Pistachio cream and sesame custard make a winning pair

* Every year, winemaker Andrew Quady invites pastry professionals to pair their finest desserts with one of his winery's elegant dessert wines. The grand prize goes to the combination that makes the most magic. The contest has a bittersweet side, though: Some stellar desserts are not wine friendly and so fall by the wayside. One memorable example was this cardamom-perfumed pistachio layer cake created by pastry chef James Osborne. He presented the nut-studded beauty, wrapped and filled with softly whipped cream, with a most unusual sesame seed-flavored custard sauce. Although groaning from our indulgent duty, my fellow judges and I gave the cake a rare gesture of praise--we had seconds.

Pistachio Cream Cake

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 50 minutes, plus at least 2 1/2 hours to cool and chill

NOTES: Make the custard sauce up to 1 day ahead or while the frosted cake chills; the cake cuts best when refrigerated at least 2 hours.

MAKES: 12 to 16 servings

About 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

About 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted pistachios (salted or unsalted)

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 large eggs

Cream Frosting (recipe follows)

Sesame Custard Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper cut to fit; butter paper and dust with flour.

2. In a small bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, 1/2 cup chopped pistachios (wrap remaining airtight), poppy seeds, lemon peel, orange peel, and cardamom.

3. In a glass measure or small microwave-safe bowl, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a microwave oven on full power (100%), 1/2 to 1 minute. Add milk and vanilla.

4. In a deep bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat eggs with remaining 1 cup sugar until thick enough to hold mounds briefly when you lift the beater, 4 to 5 minutes. Add flour mixture and milk mixture. Stir or mix gently until well blended. Scrape batter equally into prepared pans.

5. Bake cake layers on center rack in a 325[degrees] regular or convection oven until edges are browned and begin to pull from pan sides and centers spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes.