaining flour mixture until combined.
Pour into pan and bake 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees, bake until springy to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for one hour. Run a knife between pan and cake. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Arrange pears, and serve.
By kimodo |
December 14, 2005; 11:49 AM ET
| Category:
Entertaining
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Posted by: NW DC | December 14, 2005 03:52 PM
Use unsalted butter. I haven't used a pan larger than 9-inch square or 9-inch springform. Other than doubling, I probably wouldn't fiddle with amounts.
Posted by: Kim O'Donnel | December 14, 2005 04:26 PM
In yesterday's chat there was a post about crumbly pie crust. She said that she used "plenty of flour" when she rolled the dough out and I'd bet that's the problem. You only need a little bit of flour. Just enough to keep it from sticking to the rolling surface. Too much flour incorporated into the crust makes it dry, crumbly and tough.
Posted by: Margaret | December 15, 2005 02:05 PM
I'm confused about the "arrange pears" at the end of the recipe. Weren't they baked in to the top (or bottom) of the cake? How do you arrange them? And, when you cook the second batch of pears do you need to add more butter and sugar to the pan?
Posted by: Gloria | December 15, 2005 02:16 PM
No need to worry about the "arrangement" of pears, Gloria. They may need some gentle coaxing, but generally, they'll be in good shape after inverting. Have fun!
Posted by: Kim O'Donnel | December 15, 2005 02:19 PM
How many people does this recipe serve? Thanks!
Posted by: Jessica | December 24, 2005 11:55 AM
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Thank you for posting this! I have been wanting to make a cake just like this for a Christmas lunch this weekend. Two questions: 1) do I use unsalted butter, or salted? 2) how do the proportions change if I want to make a bigger cake, say 9 x 13?