Cook Like Mad

Bear with me, please. I know this does not look like Opera Cake, and in my opinion, it is not. Essential ingredients in Opera Cake are coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache, both of which are absent here. If it had been my choice, I would have made the original version, with the flavors that made Opera Cake famous. Alas, the Daring Bakers pleaded that we use only “light-colored” ingredients and flavorings, preferably in the yellow realm, like lemon, vanilla, and chamomile, so the original flavors got a swift kick in the butt.

What we’re left with is a layer cake by most people’s definitions, albeit a fancy one. Perhaps to be funny I should have made a beer flavored cake. That’s pretty yellow, no? Mmm…Sam Adams Summer Ale “Opera” Cake… Enough of it and you’ll be singing Gilbert and Sullivan tunes (”I’ve information vegetable, animal, and mineral…“).

Just kidding.

Anyway, in trying to make the best of what I consider a “situation” (I really like the combination of coffee and chocolate if you were wondering), I decided upon the summer-y flavor combination of Rose and Pistachio. It wouldn’t be yellow but it sure would be tasty. The only problem is, I really can’t force myself to call this ‘Opera Cake.’ How about The Most Delightfully Sweet and Texturally Divine Summertime Layer Cake? Let’s call it Divine Summertime Cake for short. Eat it and weep, my friends.

A Taste of Light: Opéra Cake (a.k.a Divine Summertime Cake)

This recipe is based on Opéra Cake recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.

Yield: 10-12 servings.

For the joconde

(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:

•2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)
•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
•parchment paper
•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (I used ground pistachios- which you’ll have to grind on your own by pulsing them in a food processor)
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup

(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.- I used rose extract, which you can find at specialty stores and many middle eastern grocers)

1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream

(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan
•a candy or instant-read thermometer
•a stand mixer or handheld mixer
•a bowl and a whisk attachment
•rubber spatula

Ingredients:

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) water
seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your buttercream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured buttercream, then by all means leave it out!)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, I used rose again)

1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse (this step is optional – please see Assembling the Opéra Cake below)

(Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan
•a mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients:

7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquer of your choice, optional (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.
4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.
6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze
(Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:

14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.
2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.

Step A (if using buttercream only and not making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

Step B (if making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled.

Enjoy!

-M : )

Remember how unenthused I was on Sunday aboutbaking another cake after just having had my fill? Well, here’s the very satisfying, vibrant and rich reason: Red Velvet Cake. After having tasted Two Little Red Hen’s red velvet cupcakes in NYC last year, and experiencing the glorious, moist, and delectable cake that found itself inside my cupcake wrapper, I knew I had to try my hand at recreating this cake. Not only is the batter bright, bright red when it goes into the oven (thanks to a full tablespoon of red food coloring(!)…more on that later…), it’s just as bright when it comes out- something I didn’t expect since cakes tend to slightly brown in the oven and I didn’t want to slice into something the color of that Chinese creation, fruity beef jerky (think: beef jerky glazed with red jam). I didn’t want reddish-brown velvet cake, I wanted red velvet cake. And luckily, that’s exactly what I got. Mixed with the cream cheese icing, this cake, with its hint of cocoa powder, Christmas red color (sorry, Rabbi, it’s what popped into my head…), and strawberries inside that melt into the second cake layer, D and I were in sugar heaven.

Since this was my first (but not last!) foray into red velvet cake baking, I used a highly starred recipe on Epicurious.com, found here. Since I don’t like just copying and pasting recipes, please click the link for the recipe in full. That way you can read some of the comments and see if you’re interested in taking some of the advice some commenters offer. There is a theme of them saying the cake needs more oil and cocoa, but I found the cake perfectly moist after using the original recipe. But it’s your choice- if you want to add extra cocoa (which will result in a less vibrant red color), then you must add more oil, since the addition of cocoa powder will dry out your batter. Also, if you want to make cupcakes, go ahead! Just be sure to raise the oven temp 10 degrees and check them after 15 minutes (they’ll take longer, but check anyway).

out of the oven and looking quite red still… hey- do my cakes match my kitchen towel? Never thought I’d see that happen!

mmm…innards! : )

So the only caveat I have for this whole recipe involves the red food coloring itself. Please, please, please, don’t use that gross food coloring you make sugar cookie icing with. It will tear your stomach apart. I have a weak stomach, D has a strong one, and after eating this cake with the regular food color added, we both felt pretty funky. Not like, violently ill, but off, you know? Yeah, so splurge on the natural, beet colored, food coloring and save yourself from any bodily harm. the only feeling you should get after eating this cake is happy. Enjoy!

Once again, the recipe is here. : )

p.s. I used strawberries instead of the other berries in the original recipe since that’s what looked good at the supermarket. It was a great combination, and next time, I would even add more strawberries by cutting each layer in two, creating four cake layers, and hence, three more places to hide strawberry slices in the cake- yum!

-M : )

This month’s Daring Baker’s challenge involves making Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake, from her outstanding cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours. This is my first Daring Baker’s challenge, and having just made Red Velvet Cake (recipe coming soon) for D’s birthday, I was less than enthusiastic about my debut revolving around another cake. I wanted something I could really get excited about, but after eating cake all of last week (and a heavy cake at that) I was putting off making this cake until the last possible day- yesterday. Evening. I swear I wasn’t procrastinating. It’s not like baking a cake is a daunting task or anything, I just couldn’t bare the thought of more cake. Frankly, neither could D.

Those were my thoughts before I started mixing the cake batter. During the mixing process, my thoughts went gradually from “mmm..this lemon zest smells good, maybe this won’t be so bad,” to “wow, this is a really nice cake batter,” to “god, I love the smell of cake baking in the oven,” to finally D and I scarfing down slices of cake thinking, “this is some of the best cake we’ve ever had!”

What makes this cake excellent is that the batter is flawless, easy, and well-balanced (i.e. not too sweet, not too heavy) and the filling and frosting can be varied in innumerable ways. The original recipe calls for raspberry preserves inside and shredded coconut to be pressed up to a buttercream frosting on the outside of the finished cake, but I had fresh strawberry jam in the fridge, D doesn’t like coconut, and we were not in the mood for such a rich frosting as buttercream, so I made those substitutions. I suppose I could have decorated my cake a little better, garnished it with some fresh strawberries or the like, but my original indifference to the outcome of this cake told me not to buy those “extras” while buying the ingredients I needed at the supermarket. So be it. When I serve the cake I can always add extra berries at that time, but frankly, this cake needs nothing more than a fork to get it into your drooling mouth. This is the first recipe I’ve tested from this cookbook of Dorie’s, but it certainly won’t be the last. Enjoy! : )

mmm…cake innards!

Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake (adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Makes one 9-inch layer cake

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (use buttermilk if you want to intensify the lemon flavor)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Whipped Cream (double this if you want to cover the whole cake with whipped cream)
1 cup heavy cream, cold
1/8 cup sugar
2 tbsp raw wild flower honey (or another flavorful honey of your choice)

For Finishing
2/3 cup strawberry jam, stirred vigorously to loosen (feel free to use another flavor of jam)

Method

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

4. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl whisk until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

5. Add the butter to the lemony sugar mixture and working with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light and fluffy.

6. Beat in the lemon extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

7. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk-egg mixture, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

8. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

9. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber or offset spatula.

10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, take them out of the pans, and peel off the parchment paper. Invert the cakes so they are right side up and cool to room temperature. The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months.

11. While the cakes are cooling, whip heavy cream to soft peaks, then add sugar, slowly, continuing to whip. Once sugar is incorporated, add honey in a slow stream to the mixture. Make sure the honey gets incorporated by scraping the bottom of your bowl well, as the honey will sink to the bottom. Whip cream to stiff peaks and set in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the cake.

12. Once the cake layers are cool, place one layer on a serving plate. Top that layer with the strawberry jam. On top of the jam, spread 1/3 of the whipped cream. Place the second cake layer on top of the whipped cream and top that with the remaining whipped cream. Enjoy!

-M : )

When I think of icebox pies, I think of those super sweet, cool-whip(or pudding) based, high rise pies often seen in diners and old country cookbooks. In one of my favorite southern cookbooks, A Taste of Louisiana, by the Louisiana Federation of Women’s Clubs, among the many pie recipes, there is a recipe for Peanut Butter Pie that calls for chunky peanut butter, raisins, vanilla pudding mix, whipped topping, and salted peanuts, all set up in a graham cracker crust. Now I haven’t made this pie, but it did give me an idea to make the one below, modified from this epicurious.com recipe.

The epicurious recipe uses creamy rather than chunky peanut butter, whipped cream rather than pudding mix, and swaps the raisins for a layer of chocolate ganache. I like the fact that epicurious keeps the graham cracker crust, but I thought the pie recipe needed to be (forgive me) “kicked-up a notch.” So I made raspberry preserves to spread over the chocolate ganache to revive the fruit component established in the first version by the raisins. The raspberry preserves give a much-needed tartness to the rich and creamy pie, without adding “chew,” which no doubt was an effect of adding raisins to a chilled pie. The chocolate ganache is made from 60% cocoa-content chocolate chips, adding to the complexity of the pie’s flavors. This is not your average refrigerator pie, it is a pie for adults, in addition to children, and speaking of children, it’s a great recipe to make with them. If you prefer to use store-bought raspberry preserves, just make sure you stir it up a bit before spreading it over the chocolate layer, so it’s loose and easy to manipulate. Also, feel free to make this pie in 8 of those individual graham cracker crust molds you can buy in the store- that way there’s no worrying about cutting perfect slices and each guest will feel particularly royal : ) So give this old-school pie a try. It’s a perfect, comfy winter dessert and it’s easy to boot. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pb & J Mousse Pie

Adapted from this Epicurious.com recipe

Makes 8 Servings

1 bag frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
7 whole graham crackers, finely crushed into crumbs (the food processor works best here)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 1/3 cups (about 8 oz) 60% bittersweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup plus 1 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1 cup (about 6 oz) peanut butter chips
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Bittersweet chocolate chips, melted, to serve
Roasted, lightly salted peanuts, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If making raspberry preserves from scratch, dump bag of frozen raspberries in a small pot with 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil Lower to medium heat, stir occasionally, and add 2 tbsp sugar. Stir frequently for another 10 minutes and then turn off heat, transfer to a bowl, and let cool. Meanwhile, make other pie components.

2. Spray 9-inch pie dish lightly with vegetable oil spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 melted butter and 2 tbsp sugar with a fork until it comes together and spread out evenly in the bottom of the pie dish, making sure, to patch up any holes, as you work the mixture up the sides of the dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until just lightly golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool on the counter.

2. Mix chocolate chips, 2/3 cup whipping cream, 2 tbsp corn syrup and 1 tsp vanilla in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on half power for 2 minutes. Let sit for 30 seconds, and stir, until fully incorporated. At first the mixture will look like it won’t combine, but be patient, it will become quite thick and dark with a little stirring. Pour overcooled crust and set pie dish in the freezer for 20 minutes.

3. Mix peanut butter chips, 3/4 cup whipping cream, 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter, and 1 tsp vanilla in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on half power for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir the same way as the chocolate chip mixture. Let cool in the freezer for 10 minutes.

4. Once chocolate mixture has cooled in the crust, spread cooled raspberry preserves over chocolate layer, ensuring to create an even layer, as it will be pretty thin. I like to use the back of a tablespoon for this if there is no offset spatula available.

5. Chill 10 minutes in the fridge. After this point, the peanut butter mixture will be cool, so whip 1 cup whipping cream with 2 tbsp sugar until it is thickened but has not reached soft peaks. It is very important to not whip the cream to soft peaks or beyond, to keep the mixture creamy. Fold in the peanut mixture to the whipped cream in thirds, trying to keep the volume you created. Dump this peanut mousse in the middle of the raspberry preserves layer and spread to the outer edges of the pie crust. It will look as if there is too much mousse mixture, but it is exactly the right amount, so don’t skimp. Place the pie in the fridge for at least one hour, but up to overnight, to allow it to set. Do not cut the pie until the pie has chilled for 1 hour. To serve, drizzle with melted chocolate and roasted, lightly salted peanuts. Enjoy!

-M : )

Some people like crunchy cookies, other likes soft, chewy cookies- I like both, but today I’m standing up for cakey cookies. Perhaps these would be better named as cake bites, since the dough is looser than normal cookie dough and the resulting texture is more like a cakey pumpkin blondie than a cookie, but the shape and size beckon me to continue to refer to them as cookies. The fact is, in order to make the cookies taste enough like pumpkin to merit their title, you have to moisten the batter with so much pumpkin puree that there’s no way this cookie could come out chewy, let alone crunchy.

pumpkin cookie innards

Since the recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin puree and most cans are over 14 oz, use the extra for mini pie fillings, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, or freeze it in a ziplock bag to defrost when you want to make these cookies again- it won’t be long. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake Bites (Soft Pumpkin Cookies)

Makes 40 small cookies

• 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white or milk chocolate chips (or both)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat or lightly grease it.

2. Mix first seven ingredients (the dry ingredients) in a small bowl and set aside. Combine butter and sugar in another bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and lightened in color, about 5 minutes.

3. Beat in egg, then stir in pumpkin puree. Add dry ingredient mixture all at once and stir until just combined. At this point you can fold in white or milk chocolate chips if you;re making drop cookies, or if you;re piping the cookies, add the cookie dough to a pastry bag fitted with a tip at least 1/2” wide. Drop or pipe cookies onto baking sheet and if you piped the cookies, place one chip, white or milk, in the center of each cookie.

4. Bake in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Cookies should be fairly firm to the touch, but not dry, and they should only be barely browned on the top and bottom. Move to a rack, cool, and enjoy! Cookies keep in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

-M : )

There are some no-brainer food combinations that come to mind when I think of things to make for dessert: chocolate and mint, chocolate and cherry, chocolate and coconut, chocolate and almond, chocolate and peanut butter, white chocolate and berries, hmm…chocolate, white, milk, or dark, seems to compliment an inexhaustible list of flavors, huh? However, chocolate desserts, even when they contain fruit, can be quite heavy. The solution? Use the chocolate as a background flavor, as I’ve done in this take on a napoleon, using pate a choux (cream puff) disks in place of the traditional puff pastry rectangles, and pumpkin white chocolate puree in place of the heavy pastry cream filling. The result is a light, texturally interesting, and visually impressive dessert. And, of course, it’s delish- would I post the recipe if it wasn’t? Be assured, its a winner. Enjoy! : )

Pumpkin White Chocolate Pate a Choux “Napoleon”

Pate a Choux Dough (adapted from Nick Malgieri’s “How to Bake“)

Makes 30 3” rounds

1 cup water

6 tablespoons butter (I actually prefer salted butter, here)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all purpose flour

4 large eggs

2/3 cup coarse white sugar, for sprinkling (coarse brown sugar is a fine substitute- look for demerara sugar)

pastry bag with 1/4 inch round tip

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet, or place a spat mat on the baking sheet. Arrange racks so that they are in the center of the oven.

2. Combine water, butter, and salt in a medium size saucepan or pot over medium high heat and bring to a boil. When mixture boils, turn off heat, add flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated and mixture leaves the sides of the pot cleanly.

3. Transfer paste to a bowl and spread the paste up the sides of the bowl to quicken cooling process. Let cool for 1 minute, then add eggs, one at a time, stirring until each is absorbed before adding the next.

4. Spoon mixture into pastry bag fitted with 1/4 inch wide round tip and pipe 3” pinwheels onto the baking sheet, keeping 1” between each puff. Pipe pinwheels by starting in the center first and coiling the dough around the center. When you’ve made a 3” pinwheel, release pressure on the bag and pull the tip away to the side (don’t pull the tip up) in a quick motion. Sprinkle tops of pinwheels liberally with coarse sugar. Don’t worry about shaking excess sugar off the baking sheet or mat, it will just caramelize in the oven and add extra crunch to the pinwheels.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and fully cooked through. Puffs should retain their shape out of the oven. If they collapse on themselves, bake for an extra minute or two.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Puree

Makes enough for 4 Napoleons

1 small can pumpkin puree

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 tsp molasses

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave

Method:

1. Mix 1/2 pumpkin puree (1 of the two parts) with the rest of the ingredients, except for the white chocolate, together in a bowl. Divide in half. Add melted white chocolate chips to one of the halves, mix and set both bowls aside.

Construction of the “Napoleon”

Pate a Choux Pinwheels

Pumpkin Puree

White Chocolate Pumpkin Puree

white chocolate chips, about 1/8 cup per person

1. Place a pinwheel cream puff in the center of a plate. Spoon or pipe about 1 tbsp of the non-white chocolate pumpkin puree onto the pinwheel and repeat layering process until you have used 3 pinwheels. Repeat with other plates.

2. Drizzle white chocolate pumpkin puree over each stack and sprinkle with white chocolate chips so your guests know the components of the dessert. Enjoy!

-M : )

I used to work at this company where a few of my friends who like to cook would get together every Wednesday and one person would make lunch for the rest of the group. People in the group called it the “lunch club”, while people who wished they were in the group called it the “finer things club” because it reminded them of the club by the same name in The Office. While we didn’t sit around reading poetry and sipping tea from fine china the way they do in The Office, we were very lucky to have incredibly good food one day a week. Needless to say, while they were excited to have a culinary school grad a part of their club, I felt honored to be included. To shake things up for the holidays, we decided to have a potluck last week instead of burdening one person with cooking an entire holiday meal.

Now I choose to bring dessert for one reason and one reason only- it was an excuse to make my mom’s chocolate bourbon walnut pie. Now I know what you’re thinking- that’s not the title of the post! You promised Chocolate Pecan Pie and who said anything about Bourbon?? Well, us girls on a budget can’t buy bourbon just to add 1/4 cup in a pie, and we also can’t go searching around town for walnuts when there aren’t any at the supermarket. Thankfully, pecans are a great subsitute, and despite being non-alcoholic, its still going to be your new favorite Chocolate Pecan Pie. And if you don’t have an old favorite, you’re really in for a treat!

Now before I go into the recipe, I’ve got to say, corn syrup is not my favorite ingredient. It has no nutritional value, it spikes your blood sugar, and it can be substituted with honey when an invert sugar is called for in a recipe (such as in fudge making). However, I have found that in pecan pie, corn syrup lends the perfect texture to the finished product; the pie remains moist, the nuts distribute evenly, and there’s never a grainy feel in your mouth from crystallized sugar. So if you’re opposed to nutritionally devoid ingredients like corn syrup, feel free to substitute honey here, but if you’re willing to loosen the reigns this once, use corn syrup.

Mmm..don’t you love it when the top gets golden and caramelized?

Your New Favorite Chocolate Pecan Pie

Serves 8

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a bowl over simmering water, combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Stir over medium-low heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and cool slightly.

3. While the sugar mixture cools, sprinkle chocolate chips over the pie shell.

4. In a large bowl combine eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour sugar mixture into egg mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell, over the chocolate chips.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the center is just set and the top is golden. The pie is great warm, but I prefer it at room temperature, once the texture has fully set. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even creme fraiche, which counters its sweetness. Enjoy!

-M : )