Whole Pears baked into Cardamom Cake

For Poaching Pears you will need:

• 3 medium-sized crisp, firm pears (Bosc are very firm- next time I'll use red pears), peeled but whole with the stem left on
  
• 1 (750-ml) bottle dry white wine
  
• 1¼ cups sugar
  
• 4 cloves
  
• 3 star anise
  
• 8 cardamom pods
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks
  
• 1 vanilla bean
  

For the cake:

• 1½ cups butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 1½ cups self-rising flour (you can use 2 tsp baking soda and a ½ tsp salt added to flour)*
  
• 1 generous tbsp ground cardamom
  
• Pinch of salt
  
• 3 oz white chocolate
  

*I used a mixture of chestnut, almond and sorghum flours

To poach the pears: Peel the pears all around to the stem on top. Leave the steams. Combine the pears, wine, sugar, cloves, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon in a large saucepan and poach for 30 minutes over low heat- you may want to bring to a high heat first and reduce to simmer if the pears are very firm.
Take the pears out of the liquid and set aside to cool. Add 2 cups water to the poaching liquid and boil to reduce the liquid by half to serve as a sauce with the cake if you would like.




For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F
Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until thoroughly creamed. Beat in the eggs one at the time.
Sift the flour, cardamom, and salt over the batter and fold it in.
Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper inside.
Spoon the batter into the pan. Press the pears in, stem end up (you can cut the bottom off flat so the pears will stand straight). Bake for 40 -50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan, then remove the cake from the pan to a rack to cool.
Melt the white chocolate by putting a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir the chocolate in the bowl until melted. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cake and create nice stripes on top

When you are ready to serve slice the cake thick and pour the reduced syrup over the cake. Enjoy.

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

You will notice the key difference with these muffins in using some freeze dried blueberries. This helps with texture as well as taste. 

1 1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup arrowroot flour
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk (full-fat)
1/2 cup water or coconut water
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/4 cup smoothly mashed avocado
1/3 cup (each) frozen blueberries and freeze dried blueberries*




* the freeze- dried have a very intense flavor and they prevent the muffins from being too wet. If you don't have them, use all frozen or fresh. Just use less of the water


Preheat oven to 350.
Go ahead and mix all dry ingredients together.
Cream together all the wet.
Combine both mixtures.
Place batter into lined muffin cups.

Bake on 350 for about 20 minutes or until top springs back when pressed. 

Naturally Green Pistachio Ice Cream

The following recipe is from my fabulous mother in law, Debbie. A nice summer treat for the heat!!

1 pint 1/2&1/2
3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk1/2 cup heavy cream1 ripe avocado1/2 cup raw sugar1/2 teaspoon almond extract1/2 teaspoon vanilla1/4 teaspoon spirulina powder (optional. Makes it greener,naturally)3/4 cup shelled, salted pistachio nuts


Put all ingredients except nuts in a blender (or bowl to use an immersion blender) blend until smooth. Pour mixture into ice cream maker. Follow manufacturers directions. When ice cream is done add nuts for a few more turns of the machine. Put ice cream into a container and cure for a couple of hours in the freezer and enjoy!