THE ULTIMATE APPLE CAKE

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Cover of "Around My French Table: More Th...

Cover via Amazon

For someone who’d rather go to the dentist than bake a cake, making the same cake two weeks in a row means:

– the cake is fool-proof;

– the cake is awesome.

Awesome indeed! It’s a bunch of diced apples surrounded by a few dollops of cake batter, that puffs and gently envelopes each piece of fruit, resulting in a dessert that’s a cross between cake and clafoutis. Very French, very elegant, just enough decadence to turn your afternoon tea into a four-star event.

The recipe comes from a cookbook that’s been on my wish list at amazon.com since it’s released: Dorie Greenspan‘s Around my French Table. It’s just a matter of time until I move the book to my shopping cart, the reviews are stellar!

MARIE HELENE’s APPLE CAKE
(from Dorie Greenspan)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (110g)
3/4 tsp baking powder (about 3.75 g)
pinch of salt
4 large apples (any kind you like, mix and match)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar (145g)
3 Tbs rum (or apple schnapps, or Calvados)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick butter, melted and cooled (115g)

Heat the oven to 350F. Butter a 8-inch springform type pan with butter and set aside.

Peel and core the apples, cut them roughly in 1 inch chunks. Reserve.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisker until frothy, add the sugar and whisk until smooth.
Add the rum, vanilla extract, and mix well. Add half of the flour mixture, mix until fully incorporated, pour half of the butter and whisk to combine. Add the rest of the flour, then the rest of the butter.

Pour the thick batter over the apples, and use a silicone or plastic spatula to mix them gently, trying to cover each piece with some of the batter. The mixture will seem too thick, and you will be tempted to use less apples. Do not. Trust Dorie. Pour the mixture in the prepared pan, use a fork to level the apples as much as possible, but don’t worry too much about it.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted at the center of the cake. Remove the pan to a rack and let it cool for 5 minutes before opening the sides.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The first time I baked this cake, I didn’t use all the apples because it seemed impossible to coat them all with the batter. I realized my mistake when I witnessed how much the batter puffed up during baking. On my second attempt, I used all the apples, and substituted apple schnapps for rum. We both liked the schnapps version better. A friend of mine used Calvados and also preferred it to rum. Either of those liquors reinforce the apple flavor. Next time I might add a little cinnamon to the batter, but this cake is pretty close to perfection as it is.

ONE YEAR AGO: Trouble-free Pizza Dough

31Oct2010

MESMERIZING LEMON BARS

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

I’ve baked cookies, I’ve baked cupcakes, I’ve baked pies, brownies and even (my nemesis) cakes. But, I’ve never made any kind of “bar,” and that gap in my knowledge of sweets was tempting me to bake some. Plus, they look like a lot of fun to prepare. Profiting from my online subscription to Fine Cooking, I found a recipe for lemon shortbread bars in the December 2006 issue: it was simple enough for a first timer, with great reviews from the readers. Lemon is my favorite flavor in desserts, which locked in my choice. Indeed, they are amazing, even mesmerizing to some… 😉

LEMON SHORTBREAD BARS
(Fine Cooking, Dec 2006, recipe by Nicole Rees)

For the crust:
Non-stick cooking spray or melted butter for the pan
7 oz. (14 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
9-1/2 oz. (2 cups plus 2 Tbs.) all-purpose flour

For the lemon topping:
4 large eggs
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. table salt
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar

Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with foil, creating an overhang for easy removal. Lightly coat the sides of the foil melted butter to prevent the lemon topping from sticking.

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, and salt. Stir in the flour to make a stiff dough. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes (or freeze for 5 to 10 minutes), until the dough is firm. While the crust cools, heat the oven to 325 F.

Remove the crust from the fridge (or freezer) and bake until golden and set, about 30 minutes.

Make the lemon topping: in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, flour, and salt together until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest. Pour the topping over the hot crust. Return the pan to the oven and increase the heat to 350°F. Bake until the topping is set in the center and the edges are golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour. When the bottom of the pan is cool, lift the bars from the pan using the foil sides and transfer to a cutting board. Separate the foil from the bars, sift the confectioners’ sugar over the lemon topping. Cut the bars into 2-inch squares.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Serve these bars at room temperature, but you can refrigerate them for several days without the crust losing its wonderfully crunchy texture. After baking them the evening before, I put them in the fridge, covered with aluminum foil, and transferred them to room temperature 2 hrs before our lab meeting at 5 pm. As soon as I uncovered the pan an enticing lemon scent filled the room , the best possible advertisement for the delicacy ahead….

It was a test of willpower to stop eating them!

ONE YEAR AGO: Pizza Napoletana

20Oct2010

LEMON CUSTARDS WITH POMEGRANATE SEEDS

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

This dessert is a lemon-lover’s dream come true. It is also simple to prepare and perfect to end a substantial dinner, so keep it in mind as an option for your next dinner party. We served it after a delicious vegetarian lasagna (recipe coming soon).

LEMON CUSTARDS WITH POMEGRANATE SEEDS
(slight variation from Emily Luchetti’s Classic Stars Desserts)

3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/ + 1/3 cups heavy cream
grated zest of 1 lemon
fresh pomegranate seeds
powdered sugar

Whisk the egg yolks, egg, and sugar until blended. Whisk the lemon juice and reserve.

Prepare an ice bath (large bowl or sink with cold water and ice cubes to keep the temperature very cold). Heat the oven to 300 F.

Combine the cream and lemon zest in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat until bubbles start showing on the edges of the pan. Remove from heat. Pour the cream while whisking constantly over the egg/lemon mixture, in a slow stream. Place the bowl on the ice bath and cool it, mixing gently. When it reaches room temperature, strain the cream through a fine sieve, discarding the lemon zest. Pour in 6 individual ramekins (5-ounce size). Place the ramekins in a baking dish, fill it halfway up with very hot water, cover the whole dish with aluminum foil, leaving a corner open.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, and gently jiggle one of the custards – if it’s set on the edges but still wavy at the center, remove from the oven, take them out of the baking dish, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

When it’s time to serve, place some pomegranate seeds over the custard, sprinkle a little powdered sugar, and….

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: My only modification to the recipe was the addition of pomegranate seeds, and they were a hit, providing a nice contrast of color and texture to the creamy custards. Because pomegranate can be a bit tart, I sprinkled a light coating of powdered sugar just before serving.

To get the seeds out of the fruit, I followed a tip given by Nigella Lawson in one of her shows at the FoodTV Network years ago: cut the pomegranate in half, invert it over a large bowl and hit it several times very hard with a wooden spoon. The seeds will fall inside the bowl, no mess, no fuss. Works great, and releases stress at the same time… 😉

Note to self: Make these custards again soon. Very soon.

ONE YEAR AGO: Cauliflower Soup, All Dressed Up

12Oct2010

THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BAKING

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

My husband and I agree on most important subjects, from personal finances to laboratory experiments. However, we can’t decide who is the most stubborn. Obviously, it is not me, but this week, I confess to a certain amount of stubborn determination…

…I baked a cake.

FONDANT AU CHOCOLAT
(from a food blog)

175 g bittersweet chocolate
240 g butter
400 g sugar
8 eggs
130 g all purpose flour

Butter a 10-inch round cake pan.

Melt the chocolate with the butter and reserve.

Place a pan with a small amount of water inside over the stove burner, and bring the water almost to a boil. Place a large bowl over the simmering water, and add to it the sugar and the eggs (still cold from the fridge). Beat them together with a whisk or an electric beater, just until the mixture is at room temperature.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg/sugar, whisk to incorporate. Sift the flour over it in three additions, and mix with a spatula until smooth, but do not over-mix.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake in a 350F oven until barely set in the center.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was the most straightforward recipe! No creaming butter and sugar, no cooking syrup to the “hair-of-an-angel” state, held at exactly 237.8 F while pouring over the spinning blades of a mixer. Still, I created another Armageddon in my kitchen.

The recipe instructed to bake the cake for 30 minutes until barely set. I baked for 35 minutes and it seemed set. Unfortunately, I didn’t stick a tester in the center because I didn’t want to ruin the surface. Unfortunately, I trusted my “instincts” and removed it from the oven. You’ll notice that I omitted the baking time in the recipe: please use a toothpick to make sure the fondant is cooked.

The recipe didn’t specify when or how to unmold it. I am aware that some cakes should cool in the pan, others should come out right away. I compromised and waited 10 minutes. It unmolded easily, but while flipping it over, the cake broke in two unequal pieces. One fell on the cake stand, the other on the countertop. Between them flowed a voluminous lava of chocolate batter, too much to qualify my production as a “molten chocolate cake“. Instead it became a “Cocoa Tsunami”, that took no prisoners.

I admit to shedding a few tears. The saint I married assembled the pieces on a baking sheet, placed them back in the oven at a mellow 325 F for 30 minutes, and I regained my composure. Once both the cake and I had cooled off, I shaved chocolate all over to cover the abuse.

Fate has repeatedly told me to stay away from cake baking. I’m just too stubborn, perhaps I must now admit, more than the man I married. But, no need to tell him that… 😉

Notes to self:
1. Never use your bare hands to stop a flow of hot cake batter.
2. Chocolate fondant cake is so awesome that it’s worth the struggle.

ONE YEAR AGO: Pain de Campagne

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24Sep2010

BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIES

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

When I began the Bewitching Kitchen I hoped it would reflect our day to day cooking, from meat to fish, from pastas to grains, with frequent bread baking and infrequent sweets popping up on its pages. I also hoped that the move to Los Angeles and the nano-kitchen wouldn’t dramatically change anything, but I recently realized that something’s been bothering me: I haven’t made any “sweets” in over a month!!!

To return a sense of normalcy to the nano-kitchen, this week I baked a batch of butterscotch brownies and surprised our new labmates with it. I followed a recipe I’ve been remembering ever since I saw it in one of my favorite blogs, Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIES
(from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, originally from Molly O’Neill’s New York Cookbook)
receita em portugues na segunda pagina

75g all purpose flour (1/2 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
65 g unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
215 g brown sugar (1 cup, well packed)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (OR omit the walnuts, and double the choc chips amount)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350F (175 C), and line a 8″ square pan (20 cm) with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave, and add the brown sugar, stirring well until dissolved and smooth. Remove from the heat, and allow it to cool for 5 minutes (do not skip this step or you might end with scrambled eggs later).

Add the egg and vanilla extract, mix until incorporated. Add the flour and baking powder mix, stir vigorously to combine. Gently mix in the walnuts and chocolate. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top feels firm to the touch. You can insert a toothpick to test if it’s fully baked, but try not to over bake it.

Remove from the oven, let it cool in the pan for half an hour, transfer to a cooling rack. When cool, cut in small squares with a very sharp knife.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: According to Celia you can omit the walnuts, and double the amount of chocolate instead. They’ll be a bit more gooey that way. I advise you to use the best tasting chocolate you can find and afford, because it’s the prominent flavor in this sweet. Celia warned that they would be “flat and ugly, cracking all over as you slice them.” Well, what they may lack in looks they deliver in flavor: my new colleagues inhaled them, leaving only a few crumbs at the end of the (successful!) meeting. 😉

Note to self: This recipe makes a very small batch, if serving at a party, make a double batch because they will disappear quickly.

ONE YEAR AGO: Autumn Vegetable Soup

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