Category Archives: Pure Dessert

By Alice Medrich

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.