Selection from All'ombra dei mandorli in fiore Recipes and photography by Rossella Venezia           Preparation time: 30' Cooking time: 40-45' 600 g small pears (not too ripe) 200 g dessert wine (such as Zibibbo or Passito di Verdicchio) 200 g bittersweet chocolate 140 g butter 4 eggs 100 g granulated sugar 40 g whole milk 100 g almond flour 200 g cake flour (not self-rising) 12 g baking powder 1 pinch of salt Glaze 150 g bittersweet chocolate 125 ml whipping cream A few amaretto cookies Preheat the oven to 180° C/ 350 °F. Butter and flour a 2 liter/8 cup Bundt pan (Ø 24 cm/9.5 in). Peel, core and quarter the pears. Cook the fruit submerged in the wine in a large saucepan for approximately 10 minutes. (N.B. The pears should take on the color of the wine, but may not absorb it completely. Much depends on their degree of ripeness.) The pears should retain their shape. Set aside until ready to use. Roughly chop the chocolate and melt it along with the butter over a double burner or over a very, very low flame. Mix well, creating a smooth, creamy mixture and set aside. Mix the almond flour, cake flour and baking powder. Set aside. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light, add the butter/chocolate mixture, mixing continuously. Add the milk and then the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold stiff peaks and fold them delicately (one third at a time) into the prepared batter. Transfer one third of the batter to the prepared Bundt pan, add half of the pears distributing them evenly, top with another third of the batter, distribute the remaining pears and finish with the remaining batter. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean (40-45 minutes). Let cool in the pan on a wire rack then invert cake. Glaze Roughly chop the chocolate and mix with the cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Melt over a double boiler or very low heat, stirring continuously. Remove as soon as the chocolate has completely melted. Allow to cool briefly (the consistency must be such that the glaze can be distributed uniformly with the aid of a spoon). Glaze the cake when it has completely cooled and sprinkle with crushed amaretto crumbs. Serve when the glaze has set.