Orange Angel Food Cake With Caramelized Pears

--CAKE--
  1 1/2 c  Egg whites, about 12 large
  1 1/4 ts Cream of tartar
  1 1/2 c  Sugar
      1 c  Cake flour, sifted
           Pinch of salt
      1 ts Vanilla extract
  2 1/2 tb Orange rind; chopped
           - (colored part only)
      1 ts Freshly squeezed lemon juice

--PEARS--
      8    Ripe pears, peeled, cored,
           - sliced 1/3-inch thick
    1/3 c  Sugar
  1 1/2 tb Fresh lemon juice
      2 tb Brandy
           Pinch of salt

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. For cake, put the egg whites in large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Increase to high speed and continue to mix, slowly pouring in the sugar. Continue whipping until the whites have increased to several times their original size and they form soft, droopy white peaks. 2. Remove the bowl from the machine and fold in the flour, salt, vanilla extract, orange rind and lemon juice. 3. Gently scoop the batter into an ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan. Bake until top is light brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. 4. When the cake has finished baking, invert the pan and allow it to cool. If your pan does not have legs to rest on when inverted, invert the inner tube of the pan onto a bottle. When the cake is completely cool, run a knife around the inside edge of the pan and remove from the pan. 5. For pears, combine the pears and the remaining ingredients in a 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar starts to caramelize lightly and the pears are soft but still retain their shape, 10 to 15 minutes. As they begin to color, stir the pears gently to prevent them from burning. 6. Serve the cake with warm or room-temperature caramelized pears and raspberry sauce, if desired.


Yield: 1 Servings