So, my husband “doesn’t like pears.” Or at least he didn’t until he tasted this cake. I brought home pears from the grocery store, and he turned up his nose at my choice of fruit. I asked him if he had ever really had a “good” pear, and he kind-of shrugged. Oh well. I know him, and I knew that I could convert him if I found the right recipe.

The original recipe I found belongs to one of my blogger idols, Tartelette.  As you know, if you have read my previous posts, I’ve been on a major honey kick lately. I just don’t see a reason NOT to use honey over granulated sugar when it has health benefits as well as a more complex flavor. Tartelette also appreciates the benefits of honey. So, you can say that I’m officially a honey convert.

This recipe also includes the spice cardamom, which is traditionally an Indian spice but goes fantastically in sweet baked goods. Cardamom is also a major component of Masala chai tea blends, which I also love. To sum everything up: Pears, honey, and cardamom were made to be together!

Tartelette’s gluten-free recipe can be found here. It’s worth noting that her recipe is adapted from Elle A Table.

To make an 8″ cake (serves 4-6), you will need:

For the honey syrup:

• 1/2c honey
• 1/4c water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the cake:

• 1/2c honey
• 3 pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 3 eggs
• 1 stick of butter (original recipe calls for 1.5 sticks, and that’s what I used; but I think you could get by with less)
• 3/4c all-purpose white flour
• 1/2c whole wheat pastry flour (substitute with white pastry or regular all-purpose flour if you need to)
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

Special equipment:

• 8″ Springform cake pan (I use the one in this set. Enable my food photography prop addiction and check out my store!)

Pears are beautiful, aren't they?

Begin by making the honey syrup. Combine the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly while you make the cake batter.

Before continuing, peel, core, and slice the pears so they will be ready when the batter is.

Line your 8″ springform pan with parchment paper, and fill with the pears. Set aside while you make the batter.

Preaheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To start the cake batter, beat the eggs along with the honey on medium for 3 minutes.

Melt the butter. Man, that is a lot of butter. I’m trying to cut back, I really am. I just found this recipe and it was perfect, so I “sacrificed” and added the butter. Truth be told, I think you could get by with less- I think it would be worth cutting the butter to 6 TBS instead of 12, and adding in some water or possibly applesauce to the batter to make up for the lost liquid. But, as it was my first try with the recipe, I went ahead and used the full amount.

Anyway. Add the melted butter to the honey/egg mixture

Measure out the flour. 150g of flour total if you are using a scale; 1 1/4c total flour if not. Add in the cardamom and salt, and stir until combined.

Add the flour to the batter mixture and mix until combined (1 minute).

Now, drizzle the honey syrup over the pears in the prepared springform pan….

and add the batter on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, or until you can see the top is a lovely golden brown, like this ^!

Let the cake cool for about 5 minutes. Place a large plate or pie plate upside-down on top of the springform pan, and flip the cake onto the plate. Peel back the parchment paper and revel in the beauty of your creation.

Mmmmm. Hello, my love.

You’re going to need a tall glass of milk with this, if that’s your thing.

By the way, my husband had 2 slices. Wait, that was me. But he did have one slice, and loved the pears! Success!

This parfait is a delicious, healthy breakfast that you can whip up in just a few minutes! You can use yogurt or ricotta, but I used a combination of both. If you use 100% ricotta, you will need to add more sugar than if add some vanilla yogurt.

To make 2 parfaits, you will need:

• 1c raspberries
• 1/2c ricotta cheese
• 1/2c vanilla yogurt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1c granola
• 1/2c raspberry jelly or jam
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

In a small to medium bowl, combine the yogurt, ricotta cheese, sugar, and vanilla.

In a dessert bowl or glass, layer 1/4 of the yogurt, 1/4 of the jam, 1/4 of the granola, and 1/4 of the raspberries. Repeat once per parfait.

Serve and enjoy! Wasn’t that ridiculously easy? Healthy, too!

The inspiration for today’s recipe came from Food Network’s website. Here is the recipe’s original form, but I changed it a bit to 1) accommodate  what I had in the fridge, and 2) make it more authentic.

Moo Shu Pork is a dish from northern China. It traditionally includes wood ear mushrooms and day lily buds, but I substituted straw mushrooms and omitted the day lily buds simply because I have never seen any of these items in local grocery stores (although it warrants a closer look the next time I visit the Asian market). I used canned straw mushrooms, but in retrospect, Shiitake mushrooms or even button mushrooms would have had better flavor. The canned mushrooms didn’t have much flavor at all. It’s worth noting that Shiitake mushrooms are commonly used in American-Chinese restaurants’ adaptations of the dish.

Anyway though. Enough of my blabbing.

To make 2 large servings, you will need:

• 3 tbs of hoison sauce
• 3 tbs rice vinegar, rice wine, or mirin
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbs peanut, sesame, or vegetable oil
• 8 ounces mushrooms (shiitake (stemmed) or button), sliced
• 5 green onions/scallions
• 1 lb of pork chops/tenderloin, thinly sliced (I think chicken would be good, too)
• 1c coleslaw mix (or shredded cabbage)
• 1 egg, beaten
• (Optional) Approx 1c of bamboo shoots
• (Optional) Sriracha sauce, for heat and flavor

First, stir the hoisin sauce and vinegar until combined.

Add in the minced garlic and black pepper.

Marinate the pork in this mixture for 20 minutes to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Side note: These were the mushrooms and bamboo shoots I used. I don’t recommend the mushrooms like this. Fresh would have definitely been better, but I used what I had.

Once the pork is finished marinating, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high.

Once the pan is hot, add the pork and the marinade.

Saute the pork until it is lightly browned (3-5 minutes). Remove the pork to a plate and set aside.

While the pork is cooking, feel free to thinly slice your green onions and cabbage.

Once the pork is removed from the pan, remove the pan from the burner to cool it down for about 30 seconds. Reduce burner’s heat to medium and add the beaten egg to scramble (add extra oil beforehand if needed). It should scramble alongside some of the remaining sauce and absorb the delicious flavor.

Food Network’s recipe did not include a scrambled egg, which I found odd, considering the egg  is a major part of the traditional dish.

Drain any canned vegetables or fungi you are using. Aren’t these straw mushrooms adorable?!

Add the bamboo shoots (if using) and mushrooms to the pan. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped cabbage (or coleslaw mix) and 3/4 of the green onions. Saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the pork and any sauce back to the pan and stir. Saute for 2 more minutes, or until heated through.

Add in sriracha sauce here if you are using it. I only used about a teaspoon and the flavor was very mild…. so don’t be afraid, even if you are averse to spicy food.

Serve on a cabbage leaf if you want some extra flair. Top with any remaining sliced green onions. Traditionally, this dish is served with thin Chinese pancakes resembling tortillas, but I could see myself serving it with rice in the future.

My husband and I loved the flavor of the sauce, especially the hoison. There were no leftovers. I’ll certainly be making this again!

I hope you give it a try, and enjoy!