I tried to get the Villa Roma cheesecake recipe
for you this week, but it looks like I'll have to try a little
harder. In its place, I have a recipe for you from my own book, a
dessert, and one that is best eaten warm. It's a pear and almond
bread pudding, pretty simple, just a few steps, all well worth the
effort, though.
1 round loaf of Portugeuse Sweet Bread
8 large eggs
4 cups heavy cream
3 bosc or bartlett pears
1 cup white wine
4 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 cups sugar
2 cups sliced almonds
Peel and core the pears, but otherwise leave them whole. Put
the wine, water, 1 cup sugar, the cinnamon stick and star anise, and
the pears, in a sauce pan, bring to a soft boil, reduce and simmer,
until the pears are cooked, soft but still retaining their shape.
Remove the pears to a cooling rack, and bring the liquid to a
boil. Reduce the cooking liquids to about 1 cup (it will be
somewhat syrupy, which is what you want). When the pears have
cooled, cut into half-inch dice.
Mix the eggs and cream thoroughly and well in a large bowl.
Add the remaining cup of sugar and the reduced pear cooking liquid, and
stir to mix.
Cube the bread and add to the bowl with the egg-cream mixture.
Allow the bread to absorb the liquid, although it will not absorb all
of it. Add the diced pears and sliced almonds, and mix well with
your hands.
Put the mixture in a caserole dish. You'll need something
bigger than an 8" x 8", closer to a 10" x 16". The caserole dish
then goes into a 2" roasting pan, and add water to the roasting pan
half-way up the caserole dish.
Bake in the middle of a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.
Check it after 40 minutes, though, to see how the custard is
setting. This pudding is best when it is loosely set.
Serve warm with freshly whipped cream, to which has been added a little confectioner's sugar and almond extract.
I know, I know, this is not Atkins friendly. But, it does eat well, and that's how Cape Dining Out measures success.



