Cinnamon Plum Torte

A quick and wonderful cake, it takes a lot of fresh plums. If you have a glut of the fruit, this is a good recipe to use them all up! The juices of the plums create a centre to the cake that has a custard-like texture.

¾ cup (PLUS 1 Tbsp sugar to sprinkle on top)
½ cup (4oz/114gr) butter
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
Pinch salt
24 halves pitted Italian (aka prune plums)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (or more, to taste)
Vanilla ice cream, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position.
2. Cream the sugar and butter until it becomes pale, almost white. 
3. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. 
4. Dump in a 9" or 10" ungreased springform pan (you can line with parchment paper if you like); the dough will be quite thick, so spread it evenly along the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. 24 plum halves is a lot of material to stuff into a 9" or 10" springform pan; I stand them on end and arrange them in a spiral.
6. NOTE on aesthetics: While cooking, the dough puffs up significantly. Therefore, if you want the plum spiral design to show on top, do not press the plums down into the batter. Conversely, if you want a smooth top to the cake, do press the plums down, but not quite to the bottom to allow a layer of dough to remain between the plum and the bottom of the pan. 
7. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and the remaining tablespoon of sugar to sprinkle over the plums.
8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the center tests done with a toothpick. 
9. Goes very nicely with vanilla ice cream.

Poires et fromage bleu sur pâtes

Fruit and blue cheese with nuts is a classic light dish so I figured, hey, what would it be like with pasta! Well, let me tell you, I got some pretty positive reactions when I subjected others to it. The pear lightly caramelizes in the buttery good oil, lending a pleasant sweetness to every bite of lightly blue-cheese pasta.

Serves: 3 people @ 4oz of dry pasta per person

¾ pound pasta
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter
4 pears (2 lbs), peeled, cored and cut into ⅓" thick slices
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 oz Cambozola or other light blue cheese, cubed
½ + ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
OPTIONAL ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pinenuts, toasted

1. If using, start by toasting the nuts in a dry pan, and set aside until the last step.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and wait until it begins to froth. 
3. Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil to cook the pasta.
4. Once the butter begins to froth, add the pears and cook until tender and beginning to brown but not soft, about 8 minutes; try to only turn them once to avoid breaking them (this is more for show than for taste). Set aside until the last step.
5. To the remaining butter in the pan, add the rosemary and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
6. Add the broth, cheese, ½ cup Parmesan and cream. Stir and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 6 minutes. 
7. Dump the pasta in the sauce and toss until everything is coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Before serving garnish with the pear slices, the nuts and a sprinkle of the the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.