Pistachio Fennel Cake Wcandied Fennel Food

FENNEL UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
• For the fennel: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in 3/4 cup water, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the fennel, salt and lemon juice, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the liquid is reduced by three-quarters, about 15 minutes. Spread the candied fennel evenly over the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Set aside to cool slightly.
• For the cake: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, olive oil, lemon zest and fennel pollen. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until just combined. Pour the batter evenly over the candied fennel. Place in the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake onto a plate to cool completely.
• For the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the raspberry jam, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons warm water.
• Sprinkle the cake with a few picked fennel fronds. Slice into wedges and serve with a spoonful of the sauce.

BAKED APPLES WITH CANDIED FENNEL AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Cover fennel with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then drain. Return fennel to saucepan and stir in sugar, water (3/4 cup), zest, and fennel seeds. Gently simmer, uncovered, until fennel is tender and translucent and liquid is syrupy, about 45 minutes. Cool fennel slightly in syrup.
• Core apples from top using a melon baller, leaving about 1 inch intact at base. Arrange apples in a baking dish just large enough to hold them.
• Transfer fennel with a slotted spoon to a bowl (reserve syrup and zest) and add pistachios and raisins. Finely chop zest and stir into fennel mixture. Fill apples with some of mixture, reserving remainder.
• Stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice into reserved fennel syrup and pour over apples. Add butter to baking dish and bake apples, covered with foil, 25 minutes. Uncover and bake, basting occasionally, until tender, about 25 minutes more.
• Stir remaining fennel mixture and lemon juice to taste into syrup in dish. Serve over apples.

CANDIED-FENNEL-TOPPED LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare cake pan:
• Lightly oil pan and line bottom and side with a large round of wax paper, pleating sides and trimming to fit. Lightly oil paper. Line side with a 2-inch-wide strip of wax paper long enough to wrap around inside of pan to cover pleats, then lightly oil.
• Make candied fennel:
• Cut fennel bulb lengthwise with slicer into enough 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 9) to cover bottom of cake pan.
• Cover fennel with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Drain fennel and set aside. Add sugar, water (3/4 cup), zest, and fennel seeds to saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add fennel slices and very gently simmer until tender and translucent and liquid is syrupy, about 40 minutes. Lift fennel slices out with a fork and arrange decoratively in bottom of cake pan. If you have more than 1/3 cup syrup, boil to reduce; if less, add water. Cool syrup slightly, then pour (through a fine-mesh sieve if desired) over fennel.
• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in zest.
• At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing until just combined. Gently spoon batter over topping, spreading evenly.
• Bake until cake is golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a plate and continue to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PISTACHIO FENNEL CAKE W/CANDIED FENNEL

Steps:

• CF: Bring sugar and 1C water to boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cover vanilla syrup and cool. Preheat oven to 300*F. Using mandoline, cut fennel crosswise into thin slices. Place in 8x8 glass dish. Scatter orange peel over fennel. Pour vanilla syrup over and cover w/foil. Bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake until syrup thickens and fennel is translucent, but still crisp tender, about 30 minutes. Cool; discard vanilla bean. Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to bowl; cover and chill. Cake: Preheat oven to 325* Spray 10" springform pan w/baking spray. Toast fennel seeds for about 2 minutes. Place fennel seeds, pistachios, flour and salt in processor until finely ground. Beat egg yolks with 3/4C sugar unitl pale and fluffy (3 min) Beat in vanilla extract. Add pistachio mixture; fold just until blend. Clean mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4C sugar; beat until egg whites are stiff and shiny. Stir 1/3 egg mixture into pistachio mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg whites in 2 additions. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until center is just set, top is golden and tester inserted into center comes out moist, about 35 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan to release cake; Cool completely. Cut cake into wedges and serve w/candied fennel and ice cream w/drizzle of syrup