This was a total sleeper recipe. I was somewhat reluctant to put it on my recipe list, and not completely enthused when it popped up in my meal planning. It looked stodgy and dry and boring to me. Where was the glamor? Where were the chocolate chips??
But boy, was I wrong! These are nutty, buttery, coconut-y discs of deliciousness with a chewy/crunchy texture that is irresistible. They disappeared quicker than just about anything I bake. The girls walked out of the kitchen carrying stacks of them. I picked at them every time I walked through the kitchen. Fortunately, the recipe doesn't make a lot.
Heidi at 101 Cookbooks also has an ANZAC biscuit recipe, but hers uses more sugar. You can bet that made me feel smug!
The recipe is from the "reader recipe" section of a magazine that Shall Be Unnamed. The reader told about how these biscuits were sent to service members in the Australia-New Zealand forces and how the reader would be sending some to her husband stationed in Iraq. What a perfect Memorial Day recipe!
ANZAC biscuits
Adapted from Alison White's recipe
3/4 c. (3.75 oz.) flour
3/4 c. (5.25 oz.) sugar
1 c. (3 oz.) rolled oats
1 c. (3 oz.) coconut--it should ideally be unsweetened, but I used Angel Flake and it was fine
7 T. (3.5 oz.) unsalted butter
1 T. golden syrup--I used cane syrup, but corn syrup, honey, or maple syrup would probably be fine as well
1/2 t. baking soda
2 T. boiling water
Pinch salt
1/2 t. vanilla
Heat the oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment. Mix together the flour, sugar, oats, and coconut; I added a spoonful of wheat germ as well. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the syrup. While it is melting, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water--that's fun! Take the butter off the heat and mix in the baking soda mixture, the salt, and the vanilla. Now mix in the dry ingredients and then drop the dough onto the parchment by rounded teaspoonfuls. Give them space because they spread. Bake for 15-20 minutes (mine only took 12, but my oven tends to run hot) or until deep golden brown and bubbly. Makes about 2 dozen.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Soufflé for dinner? You bet!
My daughter called me the other day and asked, "Can I go out for pizza with my friends? Wait, are you cooking tonight? What are you making?"
"Soufflé."
"What's that?" (I can't believe my daughter doesn't know what a soufflé is!!)
"It's basically eggs and cheese and some vegetables."
"Never mind--I'm coming home!"
Ah, eggs and cheese--music to a teenage vegetarian's ears! Actually, my favorite vegetable delivery method as well.
I was given courage when this recipe popped up for me by a piece on the Splendid Table (I can't seem to find the reference now, sorry) claiming that soufflés weren't all that difficult and could even wait for a bit. So I proceeded fearlessly, and although the soufflé did deflate after a bit, it was still delicious.
The recipe comes from the February 1995 Bon Appétit in a story featuring cheddar cheese. Don't tell them that I used pre-grated sharp cheddar (which is, bizarrely, cheaper than the block stuff at my local grocery store). And it features two of my favorite sleeper vegetables: parsnips (in the original recipe) and kale (because it was wilting in the fridge). The kale adds a nice bitter edge to the very sweet parsnips, so I really recommend some sort of leafy greens in this recipe. If you use something like spinach or Swiss chard, don't add it until the very end of the vegetable cooking time.
Parsnip and Cheddar Soufflé
Adapted from Bon Appétit
Serves about 6
1 lb. parsnips, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
2-3 cups water
1 bay leaf
Salt
1 bunch kale or other leafy greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 oz. (4 T.) butter
1/4 c. flour
Pepper, nutmeg
6 eggs, separated (put the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large mixing bowl)
about 7 oz. grated sharp Cheddar
1/4 t. cream of tartar
Heat the oven to 400--don't use the convection setting. Grease a large soufflé dish. Put the parsnips, the water, the bay leaf, and a good teaspoon of salt in a large pot and set it on high heat to boil. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium-high and set the timer for 15 minutes. You can stem (I usually do this with kitchen shears) and chop the kale now. When the timer has gone down to about 7 minutes left, add the kale. When the time is up, strain at least one cup of the cooking liquid into a glass measuring cup. DON'T FORGET! Drain off the rest of the water and let the vegetables cool down a bit before removing the bay leaf and then puréeing the rest in a food processor or blender.
Now get out a large-ish saucepan and melt the butter in it. Whisk in the flour and perhaps a bit of pepper and nutmeg while you're at it, and then gradually whisk in the vegetable cooking liquid. (If you forgot to save the cooking liquid, I'm sure that vegetable or chicken broth, or even milk, would be fine.) This will make a very thick sauce. Take it off the heat and add the cheese. Stir that until it melts, and then add the vegetable purée. Whisk the egg yolks until they're blended and then add a bit of the hot cheese mixture to that to temper the egg yolks. Then add the yolks back to the cheesy stuff and whisk that well. Set that aside for a bit.
Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat them until they are stiff and glossy. Fold about a third of them into the cheese mixture, then carefully fold the cheese mixture into the whites. I find that a large balloon whisk worked better than a rubber scraper for this. Pour this into the soufflé dish and pop that into the oven and let it do its thing for 45 minutes. Oohh and ahh over its golden puffiness and dig in.
"Soufflé."
"What's that?" (I can't believe my daughter doesn't know what a soufflé is!!)
"It's basically eggs and cheese and some vegetables."
"Never mind--I'm coming home!"
Ah, eggs and cheese--music to a teenage vegetarian's ears! Actually, my favorite vegetable delivery method as well.
I was given courage when this recipe popped up for me by a piece on the Splendid Table (I can't seem to find the reference now, sorry) claiming that soufflés weren't all that difficult and could even wait for a bit. So I proceeded fearlessly, and although the soufflé did deflate after a bit, it was still delicious.
The recipe comes from the February 1995 Bon Appétit in a story featuring cheddar cheese. Don't tell them that I used pre-grated sharp cheddar (which is, bizarrely, cheaper than the block stuff at my local grocery store). And it features two of my favorite sleeper vegetables: parsnips (in the original recipe) and kale (because it was wilting in the fridge). The kale adds a nice bitter edge to the very sweet parsnips, so I really recommend some sort of leafy greens in this recipe. If you use something like spinach or Swiss chard, don't add it until the very end of the vegetable cooking time.
Parsnip and Cheddar Soufflé
Adapted from Bon Appétit
Serves about 6
1 lb. parsnips, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
2-3 cups water
1 bay leaf
Salt
1 bunch kale or other leafy greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 oz. (4 T.) butter
1/4 c. flour
Pepper, nutmeg
6 eggs, separated (put the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large mixing bowl)
about 7 oz. grated sharp Cheddar
1/4 t. cream of tartar
Heat the oven to 400--don't use the convection setting. Grease a large soufflé dish. Put the parsnips, the water, the bay leaf, and a good teaspoon of salt in a large pot and set it on high heat to boil. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium-high and set the timer for 15 minutes. You can stem (I usually do this with kitchen shears) and chop the kale now. When the timer has gone down to about 7 minutes left, add the kale. When the time is up, strain at least one cup of the cooking liquid into a glass measuring cup. DON'T FORGET! Drain off the rest of the water and let the vegetables cool down a bit before removing the bay leaf and then puréeing the rest in a food processor or blender.
Now get out a large-ish saucepan and melt the butter in it. Whisk in the flour and perhaps a bit of pepper and nutmeg while you're at it, and then gradually whisk in the vegetable cooking liquid. (If you forgot to save the cooking liquid, I'm sure that vegetable or chicken broth, or even milk, would be fine.) This will make a very thick sauce. Take it off the heat and add the cheese. Stir that until it melts, and then add the vegetable purée. Whisk the egg yolks until they're blended and then add a bit of the hot cheese mixture to that to temper the egg yolks. Then add the yolks back to the cheesy stuff and whisk that well. Set that aside for a bit.
Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat them until they are stiff and glossy. Fold about a third of them into the cheese mixture, then carefully fold the cheese mixture into the whites. I find that a large balloon whisk worked better than a rubber scraper for this. Pour this into the soufflé dish and pop that into the oven and let it do its thing for 45 minutes. Oohh and ahh over its golden puffiness and dig in.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
A Salad Even I Could Love
I have a love-hate thing going with salad. I love salad when someone else makes it; I hate it when I have to make it myself.
My father and my mother-in-law are salad making pros, in their own different ways. My father has been the family salad chef since I can remember. His salads almost always include lettuce (usually the bagged greens), tomato, avocado, some kind of canned bean (though this seems to have fallen out of favor recently), and recently some kind of fruit (a family favorite is persimmon). And always Good Seasons Italian from the packet, made with balsamic vinegar and good olive oil. We had this salad just about every night, and I think he still makes it on a regular basis. Why fool with a good thing? He says he and his wife go through a bag of greens in about two days.
My mother-in-law, a German woman living in France, makes beautiful salads. We almost always begin our meal with salad there. Sometimes it's a simple green salad with onions and herbs and a simple vinaigrette. Sometimes there are tomatoes and cucumbers and olives. Usually for her it's just a matter of seeing what's in the fridge and putting that in the salad. But it's always beautifully arranged on a platter, and because this is France, the produce is almost always flavorful and beautiful. I once ate at Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Las Vegas and ordered the green salad. It was beautifully prepared and presented and tasted just like my mother-in-law's green salad.
But me--meh. Somehow, after I've done all the chopping and mixing and cooking of the day's main dish, I don't want to be bothered with chopping and mixing a salad. Steaming broccoli or roasting asparagus is much easier, in my book. But every month, as part of my random menu planning, I include four (randomly selected, of course) salad recipes and swear to myself that I'm going to get it right. Last night, I got it right and everyone was happy.
It was a Successful Meal in general, last night. We had lamb chops marinated in rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and soy sauce and then grilled by Dr. D himself. Budget tip: at Dorignac's, where I go to buy lamb, you could get rib chops for $9.99 a pound, or you could get sirloin lamb chops for $3.99 a pound. Those sirloin babies were tender and flavorful, even though there was some bone-chewing to be done (fortunately, Dr. D enjoys this). OK, we also had mashed potatoes with some cooked kale thrown in because it was in the fridge (call it colcannon if you like, but it's delicious) and also some chives. And I made this salad, which I found in a back issue of Bon Appetit. It's got tomatoes and feta and olives--what's not to like? Bonus: no leftovers!
Romaine Salad with Feta Dressing
Adapted from the September 2001 issue of Bon Appetit
Serves 4 with no leftovers!
2 T. whole milk
1-1/2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. ( I used half a small lemon) lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, cut in half--you'll use each half for different purposes
1/2 cup olive oil
3 oz. feta, crumbled
2 T. Parmesan
1/2 cup Kalamata or other olives you like, pitted
About 2/3 of a head of romaine, chopped in shreds or torn--however you like it
1 basket of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Get out your food processor, blender, or mini-chopper (I used the latter). Put in it the milk, vinegar, lemon juice, and half the garlic clove. Blend/pulse this until the garlic is all chopped up. Then, while the machine is running, add 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Once that's mixed in, add the feta and Parmesan. Taste for salt and pepper--I found this needed little salt but lots of pepper. Consider that you're going to have a strong and salty tapenade on your salad as well as the dressing.
Pour the feta dressing into a bowl and rinse out your machine. Now put in your machine the olives, the other half of the garlic clove, and the rest of the olive oil, and process that until you have a nice paste or tapenade. I made mine kind of semi-chunky--you should go with the texture you like.
Now you're coming down the home stretch! Put your lettuce and tomatoes in your salad bowl and toss them with the feta dressing. Then drizzle it with the tapenade and be prepared for your family to say, "Ewww, what's that?" and then devour the whole thing.
My father and my mother-in-law are salad making pros, in their own different ways. My father has been the family salad chef since I can remember. His salads almost always include lettuce (usually the bagged greens), tomato, avocado, some kind of canned bean (though this seems to have fallen out of favor recently), and recently some kind of fruit (a family favorite is persimmon). And always Good Seasons Italian from the packet, made with balsamic vinegar and good olive oil. We had this salad just about every night, and I think he still makes it on a regular basis. Why fool with a good thing? He says he and his wife go through a bag of greens in about two days.
My mother-in-law, a German woman living in France, makes beautiful salads. We almost always begin our meal with salad there. Sometimes it's a simple green salad with onions and herbs and a simple vinaigrette. Sometimes there are tomatoes and cucumbers and olives. Usually for her it's just a matter of seeing what's in the fridge and putting that in the salad. But it's always beautifully arranged on a platter, and because this is France, the produce is almost always flavorful and beautiful. I once ate at Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Las Vegas and ordered the green salad. It was beautifully prepared and presented and tasted just like my mother-in-law's green salad.
But me--meh. Somehow, after I've done all the chopping and mixing and cooking of the day's main dish, I don't want to be bothered with chopping and mixing a salad. Steaming broccoli or roasting asparagus is much easier, in my book. But every month, as part of my random menu planning, I include four (randomly selected, of course) salad recipes and swear to myself that I'm going to get it right. Last night, I got it right and everyone was happy.
It was a Successful Meal in general, last night. We had lamb chops marinated in rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and soy sauce and then grilled by Dr. D himself. Budget tip: at Dorignac's, where I go to buy lamb, you could get rib chops for $9.99 a pound, or you could get sirloin lamb chops for $3.99 a pound. Those sirloin babies were tender and flavorful, even though there was some bone-chewing to be done (fortunately, Dr. D enjoys this). OK, we also had mashed potatoes with some cooked kale thrown in because it was in the fridge (call it colcannon if you like, but it's delicious) and also some chives. And I made this salad, which I found in a back issue of Bon Appetit. It's got tomatoes and feta and olives--what's not to like? Bonus: no leftovers!
Romaine Salad with Feta Dressing
Adapted from the September 2001 issue of Bon Appetit
Serves 4 with no leftovers!
2 T. whole milk
1-1/2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. ( I used half a small lemon) lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, cut in half--you'll use each half for different purposes
1/2 cup olive oil
3 oz. feta, crumbled
2 T. Parmesan
1/2 cup Kalamata or other olives you like, pitted
About 2/3 of a head of romaine, chopped in shreds or torn--however you like it
1 basket of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Get out your food processor, blender, or mini-chopper (I used the latter). Put in it the milk, vinegar, lemon juice, and half the garlic clove. Blend/pulse this until the garlic is all chopped up. Then, while the machine is running, add 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Once that's mixed in, add the feta and Parmesan. Taste for salt and pepper--I found this needed little salt but lots of pepper. Consider that you're going to have a strong and salty tapenade on your salad as well as the dressing.
Pour the feta dressing into a bowl and rinse out your machine. Now put in your machine the olives, the other half of the garlic clove, and the rest of the olive oil, and process that until you have a nice paste or tapenade. I made mine kind of semi-chunky--you should go with the texture you like.
Now you're coming down the home stretch! Put your lettuce and tomatoes in your salad bowl and toss them with the feta dressing. Then drizzle it with the tapenade and be prepared for your family to say, "Ewww, what's that?" and then devour the whole thing.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Parmesan Grits
I could either clean the bathroom or blog right now. I'm sure there are other options, but I'm choosing to ignore them. So I'm going to write about grits.
Grits are one of my favorite things about living in the South. Now, as we all learned from My Cousin Vinnie (about 8:30) a self-respecting Southerner never makes instant grits. Well, there must be a lot of self-loathing Southerners around here, because it's difficult to find anything but instant or quick-cooking grits. Fortunately, I was at Dorignac's in the New Orleans suburbs, and they were selling these grits from celebrity chef John Folse. They're the real deal, and they're yummy. Any stone-ground grits would be the same, I imagine.
The recipe I had assigned myself was for parmesan polenta--polenta made with vegetable broth and Parmesan, cooled, sliced, and fried. Well, my husband really despises polenta, so that was out, but he really likes cheese grits. Don't tell him it's just about the same thing! So these Parmesan Grits were born. They were a hit with my husband, my kids, and our dinner guests.
Parmesan Grits
2 T. butter
1/2 cup chopped green garlic, or leeks, or onion...
1 cup stoneground grits
1 cup milk
2 cups water
2 oz. (about 1 cup) grated Parmesan
2 egg whites
Heat the oven to 375 and grease a 2-quart baking dish. Get out a big saucepan and sauté the garlic/allium family veggie in it over medium-high heat until it's soft. Add the grits and stir to coat, then slowly add the milk and water, along with about 1/2 t. salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, stirring from time to time, until the grits are nice and thick. This may take up to 20 minutes--think of all the respect you have for yourself, even if you are a Yankee. Stir in the Parmesan until it melts and set the grits aside to cool. Now beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the grits--don't be too thorough or they'll all just disintegrate. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. Serve with grilled steak (like we did) or for brunch, or just with a big spoon.
Grits are one of my favorite things about living in the South. Now, as we all learned from My Cousin Vinnie (about 8:30) a self-respecting Southerner never makes instant grits. Well, there must be a lot of self-loathing Southerners around here, because it's difficult to find anything but instant or quick-cooking grits. Fortunately, I was at Dorignac's in the New Orleans suburbs, and they were selling these grits from celebrity chef John Folse. They're the real deal, and they're yummy. Any stone-ground grits would be the same, I imagine.
The recipe I had assigned myself was for parmesan polenta--polenta made with vegetable broth and Parmesan, cooled, sliced, and fried. Well, my husband really despises polenta, so that was out, but he really likes cheese grits. Don't tell him it's just about the same thing! So these Parmesan Grits were born. They were a hit with my husband, my kids, and our dinner guests.
Parmesan Grits
2 T. butter
1/2 cup chopped green garlic, or leeks, or onion...
1 cup stoneground grits
1 cup milk
2 cups water
2 oz. (about 1 cup) grated Parmesan
2 egg whites
Heat the oven to 375 and grease a 2-quart baking dish. Get out a big saucepan and sauté the garlic/allium family veggie in it over medium-high heat until it's soft. Add the grits and stir to coat, then slowly add the milk and water, along with about 1/2 t. salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, stirring from time to time, until the grits are nice and thick. This may take up to 20 minutes--think of all the respect you have for yourself, even if you are a Yankee. Stir in the Parmesan until it melts and set the grits aside to cool. Now beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the grits--don't be too thorough or they'll all just disintegrate. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. Serve with grilled steak (like we did) or for brunch, or just with a big spoon.
Tarte a l'oignon
So a couple of weeks ago I see David Lebovitz's recipe for tart crust and I tell myself, "I've got to try this!" As fate would have it, I was scheduled to make Tarte à l'oignon, and so the magic began. A few weeks ago I posted a recipe from my French desserts cookbook; this recipe is from a beat-up old paperback omnibus called Cuisine Sans Souci by Rose Montigny, copyright 1981 and a publication of Cuisine et Vins de France. It's a no-nonsense little book--no pictures, terse instructions--but the recipes tend to be quite good. And it's a fabulous introduction to French food culture--like Joy of Cooking it has a little of everything, including menus, what to cook if you don't have much time, what to cook on a budget, and what to cook for children. As a mom, I find that chapter somewhat hilarious reading. Have an infant of less than a year? How about some Carottes Râpées au Petit-Suisse (grated carrots with creamy cheese) or some Crème à la Fleur d'Oranger (orange flower custard)? If that were my kid, it would be one bite for baby, two bites for Mommy...
But back to the tarte. This was a simple recipe, meant to be a first course. I added a few things and made it a main course. It would be delicious with salad, but I hate making salad, so I put the salad greens in the tarte, and that turned out just fine.
Tarte à l'oignon
Adapted from Cuisine Sans Souci
Tart pastry (see below)
about 1 lb. sliced onions
4 T. butter
about 1-1/2 cups cream or sour cream (the recipe called for crème fraîche, which I can't get here--I used light sour cream)
4 eggs
a handful of grated Cheddar or Gruyère or Parmesan, or a combo--whatever you've got
a handful of crumbled feta
a couple of big handfuls of salad greens or baby spinach
Salt, pepper, fresh grated nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 400. If you're making David's tart pastry, you can put together the butter and all and put it in the oven while it's preheating. I made his pastry with more salt (about 1/2 t.), less sugar (also about 1/2 t.), olive oil, and about 50 grams of whole wheat pastry flour and 100 grams white flour. Loved it! If you want to go more traditional, I belive that Elise at Simply Recipes has a good pâte brisée recipe. You'll want to chill that, though. With David's recipe, you can just forge on. I didn't even pre-bake it--this no-nonsense French cookbook doesn't stand for that :-).
So, while your tart dough is heating and/or cooling, sauté those onions (and maybe a pinch of salt) in the butter. They don't have to caramelize or anything, but cook them down until they're quite soft. Add the greens to wilt and let the mixture cool for a bit while you get the rest ready. Whisk together the eggs, cream, and feta, and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Sprinkle the "hard cheese" on the tart crust. Put the onions/greens on top of that, and pour the egg mixture over that. If you're using a tart pan with a removable bottom, put it on a cookie or baking sheet, for goodness sake! Then put it in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes. You can serve it hot or warm, and the cookbook suggests drinking a nice Alsatian white with it. Yum!
But back to the tarte. This was a simple recipe, meant to be a first course. I added a few things and made it a main course. It would be delicious with salad, but I hate making salad, so I put the salad greens in the tarte, and that turned out just fine.
Tarte à l'oignon
Adapted from Cuisine Sans Souci
Tart pastry (see below)
about 1 lb. sliced onions
4 T. butter
about 1-1/2 cups cream or sour cream (the recipe called for crème fraîche, which I can't get here--I used light sour cream)
4 eggs
a handful of grated Cheddar or Gruyère or Parmesan, or a combo--whatever you've got
a handful of crumbled feta
a couple of big handfuls of salad greens or baby spinach
Salt, pepper, fresh grated nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 400. If you're making David's tart pastry, you can put together the butter and all and put it in the oven while it's preheating. I made his pastry with more salt (about 1/2 t.), less sugar (also about 1/2 t.), olive oil, and about 50 grams of whole wheat pastry flour and 100 grams white flour. Loved it! If you want to go more traditional, I belive that Elise at Simply Recipes has a good pâte brisée recipe. You'll want to chill that, though. With David's recipe, you can just forge on. I didn't even pre-bake it--this no-nonsense French cookbook doesn't stand for that :-).
So, while your tart dough is heating and/or cooling, sauté those onions (and maybe a pinch of salt) in the butter. They don't have to caramelize or anything, but cook them down until they're quite soft. Add the greens to wilt and let the mixture cool for a bit while you get the rest ready. Whisk together the eggs, cream, and feta, and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Sprinkle the "hard cheese" on the tart crust. Put the onions/greens on top of that, and pour the egg mixture over that. If you're using a tart pan with a removable bottom, put it on a cookie or baking sheet, for goodness sake! Then put it in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes. You can serve it hot or warm, and the cookbook suggests drinking a nice Alsatian white with it. Yum!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Minor mistakes
My husband and I hang out with a lot of academics, and one constant lament is, "Why can't negative results get published?" Scientists might spend years working on an experiment just to find that it doesn't work, but they can't publish (and get valuable credit towards tenure/promotion/grants) those negative results. But if those negative results were published, other scientists might be spared that particular blind alley.
All of which is to say that I made a couple of mistakes this week trying to tweak recipes. These were not throw-out-the-whole-thing mistakes, but they were mistakes I nonetheless regretted.
The first was when I went to make the
All of which is to say that I made a couple of mistakes this week trying to tweak recipes. These were not throw-out-the-whole-thing mistakes, but they were mistakes I nonetheless regretted.
The first was when I went to make the
coconut lime cake from Pinch my Salt. I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to use the reverse creaming method for a more tender crumb. For those of you who are not baking geeks, reverse creaming is when you mix together all the dry ingredients, then add the (soft!!) butter and a portion of the wet ingredients, mix that for a couple of minutes, and then dribble in the remaining wet ingredients gradually until everything once again is nice and fluffy. And if you do this with a Cake Bible recipe, or even some of the Cook's Illustrated recipes, it works wonderfully. I've had good luck adapting other recipes with this technique. But this came out gummy, not tender. If I make this cake again, I will follow the instructions!
My next mistake was on the gelatin front. I made the Raspberry Bavarian from Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts, but I needed to make some modifications because of the ingredients I had on hand. First, Maida calls for a 10-oz. box of frozen raspberries in syrup. Well, I'm not sure you can buy those anymore. Can you? So I bought a 12-0z. bag of plain frozen raspberries and thawed them with 1/3 cup of sugar. I think that was not quite enough sugar.
Second, her recipe calls for 1 cup of cream. Well, I usually have a quart container of cream in my fridge, but it was sadly on the empty side yesterday. I had some half and half, though, so I used about 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 3/4 cup of half and half. That was probably also a mistake.
Results? The bavarian tasted a bit flat to me. I think more sugar might have helped. I don't know why I didn't adjust it before I poured it into the mold. Also, the thing didn't gel enough to unmold properly. It was a very unattractive blob on the platter. However, it disappeared before I could think too hard about it. The verdict: Up the sugar, use full-fat cream, and pour into individual serving dishes (wineglasses?) so that you don't have to worry about unmolding.
Here's the recipe--enjoy!
Raspberry Bavarian
Adapted from Maida Heatter, New Book of Great Desserts
Serves 6
1 12-oz. bag frozen raspberries
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. lemon juice
1 envelope plain gelatin
1/4 cup milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 t. vanilla (1 T. or so of kirsch or framboise might also be nice here)
pinch salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup crushed ice (I pounded some ice in a Ziploc with a rolling pin. Very therapeutic.)
Put the berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl and let them sit until the berries have thawed and given off a lot of juice. Strain the berries (don't push them through the strainer, just let the juice drain off). Put the milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over. Let that soften. Pour the berry juice in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. By that time, the gelatin should have softened--scrape it into the juice and whisk until the gelatin has dissolved. Pour this mixture into your blender, turn up the speed, and let it go for a full minute. It will whip up to a nice pink color. Then add the berries, egg yolk, vanilla (and/or other flavoring), and salt; whiz for another 5 seconds or so. Finally, add the cream and ice and give it another 15-20 seconds on high. Now strain this into a large glass measuring cup or pitcher (this strains unusually fast for a raspberry mixture) and pour the strained mixture into 6 individual bowls/glasses. Chill for at least 4-5 hours. Enjoy by itself, or with some whipped cream and/or fresh raspberries.
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