a really fast cake with pears and blueberries

nigel, oh nigel, how is it possible that i’ve left your kitchen diaries to languish on a shelf these past months when you had treasures such as these, waiting to be plundered?

first there was the lamb, seasoned with lemon, mint, salt and pepper and served over a bed of crushed new potatoes to soak up the pan juices. and while i may have undercoked the lamb and overused the lemon juice, the meal was still a revelation. or perhaps a re-awakening?

at any rate, it reminded me of your brilliance, your wit, your perfect recipes.

not to mention that i have discovered my go-to cake. this “really fast” cake, as you call it, took even less time than that--i creamed the butter as i chopped the pears, and poured the halved batter into a miniature springform in light of the fact that i was my only dinner guest. i love the way the blueberries sunk into the batter, becoming tiny blue jewels within the sweet and spongy cake. and while the pear-blueberry combination was divine, i still spent every bite salivating--if it is possible to salivate while you have your mouth full--over the possibilities that await when peaches make their debut.