NURTURING OURSELVES
I love to travel, business or pleasure it all gets me excited. Today I am 20,000+ feet in the air; rocketing towards sunny California and loving every minute of it. A plane delay; it doesn’t faze me. A seating area so small, my knees hit my chest; piece of cake (Brown Butter Pear Cake as a matter of fact). The important thing here is I’m on my way to somewhere. Adventure awaits and I couldn’t be happier.
This trip will be a short one, filled with mostly dry, ”I can’t keep my eyes open any longer,” type meetings. No matter, a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered and I am looking forward to some spectacular dining in the evenings.
Sometimes in life what’s needed is a new perspective. With all the blogging, putting away produce, and daily tasks I have lost a bit of sight on what’s important. I was in need of an opportunity to step outside my normal routine and reset. These little jaunts work perfectly for me, but I realize not everyone has this as an option. The trick then is to figure out what works for you, make a plan and then follow it. This could be as simple as a lunch or dinner out with the girls or a trip to the hair salon all by your lonesome.
Whatever the plan, be sure to take a few moments to nurture yourself. When you are at peace and feel your needs are met it will be much easier to give to others.
BROWN BUTTER PEAR CAKE
I set about making this delicious cake with one thing in mind; making it healthy. Fresh pears were a great place to start. I substituted all the processed foods for whole foods and love how it turned out. If you’re looking for a cake with a beautiful presentation, slightly sweet with a lovely Bourbon brown butter flavor, this one’s for you. Feel free to dust with a touch of powdered sugar or add a dollop of sweetened fresh whip cream to top it off, if something sweeter is what you desire.
- 2 partially ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger
- 1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, divided
- 4 tbsp Bourbon (or apple juice), divided
- ¾ cup unrefined pure cane sugar (or brown sugar)
- ½ tsp sea salt, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp whole wheat white flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter and flour a 9 inch spring form pan.
- Place pear slices in bottom of the spring form pan in fanning fruit out in a circle.
- Sprinkle with the tbsp of chopped crystallized ginger. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
- Stir continually until the milk solids bubble up and turn a golden brown color.
- Pour into a small bowl, making sure to get all the brown buttery buts.
- Place browned butter in the freezer to cool and solidify. About 20-25 minutes.
- While waiting for browned butter to solidify, wipe out pan used to brown butter and melt and additional 4 tablespoons of butter.
- Add 2 tbsp bourbon (or apple juice), ¼ cup unrefined cane sugar (or light brown sugar) and ¼ tsp sea salt.
- Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly and slightly thickened.
- Spoon the sauce over the pears, tapping the pan on the counter to evenly distribute.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder and remaining ¼ tsp sea salt, set aside.
- In medium sized mixing bowl add the remaining 4 tbsp of butter, the 4 tbsp of solidified browned butter, 2 tbsp Bourbon and the remaining ½ cup of unrefined sugar. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is incorporated.
- By hand stir in wet and dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating as you go and only until ingredients have all been incorporated. (this helps to keep the cake tender).
- Spoon the batter over top of the pears and tap the pan on the counter to help spread the batter evenly..
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center..
- Cool cake for about 10 minutes before running a knife along the edge of the cake. Inverting onto a platter and remove spring form siding. Allow cake to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar or add a dollop of fresh whole whipped cream prior to serving.
Adapted from Simply Scratch: Gingered Pear + Brown Butter Upside Down Cake
Brown Butter Pear Cake shared with: *Jordon’s Onion: Thank Goodness it’s Thursday * The Pin Junkie: Pin Junkie Pin Party * Juggling Real Food and Real Life: Let’s Get Real *Feathers in the Woods: Green Thumb Thursday *Weekend Wind-Down *In the Kitchen with Jenny: Foodie Friends Friday *Natasha in Oz: Say G’day *Raia’s Recipes: Savoring Saturday’s *Our Rosey Life: Share it Sunday *Pebbles and Piggytails: Saturday Dishes *The Ultimate Linky: Bloggers Brags *Plucky’s Second Thoughts * My Pinterest Adventures: Merry Monday Link Party * Mrs. AOK: Mommy Monday *Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday *April J Harris: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop *Lou Lou Girls: Lou Lou Girls *Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays *New Mrs Adventures: Tasty Tuedays *Recipes for Our Daily Bread: Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop *Smart School House: Whimsy Wednesday *Simply Sweets: Party in Your PJ’s * The Crafty Wife: The Wednesday Roundup *To Work With My Hands: Wake Up Wednesday * Crafty Allie: Worthwhile Wednesdays *Sweet Haute La Dolce Vita: Sweet Haute * Gingerly Made: Show and Tell *Yum Eating: The Yuck Stops Here *My Paper Craze: Creative Spark *The Newlywed Pilgrimage: Moonlight and Mason Jars
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
– Not absolutely necessary, but makes the job of canning a whole lot easier.
