Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie

Dear Eric: I was told about a rhubarb pie recipe that had sour cream and a crumb topping. Sounded good. I wondered if you had something like that?

Mary Stokes

Dear Mary: It’s a good time of year to be in search of a rhubarb recipe. Whether you grow it yourself or buy it from a farm market or grocery store, it’s in-season now and readily available.

You were in search of a pie recipe enhanced with sour cream and a crumb topping, and you’ll find one below. You can make it with a store-bought or homemade pie crust. If you choose the former, make sure it’s a deep-dish one, as you’ll need its larger size for the generous rhubarb filling.

Speaking of that filling, the process begins by slicing fresh rhubarb and evenly placing it in the pie crust. The sour cream adds a lovely richness to the pie. It gets mixed with egg, sugar, flour and spices, and that mixture is then poured over the rhubarb. The pie now gets its topping, which in this case is oat-based similar to that found on a baked fruit crumble.

When purchasing, opt for very fresh-looking rhubarb with firm stalks that are free of soft or dark areas. Store rhubarb in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to five days. Wash the stalks of rhubarb well, and then dry just before needed.

RECIPE

Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie

A rich rhubarb pie accented with sour cream and spiced-oat topping.

Preparation time: 25 to 40 minutes (depends on if you make your pie crust)

Cooking time: 55 minutes

Makes: 8 servings

For the topping

2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3/4 cup large flake rolled oats

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

* pinches ground nutmeg and clove

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside until needed.

For the crust and filling

1 deep-dish store-bought or homemade pie crust (see recipe below)

1 large egg

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar

1 (250 mL) tub sour cream

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

* pinches ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves

1 1/4 lbs. fresh rhubarb, tops and stems trimmed, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces (you should get about 4 cups)

Preheat the oven 425Â°F. Place the egg in a bowl and beat until the yolk and white are well blended. Add the sugars, sour cream, flour, vanilla and spices and whisk until smooth. Place the rhubarb evenly in the pie crust. Pour the egg mixture over the rhubarb. Disperse oat topping over the filling.

Bake the pie 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350Â°F and bake 35 to 40 minutes more, until the crust and topping are richly golden. Set pie on a baking rack and cool to room temperature, which will set the filling. Slice and serve the pie topped, if desired, with a dollop of whipped cream, or scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Flaky Pie Dough

This recipe is from my book Everyone Can Cook for Celebrations. The generous amount of shortening, and a touch of butter, makes an ultra-flaky crust. This dough also freezes well, so if you make a lot of pies, consider making a double batch and freezing the unused dough for another time. If tightly wrapped, the dough will keep up to 2 months in the freezer.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus chilling time

Cooking time: none

Makes: dough for 1 double-crust pie or 2 single-crust pies

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups cold vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large egg, beaten with 1/3 cup ice-cold water

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. With a pastry cutter or 2 forks (or with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer), cut the shortening and butter into the flour until well blended. Pour the egg/water mixture into the bowl; gently work it until it forms a loose, moist dough that just holds together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a ball. Cut the ball in half. Press each half into a 1/2-inch-thick disk. Wrap and refrigerate each disk for 20 minutes before rolling out. (If only making one single crust pie, freeze the other dough for another time.)

To make a crust, unwrap one of the disks of dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough from the centre out into a round large enough to fit a 10-inch wide pie plate with a 4-cup capacity. Carefully unfold it and gently nestle it into the bottom of the plate. Don’t worry if the crust breaks in places; simple press it back together. Crimp the top edges of the crust to create a finished look and trim off any excess dough from the side of the plate. Refrigerate and firm up the pie crust 20 minutes and it’s ready to fill.

Eric Akis is the author of the bestselling Everyone Can Cook series of cookbooks.

[email protected]

Desserts with Bill & Sheila

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from rhubarb to Home Page

If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors – check out these sites THEY ARE FREE. Spanishchef more than doubled its ‘New Visitors’ last month simply by signing up to these sites:

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Cottage cake like Grandma used to make

Posted on May 23, 2012 by bilrob

Lemon Cottage Cake

Cottage cake like Grandma used to make

Q: First I want you to know how much I enjoy your column and look forward to it each week. You have often stated that family recipes should be gathered and treasured, you are so right. I am 76, and my grandmother made a very simple cake that she topped with a lemon sauce. The sauce is easy to replicate, but I have never found a recipe for the cake that matches hers. It was usually baked in a square pan and had a coarser texture than the average cake, but there was not corn meal in it.

-Patsy Janowitz, Hialeah, Fla.

A: I knew immediately what you were describing. It actually is called cottage pudding, though it really is a plain cake meant to soak in a nice lemon sauce. It was as much a staple in our grandmothers’ kitchens as shortcake or sponge cake. The recipe appeared in the original 1896 version of the “Fannie Farmer Cookbook.” I adapted the version here from Meta Givens’ 1947 “The Modern Family Cook Book.”

OLD-FASHIONED COTTAGE CAKE WITH LEMON SAUCE

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening or butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. Beat the shortening with an electric mixer until fluffy, then blend in sugar until no granules remain. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla. Add about a third of the flour mixture alternately with a third of the milk, beating well after each addition. Scrape into prepared pan and bake about 30 minutes, until cake tests done. Serve with lemon sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 236 calories (29 percent from fat), 7.7 g fat (2.1 g saturated, 3 g monounsaturated), 25 mg cholesterol, 3.7 g protein, 37.8 g carbohydrates, 0.6 g fiber, 211 mg sodium.

LEMON SAUCE

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

Dash of salt

1 egg, separated and yolk beaten

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan. Add 3/4 cup water and cook over medium heat, watching closely and stirring often, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 2 minutes, until thickened.

Very gradually beat lemon mixture into egg yolk to temper. Return to pan and cook over low heat 2 minute, stirring.

Off heat, add butter and lemon juice, stirring until incorporated. Cool.

Beat egg white until stiff and fold into the sauce. Serve hot or cold. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 100 calories (18 percent from fat), 2 g fat (1 g saturated, 0.6 g monounsaturated), 27 mg cholesterol, 0.8 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 39 mg sodium.

PORK POSSIBILITIES

I am not versatile when it comes to pork chops, and it turns out that I am not alone. A recent study for America’s pork producers found that most cooks “limit themselves to the same routine preparation methods.” So, of course the National Pork Board hired a chef to entice us to try something new.

The recipes, created by Madison Cowan of the TV series “No Kitchen Required,” are fascinating and different. The Moroccan-spiced dish here is from the collection, and you can find more at porkbeinspired.com. Next on my list to try are the chops stuffed with chorizo, Manchego cheese and dates.

MOROCCAN-INSPIRED RIB RAGU WITH COUSCOUS CAKES

2 pounds boneless pork blade chops (country-style ribs), cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons Spanish or Hungarian sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Tagine:

2 tablespoons olive oil, as needed

2 large leeks, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced and washed well

2 large carrots, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

2 (3-inch) sprigs of fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

2 bay leaves

6 garlic cloves, sliced

1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with their juices

1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint

Couscous Cakes:

1 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth

1 cup couscous

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup dried currants

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped chives

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 large egg yolks, beaten

3 tablespoons olive oil

For the pork chops: Put pork cubes in a large bowl and toss with oil. Mix paprika, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper, ginger and cumin, Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over pork and toss well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 and up to 3 hours. Reserve remaining spice mixture.

To make the tagine: Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, brown pork on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add more oil to pan if needed. Add leeks, carrots, cinnamon, thyme, chile flakes and bay leaves; saut(c) about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining spices and cook for 15 seconds.

Stir in tomatoes with their juices, broth and tomato paste. Bring just to boil, stirring occasionally, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until juices thicken and vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in chickpeas. Bury the pork in the sauce and cover. Simmer until the pork is just tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the couscous cakes: Bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in couscous, almonds, currants, chives, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat and cover tightly for 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Fluff with a fork. Stir in yolks. Press into six 3-inch patties. Transfer to a plate and let stand 5 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry cakes, turning once, until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from ragu. Sprinkle with cilantro and mint, and serve hot, with couscous cakes. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 615 calories (35 percent from fat), 24.6 g fat (5.6 g saturated, 13.7 g monounsaturated), 154 mg cholesterol, 46.5 g protein, 57 g carbohydrates, 8.8 g fiber, 1,652 mg sodium.

SLEUTH’S CORNER

Q: I recently came across some old papers from my parents’ wedding in 1948. One was a bill from the caterer for the wedding cake, which is described as having “Baltimore filling with cherries, pecans and figs.” I have found all kinds of recipes for Baltimore cake, or Lady Baltimore cake, but none for Baltimore filling. Can your readers help? I’d love to consider this for my own wedding.

-Bride-to-be, Leland, N.C.

(Send questions and responses to [email protected] or Food, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132. Personal replies are not possible.)

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Lick here for more information

Return from cake to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Lemon cake with lemony sugar wash

Posted on May 21, 2012 by bilrob

Lemon cake with lemony sugar wash

Although lemons generally ripen in winter, lemon desserts always remind me of summer. Our weather is heating up and we’re finally kicking winter to the curb. Last year, my lemon tree produced zero lemons. It started out promisingly enough, had a lot of blossoms and even started growing uber-tiny lemons barely beyond blossom stage.

Then the bugs, the soil, the wind or something said “Psych!” and killed off any growth except new leaves. Now my lemon tree is in its second year and this time, it looks like at least a few lemons might survive to ripen. I count at least three that are on their way to a healthy size and although they look more like limes right now since they’re still green, I’m hopeful they’ll morph into ripe lemons at some point.

In the meantime, my mom’s lemon tree in her backyard, older and more prolific, supplies me with the lemons I need for baking. As a matter of fact, I’m going to have to search for more and more lemon recipes because she’s got a ton. Fortunately, lemon cake is usually a sure bet and once again, I hit Baking Style for a recipe.

Now I’ve rhapsodized about Lisa Yockelson’s brownie recipes but I should also mention her pound-cake-type recipes are also bomb. Rarely have they not turned out. In fact I can’t remember when one of her pound cake recipes has ever failed me. And this doesn’t either. If you like lemon and have fresh lemons to use, make this cake. It has the perfect pound cake texture and brushing it with the lemon-sugar wash ensures great lemon flavor and moistness. You can make it more summery by serving it with fresh berries as well but it also holds its own perfectly plain. Let picnic cake season begin.

Lemon Cake with Lemony Sugar Wash

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
2-1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unsifted bleached cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2-1/2 cups superfine sugar
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the lemon peel, lemon extract, and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.Lightly spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour, tapping out the excess. (This makes a lot of batter so if your Bundt pan can’t hold it all, put the excess batter in small ramekins and bake those as well.)

Sift the flours, baking powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper and set aside.

Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 4 minutes. Add the granulated sugar in 4 additions, beating for 1 minute after each portion is added. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat for 45 seconds. Beat in the whole eggs, one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds after each addition to combine. Add the egg yolks and beat for 30 seconds longer. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Blend in the lemon peel and extract mixture. On low speed, alternately add the sifted mixture in 3 additions with the heavy cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl thoroughly with a rubber spatula after each addition. Beat the batter on moderately high speed for 1 minute.

Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until risen, set, and a toothpick inserted into the cake withdraws clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Loosen with a narrow spatula and invert onto a serving plate. Spoon the lemony sugar wash all over the cake, including the sides, giving time for the liquid to absorb before you spoon more over the cake. Cool completely.

Lemony Sugar Wash

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Spoon over warm cake.

Related post on The Pastry Chef’s Baking: Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Sign-up to receive a weekly collection of recipes from Stir It Up! by clicking here.

Carol Ramos trained to be a pastry chef at the Culinary Institute of America and has her certification in baking and pastry arts, but she has never baked professionally. Baking is just something she loves to do. Her blog chronicles her baking odyssey as she tests out different recipes. Her goals are to share her love of baking and convert people into becoming bakers, one dessert at a time.

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from lemon to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

You can't go wrong with lemon and herbs in super-easy chicken bake

Posted on May 20, 2012 by bilrob

You can’t go wrong with lemon and herbs in super-easy chicken bake

Readers often call me, looking for ideas to feed a crowd or unexpected guests.

One of my standards is Chicken with Lemon and Herbs. I came across the recipe years ago in Fine Cooking magazine. I’ve tweaked it here and there, using different herbs, chicken breasts instead of thighs and red or sweet onions in place of shallots.

I like it because it’s super easy. Take chicken thighs, brine them if you like and bake with lemon and herbs. That’s it. It’s a great main dish if you’re hosting a bridal or baby shower, or for just about any other occasion. Add a mixed vegetable and salad, and it’s a complete meal.

This dish also is relatively inexpensive to make for a crowd. For quick cooking, remove the bones. Allow extra baking time if you leave the bones in.

Also, leave the skin on the chicken. It makes the meat more flavorful, and it gives your guests the option of removing it or not.

Beyond the ease of making it, this dish has great flavor. You can’t go wrong with lemons and fresh herbs — they’re a natural match. Today’s recipe calls for thyme and rosemary, but you can use other herbs, such as parsley or basil. If using rosemary, don’t worry that it will be too strong. It won’t be. And roasting the lemons mellows out the tartness.

When it comes to buying lemons, I usually go for a whole bag because it’s cost-effective. A bag generally has at least six lemons and costs about $3. Sold separately, lemons can cost 70 cents each.

Choose lemons with bright skins and no hint of green, a sign of under-ripeness. The lemons should feel heavy for their size. They will keep in the refrigerator for two to three weeks in a plastic bag. If left out at room temperature, they’ll last about a week.

If I have leftover lemons, I zest and juice them. I freeze the zest in plastic bags and the juice in ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop out the cubes and put them in a plastic bag. You can also simply freeze lemon slices on a tray and place the frozen slices in a bag. They are terrific on the grill or roasted in the oven.

At some stores, you might see a variety called Meyer lemon. These have a thinner, smoother rind than a traditional lemon and are lower in acid. Their sweet flavor is often described as tangerine-like. They also tend not to have a lot of seeds.

Contact Susan M. Selasky at 313-222-6432 or [email protected].

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from chicken to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Cookbook Review 'Pie It Forward' is all about what's inside a sweet crust

Posted on May 18, 2012 by bilrob

Tina Rupp

Gesine Bullock-Prado, bakery owner, multiple-cookbook author, blogger, and sister of actress Sandra Bullock, offers pastry recipes and tips in “Pie it Forward.’’

I like baking, and I generally like baking books even when they’re fussy. So I took an instant shine to the new pie book by Gesine Bullock-Prado (bakery owner, multiple-cookbook author, blogger, and ex-Hollywooder; she’s Sandra Bullock’s sister). “Pie It Forward” is a loose wordplay on “pay it forward,” being grateful for something good, and paying it forward to others. The book has gorgeous photography, and there are cute little sidebars offering advice: say, how to salvage overwhipped cream. I was half in love with it before I ever started a recipe.

Then I took it into the kitchen.

Our first foray, a Key lime mascarpone cream pie, is a smash. The tart dough comes together simply, thanks to condensed milk and a food processor, and the flavors are bright and creamy. We smile and dig in, not knowing that this effortless experience is unique. The rest of the testing, it turns out, will be plagued by omissions and distortions, ranging from trivial to monumental.

Continue reading below

“Not-so-traditional” apple pie calls for an express puff pastry and 13 apples, which seems like a lot. Still, I follow the recipe, down to the absorbent “Crust Dust” (a 50-50 mix of flour and sugar for absorbing extra liquid in fruit pies). The puff pastry more or less does its job, but the apples run and flood the pie, overwhelming the Crust Dust in a mudslide.

A more traditional puff pastry, in a pear-frangipane pithivier, is made with some nontraditional short cuts (a mixer), but the rise and lamination are both good. However, Bullock-Prado forgets to tell you to egg-wash the finished product before sliding it in the oven. If you think of doing it yourself, you’ll get a confection that looks just like the picture. If not, you won’t (I tried both ways).

A bruleed maple custard tart calls for ½ cup sugar to coat a tiny 8-inch tart. Skeptical, I use only ¼ cup, and still end up with a layer of brulee so thick it cannot be penetrated. In the serving, the thick caramel shards crush the custard underneath.

I persevere. Chocolate orange souffle tartlets start with a disastrous, wet chocolate-cookie tart dough using almost ?
cup liquid and directions to “add the liquid and pulse till just combined.” I throw out the soggy, unrollable results and start again, using half the liquid. The second dough is rollable but fragile, and, channeling a Zen monk as the minutes tick by, I eventually contrive to fit it into the tartlet rings. As for the filling, there is twice as much as needed, so I improvise and make it into a separate souffle.

For a savory change of pace, I try a pork pie recipe, which is like a culinary Murphy’s law: everything that can go wrong, does. Fussy instructions for pre-baking puff pastry in muffin tins are impossible to execute. One item in the ingredients list is never called for in the recipe, and one item that isn’t listed turns up in the instructions. The timing is off, and so are the yields (too little pastry, way too much filling). I make it work, but it takes some MacGyvering.

My most tragic encounter with “Pie It Forward” is not actually the book’s fault. It involves a strawberry-rhubarb lattice crumble pie calling for so much butter and sugar I think, initially, the mistake is mine. Still, I slog on, through 4½ cups of flour, 4½ sticks of butter, 2 cups of sugar, and the fact that the huge pile of crumble topping is nowhere to be seen in the pie’s final photograph.

It all goes into a 9-inch pie pan which, 50 minutes later, I attempt to remove to a cooling rack. With a wobble and a whoosh, the entire 4-pound pie slides to the floor, landing facedown. When I recover sufficiently to start scraping it up, I notice — with a sense of insult compounding injury — that the now highly visible interior is still sloppy and underdone. Would it have set up had the pie been given its proper cooling time? Possibly. We’ll never know.

In baking, the devil is in the details (except for when it’s lying in an 8-foot splatter at your feet). The funny thing is, this tremendously appealing book is filled with detail, wit, and good advice. But rather like that metal cooling rack I was aiming for, sometimes it’s just not there when you need it.

Try BostonGlobe.com today and get two weeks FREE.T. Susan Chang can be reached at [email protected].

Because of a reviewer’s error, an earlier reference to the puff pastry indicates that the author says to make it in a mixer or food processor. The dough is made in a mixer.

baking with Bill & Sheila

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from pie to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Japanese cake with roots in Portugal

Posted on May 17, 2012 by bilrob

Japanese cake with roots in Portugal

Kasutera, also called castella, is a popular Japanese sponge cake that has Portuguese roots. This recipe is adapted from Makiko Ito’s Japanese food blog, “Just Hungry.”

The original recipe calls for whisking eggs and sugar together over hot water until thick with an electric whisk. Instead, we had good results starting with a handheld mixer over steaming water to warm the batter, then moving to a stand mixer. We also heated the eggs in warm water first. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can do all the mixing with a handheld mixer, again beginning over hot water.

Ito gives the sugar and flour amounts by weight, but we provide cup measures for cooks without scales at home.

Kasutera (castella)

Prep: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar (10 1/2 ounces or 300 grams), plus a little extra for sprinkling
1 2/3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, double sifted (7 ounces or 200 grams)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square cake pan with parchment paper. (Smearing a little butter or shortening in the pan first will help the paper stick.) Top paper with a sprinkling of sugar.

2. Place the eggs in a bowl of warm water (about 100 degrees) until warm, about 10 minutes; drain. Heat a large pot of water to a boil; turn off the heat. Mix the milk and 1/4 cup honey in a small bowl; set aside.

3. Break the warm eggs into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Place over the steaming pot of water; mix with a hand mixer, adding the sugar slowly, 5 minutes. Move the bowl to the stand mixer; beat with the whisk attachment at medium speed, or level 3, 5 minutes. Reduce speed one level; beat, 5 minutes. Reduce speed to lowest setting, beat, 5 minutes. (You want to end beating at the lowest speed so that the batter has small bubbles. The batter is ready when it is thick enough to form soft peaks.) Slowly add the milk and honey mixture. Whisking by hand, add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

4. Pour the batter into the pan up to the top. (Any leftover batter may be baked alongside in lined cupcake or muffin tins; bake these for 20 to 25 minutes.) Bake until a skewer stuck in the middle comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon honey and a little hot water, to make a glaze. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, brush the top with the glaze.

5. Let the cake sit in the pan until cool enough to handle but still warm. Lift out of the pan, paper and all; place in a zip-close bag. Seal; refrigerate several hours. (This step will help keep the cake moist.)

6. Cut off the sides of the cake with a very sharp knife to expose the yellow interior. Cut the cake into small, neat slices. Count on one or two slices of cake per person.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 282 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 170 mg cholesterol, 54 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 62 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

— Bill Daley, Tribune Newspapers

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Lick here for more information

Return from cake to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Thank The Patron Saint Of Bakers For This Cake Today

Posted on May 17, 2012 by bilrob

The author pauses to photograph the St. Honore cake before she digs in.

Thank The Patron Saint Of Bakers For This Cake Today

We here at The Salt usually ignore food festivals and those “Celebrate Whatever We’re Eating Now” Days. They’re a bit precious, no? But this one was too good to pass up: Today is the day the French celebrate the Feast of St. Honoré, the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs.

And since the French hold their corner bakery right up there with the Catholic Church, the celebration is not complete without a big bite of the complicated confection named for the saint in question. More on the cake a little later.

First, the history: Honoré, also known as Honoratus, became bishop of Amiens in Northern France in the sixth century. Sources disagree over whether he was a baker, but when he was named bishop, a baker’s peel — the flat wooden paddle used to move loaves to and from a hot oven — was said to have put down roots and transformed into a fruiting tree, much to the surprise of the incredulous woman holding it.

After his death, processions in his honor reputedly stopped both droughts and deluges, ensuring good wheat harvests and, consequently, winning him the hearts of bakers.

Pictures of St. Honoré from church iconography reinforce his boulanger roots. He’s holding his wooden peel, often with a few delicious-looking loaves of crusty French bread nearby.

But according to historian Steven Laurence Kaplan of Cornell University, who wrote The Bakers of Paris and the Bread Question, 1700-1775, for many years St. Honoré had a rival in the battle for bakers’ patron.

Initially, bakers organized around both Honoré and St. Lazare, the latter of whom had a reputation for defending against leprosy. Bakers of the time, with their physically demanding profession and rudimentary understanding of disease, were especially afraid of leprosy, Kaplan tells The Salt.

St. Honoratus or St. Honore, patron saint of bakers
courtesy of Catholic Online

St. Honoratus or St. Honore, patron saint of bakers

Eventually the French bakers’ guild settled in favor of Honoré in the 17th century, subsidizing a chapel that became the central point for the gatherings of their confraternity, a sort of religious arm of the guild.

Fast-forward to the 19th century, and Parisian bakers began bringing glory to the saint’s name in the best way they knew how — with a fabulous cake confection. (Given the historical division between bread bakers and pastry chefs, the latter probably had little connection to Honoré, making this more a worshipping of butter and sugar than of a patron saint.)

The St. Honoré cake was developed at the legendary Chiboust pastry shop on Paris’ Saint Honoré Street, which, alas, no longer exists. It started out as a ring-shaped brioche filled with pastry cream, which Chiboust lightened with an airy Italian meringue to create a new kind of filling. That fussy filling became known as crème Chiboust, which is still used by French bakers and even has its own Facebook page.

According the book, Desserts, by Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé, one of Chiboust’s bakers, August Jullien, came up with his own version, replacing the ring of dough with a ring of little cream puffs.

By the late 19th century, the St. Honoré cake had taken its present form, incorporating a pastry disk filled with Chiboust cream, topped with a crown of cream puffs dressed up even further with a crunchy cap of caramelized sugar, and draped with swags of whipped cream.

The plain version of the cake — simply flavored with vanilla and the bittersweet notes of burnt sugar — is most common, but you can find fanciful seasonal variations, showcasing everything from tropical fruits to green tea.

It’s a sort of “master class” confection, because it contains all of the fundamental elements that pastry school students need to conquer in one package: puff pastry, pâte á choux, pastry cream and caramelized sugar.

In modern-day France, the feast of St. Honoré still survives as a time to appreciate all sorts of breads and pastries. Baker Dominique Geulin who grew up in Normandy, fondly remembers how bakers (including his parents) would open their doors on May 16 for community festivals, school field trips, and public demonstrations.

The modern French baker’s organization also takes that week as the occasion to hold its annual meeting during a full-on festival of bread.

So, when Geulin left France to set up his own bakery in Portland, Ore., he didn’t think twice about giving it a name that would solidify his connection to baking history: St. Honoré.

Cake baking with Bill & Sheila

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Lick here for more information

Return from cake to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Start with baked tofu, end with vegetarian banh mi

Posted on May 17, 2012 by bilrob

Start with baked tofu, end with vegetarian banh mi

Baking tofu is a terrific and healthful alternative to frying. Marinate it in a gingery soy and chili sauce mixture, spread it on a baking sheet, sprinkle with scallions, peanuts, and ginger, and send it into the oven. Thirty minutes later you have tofu with crisp edges and a caramelized topping. While it bakes, stir-fry carrots, cabbage, asparagus, and watercress and set both over wide rice noodles.

Save some tofu for banh mi, the delicious Vietnamese sandwich that typically contains pate and meat. Here it takes a vegetarian turn, but retains the sweet, hot crunch of the traditional dish with mayonnaise and chili sauce on the bread, which is layered with pickled carrots and daikon, fresh cilantro, and cucumbers. Try to find crackly baguettes because French bread in Vietnam, made with some rice flour, is especially light and crisp. After you make it once, you may find yourself tucking all kinds of other leftovers into banh mi, until the sandwich becomes your house specialty.

Shopping list

Continue reading below

(For tofu, banh mi)

2 blocks (1 pound each) extra-firm tofu

3 large carrots

2 daikon

½ Savoy cabbage

1 pound asparagus

1 bunch watercress

½ English cucumber

8 scallions

1 lime

2 jalapeno peppers

½ bunch fresh cilantro

1½ teaspoons dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger

1?
loaves French bread

Salt

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 cup distilled white vinegar

?
cup mayonnaise

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sweet red chili sauce

¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 package (6 ounces) wide rice noodles

Try BostonGlobe.com today and get two weeks FREE.Sally Vargas can be reached at [email protected].

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from tofu to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Basic Cake Balls Recipe

Posted on May 16, 2012 by bilrob

Basic Cake Balls Recipe

Cake balls are small spheres of reconstituted cake crumbs, coated with chocolate or frosting. They are made by blending cake crumbs with icing, shaping them to form a ball and then dipping them in a coating, such as melted chocolate. Cake balls were originally created from the crumbs of leftover or stale cake to prevent waste.

Cake balls do not have the consistency of the traditional sweetened, baked and leavened cakes, but have a consistency similar to dough which can be attributed to the cake and icing being blended together. Cake balls are sold in various bakeries as well as mall kiosks; they are also available to be purchased as gifts. The bite-sized snacks may be displayed on a stick (known as a cake pop), and can be decorated with ribbon. They are especially popular during the holiday months.

Cake balls can be decorated with toppings in a variety of ways, using such items as sprinkles, nuts, chocolate shavings, candy, other confectionery toppings, to name a few. Almond bark or confectionery coating are often used as alternatives to chocolate, and can be easily melted in a microwave oven before dipping. Vegan and gluten-free cake balls also exist.

Basic Cake Balls

Makes 48

Note: Allow plenty of time. Dipping the cake balls takes at least an hour.

18.25-ounce box cake mix

16-ounce container ready-made frosting

32 ounces candy coating

1. Bake the cake in a 9-by-13-inch pan, as directed on the box. Let cool completely.

2. Crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl by cutting the cake into 4 sections. Remove a section from the pan, break it in half and rub the sections together over a large bowl, making sure to crumble any large pieces that fall off.

3. Repeat with each section until the cake crumbs are a fine, even texture. Any large pieces may make the cake balls turn out lumpy.

4. Add 3/4 of the frosting –a whole can will make it too moist — and mix it, using the back of a large metal spoon, until thoroughly combined.

5. The mixture should be moist enough to roll into 11/2-inch balls. Roll 48 by hand, placing them on a wax paper—covered baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for several hours, or in the freezer for about 15 minutes. You want the balls firm but not frozen.

6. Place the candy coating in a deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl. Working with about 16 ounces at a time, melt candy coating, according to package directions — or microwave it on medium for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between.

7. Take a few cake balls

at a time out of the refrigerator or freezer. (If they’re in the freezer, transfer the rest to the refrigerator now.) Place one ball at a time into the bowl of candy coating. Spoon extra over to coat thoroughly. Avoid stirring, because crumbs can fall off. Lift the cake ball with your spoon, tapping the handle several times on the bowl edge so any excess coating falls back into the bowl.

8. Transfer the coated cake ball to another wax paper—covered baking sheet, letting it slide right off the spoon. Some coating may pool around the base. If so, use a toothpick to draw a line around the base before the coating sets. Repeat with the remaining cake balls, melting more coating as needed. Let dry completely.

9. If you have extra candy coating, pour it into a squeeze bottle or a resealable plastic bag, with the corner snipped off, and drizzle it over the cake balls tops in a zigzag motion to decorate. Cake balls may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for several days.

— “Cake Pops” by Bakerella (Chronicle Books, $19.95 160 pages)

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from cake balls to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Chocolate Chip Cake

Posted on May 16, 2012 by bilrob

Chocolate Chip Cake

Chocolate Chip Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chips are small chunks of chocolate. They are often sold in a round, flat-bottomed teardrop shape. They are available in numerous sizes, from large to miniature, but are usually around 1 cm in diameter.

Chocolate chips are a required ingredient in chocolate chip cookies, which were invented in 1937 when Ruth Graves Wakefield of the Toll House Inn in the town of Whitman, Massachusetts added cut-up chunks of a semi-sweet Nestlé chocolate bar to a cookie recipe. The cookies were a huge success, and Wakefield reached an agreement in 1939 with Nestlé to add her recipe to the chocolate bar’s packaging in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate. Initially, Nestlé included a small chopping tool with the chocolate bars. In 1941 Nestlé and one or more of its competitors started selling the chocolate in chip (or “morsel”) form.[1] The Nestlé brand Toll House cookies is named for the inn.
Types of chips

Originally, chocolate chips were made of semi-sweet chocolate, but today there are many flavors. These include bittersweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, mint chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and white and dark swirled chocolate chips.
Uses

Chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie

Chocolate chips can be used in cookies, pancakes, waffles, cakes, pudding, muffins, crêpes, pies, hot chocolate, and various types of pastry. They are also found in many other retail food products such as granola bars, ice cream, and trail mix.

Chocolate chips can also be melted and used in sauces and other recipes. The chips melt best at temperatures between 104 and 113 °F (40 and 45 °C). The melting process starts at around 90 °F when the cocoa butter in the chips starts to heat. The cooking temperature must never exceed 115 °F (for milk and white) or 120 °F (for dark) or the chocolate will burn. Although convenient, melted chocolate chips are not always recommended as a substitute for melted baking chocolate. Because most chocolate chips are designed to retain their shape when baking, they contain less cocoa butter than baking chocolate. This can make them more difficult to work with in melted form.

Recipe for Chocolate chip cake

1. To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry (this can take up to 5 minutes).
3. Combine the remaining 1 cup sugar, whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another large bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in buttermilk, oil, vanilla and a heaping spoonful of whites. Fold in the remaining whites and 1/2 cup chocolate chips with a whisk. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
4. Bake the cake until a skewer inserted into it comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto the rack and let cool completely.
5. To prepare chocolate drizzle: Combine 1/3 cup chocolate chips and milk in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Serve immediately or let stand until the chocolate is set, about 45 minutes.
Ingredient Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour, lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large super markets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.
Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.
To Make Ahead: Equipment: 12-cup Bundt pan

Recipe for chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Whisk white whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Place 1/4 cup chocolate chips in a small, heatproof bowl; microwave on Medium for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted. (Or place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.) Let cool slightly.
3. Beat sugar, oil and butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high until smooth, scraping down the sides. Add eggs, vanilla and the melted chocolate; beat until smooth, scraping down the sides. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
4. Place half the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a 10-inch log (it’s OK if it’s not perfectly round). Repeat with the remaining dough. Wrap and freeze until just firm, about 45 minutes. Reroll the logs to make them rounder and return to the freezer until very firm, at least 1 hour more.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
6. Remove one roll of dough at a time from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Unwrap the dough and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, turning the dough a quarter turn after each slice to help keep the cookies round. Place 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. If your cookies aren’t as round as you want them to be, shape the dough with your fingers.
7. Bake 8 minutes for soft cookies or 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining roll of dough, if desired.
Tip: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat flour. It is available at large supermarkets and natural-foods stores and online at bobsredmill.com or kingarthurflour.com. Store it in the freezer.
To Make Ahead: Store wrapped rolls of dough in the freezer for up to 3 months.

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from chocolate to Home Page

Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER

Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from rhubarb to Home Page

Recommended Reading

Cottage cake like Grandma used to make

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Lick here for more information

Return from cake to Home Page

Recommended Reading

Lemon cake with lemony sugar wash

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from lemon to Home Page

Recommended Reading

You can’t go wrong with lemon and herbs in super-easy chicken bake

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from chicken to Home Page

Recommended Reading

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from pie to Home Page

Recommended Reading

Japanese cake with roots in Portugal

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Lick here for more information

Return from cake to Home Page

Recommended Reading

Thank The Patron Saint Of Bakers For This Cake Today

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Lick here for more information

Return from cake to Home Page

Recommended Reading

Start with baked tofu, end with vegetarian banh mi

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from tofu to Home Page

Recommended Reading

Basic Cake Balls Recipe

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from cake balls to Home Page

Recommended Reading

Chocolate Chip Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from chocolate to Home Page

Recommended Reading