fall weekend baking

This is the best season to try out the many different varieties of pears in the market these days. They're all sweet and perfect for eating but every now and then, a good pie or tart such as the pear frangipane tart (shown above) is worth the time and effort to make. The pears were peeled and layered on the pie shell and creamy filling made with almond flour. A classic recipe may be found in Georgia Pellegrini.com.

If I were asked to describe hummingbird cake, I would say it is a more exotic version of the popular banana cake or bread. Considered a Southern specialty, I also read that it was the most requested cake recipe in Southern Living magazine. I first heard about it in Memphis when a friend brought it to a party and shared the recipe with me. It had chopped nuts and a combination of crushed pineapple and mashed bananas then frosted with a cream cheese and powdered sugar icing. It's traditionally served as a two-layer cake but I chose to bake it in a bundt pan. I think next time I will try to freeze half of the cake as I found the entire recipe too much for our consumption.