upside down pear cake

Upside Down Pear Cake
recipe adapted from YoungPost (April 12, 2015), SCMP.
makes one 7 inch cake

INGREDIENTS:
100ml milk
1/2 tbsp white vinegar

1/8 cup muscavado sugar
2-3 ripe pears peeled cored cut into slices

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

2 eggs
1/4 cup muscavado sugar
50ml coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Lightly grease and line a 7" cake tin.

2. Mix milk and vinegar together in a bowl and set aside.

3. Sprinkle 1/8 cup sugar over the bottom of the tin. Arrange the pear slices around the tin.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together flours, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

5. In a large bowl, combine milk vinegar mixture, eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, coconut oil and vanilla. Mix well and then fold in dry ingredients. Pour batter over pears in cake tin.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert onto a plate.

elegant and easy starter

Parsnip Soup
recipe adapted from Epicurious
serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 slices of ginger, slivered
4-6 cups homemade beef or chicken stock
6 parsnips, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
thyme or flat leaf parsley for garnish

METHOD:
1. In a large pot over medium high heat, add olive oil and butter.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery and cook for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.

3. Slowly pour in 4 cups of homemade stock while stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Add parsnips and dried thyme and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Once the vegetables are tender, purée the soup with an immersion blender. Add remaining stock to thin the soup to desired consistency. Stir in the nutmeg and season if necessary. Serve hot and garnish with a sprig of thyme or chopped parsley (optional).