Toasted Almond Cake with Smoked Pears, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Caramel
Chef Andrew Deery, Majolica
258 Bridge St., Phoenixville
(610) 917-0962, majolicarestaurant.com
Almond Cake
Ingredients: 4 cups ground almonds 1 cup breadcrumbs, 8 large eggs (separated), 6 tbsps. Amaretto, 1 ½ cups sugar,
pinch of salt, 1 cup unsalted butter (melted)
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine almonds and breadcrumbs in large bowl. Whip egg yolk, ¾ cup sugar and Amaretto in mixer until thick and pale.
• Add to almond mixture. Clean bowl and whip egg whites, salt and remaining sugar until stiff.
• Gently fold whites into batter; fold in cooled butter. Pour batter into buttered, parchment-lined baking pan. Cook for 35 minutes or until cake feels set. Remove from oven, run a paring knife around edge of pan to loosen and invert cake onto a cooling rack.
Smoked Pear
Ingredients: Forelli or other small pear (stems on, skins removed with veggie peeler), simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, boiled to dissolve sugar), cooktop smoker or barbecue
• Submerge pears in cooled simple syrup and cover with a plate or parchment to keep in place.
• Bring to a simmer and poach until paring knife easily inserts into pear (about one hour).
• Allow pears to cool in liquid, then place in smoker. Regulate heat to produce light wisps of smoke. After 20 minutes, return to syrup until ready to use.
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups whole milk, 14 tbsp. sugar, 2 vanilla beans, split, 10 egg yolks
• Simmer milk, cream and vanilla pod in stainless steel pot.
• Combine yolks and sugar and whip in an electric mixer until thick and pale (about two minutes on high speed).
• With mixer on, slowly add hot cream mixture to the yolks until combined.
• Pour mixture through fine sieve and cool over an ice bath.
• Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to manufacture’s instructions.
Caramel Sauce
Ingredients: ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water, 1 cup heavy cream, pinch of salt
• Combine sugar and water in pot and bring to a boil over high heat until mixture begins to thicken. Reduce heat to medium and cook sugar until it turns mahogany in color. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in heavy cream. Add a pinch of salt and cool.
• Cut circles of cake with ring mold, then warm in oven.
• Remove and sprinkle top with Amaretto and confectioner’s sugar.
• Top with vanilla bean ice cream. Drain pear and place next to cake.
• Ladle warm caramel tableside.
