Pear and Philadelphia pie: my recipe and... what wine do you pair with it?

On this beautiful early spring Sunday, I want to surround myself with the scent of good things. For me, nothing is more delicious than a slice of homemade cake to share with someone you love, over a chat, a coffee and a hug. Yes, I am human too and I don't just drink wine... but I must admit that I thought of wine to go with this cake even before the cake came out of the oven! To recap, why not create a nice 'empty fridge' recipe? (and not just empty the fridge?) I have two very ripe pears that I would never eat again because I don't like ripe fruit and I have two eggs and a tub of Philadelphia that expire next week and, knowing me, I'm sure I'll forget them in the fridge... I open the pantry and... ok, I guess the ingredients for the pear and Philadelphia cake they are all there! 😋

Since it's 12:30 and the cake is in the oven, I can take advantage of it and make myself two bruschette with the leftover Philadelphia and sun-dried tomatoes... I also have 5 different types of basil to put on them that I just bought at Bulzaga (if you don't live in Romagna, I know you won't understand... but it's my place of perdition... like the Flover in Bussolengo, only I also find Felicetti Riserva Valentino spaghetti!

If you want to have lush and wonderful herbs, with the luxury of being able to 'forget' them even when you go on holiday in the summer, I recommend exposing them to the west under a porch as I did, but above all to use a hydroponic growing pot. Basically it is a pot with a water reservoir and a float that tells you when the water level is low. You cannot arbitrarily decide to water: every day the climate is different, especially in spring. Watering once a day or once a week is always wrong. With this method the soil only absorbs the water it needs and you only have to remember to have a look at the float every now and then: when it is about to reach the minimum fill the pot! Here is the link to my Lechuza pot bought on Amazon last July!

To make this cake as always I had a very faithful helper: my Kenwood Chef, which I have been using continuously for almost 4 years! If you are looking for a top-quality mixer, I recommend you take advantage of this Amazon offer by clicking HEREToday you can buy it for € 229 instead of € 400!

Pear and Philadelphia cake: Ingredients for a 22 cm hinged mould

• 2 whole yellow eggs
• 100 g brown sugar
• 120 g Philadelphia
• 90 g extra virgin olive oil (choose a delicate oil)
• 200 g 00 flour
• 1 sachet of vanilla baking powder
• 2 large Williams or rather 'queen' pears (mine weighed about 400 g)
• The juice of half a lemon
• A pinch of fine salt
• Bitter cocoa for dusting (to taste)

Pear and Philadelphia Cake: Preparation

1. Beat the 2 eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the Philadelphia and continue whipping.
3. Add the oil in a drizzle as if you were making mayonnaise, wait until the amount is absorbed before adding more.
4. Add a pinch of fine salt, but just a pinch....
5. Sift the flour and baking powder and add them to the mixture. Continue to whisk at the same speed.
6. Peel the pears, remove the back and cut them into rounds, then put them in a bowl with the juice of half a lemon.
7. When the mixture is ready pour in the pears and mix well with a spatula.
8. Take the hinged mould and place the baking paper on the base, then butter the sides and pour in the mixture.
9. Bake in a static oven preheated to 180°C for about 40 minutes. Note, the time varies from oven to oven, so I recommend you do the toothpick test after 30 minutes and adjust according to how you take it out... but remember, as there are pears it will never be completely dry...
10. Let it cool for a couple of minutes, then open the mould and put it on a wire rack to cool. If desired, you can dust it with a spoonful of sifted cocoa powder... 

Be very very careful when you put the mixture into the mould to make a base of dough and put the pears in the centre to prevent the cake from breaking! And still be very very careful when you transfer it to the griddle... it's as fragile as a crystal goblet, but it's delicious and fluffy as a cloud! 😍

And now for my favourite moment: let's talk about food and wine pairing! What wine should we pair with this delicious cake? Try a Pigato passito like this one from Torre Pernice! I discovered some fantastic ones during my excursions to Ortovero, to the regional wine shop of Liguria, thanks to "Lives on the Riviera"for the series of events 'Stars & Goblets'. By the way, Thursday and Friday is the last stage with Chef Marco Sacco of the 2 Michelin-starred restaurant 'Il piccolo lago'. Have you already booked your place?

• Stars & Goblets: Ligurian wines and local products with Chef Gian Piero Vivalda

• Stars & Goblets: Ligurian wines and local products with Chef Igles Corelli

• Stars & Goblets: Ligurian wines and local products with Chef Tommaso Arrigoni

And what wines would you pair with this delicious cake? Write it in a comment!

Have a wonderful Sunday,🍷

Cheers,

Chiara

All my notes on wine and food in one book.