Another two awards-- and a 'Desert Recipe'

I have found out only recently that I have not posted almost a single desert iredipe n the last month or so. How disgusting is that!  It is so not true that I did not make one. In fact, I made quite a few. But thing is all of them are from some popular recipe off foodnetwork. And no fiasco too! So nothing to say really. Although this last week I chanced upon this unique 'cake' recipe from my very good friend Tamar. I have mentioned before, that she is from Israel.  And given that I am a sucker for Israeli salads and deserts, she is the storehouse for goodies.

The thing about Israeli deserts is that they are loaded with dry flavors. Figs, dates, olives, apricots. All these flavors transport you to deserts...to long long queues of  weary camels  trudging along sand dunes with the sun beating down on their bare back, tribesmen washing and relaxing under makeshift tents in palm tree lined oasis, horsemen creating a plume of desert dust as they dash along dusty patches of land... beautiful girls tucked away under veils and carpeted tents...Only their eyes glimmer flirtily as they serve you hookah and dates... Such is the tug of dry flavors.

Coming back to the present tense and the here-tense, Tamar  gave me this incredible 'desert recipe'. Chocolates, walnut and ...pears. No flour and no baking powder. Game for it? I was. And the result was amazing. Layers of fruit and nut flavor. Solid. No fluff. Leaves the mind confused..so confused that you forget about here and now..and all you want is to go for those long forgotten days of Arabian nights. Nights of sinful pleasure.

But before we travel on that road to perdition-- if I may say so :)-- There are fun things I HAVE to mention. I got two more awards!! I cannot believe it :) :) The first one from Palidor of  'Crazy Asian Girl  (a master at making Indian sweets. And I thought it could not be made by anyone mortal :)). Thanks a lot. I am incredibly proud of this one :)

And I pass it on to Ashley of ' Big flavors from a tiny kitchen'. Her blog is lovely. The recipes are great. The pictures are superb. And she has a storehouse of lovely photographs, which is delightful.  Ashley, your posts definitely add sunshine to my day :)

The second one, from someone I admire a LOT. Ancoo of Ancoo's hobby. Some fantastic hobby she has!

And following her idea (which is super good) I pass it on to all my blogger friends. Everybody who makes such excellent recipes!

And having said that, let me take you by the hand and lead you to the deserts of the middle east..with dry flavors and fruity intervals..

No Name Cake. ...a recipe of and for the deserts

Ingredients:

2 butter sticks, soft

1 ¼  cups sugar

6 separated eggs

250 (9 ounces, or a little more the 0.5 Lb ) dark chocolate, grounded

250 gram grounded walnuts

3 pealed pears

round bake pan, with a bit of butter spreaded (so the cake wouldn't stick)

Here is how you do it

1. Prepare oven on 325 degrees. put the butter and the sugar in the mixer's bowl to make an airy, light mix. add the yolks one by one while the mixer is working until the mix is uniform. Add the chocolate add the walnuts and and mix manually with a spatula.
2. Whip the egg whites into a stable foam and “fold” a few times into the chocolate mix. Pour into the pan.
3. Cut the pears in halves, remove the middle part with the grains and cut to quarters. Stick the pear quarters inside the cake , such they stick out a bit. Bake for about 50 minutes until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool. 

Serve it with some Ice cream. And some dried Apricots as garnish. Or dates..or raisins...choice is yours. After all it is your journey..you get to choose the road ...:)

Picture by Tamar Sofer

and another one...it looked so good :)

Happy eating and sinful living!!!! It is good...at times 

Recipe: Courtesy Tamar Sofer.