Recipe, interrupted

Recipe: Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Crumb Cake

All I seem to be posting about these days is sweet baked goods. Some winters, it was hearty stews that got me through the cold weather. This year, I’m turning to baking to warm up my kitchen. But I promise, next time, I’ll write about something savory. That may not be for a while, however. Project: Kitchen Face-Lift is kicking into high gear. I suppose I could write about toaster-oven cooking or the cheapest take-outs in Park Slope. Stay tuned…

Today I’m compelled to write about this blueberry coffee cake. It’s homey, lightly spiced with cinnamon, and just enough of a treat on a crisp morning when you’d rather linger inside. It shares some similarities with my blueberry yogurt muffin recipe. In both, I use frozen blueberries (for the ease of it and because they’re off season) and some cultured dairy (for moisture and lift). But this coffee cake is a little denser and richer and the crumb topping definitely makes it more of an indulgence.

What really excites me about making this coffee cake is its practicality. All of the ingredients in this recipe keep for a long time. They’re pretty versatile ingredients too, so it makes sense to keep them in stock for other purposes. That way, you don’t have to tromp out into the cold to make this cake. Take the powdered buttermilk, for example, which I’ve been experimenting with a lot lately. No more buying a quart of fresh buttermilk for a single batch of biscuits or waffles or cake and then scrambling for ways to use the leftover milk before it goes bad.

Of course, if you have fresh buttermilk, you can absolutely use that. In place of the powdered buttermilk and water, add in ¾ cup fresh buttermilk as you would the water.

 

Makes one 9 x 13-inch cake

Preparation time: About 1 hour

 

For the crumb topping:

 ¾ cup chopped walnuts

¾ cup old-fashioned oats

¾ cup light brown sugar

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

 

For the cake:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for buttering pan

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons buttermilk powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup water

2 cups frozen blueberries (if it’s blueberry season, use fresh and reduce baking time slightly)

 

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan.
    
2. Prepare crumb topping: In a mixing bowl incorporate all ingredients together until mixture forms large, clumpy crumbs. It’s easiest if you use your hands. Set aside.
    
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk powder, and cinnamon.
    
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until lightened, about 3-5 minutes with a stand mixer, longer with a hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla.
    
5. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the water in two additions. With each addition mix just until ingredients are incorporated.
    
6. Gently fold in blueberries. Spread cake batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly on top.
   
    
   
7. Bake for about 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
    
8. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack or cutting into slices directly in the pan.
   

Recipe: Soft and Cake-like Peanut Butter Cookies

A perfect way to pass a winter's afternoon: peanut butter cookies & board games.

Making good peanut butter cookies is not hard. Most recipes are pretty straightforward and, with all that sugar and fat, pretty forgiving. But here’s my beef with peanut butter cookies: they’re often too flat, dense, and oily for my taste. I like a more cake-y peanut butter cookie. And I'd like it to be able to touch a napkin without immediately making it look like it's been dabbing up a greasy slice of pizza. As for New Year’s resolutions, I’m all for moderation in 2012. If I’m going to eat just one cookie, I want it to be perfect.

So I’ve been experimenting. Of course, that required putting moderation aside temporarily, for the sake of research. I had never questioned the notion that, to make the best peanut butter cookies, you had to use mainstream creamy peanut butter brands. It made sense to me that no-stir, ultra-smooth Jif and Skippy would blend better. And then there’s the familiar flavor and texture of these brands that we seem to favor, possibly out of nostalgia.

But after making several batches with Jif and Skippy, I realized that I don’t actually like them. Before this cookie-baking experiment, it had been so long since I had eaten these brands that I must have lost my affinity for them. I find them too smooth, to the point of being greasy. They made the cookies feel kind of texture-less and mushy. So I switched to the brand that I’ve been buying for the past few years: Once Again. I usually get the crunchy kind but bought the creamy, no salt added variety for the cookies. A little grainier and darker than the big brands, it added a pleasantly sandy texture and a more natural appearance. 

But to really get the lighter, more cake-like texture, I had to count on baking soda and baking powder, which is often missing or used in smaller quantities in other peanut butter cookie recipes. Now I’ve got exactly the kind of peanut butter cookie I like: soft, peanut-y, indulgent and rich, but not greasy or heavy. So good, I even allow myself to eat two.
 

Makes 3 dozen

Preparation time: 30 minutes active time, plus 3 hours chilling time
 

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt (if using salted peanut butter, reduce to ½ teaspoon salt)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for dipping

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup creamy all-natural unsalted peanut butter, at room temperature, well stirred
 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together until lightened, about 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla and peanut butter until incorporated. Add the flour mixture gradually and mix on lowest speed until just combined.
    
3. At this point, you can either: divide the dough in thirds and wrap it up in plastic like three 1-inch thick logs of compound butter OR simply wrap the whole mess of dough in wax paper or plastic wrap. Either way, chill the dough until firm, at least three hours.
    
4. Preheat oven to 375°F.
    
5. If the chilled dough hasn’t already been formed into logs, do it now. With your hands, roll the dough, one-third of it at a time, on a lightly floured surface or a silicone sheet until the log of dough is about 1-inch thick.
   
   
6. Slice up the logs into approximately 2-inch lengths. 
    
7. Dip one end of each little cylinder of dough into granulated sugar and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner, sugar side up.
   
   
8. Make the classic peanut butter cookie lattice pattern by pressing down the back of a salad fork into the sugared end of the dough. Press down a second time at a 90-degree angle from the first set of fork marks. The dough should be a little squatter now, about 1 ½-inch thick discs. Bake for about 10 minutes. until the edges and raised ridges just begin to brown and the cracks no longer look wet, but still slightly moist.
    
9. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool further. I think they’re best when eaten warm. Once they’ve cooled, store them in a sealed container and they’ll stay moist for a day or two.
   

Recipe: Chocolate Ganache Sandwich Cookies

These cookies make it into the Christmas cookie rotation every holiday season. Over the years, I’ve been playing with the recipe, making small adjustments here and there. I really like the way the cookies turn out with this version – tender, not too sweet and speckled with vanilla. They make the perfect housing for the rich and silky bittersweet chocolate ganache filling.  

So many people have asked me for the recipe, that I’m obliged – happily – to share it.

Happy Holidays!

Makes 4-5 dozen 1 ½-inch sandwich cookies

Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus resting time for dough and setting time for ganache

 

For cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon table salt

7 ounces (1 ¾ sticks) butter

½ cup vanilla sugar (if you don’t have vanilla sugar, use ½ cup plain granulated sugar and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in with the eggs)

1 large egg, plus one yolk, lightly beaten

 

For ganache:

6 ounces bittersweet (60%) chocolate, chopped fine

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter, softened

 

1. Prepare cookie dough: Combine the flour and salt together in a bowl. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until lightened in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until batter is well combined. Divide dough into two sections, wrap in wax paper, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to 2 days
   
   
   
   
2. Roll out and bake cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Take first section of dough out of fridge and let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes or so, just long enough to make it more workable. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough until it is 1/8-inch thick. With a 1 ½-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Bake until edges of cookies just begin to take on a golden color, 10-12 minutes. You can gather up the scraps, re-chill the dough and roll it out again. Try to get as many rounds out of the dough each time though, because the cookies tend to bubble up when the dough is rolled out repeatedly. Repeat process with second section of dough. Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
   
   
3. Prepare ganache: While cookies are baking, put chocolate in a small mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream just to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes or so, until the chocolate is at least 90% melted.  Add the butter and stir to combine ingredients into a smooth and pudding-like consistency. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature, until ganache has set enough that it holds its own shape. Spoon the ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch plain tip.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Assemble: Turn over half of the cooled cookies so that their bottom surfaces are face-up. Squeeze about a teaspoon of ganache onto these cookies. Use the remaining, unturned cookies to place on top of the ganache, completing the sandwich. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use two small spoons to distribute a dollop of ganache onto the cookies.)
   
   
   
   
5. Allow cookies to stand at room temperature until ganache has set, about 1 hour. (Or, if you are in a hurry, you can chill them in the refrigerator briefly.)

Recipe: Souffléd Fresh Pumpkin Pie With Bourbon

After a Thanksgiving feast, there’s barely enough room for pie. Most of us find a way to fit it in anyway, but the decision often leads to regret. Especially when the pumpkin pie is on the dense and heavy side. Not this pie. It has a soufflé quality to it that comes from whipping the egg whites separately. And a spike of bourbon in the filling wakes up those indulgence-fatigued taste buds.

This recipe may initially seem daunting, with ingredient lists and procedures for making each component from scratch, but if you can take it on at a leisurely pace, it’s really not a big deal. Make the pie crust dough the evening before you bake the cake (it’ll take you 5 minutes) and let it rest overnight. And you can cook, purée, and strain the pumpkin ahead of time, too.

You can substitute canned pumpkin to simplify things and it will come out delicious. But it’s worth having the experience of making the whole thing from scratch. It may not be for everybody, but there’s something very satisfying about breaking down a pumpkin, scooping out the seeds for roasting, and transforming it to something besides a jack-o-lantern. Kind of like a vegetarian version of butchering.

With a three-pound pumpkin, you should have plenty of puree. You can also buy a bigger one and use the extra puree for pumpkin muffins (I use Joy of Cooking’s pumpkin bread recipe with just a little less sugar) or for pumpkin butter. Both make great holiday gifts.

Note: this pie takes a while to bake. At a slightly lower temperature than is typical, I find the pie cooks more gently and evenly and makes for a smoother, moister filling that resists cracking.

Makes one 9 1/2-inch pie

Preparation time: About 45 minutes active time, plus about 2 hours 20 minutes total cooking time and 2 1/2 hours resting time for dough

For the crust:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

4 ounces cold (frozen is best) butter (or 3 ounces butter and 1 ounce leaf lard or vegetable shortening), cut into bits

3-4 tablespoons ice water
 

For the filling:

1 three-pound cooking pumpkin (or substitute 1 ½ cups of canned pumpkin puree, pure – unsweetened and unspiced)

3 eggs, separated and at room temperature (Note: a small amount of the egg yolk swill be used to seal the pie crust)

1 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

scant ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon table salt

1 ½ cups half-and-half

3 tablespoons bourbon

Pinch cream of tartar

Topping: lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)

 

Prepare the pumpkin: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds and stringy pulp. (Save the seeds for roasting if you’d like.) Cut pumpkin into large chunks. Spread out in a casserole dish, skin side up, and add about ¼ inch of water. Bake until pumpkin is very tender when pierced with a paring knife, 40-50 minutes. Let rest at room temperature until cool enough to handle.

While the pumpkin is baking, little hands can work on separating the seeds from the glop,
preparing them for roasting.

Peel off skin. Puree pumpkin in a food processor until very smooth, a good 5 minutes. Line a strainer or colander with paper towels and drain puree for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puree is as thick as the canned variety, kind of like mashed potatoes. You should have about 1 ½ - 2 cups. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

Prepare the crust: (See my post on making a flaky pie crust for full photo tutorial.) Blend together flour, salt, and sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the butter bits and mix on medium speed for about 1 minute, until the largest butter pieces are the size of a nickel. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons of the ice water and continue to process for another minute. The dough should begin to come together. If it seems a little dry or crumbly, add a teaspoon of water, up to 1 additional tablespoon. Gather the dough together into a disk, wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Lay the rolled out dough into a pie pan, gently pressing the dough into the sides of the of the pan and making sure there are no gaps of air beneath it. Trim excess overhang and patch up gaps of dough so that the there is about ½ inch of dough hanging beyond the edge. Tuck the overhang under the dough so that the dough extends just beyond the lip of the pan (this will compensate for any shrinkage). Crimp the edges with a fork, the tips of a kitchen knife, or your fingers. Pierce the dough in several places with a fork and let the dough rest again in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line the pie pan with aluminum foil and fill with uncooked rice or pie weights. Bake 10-15 minutes or until dough is no longer shiny. Remove foil and weights and continue to bake until crust is golden, another 10-15 minutes. Brush a small amount of the egg yolks (no more than a teaspoon) on the bottom of the crust to seal up the perforations and keep the crust from getting soggy.

Prepare the filling: Preheat oven to 325°F. In a mixing bowl, stir together 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree, egg yolks, sugar, spices, and salt. Combine half-and-half and bourbon in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Pour the hot mixture in a steady stream into the mixing bowl, whisking it together with the pumpkin mixture.

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar into stiff, shiny peaks. Fold into the warm pumpkin/half-and-half mixture. Pour into the prepared crust. Bake until pie is set  and dry on the surface but still quivers slightly in the middle when jiggled, about 1 hour. Allow pie to cool on a rack. Like a soufflé, it will deflate slightly as it cools. That’s normal. Serve with whipped cream if desired. The pie will have more volume if you serve it just after it's had enough time to cool and set a little further, about an hour after taking it out of the oven (above). But even after a night in the fridge, the texture is still very light and delicate, if not quite as fluffy in volume (below). 

Recipe: Walnut Cake

I’ve made this cake often – it's a simple cake, perfect for an afternoon tea. And it dresses up nicely with whipped cream and a fruit sauce or preserves. The recipe is adapted from an old William-Sonoma cookbook called “The Best of Taste.” One especially nice thing about this cake is that it stays moist for days. In fact, it seems to even improve on the second day.

This past weekend, I thought, how nice would a quiet family afternoon tea be. The cake was already made; I had put it in the freezer a couple weeks ago when a friend was going to come over and then had to cancel. And I still had some of the raspberry sauce from our Labor Day berry picking trip so the preparation would be easy.

In the end, it was a lovely tea. But initially, my kids grumbled loudly when they heard there were walnuts in the cake. Kids have a way of maintaining a perfect mental inventory of anything sweet in the house. Mine knew there was one piece of my mother’s apple pie left in the fridge and they started fighting over would get to eat that instead the sure-to-be awful cake. Losing hope for my picture-perfect afternoon, I barked at them to sit down and try the cake, if they didn’t like it, they could split the pie. Thankfully, they liked the cake and things quieted down. After the cake was gone, my younger daughter licked the sauce off her plate – I wish I had gotten a photo of that.  And, still, they somehow managed to broker their way to the pie. In my gratitude for the momentary peace, I let my guard down. For them, it was a day when they had their cake and ate pie, too.

Serves 8 to 10

Preparation time: 1 hour
 

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

6 large eggs, separated

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

few gratings of whole nutmeg

½ pound (about 2 ¼ cups) walnuts halves and pieces, finely ground with 1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

¾ cup heavy cream, whipped and lightly sweetened with 1 teaspoon sugar and flavored with ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fruit preserves (such as apricot) or sauce, such as the raspberry sauce

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and line the bottom of it with a circle of baking parchment.
    
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until lightened. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure the mixture is blended evenly.
    
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, and walnut mixture. Fold into egg mixture.
    
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and salt into stiff peaks. Gently stir ¼ of the whites into the batter, then fold in the rest.
    
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until the top of the cake is lightly browned, the edges of the cake are just beginning to separate from the pan and the cake springs back when touched in the middle, about 25-30 minutes. Let cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack to cool further.
    
6. Sift confectioners sugar over cake.
    
7. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a dollop of whipped cream over each slice and preserves or sauce served around it. This cake can be prepared a day in advance, cooled completely, and wrapped in plastic and refrigerated. Or you can freeze for several weeks. Allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving. This cake stays moist for several days.
   

Spaghetti Ice Cream

When I made the raspberry sauce from our family’s recent berry-picking expedition, I immediately thought of a childhood favorite: spaghetti ice. This was (and probably still is) a popular kind of sundae that I had eaten in Germany. Vanilla ice cream is passed through a press with little holes in it so that it comes out as soft-serve ‘spaghetti.’ Then it’s topped with raspberry sauce and grated white chocolate for the parmesan.

I tried to replicate this at home using a well-chilled potato ricer to shape the ice cream. It didn’t look quite as convincing as the ones from the ice cream parlors of my childhood but the skeptical looks on my kids’ faces vanished as soon as the spoons hit their lips.     

 

Recipe: Raspberry Sauce

We went raspberry picking over Labor Day weekend at Thompson-Finch Farm in the Hudson Valley. It had taken a little bit of searching to find a u-pick place that doesn’t spray their berries. But when we found it, we showed up bright and early so that we could get some good picking in before we had to wrap up our vacation and head back home to Brooklyn.

As I reached out for that first berry I was feeling especially thankful that it was free of pesticides and said to my 5-year-old, “I think fresh raspberries straight from the bush are my favorite food.”

In response, she sweetly asked, “Why are fresh raspberries straight from the bush your favorite food?” (Have I been pushing the idea of speaking in complete sentences too hard?)

“Because they are so sweet and delicate and still warm from the sun. And they are fun to pick and pop in my mouth,” I answered with a raspberry-tinged grin.

They were fun to pick. We kept picking and picking, and by the time we got back home, after several hours in the car, popping berries in our mouths like they were popcorn, we still managed to bring a small bucketful up to our kitchen. By this point, I could hardly look at them. I considered the possibility that it was my full belly pleading, ‘no more!’ But I had to admit, they really did look a little worse for the wear. During the drive, with the bucket being passed around, accidently kicked, and jostled over bumpy roads, these very ripe raspberries had gotten a little bruised. They were still quite plump, but the deeply red juice was starting to seep out and stain the bottom of the bucket.

Something had to be done with them soon. They were going to go downhill fast. And so was I. I was tired from the long day and was not interested in doing anything complicated. The raspberries went straight into the saucepan (I don’t like to wash raspberries, another reason for picking organic) with some sugar and simmered gently for about 15 minutes. After straining the thick liquid, I had a deeply crimson sauce that was rich with the flavor of the sun-soaked berries.

In the days that followed, I poured the sauce over ice-cream, pancakes, and cake. I also sneaked a spoonful of it every now and then, just to hold on to that feeling of soaking up the summer sun.
 

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Makes about 1 cup
 

1 pound fresh raspberries (or, if you are longing for that summer flavor in the middle of winter, frozen raspberries work nicely, too)

½ cup sugar (or more if you prefer a sweeter, less tangy sauce)
 

1. Bring raspberries and sugar to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer until raspberries have broken down into a thick sauce, about 15 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   Using a fine mesh strainer or chinois placed over a bowl, strain the seeds out of the sauce. Encourage the liquid to pass through with a plunging motion of a pestle, wooden spoon, or small ladle. Try to squeeze as much liquid out of the pulpy mess; the final pressings will add thickness to the sauce.
   
   
   
2. Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature over ice cream, cake, pancakes or waffles. It also can be drizzled into mixed drinks and smoothies.

 

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies with Whole Wheat Flour & Wheat Germ

There’s something very gratifying about sharing chocolate chip cookies.

The first recipe I ever posted on my blog was one for chocolate chip cookies. I’ve baked up at least a couple thousand of those cookies and shared them with family, friends, colleagues, friends of friends, and fundraising events. Sometimes I’d leave out the sea salt, sometimes I’d change the type of chocolate, but there has really been no reason to alter the recipe. It’s a tried and true hit as it is.

But more and more I’ve been appreciating the flavor and texture of whole grains in baked goods. I like to bake with King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour. It’s much lighter in texture, color and flavor than traditional whole wheat flour but retains a pleasant hint of whole grain nuttiness.

So when I got ready to visit my favorite pregnant lady and her happy little two-year-old, I tinkered with the original recipe a little. I had it in my mind already to make these cookies with the white whole wheat flour and wheat germ and this seemed like the perfect occasion. Wheat germ is rich in folic acid, especially important in the diets of moms-to-be. And the whole grains are better for all of us.

I actually like these cookies a little more than the original. They have just a slightly deeper golden color and a more complex flavor that hints at honey and nuts. Right out of the oven, you can detect the flaky texture of the wheat germ. It’s not unpleasant, but slightly perceptible. Still, I fed them to my kids and their friends the other day when the cookies were almost hot (they couldn’t wait) and I heard nothing but mmm’s and quiet munching. As the cookies cool, they stay moist and bendable, and the wheat germ texture is undetectable.

I don’t mean to masquerade these chocolate chip cookies around as health food. They are still loaded with a good bit of fat and sugar and I do use all-purpose flour in here too. But, if you are going to indulge in a treat (and when you are 8 months pregnant, how can you not?), an indulgence that is fortified with flavor and nutritional value seems like a no-brainer.

 

Yields 3 ½ dozen cookies

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

½ cup wheat germ

½ teaspoon table salt

1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 ½ sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, softened slightly at room temperature but not mushy

1 2/3 cups lightly packed light brown sugar (the flavor of this organic brand, Wholesome Sweeteners, makes a difference)

1 cup granulated sugar (I like using raw sugar)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

20 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (my current favorite is Ghiradelli 60% chips)

 

1. Whisk together flours, wheat germ, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
    
2. In a separate mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together until lightened, 3-5 minutes.
    
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
    
4. Stir in flour mixture just until combined.
    
5. Gently mix in chocolate chips.
    
6. Wrap dough in wax paper or plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours, up to 36 hours.
    
7. Preheat convection oven to 325F. If convection is not available, preheat conventional oven to 350F.
    
8. The dough will be very hard. You can use a tablespoon to chisel off chunks of it and roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet lined with a silicone linger or parchment paper.
    
9. Bake until golden around the edges, dry on the outside, but slightly moist looking in the crevices, about 12 minutes or so. Depending on your oven, you may need to rotate the baking sheet after the first 8 minutes.
    
10. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool further. 

 

Recipe: Neapolitan-Style Ice Cream Cake

This is more of a building project than a cooking project. A building project where you eat about 600 calories worth of bricks and mortar. You have to fuel the hard work, right? It’s just that soft, melty ice cream is one of the most tempting things in the world to me. But it’s worth saving some of the ingredients for the actual cake. Because slicing into a piece is really festive and pretty. And the layers of crunch, fudge, and fruit, and ice cream taste so great together.

While I was making the cake and skimming off a little extra ice cream for myself here and there, this segment on the science of pleasure came on NPR. It explained that the combination of creaminess and crunchiness is highly pleasurable and addictive (they get into it about 25 minutes into the show, which, eerily, was exactly the time the first spoon of ice cream went into my mouth.)

Note: The times needed to firm and soften the ice cream will vary from flavor to flavor and brand to brand – adjust accordingly.

 

Serves 8

Preparation time: about 5 hours (including freezing time), 40 minutes active time

 

Ice Cream:

1 pint each of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry ice creams. (You will probably will just need 1 ½ cups of each, but if you’re like me, you might find that the whole pint seems to disappear during preparation.)

 

Amaretti Crust:

1/3 cup crushed amaretti cookies (about 7 cookies) View this photo

¼ slivered almonds, toasted and cooled

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

 

Fudge: (adapted from Alice Medrich’s hot fudge recipe in her book, Bittersweet) 

6 ounces chocolate (with 60% cacao content), chopped (or chocolate chips – I like Ghiradelli bittersweet chips)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

½ cup heavy cream

 

Strawberry Sauce:

½ cup strawberry jam, thinned out with a teaspoon of water if too thick to easily spread into a thin layer.

 

Whipped Cream:

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

 

Garnish:

Sprinkles, shaved chocolate, or toasted nuts

 

1. Line the bottom and sides of a bread loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang to make ease the removal of the finished cake.
   
2. Prepare amaretti crust. Process amaretti ingredients together in a food processor until well-ground and thoroughly combined. 
   
3. Spread the amaretti mixture into the bottom of the pan, creating an even layer that reaches into the corners and edges. Place in the freezer until crust is firm, about 30 minutes. 
4. While crust is firming, transfer vanilla ice cream to refrigerator so that it can soften.
5. Spread about 1 ½ cups of vanilla ice cream evenly over the bottom layer of amaretti and nuts. You should have a ½-thick layer of ice cream. Freeze for 30 minutes. 
   
6. In the meanwhile, prepare the fudge: Set up a double boiler just touching a pot of barely simmering water. Combine fudge ingredients in the double boiler, stirring until melted. Continue stirring occasionally until fudge is hot and silky smooth, but not boiling (about 160°F if you have a thermometer). Remove from heat, set aside and cool slightly, for about 5 minutes. 
7. Take pan out of freezer. Since the fudge is still pretty warm and can turn the vanilla ice cream to mush, you’ll need to work quickly and decisively. Drizzle the fudge in ribbons over the ice cream, distributing it as evenly as possible. You can even out the surface of the fudge with a small offset spatula, but try not to disturb the ice cream, which is already beginning to melt. Move pan to freezer and transfer chocolate ice cream to the refrigerator to soften for 30 minutes.
   
8. Spread chocolate ice cream over hot fudge layer. Freeze for 30 minutes.
   
9. Spread strawberry jam in an even layer over chocolate ice cream. Allow jam to firm up in freezer and strawberry ice cream to soften in the fridge.
   
10. Spread strawberry ice cream over strawberry jam layer. Place in freezer to firm up. 
    
11. To remove cake from pan, briefly run hot water around the pan, making sure not to splash any water directly on the cake. Or, place the cake pan in a large pan of hot water for a minute or so. Pull up the plastic wrap and lift cake out. Transfer on to a serving platter.
    
12. Prepare whipped cream. Put cream, sugar, and vanilla in a small, deep mixing bowl. Whip until slightly firm peaks form. Use a pastry tube with a flower tip to form 8 rows of flowers across the top of the cake. Add sprinkles or other garnish, if desired. If freezing the leftover cake or if you prefer to prepare the whole thing in advance, the whipped cream tastes good frozen, too.
    
    

 

 

Recipe: Blueberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake is a classic, but my mama loves blueberries, so that’s what she’s getting today for Mother’s Day. (Of course, you can use whatever berries or fruit speak to your, or your mother’s, soul.)

The shortcake here is really just buttermilk/yogurt biscuits adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. When making biscuits, it’s important to use very cold butter.  To offset the food processor’s tendency to heat butter up pretty quickly, I like to use frozen butter. Also, make sure to work the butter in using short pulses rather than keeping the food processor running continuously.

At the risk of sounds fancy-pants, I was out of yogurt when I made these and so I substituted the fromage blanc that happened to be in the fridge. The dough was a little drier when I worked it together than it would have been with regular yogurt or buttermilk, but the biscuits fluffed up beautifully and were very tender. I think Greek-style yogurt would also achieve the same result.

 

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Makes 12 shortcakes

 

For the berries:

2-3 cups blueberries (either fresh or previously frozen)

Zest of ½ lemon, grated finely

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

 

For the biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch of salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold, preferably frozen

1 cup fromage blanc or Greek-style yogurt

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar

 

For the whipped cream:

1 ½ cups heavy cream, cold

3 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
    
2. In a mixing bowl, toss together berries, lemon zest and sugar. Set aside.
   
   
3. In a food processor, pulse together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cardamom, and salt.
    
4. Cut the butter into small bits, add to the flour mixture and combine using 10-12 one-second pulses. The butter should be quite small – the largest bits should be no larger than peppercorns. Briefly pulse the fromage blanc or yogurt in, until just barely incorporated. 
   
   
5. Turn dough out onto a clean, flat surface and continue to work the ingredients together by kneading gently, for about 1 minute, until the dough is holding together and fairly smooth.
   
   
6. Roll the dough out until ½-inch thick. Cut into circles with a cookie cutter or the bottom of a cup. (My cookie cutter was 2 ¾ inches in diameter.) Gather the scraps together and reroll gently to form the final biscuits. Place on a baking sheet. Brush each round with cream and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. 
   
   
   
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until biscuits have puffed up and tops are lightly golden.
   
   
8. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack to cool. In the meanwhile, prepare the whipped cream: Place the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl. With an electric hand mixer, whip the cream until soft, smooth peaks form.
   
   
9. Slice the biscuits in half. Spoon blueberries over the bottom halves, followed by the whipped cream over the berries, and maybe a few more berries. Place the top halves over the cream and serve.