Unusual but awesome: Al Di La's Torta di Pere

At some point during the handful of years I lived in New York City after graduating from college, I apparently missed the memo about the mass exodus to Brooklyn. “The rent is cheaper!” some attested. “It feels more neighborhood-y! You can actually see the sky!!” others argued. Lastly (and perhaps most importantly), “There is GREAT food here.” In the end, and despite my initial skepticism, I realized that my friends were right – about the food, especially. I made the trek from the Upper West Side regularly to hang out and dine with my friends on many memorable occasions.

One of my favorite dinners took place with my dear friends Jennifer and Warren at Al Di La, a fantastic Park Slope trattoria. Everything about this meal was divine – handmade pasta, superbly fresh vegetables, and succulent, flavorful meats (oxtail and rabbit were standouts for me). And the dessert! We shared several desserts and this unusual cake lingered in my memory for a long while afterward. The combination of chocolate and pear is quite delicious, and adding browned butter to nearly anything makes it fantastic, right? I was reminded of this lovely cake when the recipe was posted at the Smitten Kitchen about a year ago, and when I finally got around to making it myself, I was thoroughly pleased with the results and happy to revisit my memories of a perfect evening with friends.

 

Torta di Pere (Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Cake), from Al Di La, via Smitten Kitchen

1 cup AP flour

1 tbsp baking powder

3 room-temperature eggs

4 oz (1 stick) butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 pears, peeled and diced (note: I used Bosc pears - any pear of your liking can be used, or a mix)

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with breadcrumbs.

Whip eggs on high speed until pale and thick (around 9-10 min).

Brown the butter: melt in a medium saucepan (make sure to use one of adequate size because the butter tends to bubble up during the process) and cook until it is brown and smells nutty. Scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure even browning during the last few minutes of cooking (this takes between 6-8 min total). Remove from heat.

Add sugar to eggs and continue to whip for a few more minutes. As the mixture starts to lose volume, turn down mixer speed. Add flour in three stages, alternating with brown butter (and ending with flour). Whisk until just barely combined, then gently fold batter with a spatula until ingredients are fully combined (do not overmix or the fluffy eggs will lose their volume!) 

Pour batter into prepared pan, then sprinkle diced pear and bittersweet chocolate over the top. Bake until cake is golden and springs back to the touch, roughly 30 min.