Bon Appetit Desserts (14 page)
Read Bon Appetit Desserts Online
Authors: Barbara Fairchild
1⅓ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, beaten to blend in medium bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
8 4-inch-long fresh rosemary sprigs
Superfine sugar
PEARS
: Combine 3 cups water, sugar, Riesling, rosemary, vanilla bean, and peppercorns in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring syrup to boil, turning pears occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until pears are tender, about 20 minutes. Chill pears uncovered in syrup until cold, at least 3 hours.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
POUND CAKE
: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour 9×5×3-inch metal loaf pan. Whisk flour and cornmeal in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, then salt. Drizzle in beaten eggs by tablespoonfuls, beating constantly, then beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, beating just to blend after each addition. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake cake until brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.
SYRUP AND CANDIED ROSEMARY
: Bring 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add rosemary. Simmer until syrup reduces slightly, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer rosemary sprigs to rack and drain. Cover and reserve rosemary syrup.
Pour superfine sugar into shallow bowl. Add drained rosemary sprigs to sugar, 1 at a time, turning to coat thickly. Place on paper towels. Dry at least 1 hour.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Let sprigs and syrup stand at room temperature.
Cut dark ends off cake. Cut eight ½- to ¾-inch-thick cake slices. Cut each slice diagonally in half. Arrange 2 halves on each plate. Drain pears. Stand 1 pear on each plate. Drizzle each dessert with reserved rosemary syrup and garnish with candied rosemary sprig. Serve, passing remaining rosemary syrup separately.
Kumquat-Cardamom Tea BreadThis recipe makes two tea breads—keep one and give the other as a gift. Since the pale orange-colored kumquat icing adorning the bread is so pretty, just place the bread in a clear cellophane bag, available at some kitchen-supply stores, then tie on a bow. A touch of instant iced tea powder adds an intriguingly subtle flavor, but it is optional.
Makes 2 loaves
2 cups stemmed, quartered, seeded kumquats; plus 2 kumquats, sliced thinly
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant iced tea powder (optional)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided 1¼ cups sugar
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon corn oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Place quartered kumquats in processor; puree 3 minutes. Measure ⅓ cup puree for glaze; set aside.
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Spray two 8½×4½×2½-inch metal loaf pans with nonstick spray. Combine flour, tea powder (if using), baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and 1½ teaspoons coarse salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, blend 1¼ cups sugar and oil in large bowl. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla, ⅔ cup kumquat puree, and pineapple with juice. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating just until blended. Fold in walnuts. Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pans on rack 5 minutes. Turn cakes out. Place cakes, top side up, on rack and cool.
Place reserved ⅓ cup kumquat puree in large bowl. Whisk in butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon coarse salt. Spread glaze over cakes. Top with kumquat slices. Let stand until icing sets.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil; store at room temperature.
Cakes: Art And Science
The most basic ingredients in cakes—sugar, butter or vegetable oil, eggs, and flour—perform critical functions. Knowing their roles helps explain why precise measurements are so important in baking.
Sugar sweetens cakes, of course, but it also tenderizes them and helps keep them moist. Sugar also helps brown cake crusts.
Butter and vegetable oil moisten and tenderize cakes. Vegetable oil actually moistens cakes better than butter, but butter provides more flavor. When butter is creamed with sugar, it traps air bubbles that help leaven cakes.
Eggs provide the protein that holds cakes together. Egg whites help cakes rise and have a drying effect that prevents cakes from becoming too soggy. Egg yolks help emulsify large quantities of sugar, butter, and liquids, which produces very moist cakes.
Flour provides bulk and starch to hold the cake together.
Vanilla Chiffon CakeWhen the chiffon cake was developed in the 1920s, it was an instant sensation. Using oil instead of butter and adding beaten egg whites result in an airy yet moist cake. Tropical fruits like mango, papaya, and pineapple would be a colorful and refreshing springtime garnish for this light cake, which is perfect for Passover. Serve it with the Rich Chocolate Sorbet (page 464).
8 servings
1½ cups sugar, divided
½ cup matzo cake meal
½ cup potato starch
1½ vanilla beans, chopped
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
7 large eggs, separated, room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brandy
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend ½ cup sugar, matzo cake meal, potato starch, vanilla beans, and coarse salt in processor until beans are finely chopped. Sift mixture into small bowl; discard beans in sieve.
Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until medium-firm peaks form. Gradually add ¾ cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Using same beaters, beat egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup sugar in another bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in oil, then brandy. Beat in matzo mixture. Fold in egg white mixture in 3 additions.
Transfer batter to ungreased 10-inch-diameter angel food cake pan with removable bottom. Bake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 37 minutes. Immediately invert center tube of pan over neck of narrow bottle and cool cake completely.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover cake in pan.
Using sharp knife, cut around sides of pan and center tube to loosen cake. Holding center tube, lift cake from pan sides. Cut cake free from pan bottom. Turn cake out onto plate. Using serrated knife, cut cake into wedges.
Ingredient Tip:
Potato Starch
Using potato starch is a great way to add tenderness to baked goods, and it’s kosher for Passover. You’ll find it in the kosher foods section and baking aisle of the supermarket, as well as at online baking sites.
The Secret to Tender Cakes
The secret is in the flour and the mixing, both of which determine the amount of gluten in a cake. Too much gluten makes cakes tough. To ensure that your cake is tender:
USE THE RIGHT FLOUR.
The more protein a flour has, the more gluten it can produce, so all purpose flour and cake flour are best. Cake flour has slightly less protein and creates an especially fine-textured cake. However, don’t be tempted to use it in place of all purpose flour in a recipe. The two flours are not interchangeable; using cake flour when all purpose is called for can actually create a cake that’s too tender and falls apart.
MIX BRIEFLY.
Because mixing develops the gluten, don’t overmix your batter once the flour is added. Mix just enough to incorporate the dry ingredients. This rule applies to cookie doughs, as well.
Angel Food Cake with Strawberry-Blueberry SauceBoth the cake and the sauce can be prepared a day ahead. Let the cake stand at room temperature, and chill the sauce in a sealed container. It’s important not to grease the cake pan when making an angel food cake, or the cake may not rise properly.
10 to 12 servings