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10/08/2014 12:00 AM

A Show-Stopping Dessert

Remembering when the Jewish high holidays fall is often a problem since the Jewish calendar is not like the Gregorian calendar. Mostly I remember when someone is nice enough to invite me to a dinner party for the holiday. Such was the case recently when friends invited me and I made gefilte fish. Just in case you don't know what gefilte fish is, this is what you need to know. First, there are two kinds of people who don't like gefilte fish: Jewish people and people who are not Jewish. The second is that no one I know makes it; instead, you buy it in glass jars in which the oblong pieces of fish, often carp, are in a jellied "soup" with a couple of carrots in it. Most people who enjoy fresh fish gag at the sight of it.

But I found a recipe from Joan Nathan, a superb Jewish cookbook author, for gefilte fish that is baked in a Bundt cake. Why not? I would be going to dinner twice, hosted by friends who really do understand food and are Jewish. And they would probably stay friends with me, even if the dish were worse than the stuff in a jar. As it turned out, it was beyond delicious. I did buy the requisite fish at Atlantic Seafood in Old Saybrook-wild-caught salmon and cod. Because I have a KitchenAid mixer and a big Cuisinart food processor (3 bowls and grater and slicer blades that can be heightened or lowered), it was easy to make.

However, I am not going to give you that recipe, because the recipe itself may make you gag. If you would like the recipe, email me and I will send it to you. Instead, I'll give you a recipe for a pineapple upside-down cake that is a show-stopper, also easy to make, and will make you a star at any dinner party.

Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.

<hardreturn>From B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends by Barbara Smith (Artisan, New York, 1995) <hardreturn>Topping <hardreturn>¼ cup unsalted butter, melted <hardreturn>½ cup firmly packed <hardreturn>light-brown sugar <hardreturn>7 slices canned pineapple (reserve one-half cup juice for cake) <hardreturn>13 candied cherries (I like maraschino cherries) <hardreturn>Cake <hardreturn>2 cups all-purpose flour <hardreturn>2 teaspoons baking powder <hardreturn>½ teaspoon baking soda <hardreturn>½ teaspoon salt <hardreturn>1 teaspoon ground ginger <hardreturn>¼ teaspoon ground cloves <hardreturn>½ cup unsalted butter, softened <hardreturn>1 cup sugar <hardreturn>2 large eggs <hardreturn>½ cup heavy cream <hardreturn>½ cup reserved pineapple juice <hardreturn>Whipped cream, for garnish if you like <hardreturn>Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the sides of a 9-by-13-inch round baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or melted butter. <hardreturn>For the topping: beat the melted butter and brown sugar together in a small bowl. Spread this over the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Arrange 6 pineapple slices around the edge of the pan and one slice in the middle. Place a cherry in the middle of each pineapple slice and the rest between the slices around the edge. <hardreturn>To make the cake: Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cloves in a large bowl. In another, larger bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (I use my big KitchenAid for this for about 4 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Using a spatula, alternatively fold in the flour mixture and the heavy cream and pineapple into the butter and sugar mixture until well blended. Spread the batter over the pineapple slices and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. <hardreturn>Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the cake, invert a serving plate over the cake pan, and turn the cake and plate over together. Remove the cake pan. Serve warm with whipped cream. (If you have a little time, visit Coffee's on Route 1 in Old Lyme and pick up a pint of Reed's ginger ice cream. It is amazing with this cake.)