Caramel-Glazed Pear Cake
This cake is ultra moist and ultra delicious!

4 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
1 Tbls. sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Caramel Glaze (recipe to follow)

Heat oven to 350° F. Toss together pears and 1 Tbls. sugar; let stand 5 minutes. Beat eggs, 2 cups sugar and oil at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Combine flour, salt and baking soda and add to egg mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in pears, chopped pecans and vanilla extract. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove from pan, cool slightly; drizzle Caramel Glaze over cake while still warm but not hot.

Caramel Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup half and half. Stir together brown sugar, butter and half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, 2 1/2 minutes or until sugar dissolves.

2 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 plum tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
2 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely minced
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 Tbls. olive oil

Combine all ingredients except olive oil. Drizzle over top of salad and serve.

3 lb. plum tomatoes (about 15)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 Tbls. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Heat oven to 425° F. Cut each tomato in half lengthwise. Arrange in a shallow baking dish, cut-side down, with the garlic and crushed red pepper. Bake about 40 minutes or until the garlic is soft and the tomato skins pucker and brown. Remove from the oven.

Peel off the tomato skins and discard. Using the back of a fork, smash the garlic and break up the tomatoes in the baking pan. Blend in the olives, basil, vinegar and salt. Serve over one pound of cooked pasta or with grilled fish or chicken. Makes 3 cups.