Toasted Walnut Torte with Pear and Orange

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven 15-20 minutes, until very fragrant. While walnuts toast, cut a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Place parchment in bottom of pan, then whisk together 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the oil and the liqueur in a bowl. Spread it evenly onto the parchment.
2. Peel pears and slice in half, removing stems, seeds and veins. After nuts are toasted and cool enough to handle, firmly place one walnut half in each of the pear’s cut-out centers. Place the nut-stuffed pears sliced-side-down into the pan, narrow ends toward the center. (Depending on the size of the pears, it’s possible that not all halves will fit into pan; feel free to trim them to fit, or simply do not use all halves.) Leave the oven on at 350 F.
3. Once the remaining walnuts are completely cool, rub them between your hands with a clean dishcloth to loosen and remove most of the peels. (This can make a mess; I like to do it outside or over the sink.) Discard the loosened peels; many will stay stuck to walnuts’ crevices, which is fine. Transfer nuts to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times, just until a fine to medium even meal is formed, being careful not to blend it too long or create nut butter. Measure out 1.5 cups walnut meal, firmly packed, and whisk the flour into it in a separate bowl. (Use the remaining nut meal as you wish. It’s great on yogurt or salad.)
4. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks well with 1/3 cup of the sugar, mixing until pale and smooth, then add both vanillas and blend. Fold in the nut/flour mixture and the orange zest. Sift the salt and baking powder over the bowl and mix by hand. Mixture will be very thick.
5. In a separate bowl (preferably the bowl of a standing mixer), beat the egg whites on high until they begin to become white and opaque. Keep mixer going and slowly add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Stop mixing only when the whites are thick, shiny and almost stiff to the touch. Scoop out little less than a cup of the egg whites, and gently mix it into the nut batter to loosen and moisten its texture. Then very gently fold in the remaining egg whites, slowly folding until the last traces of white are barely visible. Gently spread batter evenly over the pears in the pan.
6. (Tip: If there’s a chance your springform pan might leak like mine does, place a layer of tin foil on the oven rack before baking.) Place pan in oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, until top of torte is dry and firm, and a wooden toothpick inserted in its center comes out clean and not sticky. Let torte cool completely before unlocking sides of pan, inverting it onto a plate, and removing parchment. Eat within 24 hours, storing in fridge if not serving within a few hours.