LIME-JUNIPER COMPOTE PEAR CAKE

The organic yellow Williams' bon chrétien (or the shapely Bartlett ) pears at Agata and Valentina (in Greenwich) are the sweetest vivants this time of year - like chilled, seedless, juicy watermelons, grainy and syrupy. Since making jugs of hibiscus tea lately, the infused coins of limes and lemons floating around cannot be wasted, meaning thrown away, thus I turned them into a marmalade/compote as essential for the moisture ingredient of this cake. What's lovely about it is that the raw citrus have been deeply macerated in the "cherry-ness" of the tea, adding a special nuance to the taste, think of a rum and fruit - and a couple of juniper berries in the compote gave it added spice and clove. The result: Like a warm sorbet pie. (Please refer to my previous cake blogs for exact recipe and measurements. The cake-base is pretty consistent - the moisture component is what can be varied.)
Update: Just had dinner and this was our dessert. The layers of cocktail-bitter marmalade and the caramalized pears have poached and marbled together exquisitely, I think. Though uncharacteristic for summer, I made hot black tea to complement my cake. Why? Because the moon is out on the East River.