I served this tart alongside bowls of Cream of Carrot Soup.  A tasty, simple fall meal.

                            Pear and Gorgonzola Tart
                                     a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 9-inch tart shell, baked and slightly cooled
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 ounces Gorgonzola, or other good blue cheese
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 small pears, cored and sliced
• 2 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin strips

1.  Combine the cream cheese, Gorgonzola, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Using a hand blender, whip the cheeses together.
2.  In a large, heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium-hi heat.  Add the pears and cool until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes.
3.  Gently spread the whipped cheese mixture evenly over the bottom of the slightly-cooled tart crust.  Place the pear slices over the cheese mixture.   Sprinkle the thin strips of prosciutto over the pears.

"When it Rains, it Pours"
    That's my life in a nutshell right now.  I've been with my father much of October and November during and after his surgery.  Right before I left last week for my father's home in Iowa, my computer crashed and needed to be replaced.  When I finally returned home, there was a gas leak in my laundry room.  Yes... "When it Rains, it Pours".

"Dull Women Have Immaculate Houses"
    Right now, judging from my surroundings, I am one dynamic, exciting, extraordinary human being.  And, instead of cleaning today, I put all of my energy into making this Pear Cake...

                                 Golden Pear Cake
                         a recipe from Cavallo Point Cooking School
                       published in Traditional Home | October 2009

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (divided)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 medium pears (1 1/2 pounds), cored, peeled, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
  Poire Williams Cream (recipe below)

1.  Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Place 1/4 cup butter in 9-inch cast iron or other oven-proof skillet.  Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.  Stir in brown sugar.  Cook and stir until sugar is melted and bubbly; remove from heat.  Set aside; cool.  Arrange pear slices in skillet.
2.  In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In large bowl beat remaining 1/2 cup butter with mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Beat in granulated sugar until combined.  Beat in vanilla.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.  The batter may appear curdled.  Spread batter evenly over pears. 
3.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until pick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack 5 minutes.  Loosen cake by running a sharp knife around the edge of the pan; invert onto a plate.  Serve with Poire Williams Cream or Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Poire Williams Cream:  Beat 1 cup whipping cream with electric mixer on medium speed until cream just thickens.  Add 1 tablespoon Poire Williams or other pear brandy and 2 teaspoons sugar.  Beat on high speed until soft peaks form. 

                           

   I haven't been home much recently to bake, but I did make this Fresh Apple Coffee Cake before I left for my father's last week.  I drizzled it with melted semi-sweet chocolate before eating.  Somehow the thought of pairing apples with chocolate seemed a little strange to me, but I actually liked it a lot - at least on this cake.  It's a dense, substantial cake, and great with a cup of hot coffee.


                        Fresh Apple Coffee Cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups peeled, finely chopped apples
• 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup melted, unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
• additional unsalted butter for melting with chocolate

1.  Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan; set aside
2.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer until well-combined.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
3.  Combine 2 2/3 cups flour, baking powder, soda and salt; add alternately to the beaten egg mixture with the buttermilk, beating until combined.  Fold in the chopped apples.
4.  In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon.  Mix in the 1/3 cup of melted butter.
5.  Place about 2 cups cake batter in the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the crumb mixture; repeat layers.  Bake in a 350˚F oven for about 70 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes before removing the cake from pan; cool on a wire rack. 
6.  Melt the 1/2 cup chocolate pieces with enough butter to give it a drizzling consistancy.  Drizzle over top of cake.

    I was prepared to make a plum tart I had made many times before.  The recipe calls for almond paste which I had purchased and was ready to chop into small pieces. It would cover the crust and be the base for the plums.  But, at the last minute, I decided to return the almond paste to my pantry and instead grind sliced almonds that I store in my freezer.  Why I did that, I don't know; but I was perfectly happy with the end result. 
    I can't say that this plum tart is the most beautiful fruit tart I have ever made.  It's very basic and rather plain looking.  But the taste was just what I was after; topped with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, you've got one delicious dessert (or, how I finished off the remaining slice -- one delicious breakfast the next morning).

                          
                                        PLUM TART


Preheat Oven to 425˚F

• 1  9-inch round or rectangular tart pan with removable bottom, lined with almond tart pastry and kept chilled until ready to fill
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 3 to 4 plums, sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 cup currant jelly
• splash of brandy, if desired
• vanilla bean ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving

1.  In the bowl of a food processor, finely grind the almonds along with 2 tablespoons of the sugar.  Evenly distribute the almond mixture over the top of the tart pastry.
2.  Place the sliced plums in an overlapping pattern on top of the almond mixture.  Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the plums.
3.  Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 425˚F for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375˚.  Bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden color.
4.  Meanwhile, heat the currant jelly in a small pan over a low flame.  Add a splash of brandy to the jelly if desired.  When melted and smooth brush the jelly mixture over the hot plum tart.  Cool slightly and serve with vanilla bean ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

   I'm going to go out on a limb here and say... I think this is the best soup I have ever made.  Wow... I know, I can't believe I said that.  How can this soup, and the recipe that I just down-loaded from Cooking.com replace all of my tried and true favorites?  Well, I'll tell you... First of all, it's so easy.

   The pears, squash, tomatoes and leek are chopped into big chunks and roasted with a little olive oil until tender when pierced.  Cooled slightly, the fruits and vegetables are puréed with chicken broth, transferred to a saucepan and heated.  In addition, it's an extremely healthy soup.  I'm sure there are those of you who would opt to delete the blue cheese, but don't do it.  The sweet creaminess of the soup and the salty, richness of the blue cheese are a perfect combination... and that's the best part.  This soup is perfect with a salad and some really good bread on a chilly fall night.

   
                 

      ROASTED PEAR and BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
                    adapted from a recipe in EatingWell magazine
                                    found on Cooking.com

• 2 large, or 3 small pears, peeled, cored and quartered
• 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 tomatoes, quartered
• 1 large leek, pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced and washed thoroughly
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups organic chicken broth
• Approximately 2/3 cup of any blue-veined cheese (I use Maytag Blue), crumbled
• Thinly-sliced fresh chives

1.  Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2.  Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat.  Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 40 to 55 minutes.  Let cool slightly.
3.  Place half of the roasted vegetables into a blender containe, add enough of the chicken broth to make a thick purée and process until smooth.  Transfer to a large saucepan.  Repeat with the remaining vegetables.  Stir any remaining chicken broth into the the vegetable purée in the saucepan.  Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4.  Cook the soup over medium-low heat, stirring until heated through, about 10 minutes.  Divide soup among bowls and garnish with the blue cheese and chives.

   In my mind, nothing comes close to the beauty of a pear.  A plate of pears rivals any floral bouquet, as far as I'm concerned.  And this time of year, there are always pears in my house.  I chose to go sweet in the kitchen with this pear tart.  Pears and almonds are a match made in heaven.  The chocolate is an added bonus.  And, when I'm not baking with pears, they go into salads for our evening meals.

             PEAR TART with CHOCOLATE and ALMONDS

• 1 partially baked 9-inch almond tart shell, cooled (recipe follows)
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 cup half & half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons blanched almonds
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, grated
• 3 organic Bartlet pears, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise and cored with a melon-baller or small spoon
• Toasted, sliced almonds for sprinkling, if desired

Preheat oven to 325˚F.
1.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, 4 tablespoons of the sugar, the half & half and the vanilla.  Set aside.
2.  In the bowl of a food processor, finely grind the almonds with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.  Spoon the ground almond mixture evenly over the top of the partially baked tart shell; sprinkle the grated bittersweet chocolate over the almonds.
3.  Take a pear half and using a sharp knife, make thin slices across the width of the pear, keeping the shape of the pear intact. (See photo above).  Once the pear is entirely sliced, gently press on the pear to slightly spread the slices apart.  Using a metal spatula, carefully transfer the pear half to the tart shell and lay atop the almond and chocolate mixture with the stem end of the pear pointing to the center of the tart.  Repeat with the other pear halves, placing the sliced pears to create a spoke pattern.
4.  Place the tart pan onto a baking sheet and then, very slowly, begin pouring the reserved egg mixture onto the pears.  Pour in just enough so it is easily transported to the middle rack of the oven.  Once inside the oven you can add a little more of the egg custard.  After about 5 minutes of baking, I will very carefully add as much of the remaining custard as I can to the tart shell.
5.  Bake the tart for approximately 45-50 minutes.  If, within the last 5 minutes of baking, the custard still has no color to it, increase the oven temperature to 350˚ and watch closely at this point.  Remove to a cooling rack when custard just begins to turn golden.
6.  Sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds if desired.
  
   
                            ALMOND TART PASTRY

• 2 tablespoons blanched or sliced almonds
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 5 1/3 tablespoons COLD unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 tablespoons ice water

1.  Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground.  Add the flour and salt and pulse to combine.
2.  Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and pulse briefly, just until small pieces of the butter remain.
3.  Slowly add the ice water while pulsing, until the dough just begins to come together.  Do not over process.
4.  Empty the tart dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, flatten and wrap.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
5.  Remove from refrigerator and roll dough to fit a 9-inch tart pan; trim edge.  Place lined tart pan in freezer while preheating oven.
6.  Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Line the tart shell with foil and beans or rice.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and beans and continue to bake until pastry just begins to turn golden.  Remove and let cool.

   I've been loading up on apples. I spent a very rainy day going through recipes -- recipe books, recipe files, stacks of recipes torn from magazines and newspapers, and recipes on the back of store receipts when that was all I had available and needed paper to jot down a sudden inspiration.  The majority of the recipes I set aside were for apples.  I made one, desperate attempt last week to buy peaches.  They smelled so good and I just wasn't ready to move on to "fall" fruits.  But they were horrible - mealy and tasteless.  It was then I knew I had to look seriously at apples. 

   Right now I've been buying McIntosh apples.  They are what I used to make the Apple Cookies with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts -- another recipe that has been languishing in my files for many, many years.

     •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • 

                   Apple, Dried Cranberry and Walnut Cookies

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup finely chopped apples
• 1 1/2 cup regular oats, uncooked
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1.  Cream butter; gradually add brown sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and water.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, beating until well-combined.  Gently stir in apples, oats, cranberries and walnuts.
2.  Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 375˚F for 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove to a rack to cool. 

   I'm shifting gears.  I'm moving away from the outdoor grill and from searching my vegetable garden for tonight's dinner.  I'm ready for meals that can be made in one pot on top of my stove.  I'm anxious to turn on the oven, not only to bake, but to take the chill out of the air.  I've been eying this recipe for Potato and Apple Soup all summer; waiting to pounce on it once hot soup for dinner no longer sounded oppressive.  And this was just the ticket!  It's a soup that will ease you into fall - light and crisp.  And a wonderful way to introduce locally-grown apples into your menus. 
    Potato and Apple Soup accompanied by Cheddar Dill Biscuits - get recipe

                                     ∞  Potato and Apple Soup ∞
                              Canadian House & Home | October 2008

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped (suggestions: Empire, McIntosh, Spartan)
• 1 pound (about 2 large) potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 cups organic chicken stock
• 1 cup sweet apple cider
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• grated extra-sharp cheddar, to garnish
• sautéed diced apple, to garnish

1.  Heat butter and oil together in a large pot on medium-hi heat until butter is melted.  Add onion, apple and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until golden and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
2.  Add potatoes, chicken stock and cider and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3.  Purée soup in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with cheddar and sautéed apples.

   With the end of summer comes, the dreaded grape harvest!  Don't get me wrong, I love the grapes and the juice we get from the grapes... but I can have my day planned out, and think I know the way my day is going to go, when all of a sudden, there are 6 quarts of freshly picked grapes staring at me (more like screaming at me, really) thanks to my husband.  Experience has taught me, you don't leave the grapes setting in a big container, outside, for very long.  It doesn't take much for the sweet, ripe grapes to go bad. 

    So, as I have done in the past, I made the concentrated grape juice my aunt made every summer with the Concord grapes she grew.  I think my aunt would approve of my Edleweiss grape juice.  I bottle the juice in old, French lemonade bottles that I always save, and keep the juice in my refrigerator.  It doesn't last very long.

   Oh... you are so lucky!  We had dinner with our neighbors (yes, the Orange, Tomato and Avocado Salad and the Bistecca alla Florentina neighbors!).  And now, I have a new recipe to share.  For our appetizer we ate figs stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in proscuitto and grilled.  They brought the recipe back from California where they were introduced to this new-to-us preparation of figs. 

   Of course, I couldn't wait to make it myself.  You will need fresh figs (I bought a box of about 25 at Whole Foods), fresh goat cheese, proscuitto, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.  Cut a small section from the side of each fig; take some of the goat cheese and press into this small cavity.  Wrap a long, narrow slice of proscuitto firmly around the fig (you want to do your best at keeping the goat cheese inside the fig while grilling), and skewer.  Right before grilling, drizzle with olive oil and season with lots of the freshly ground pepper.  Grill over a low flame.  I found that you want to turn the skewered figs as little as possible to keep them intact.  I may even slide the skewers into one of those flipable grill baskets the next time.  The saltiness of the proscuitto and sweetness of the figs is a delicious match.