Sweet Chattering Dessert

Doused and folded with toasted walnuts, the nuts spoke first. The ricotta softly chimed in and the pear - while never assertive - proclaimed its entrance. It remained puffy, not cloyingly sweet and a welcome addition to my table.

My characters have been chattering away - four false starts. I'd make it to page 10 and realize nothing was going on. I scolded my characters. Can't you say something substantial? Can't you initiate a conflict?

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"You created us," they sullenly told me.
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And so I did. They continued to chatter away about much ado about nothing. And now they sit chattering in a file folder until they decide to tell a story. Is it a wonder I spoke with this cake? This cake that was content to be a celebratory dessert or an afternoon snack. This Ricotta-Pear-Walnut Cake had all the answers. But he wasn't giving away his secrets. So I ate him.
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Ricotta-Pear-Walnut Cake Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter - room temperature plus 1 tablespoon to grease the pan
• 3/4 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon
• 3 large eggs
• 6-8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (explains why he stayed puffed-up)
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2/3 cup toasted walnuts
• 2 large ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced.

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I adapted it from Chocolate and Zucchini's Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen. Clotilde may think it's French but I am here to tell you - it's strictly Italian. The walnuts told me so. Whispers of fall, but afternoons of summer - fruit, cheese and nuts. Need I say more?



Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Toast your nuts in a dry skillet for about 3 minutes.
3. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
4. In a food processor combine butter and sugar and process till creamy.
5. Add eggs one by one, pulsing in-between.
6. Add ricotta and vanilla and process.
7. In a medium bowl sift (I just mix) the flour, salt, baking powder and zest.
8. Add to egg mixture. Mix until just combined. It will be thick. (I did this in a separate large bowl)
9. Fold in half of the chopped walnuts.
10. Pour into prepared pan.
11. Arrange sliced pears on top in a circular pattern. Scatter the remaining walnuts, 1 tablespoon of sugar and bake for one hour (until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean).
12. Cool for ten-minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and unclasp the sides. Serve.

Will keep at room temperature. When cooled, wrap carefully and serve when ready. Will keep for two days. It's one of those puffy things that do not love refrigeration.
I passed some creme fraiche around. Somehow, I did not need to worry about refrigerating it - it disappeared. So did the creme fraiche. So did the chatter. And now I wait for new chatter, new characters and new stories. And I hope when a recipe speaks to me - it is filled with vegetables and soothing clear broth because I am gaining weight.