Steemit Iron Chef 2017 #05 : Poached Pear Cake with Red Wine Reduction

My entry for Week 5 of Steemit Iron Chef - Poached Pear Cake with Red Wine Reduction

I love the theme for this week's challenge. Pear! I think there's so much one can do with pears. The challenge is narrowing it down to the final entry. I decided to make a cake with whole wine-poached pears. I chose to go simple with this entry as it really doesn't need much more than the few elements included in this dish.

I used bosc pears.
Peel them, leaving their stems intact.

Poach in red wine mixture (see recipe below). Save remaining wine mixture to make a reduction that pairs well with the pears (pardon the pun, lol) for a flavorful sauce.

The resulting poached pears will have a beautiful red tint. Set aside.

Next step is to make the cake.

Spread cake mixture on prepared tart pans.

Gently push down the poached pears onto the cake mixture.

Bake the cake. Here are the before and after photos.
Above photo: Before baking
Below photo: After baking

Remove from tart pan and put on serving platter.

Simmer the red wine poaching liquid until slightly thickened.

Plate as desired. Red wine reduction can be served drizzled over whipped cream ...

... or in a sauce pourer served separately.

Week 5 Steemit Iron Chef Pear Entry Proof

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Poached Pear Cake with Red Wine Reduction

Ingredients

Poached Pear and Red Wine Reduction

8 bosc pears
1 lemon
1 750 ml bottle of red wine
1 cup sugar
1 cinammon stick
1 vanilla bean

Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature, plus more for pan
1 tablespoon butter for greasing pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling on pan
2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling on cake batter
1 vanilla bean
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almonds
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions

For the Poached Pear and Red Wine Reduction

Peel pears leaving stem intact. Cut off part of the bottom so the pears would have a steady base. Squeeze lemon over pear to prevent discoloration.
Combine red wine, sugar in a small sauce pan. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into red wine mixture. Throw in the vanilla been pod into the wine mixture as well. Add cinnamon stick. Bring it to a boil then add the pears. Simmer for 15 minutes or until just tender, turning pears over halfway through.
Remove pears from pan. Set aside.
Continue to simmer red wine mixture. Reduce until slightly thickened.

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350^o.
Prepare tart pans:
Grease tart pan with butter.
Sprinkle with sugar, tapping out excess. Set aside.

Prepare cake batter:
Blanch almonds by putting them in a bowl and covering them with boiling water for 1 minute. Rinse with cold water and drain. Pat dry then remove skin. They should slip off easily.
Place flour, almonds, salt and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse until almonds are finely ground.
Place 1 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl. Scrape the seeds from vanilla bean pod into the bowl. Beat on high with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat until mixture is well combined and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add dry ingredients until well combined. Add the yogurt. Beat until combined. Scoop mixture into prepared pans. Sprinkle liberally with the 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Position poached pears onto the cake batter.
Place tart pans on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick/cake tester comes out clean.

Serving Suggestion

Slice cake with a whole poached pear per serving. Serve with whipped cream and red wine reduction on the side or drizzled over the cake and/or whipped cream. Garnish as desired.

Bon appetit!

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