Recipe, interrupted

Recipe: Pineapple Upside Down Clafoutis

I had some leftover Moscato D’Asti wine that was very nice but just to sweet for me to drink. This turned out to be a perfect way to make use of it and a slightly under-ripe pineapple at the same time.

This tart differs from the traditional clafoutis in that the pineapples replace the cherries. And, in an homage to the 50s style upside down cake, I served it flipped over. You don’t have to. If you do, the pineapple is exposed, which looks nice, and the custard that bakes on the top of the cake is transformed into a flan-like foundation. And then there’s the wine – it adds a beautiful aroma and a just the right amount of muskiness to make this a sophisticated dessert.

Once the pineapples are prepared, this dish comes together very quickly. You can poach the pineapples and reduce the poaching liquid up to 3 days in advance and store them together until you are ready to use them.

 

Makes one 10-inch tart

Preparation time: 1 ½ hours

 

For the pineapples:

1 small fresh pineapple, cut into ½”-thick wedges, about 4-5 cups (see post below)

1 to 1 ½ cups moscato wine, or other semi-sweet or dessert wine

¼ cup sugar

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into pieces

 

For the batter:

4 large eggs

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Confectioners sugar, for dusting, if desired

 

1. In a saucier or wide, shallow saucepan, bring the pineapple slices, enough wine to mostly cover them, and the butter to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer until the pineapple is tender and sweet, about 15 minutes. Feel free to nibble on the pineapple along the way; chances are you’ll have more than you’ll need for this recipe. Remove the pineapple from the cooking liquid with a strainer and set aside.
   
   
   
   
2. Simmer the cooking liquid further until it is reduced to ¾ cup or so and has darkened into a deep gold, about 25 minutes. Reserve ½ cup and allow to cool slightly.
   
   
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch tart pan, one with a removable bottom is ideal. Arrange the pineapple slices in the pan. It makes slicing easier later if they are arranged more or less in patterns that match up with the serving portions.
   
   
4. Beat the eggs, sugar, and salt together until well combined and frothy, less than one minute with an electric hand mixer.
    
5. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and beat until blended. On low speed, stir in the flour in three additions, alternating with the reserved cooking liquid in two additions.
    
6. Pour the batter over the pineapple slices, taking care not to disturb their arrangment.
   
   
7. Bake until center is set and edges are browned, about 40 minutes.
   
   
8. Cool on a wire rack. Serve inverted, or not. Dust with powdered sugar, or not.
   

Recipe: Apple Pie With Fresh Young Ginger

This summer I fell in love with peach-ginger pies. The sweet muskiness of peaches, spiked with ginger, was as luxurious as a dip in a clear pond.  

A few weeks ago, as the weather cooled down, I came across an apple-ginger pie at a fall carnival. Hoping that pie could gently lead me out of one season and into the next, I eagerly brought it to dinner at a friend’s home. The combination just didn’t work as well. “Reminds me of the pickled ginger you get with sushi,” is the description my friend offered up. I finished my slice, but I knew he was right. A little too sour, a little too spicy, without the richness of the summer peach-ginger pies.

And then I started seeing local young ginger, like from Old Friends Farm, at the market. With a delicate skin that does not need to be peeled or scraped away, young ginger is juicy, tangy, and milder than its mature form. Not even thinking about pies initially, I grated it into herbal teas, soups, and stir-fries. I found it did best when it was not dominated by strong flavors.

My daughter came home from an apple-picking class field trip and there was my opportunity to give apple-ginger pie another try.  The young ginger played much more harmoniously with the apples than regular mature ginger or dry ground ginger would. The result: a tangy and bright flavor that distinguishes itself from plain apple pies, but not with the obvious sushi-ginger flavor. Summer is sadly long over, but this pie is good consolation.

For more information on making a flaky pie crust, please see my how-to on Serious Eats.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Preparation time: 3 1/2 hours (including 2 hours chilling and 1 hour baking time)

 

For pie crust:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces frozen unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into pieces

6-8 tablespoons ice water

 

For filling:

8 cups peeled apple slices (about 6 medium apples), ¼ inch thick

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon grate young ginger

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 large egg, beaten lightly with 2 teaspoons water

 

1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and pulse together until the largest pieces of butter are no bigger than a small pea. With the food processor running, drizzle in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough just begins to come together, about 30 seconds. Turn the processor off, scrape the dough out onto a clean surface and divide it in half. Form each half into a disk, wrap each disk in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
    
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into two 12-inch circles. Lay one sheet of dough into a 9-inch pie pan, tucking any overhanging dough under itself at the around the upper edge of the pan. Transfer pan into refrigerator. Place the second sheet of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or in a large zip-top bag and lay flat in the refrigerator.
    
3. While the rolled out dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Toss apples with sugars, ginger, lemon juice, cinnamon, cornstarch, and salt. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
    
4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill pie shell with apple mixture, dot the top with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. 
   
    
5. Brush the edge of the dough with egg wash. Gently transfer the second sheet of dough over the filling. Tuck any excess dough from the top layer under the bottom layer of dough. Crimp the edges of the dough to seal. Brush the top of the pie with egg wash. With a sharp knife, cut four 2-inch slits in the pie, radiating out from the center of the pie like a compass.
    
6. Place a baking sheet in the bottom of the oven to catch any drips. Bake pie for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F and bake for another 30 minutes, until crust is deeply golden brown and pie filling is gently bubbling.
    
7. Cool on wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving warm or at room temperature. 

Recipe: Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Crumb Cake

I seem to be posting a lot about sweet baked goods these days. 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…

Warm in the kitchen with blueberries and spice

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.

Pantry- and freezer-stable ingredients make it easy

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.

My mission: a peanut butter cookie that is indulgent, but not heavy

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 nostalgic call of these familiar brands.

If you like natural peanut butter, it makes a great cookie

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. 

A little leavening, please

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.