Monthly Archives: March 2009

Almond Cake

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almond_cake3Currently cooking out of Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.

This cake is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. And, more importantly, Bryan agrees. Since the man has a compulsive need to disagree with me over everything (snort), the fact that he agreed means this cake is truly something special.

I made the cake the day before going to visit Bryan’s mother, and I had planned to bring her at least half of it. Unfortunately, every time either of us walked by the counter where it was sitting, we had to cut off another slice. The next day, there were only crumbs left. Yes, Bryan and I ate the entire thing in less than a day.

The cake is stupidly easy to make, and the entire thing is done in the food processor. Instead of flour, the basic structure comes from ground almonds. This gives the cake an extremely moist, dense texture. It was almost chewy in a very, very good way. The best part of the cake is the side and bottom crusts. You smear the cake pan with butter, press sliced almond all around it and sprinkle it with sugar. In the oven, the sugar carmalizes slightly and toasts the almonds. I underbaked the cake slightly, so I suspect that a few more minutes in the oven would have resulted in an even browner crust on the bottom. I also had a rough time getting it out of the pan. I think I ended up with three or so chunks, but that just meant it was easier to sneak pieces without Bryan being able to tell. 

We ate pieces of the cake plain, but also with some strawberries. Both were divine. The next time I make this cake, I’m going to try adding in some lemon or orange zest. Not much, as the cake is perfectly fine without it, but I’d like to see what that hint of citrus does to the flavor.

Note: I had an opportunity to make this cake again, a few days later. The second time, I added about a teaspoon of lemon zest. Funny enough, I actually preferred the cake without the lemon zest as even that small amount overpowered the almond flavor.

Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels

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caramelsCurrently cooking out of Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.

I pride myself on my caramel skills. Every year around Christmas, I start making caramels. Chocolate caramels, cinnamon caramels, coffee caramels, mocha caramels, orange caramels, and on and on. Depending on how generous I’m feeling (and how many I can hide from Bryan), some of those caramels might find their way into peoples’ christmas stockings. My standard caramel recipe isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes more than an hour of constant stirring, not to mention cooling and wrapping time.

Then along comes this recipe. It calls for fewer ingredients and less cooking time, but results in a purer, darker caramel flavor. If they weren’t so good, I’d be a little annoyed. 

As is standard with me, I went with one of Medrich’s variations, the nutmeg and vanilla bean caramels, except I used vanilla extract, not a vanilla bean. The nutmeg flavor was sort of lost in the finished product. It’s there, very faintly, but not enough that most people would be able to pick it out. Next time, more nutmeg. I’m also planning to try some of my other favorite variations, such as chocolate or mocha.

Instead of leaving the caramels all plain, I decided to dip half of them in chocolate. Judging from the look on Bryan’s face when he ate one, this was a good decision. A very good decision.

caramels2

PS. I’m currently taking bribes for next year’s Christmas list . . .

Roasted Asparagus

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asparagus4In Utah, where I grew up, asparagus grows wild alongside most country roads. It was a weekly ritual for our family to take a walk and collect asparagus, so I ate it pretty much all spring and early summer. When I started cooking with Bryan, one of the first things he told me he didn’t like to eat was asparagus. I was okay with that, because it meant that there’d be more for me to eat. Then I made the mistake of roasting it, and now I have to share it with him.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but between Bryan and I, we’ll easily eat several pounds of roasted asparagus in one sitting. And making this stuff couldn’t be easier.

Cover a sheet pan with tinfoil and heat the oven up to 400 degrees. Trim the ends off the asparagus stalks and clean. Toss the stalks in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 30-40 minutes, turning the asparagus once about halfway through.

New Bittersweet Brownies

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browniesCurrently cooking out of Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.

“Oh my.”

That was pretty much all I could think of when I bit into a square of these deep, dark chocolatey brownies. The texture was some where between cakey and fudgey, moist but not dense and crunchy from cacoa nibs. They were so good that Bryan and I had to get them out of the house before we ate them all.

In the recipe, Medrich specifically calls for a 70 percent chocolate. I only had about half the amount needed, so I made up the rest with a slightly sweeter chocolate (about 60 percent, I believe). I was worried that the brownies would be too sweet, since I was using sweeter chocolate, but it didn’t affect the final product. Now, that being said, I’m definitely going to make these again using all 70 percent chocolate.

Really, the only issue I had with the recipe was that I had to bake my brownies for a bit longer. I ended up baking them for about 45 minutes where as the recipe calls for 25-30 minutes. Minor. I’m also really loving the cacoa nibs. They add a nut-like texture, but without the nuts. The nibs, themselves, don’t seem to add much flavor. These are perfect for those who can’t eat nuts but want some of that texture in their baked goods.

Candied Citrus Peel

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grapefruit_peelCurrently cooking out of Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.

I generally find the idea of candied citrus peel more appealing than the actual product. Usually, the peel is too bitter for me, even when it is coated in sugar and/or chocolate. But, after making the pink grapefruit granita, I had a mound of grapefruit peel staring me down, so I decided to give candying the peel another go. Maybe this time things would turn out differently.

Making candied citrus peel is pretty easy. The peel is submerged in cold water and brought to a boil, then drained. The whole process is repeated several times. This softens the peel and removes the bitterness. Then the peel is simmered in water and sugar until transparent. Once done, it is left out to dry and then rolled in sugar and/or chocolate.

Unfortunately, this peel was still far too bitter to eat by itself. Covered in chocolate, however, it was passable. Maybe if I’d boiled the peel one more time . . .

Nibby Buckwheat Butter Cookies

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nibby_buckwheat_cookiesCurrently cooking out of Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.

Not long after Pure Dessert was published, this cookie recipe started popping up on the internet. Pretty much everybody who tried them really liked them, and I have to agree. These cookies are addictive. The buckwheat flour gives the cookies a slightly grassy, sweet flavor that goes really well with the cocoa nibs. What are cocoa nibs? They are bits of roasted cocoa beans that have a very faint chocolate smell, but a bitter taste. However, baked into these cookies, the cocoa nibs lost their bitterness and added a nut-like crunch to the cookies.

Besides buckwheat flour and cocoa nibs, the recipe calls for a lot of butter, some sugar, salt and vanilla. All in all, a very easy recipe. The hardest part was letting the dough sit the refrigerator long enough to harden so it could be sliced into rounds.

While my cookies tasted really good, they didn’t look so good. I think I sliced the dough too thinly as my cookies spread and turned out very lacy and crumbly. Some of the other people who tried the recipe rolled the dough out and used cookie cutters. Next time, I might try this.

For another look at these cookies (they are much prettier than mine) and the recipe go here. Cocoa nibs can be found online or in some grocery stories in the baking aisle.

Pink Grapefruit Granita

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pink_grapefruit_granitaCurrently cooking out of Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.

The next cookbook comes from Alice Medrich, one of my favorite cookbook authors. Back in the 70s, Medrich decided to open a dessert shop in Berkeley that sold truffles, among other things. Unlike today, truffles weren’t a common confection to most Americans in the 70s. Especially not truffles made with high quality chocolate and other ingredients. Medrich, not knowing any better, did everything wrong when she made her truffles (not tempering the chocolate, making the centers so soft they had to be frozen before being dipped). Yet her shop, Cocolat, excelled, and her desserts and confections became legendary. By not knowing what she was doing, Medrich found new ways, perhaps even better ways, to do things. You can’t help but admire that. And, the woman’s cookbooks are fantastic. I have yet to be disappointed by any of her recipes.

Pure Dessert, Medrich’s latest cookbook, is organized by flavors, such as milk, fruit, seeds, and chocolate. There’s also a chapter based on the flavors of beer, wine and spirits. I’ll probably be skipping that chapter as I dislike pretty much all alcohol-based flavors.

So, where’s the chocolate recipe? I have three words: Pink. Grapefruit. Granita. Just look at that color. Doesn’t it make you smile? The weather here in North Idaho has been gray and wet, and I just wanted something bright, both in color and to wake up my tastebuds.

This granita is super easy. It’s made up of just three ingredients (grapefruit flesh and juice, sugar and lemon juice). You whiz everything together in the food processor, plop it in the freezer and occasionally rake the mixture with a fork so it freezes in flakes. The granita is refreshing, tangy and low fat. I served it with a dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream, but even that embellishment is unnecessary.

Chicken in Garam Masala/Red Curry, kinda

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chicken_stew3Currently cooking out of Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way by Lorna Sass.

Somehow, I managed to buy half of the ingredients for this recipe and half the ingredients for another recipe and didn’t realize it until I started cooking. I ended up with a Frankenstein recipe: the head of this recipe with the body of  Sass’ Thai Chicken Soup recipe. Fortunately for our bellies, the results were pretty tasty (cold cereal was the backup dinner). The curry paste gave the stew a gentle heat that went nicely with the coconut milk. Neither flavor was overwhelming and, in fact, it mostly tasted of tomatoes. Next time, I might try using less tomatoes and more of everything else.

I substituted red curry paste for the garam masala (an Indian spice mixture) and served the mixture over brown rice. I kept the unsweetened coconut milk, but ditched the fresh ginger and the pistachio nuts. I also cut my chicken into bite-sized pieces while Sass used whole chicken tenders.

Hmmm. It might be more appropriate to consider Sass’ recipes as inspiration, which, in my opinion, is the earmark of a truly good cookbook.

This is the last recipe out of Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way. Overall, I really enjoyed cooking out of this book, and I’ve got to hand it to Sass who comes up with some really easy ways to incorporate whole grains into one’s diet. I’ve got some new recipes that will go into regular rotation around our house, as well as an appreciation for the flavor that whole grains can add to baked goods (my modified lemon poppyseed muffins with spelt flour are killer).

And, since I really mangled Sass’ original recipes for this stew-like dish, I’m posting my version after the jump. Continue reading →

Senate Bean Soup

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senate_bean_soup2My new favorite bean soup that isn’t from the grains cookbook . . .

I love bean soups, especially when the beans don’t come from a can. But I usually don’t have enough patience to soak my own beans, so I don’t cook bean soup very often. This recipe has me whistling a different tune, though.

The original recipe comes from a new cookbook called Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington, but you can find a copy of the recipe here. I’ve made the soup twice with only minor modifications. First, I use 1 1/2 pounds  of small, dried navy beans. I increase the water to about 8 cups, but leave the rest of the ingredients the same (I like my soups very thick). I also tend to add some ham, as the ham hocks don’t give me enough meat. The soup continues to thicken, so leftovers may need to be thinned out.

Lemon-Poppyseed Muffins 2.0 Recipe

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spelt_muffinCurrently cooking out of Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way by Lorna Sass.

Remember this post a couple of weeks ago? Well, ever since then, I’ve been beating my head against a wall called Lemon-Poppyseed Muffins. And the wall has been winning.

From the first time I made these muffins, I thought they had promise, but also some problems. I thought the lemon flavor was overpowered by the other ingredients. I though they weren’t sweet enough, that they didn’t have enough rise and that they were too crumbly. So I made batch after batch, trying different combinations of ingredients. I compared recipes from other cookbooks and consulted one of the best scientific baking tomes of late, Bakewise by Shirley  O. Corriher.

In the end, I got the lemon flavor where I wanted it by increasing the lemon juice and brushing the hot muffins with sweetened lemon juice. The leavening problem was solved by drastically reducing the amount of leavening that the original recipe called for, and using all baking soda. Substituting a half of a cup of all-purpose flour for a half of a cup of spelt flour made the muffins lighter and less crumbly.

Because I made so many changes to the recipe, I’ve decided to go ahead and post my version after the jump. Continue reading →