Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake

I bought another cookbook. This one is called Rustic Fruit Desserts and it is a feast for the eyes to skim through. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, tomorrow in fact, I wanted to supplement the dessert spread which usually consists of pies: pumpkin and pecan. The book is organized by seasons. Quite handy. I paid careful attention as I pored through the section devoted to fall fruits. And then I saw it. The Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake. It would fit nicely into a Thanksgiving spread. Not too ostentatious, yet elegant nevertheless.

I started by caramelizing water and sugar, then pouring the mixture into a buttered cake pan. Next I fanned sliced pears around the edge. The batter was pretty simple. Melt some butter and dark chocolate then transfer to a mixing bowl to which sugar and eggs were added in succession. Then alternately I added the dried ingredients and some whole milk. C'est tout!

Spread the batter on top of the pears and caramel, then into the oven for 40-45 minutes. Cool on a rack for a quarter hour, then invert onto the serving plate. Five minutes later, carefully remove the pan. Again, c'est tout!

We'll be seeing more from this cookbook. Much much more. Trust me.

Bon appétit!