(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle); if you haven’t heard about this book, you should! It’s a novel written from the voice of the black servants and some of the people they work for, all residents of Jackson, Mississippi. In the 1950’s. The maids generally are disrespected, still have to ride in the back of the bus, and some are prevented from using the bathroom in the houses where they work. The story is about a young woman (daughter of one of the society ladies) who decides to write a book about the stories of the maids. Anonymously. But not quite, of course. So it’s not only the stories themselves, but about the society-ladies’ relationships, and about the stealth required to interview the maids and write the book. And the repercussions when it’s published. A fantastic read.
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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Oh, was this ever wonderful! It was just a few days ago that I was reading Elise’s blog, Simply Recipes, and this dessert was front and center. With a similar picture to the one above. Doesn’t it look good enough that you’d like to reach right into your screen and cut yourself a slice? We haven’t had any desserts around here for a month, so it was fun to make something. And this was special.
In mine there is a mixture of apples and pears (the pears are the lighter colored pieces, and in between you can vaguely see apples – they absorbed more of the caramel, I guess). Elise made hers with only apples. I didn’t have but one apple, but I did have pears, so I made mine with a mixture. My one apple was a Granny Smith (not what Elise recommended), and the pears gave off a LOT of fluid, so my cake may be more juicy than hers. But it was delicious nevertheless. And cooked through, which was a concern Elise had with her dad’s previous versions of this cake made with Granny Smiths alone.
The recipe is just a tad different than some – the fruit is mixed with a caramel you make right in a skillet and you cook the fruit until it’s nearly done. Then you pour that into a high-sided cake pan that’s been lined with parchment paper and buttered. Then you make the cake batter which contains just a bit of cornmeal. I didn’t have ordinary cornmeal, but did have fine-ground polenta, so used that. There isn’t a lot of sugar in this entire cake (3/4 cup for everything). And there is just one cube of butter. It’s not difficult, either.
In reading some notes over at Elise’s blog about this recipe, some people had difficulty with the caramel – once they added the fruit it seized up, but after cooking longer, it released and all was well. I had no difficulty – I thought the pears had given off too much fluid, actually. And I didn’t cook the fruit as long as Elise indicated in her recipe. I also cut the fruit into 3 wedges for each quarter also (Elise did 2). Just notes to you if you try it too. One reader made hers in an iron skillet, so she saved dirtying up another pan to cook the fruit.
The verdicts: beautiful looking, and delicious tasting. The fine polenta cornmeal in the cake adds just a tiny bit of crunchy – it was wonderful. The cake is light. The fruit is not overly sweet, which I liked. My DH was in heaven both times he’s eaten it – and tells me it’s one of the best desserts I’ve made in a long time. Elise suggested serving this with vanilla ice cream. I didn’t have any, but had heavy cream so ours was served with whipped cream, an able substitute, I believe. I’ll be making this again. Yesiree. Thanks, Elise, for sharing this recipe.
Apple Pear Upside Down Cake
Recipe: Elise at Simply Recipes blog
Servings: 8
CARAMEL & FRUIT:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 whole apples — peeled, cut in 2 slices *see notes for apple types
2 whole pears — peeled, cut in 2 slices
CAKE:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup cornmeal — polenta type, fine grind
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup unsalted butter — at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Butter sides of a 9-inch diameter taller-type cake pan (1 1/2 inch sides) and butter the sides. Line the pan with a 10-inch round of parchment paper. The paper will come up the sides of the pan by 1/2 inch. Butter the parchment paper.
3. Prepare the fruit – peel, core, then cut each quarter into 2 pieces (or 3 pieces if the fruit is particularly large).
4. CARAMEL: Melt butter in a non-stick skillet (large enough to hold all the fruit too) on medium heat. Add the sugar and cook until sugar dissolves and mixture turns golden brown, stirring occasionally (using a wooden or silicone spoon), about 6 minutes. Add the apple and pear wedges to the pan and gently stir to distribute evenly within the fruit. Cover the pan and cook until fruit has released all of its juices, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until fruit is tender and the caramel thickens and coats the fruit, stirring occasionally, between 5-10 minutes. Pour fruit and caramel into parchment lined pan. Level the fruit and rearrange pieces to fill any edges.
5. CAKE: Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside. Place cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the boiling water and stir to combine. Add sugar and butter to the cornmeal. Beat until well blended. Add vanilla and eggs, then add flour mixture alternately with milk. Pour batter over the fruit in the cake pan and gently smooth out to the edges.
6. Bake until the top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the very center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes, then invert cake onto a large cake plate and remove parchment paper. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. May be stored at room temperature for one day, but after that refrigerate.
Serving Ideas: Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Or if you don’t have either, drizzle a little heavy cream over it.
Per Serving: 311 Calories; 16g Fat (46.6% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 93mg Cholesterol; 281mg Sodium.
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A year ago: Scott’s Broccoli Salad
Marie
said on February 3rd, 2009:
What a positively delicious looking cake! I love Elise’s recipes. They always quite simply delicious!
You’re right; Elise is one very great cook! . . . Carolyn T