Ginger Cake, Poached Pears, Kōwhai Creamery Gelato and Rum Sauce
These three recipes work incredibly well on their own. Yes! You can just eat this delicious rum sauce off a spoon! Molasses gives the ginger cake an intense savoury flavour, which works well with the other flavours. The ginger cake and pears can be served warm depending on how far in advance you want to prepare.
Serves 6
Ginger Cake Ingredients
150g plain flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
120g soft brown sugar
75g butter, melted
4 tablespoons molasses
225ml milk
Poached Pear Ingredients
250ml Leefield Station Ridgeline Riesling
250ml water
100g granulated sugar
4 slices lemon
4 thin slices fresh ginger
6 ripe but firm pears, I used Taylors Gold
Warm Golden Rum Sauce Ingredients
100g soft brown sugar
50g butter
4 tablespoons double cream
1 tablespoon golden rum or whisky
To serve
1 tub Kōwhai Creamery Vanilla Bean Gelato
……
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm square cake pan with baking paper.
Sift the flour, baking soda and spices into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
Add the egg, brown sugar, melted butter and molasses to the milk in its large measuring jug and lightly whisk. Pour into the centre of the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. The mixture will have a thin consistency.
Pour into the prepared cake pan then put in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Test for doneness with a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean then the ginger cake is cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, poach the pears, pour the wine and water into a medium-sized pot. Simmer until the sugar dissolves then add the slices of lemon and ginger.
Peel, core and quarter the pears and slip into the hot syrup. Cover pears with a piece of baking paper to keep them immersed in the syrup. Simmer until cooked through – they should be translucent or use the point of a sharp knife to check. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the syrup. If wished, take pear quarters and slice into thinner pieces before serving.
Make the sauce, put the brown sugar, butter, cream and golden rum into a pot. Bring just up to a boil then simmer for about two minutes. Set aside to cool a little.
To serve, cut generous slices of ginger cake and top with poached pear, a scoop of gelato and spoon over some sauce. Serve extra sauce separately.
