Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread #FoodieReads

I am sharing this after reading Table for Five by Izzy Bromley.

On the Page

This was a charming story. It begins when Abbie Finch loses her job that was inextricably linked with her identity. Lost and full of despair, she spends time in her neighborhood's café where the manager has designated a table for anyone who is lonely. It's an invitation for people to sit together and get to know one another. That is where Abbie meets Ethel, a former ballerina; Bob who lives in a homeless shelter after losing his job and his family; Dawn, a colorful, carefree, and chaotic freespirit; and Viraj, a techie who has recently relocated to their town.

This unlikely band of five embraces a project to raise money for the homeless shelter where Bob lives. They find themselves, their purpose, and an enduring friendship.

Because they meet in the café at ten o'clock everyday, they order a lot of baked goods and coffee drinks. There was also food at the homeless shelter: "Finally, we pass a huge kitchen, the scent of frying onions and bolognaise sauce wafting through the air. 'Smells good.' 'Yeah. The chefs do a great job. And it’s all cooked from scratch. None of your processed muck'."

But I was inspired into the kitchen by this passage: "I say. 'Please could I have a flat white and a slice of that delicious-looking pear and ginger cake.' 'You can indeed, my love,' she says, grabbing a plate and lifting a slice on to it. 'You’ve right made my day. You really have'." I love anything ginger and I have been making this upside-down pear gingerbread cake for years! Probably seventeen years. I have even made it in small layers and frosted it with a cream cheese frosting. That was delish.

On the Plate

Ingredients

• 8 small organic pears, destemmed and halved

• butter for greasing the pan

• 1-1/2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 cup organic dark brown sugar plus 2 Tablespoons for the pan

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1 cup sour cream

• 4 Tablespoons olive oil

Procedure

Butter your baking pan and sprinkle 2 Tablespoons brown sugar over the bottom of the pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the meantime, swab a skillet with butter and place pears - halved and destemmed - cut-side down in the pan. Let pears cook till the cut surface begins to brown slightly, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.

Arrange pears, cut side down on top of the brown sugar in the pans.

Blend all other ingredients to form a batter. Pour over pears. Place in the preheated oven and bake until cake is a deep brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

I am adding this to the November #FoodieReads Link-Up.