1/2 c Blanched whole almonds
4 tb Unsalted butter, melted,
Plus 9 tablespoons unsalted
Butter,
Softened
1/2 c Packed brown sugar
1 ts Ground cinnamon
1/2 ts Ground ginger
1/2 ts Ground allspice
1/2 ts Ground cloves
2 tb Light corn syrup
3 Pears, peeled, cored and
Halved
1 1/2 c Pastry flour
3/4 c Granulated sugar
3/4 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Sour cream
3 lg Egg yolks
1 ts Vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast, shaking the pan
occasionally, until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to
cool. Turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F.
Stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger,
allspice, cloves and corn syrup and evenly coat the bottom and sides
of a 10 inch glass pie plate with the mixture. When the almonds are
cool, arrange around the bottom rim of the pie plate, with a few in
the center, pressing them into the brown sugar mixture. Arrange the
pear halves like spokes of a wheel on top of the brown sugar mixture.
In a mixing bowl, combine the pastry flour, granulated sugar, baking
powder, baking soda and salt and thoroughly mix.
In another bowl, whisk together the softened butter, sour cream, egg
yolks and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with an
electric mixer at medium speed about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping down the
sides of the bowl occasionally, until thick and smooth.
Using a spatula, spread the batter evenly over the fruit, building up
the outside edges so the cake will be level when baked. Bake 40 to 50
minutes, until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes
out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool 3 to 5 minutes (no longer) and
then invert onto a serving plate, repositioning the fruit as
necessary.
Yield: 8 servings
TOO HOT TAMALES SHOW #TH1E19
Yields
4 servings