Rouses_FB_July_August_2017

DESSERT “T he world’s turned upside- down,” we say, shaking our heads over the news when it’s particularly unusual or crazy, which lately seems to be more often than ever. It’s hard to remember in such discombobu- lated times, but upside-down-ness does have its joyful sides. Consider children somer- saulting across a green lawn or hanging from playground monkey bars, cheerleaders cart- wheeling on a brisk fall day, dizzying topsy- turvy rides at the county fair. Think of lean yoga instructors doing headstands and hand- stands with seemingly calm effortlessness. And then there’s dessert. When it comes to dessert, a certain miracle of upside-down- ness takes the cake. And this miracle can happen with yoga-like calm effortlessness. Upside-down cakes are easy. Their putting- together is easy. Their batter is easy. Decorating them (because their topping is inherent — no frosting necessary) is super- easy. Cleaning up from them (because there are so few dishes to wash) is easy. Even flipping them out of the pan — the idea of which might inspire trepidation until you have actually done it — is also easy. Easy, yet showy. And definitively delicious. Though we all know the canned pineapple/ maraschino cherry version, upside-down cakes happily accommodate almost any fruit from orchard or garden, fresh, canned, dried or in combination. And not just accommodate — when the fresh seasonal fruit, a bit tart and textural, replaces canned pineapple, the swoon factor is greatly amplified, adding a new dimension to the already appealing single note of sweet, jammy, caramelized goo. All these cakes do start with a layer of fruit in this goo: a sweet, syrupy, buttery glaze in the bottom of a heavy pan or skillet. Over this, a good from-scratch, but not elaborate, cake batter is poured. After baking, in a culinary sleight of hand that is not without drama (though, again, it’s easy — I promise), the whole is flipped — literally reversed out onto a serving plate. Voilà ! The fruit underneath is now a gloriously attractive topping, its glossy prettiness one you might expect to see in the window of a French p â tisserie . In fact, though what we think of as upside- down cake is an American invention, its conceptual origins may lie in France,

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