Denver caterer Pat O'Connor won a national contest with his grandmother's pear cake recipe, which will appear with 49 others in a cookbook sponsored by Thermador ovens to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its built-in wall oven. O'Connor, his mother and brother run Le Petit Gourmet Catering. He calls his liqueur-spiked cake a "showcase for Colorado pears." Chef Bradley Ogden, winner of the James Beard Foundation 2004 "Best New Restaurant" award for his self-named restaurant at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, led a panel of experts in judging the recipes and selecting one winner per state. "Pat's Western Slope Pear & Ginger Cake was chosen for utilizing the scrumptious pears from Colorado's Grand Junction area - a regional favorite - and pear liqueur for an exciting twist," said Ogden in a release. The book, "Taste of America," features color photos of each recipe and is available on thermador.com. The Denver Thermador showroom is located at 11220 E. 53rd Ave.

Western Slope Pear & Ginger Cake

Pat O'Connor won a Thermador oven contest with his grandmother's recipe. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Makes 8 servings. Ingredients Cake:
  • Butter for pie dish
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup (firmly packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons pear liqueur
  •   Topping:
  • 2 firm but ripe pears
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons (firmly packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Powdered sugar Directions For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9- inch-diameter pie dish. Combine flour, ground ginger, and salt in small bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar and fresh ginger in a medium bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk and pear liqueur. Beat in flour mixture. Spread batter in prepared dish. For topping: Peel and core pears. Cut into quarters, then cut quarters into slices. Arrange pear slices in a spoke pattern on batter. Brush pears with melted butter. Mix brown sugar and ginger in a small bowl. Sprinkle over pears. Bake cake until browned and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

    Read more: Colorado pears a winner - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4253232#ixzz2Oh7AUN4V
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