Chocolate Torte with Dark Chocolate Frosting

We had some friends over for dinner who are gluten intolerant, so I decided to make a flourless chocolate cake. And since I'd just seen Laura Calder make one, I decided to try that one out. I don't know where the error was, if I put the oven too hot or if my oven, which has a random temperature generator, burned my cake, fifteen minutes before it was supposed to be done! I ended up cutting away the burned parts, and what was left was a wonderfully gooey chocolate pudding-like substance that I piled in large ramekins and topped with fresh whipped cream. What a save! But not an experience I'd like to repeat.

I tried this a second time, and it still started to burn about 15 minutes before the baking time was up, without the attractive crackling! I searched and most flourless chocolate cake recipes of this type give pretty much the same info.

THEN I was looking for an Easter chocolate cake to make for Isabelle and Ben and I found this recipe. It worked, it didn't burn, and it was delicious!

6 large eggs separated

1 cup (8oz/228gr) butter, cut into small pieces

7-9oz chocolate (70%), chopped

1 cup granulated white sugar, divided

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Ganache:

7-8 oz chocolate (70%), chopped

3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

2 Tbsps (28gr) butter

1 Tbsps brandy (optional)

1. THIS IS BEST MADE THE DAY BEFORE
2. Lightly coat a 9 x 3 inch spring form pan with melted butter. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
3. Separate the eggs with the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Cover and bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or bain marie. Once the chocolate has melted, slowly add small chunks of butter and mix to blend until it's uniform. Allow to cool a bit.
5. Beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick and lemon-coloured. (The eggs should have tripled in volume, look thick and soft, and fall from the whisk/beater in a slow ribbon.) Beat in the vanilla extract and slowly beat in the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture (adding it slowly increases the yolk temperature and avoid making scrambled eggs au chocolat).
6. Preheat oven to 350F and place oven rack on lowest level of the oven. 
7. In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold a small amount of whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter, then pour the batter into the remaining egg whites all in one go, then gently fold just until incorporated to keep as much volume in the whites as possible.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake the cake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs - apparently you can use a cooking thermometer and, when the middle of the cake reaches 140F, it's done. (During baking the surface of the cake will form a crust which will collapse when the cake is removed from the oven.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. The top of the cake will have become hard with a cracked surface and lots of crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or up to a few days.
9. Chocolate Icing: Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur.
10. Assemble: Remove torte from refrigerator and brush any loose crumbs from the cake. Place on a wire rack, top of the cake facing down (so now the bottom of the cake is facing up). Put the wire rack on a baking sheet. In this way if the chocolate ganache drips it will fall on the baking sheet, which makes clean up easier. Pour the ganache into the centre of the cake. Spread the ganache with a spatula, using big strokes to push the ganache over the sides of the cake, to create an even coating. If there are any bare spots on the sides of cake, cover with ganache. If there is leftover ganache, strain to remove crumbs, and with a hand mixer or whisk, beat until light and fluffy. Place in a piping bag, fitted with a Wilton 1M open star tip, and pipe rosettes on top of the cake. Refrigerate cake. I find this cake is best served the next day as it allows the flavours to blend. Cut the cake in small slices with a sharp knife, wiping off the knife after slicing each piece. If you have problems cutting the slices, warm the blade of the knife under hot running water before cutting each slice.

One of my favourites - Butter Roasted Chicken

I love roasts, and in particular roast chicken. I think my favourite part is the crispy, golden skin. Roasted with butter, it becomes crispy/sticky, and the taste of herbs infused in the flesh is complemented by a lovely gravy that naturally form, in which the onion and potatoes cook. There are loads of variations possible with the herbs and, even, with the veg.

1 chicken, about 3 pounds

a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme and a few Bay leaves

(other herbs could be tarragon, lavender, parsley etc)

1 generous pinch salt and pepper

1/4 cup (2oz/58gr) butter
2 onions, thickly sliced
4-5 potatoes, thickly sliced

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Separate the onion rings and toss them along with the potatoes in the bottom of a roasting pan.
3. Stuff the chicken with the herbs and truss it. Season all over with salt and pepper. Set the chicken in the roasting pan on its left leg, and set the butter on top.
4. Bake 15 minutes. Turn the bird onto its right leg for 15 minutes. Turn on its back for 15 minutes. Finally, set it upright and continue cooking until done, about 1/2 an hour more or until the juices run clear. Remember to baste the bird constantly as it roasts. It is done when the juices at the leg run clear and the breast should read 165-170F.

French Salad My Style - Endive Salad with Gouda

I discovered this recipe on a French cooking site - with the theft of my laptop this spring I've lost the link, but I had published my revised version on Recipezaar.com. Here it is again.

The flavors in this salad are very bright and refreshing and nicely balanced with the warmer flavor of the gouda cheese. Be sure to purchase plain gouda and not the smoked variety. Rubbing the bowl with garlic sounds a bit odd but adds just a hint of flavor that subtly warms the whole concoction. I hope you enjoy it!

1 garlic clove

2 Tbsps. lemon juice

4 Tbsps. olive oil

salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

2 heads Belgian endive

1 cup packed mixed baby greens (to taste)

1 apple, pared and chopped

100g gouda cheese, cubed

1. Rub your salad bowl with half a clove of garlic and reserve the garlic.
2. Mix together lemon juice, olive oil, salt + pepper then cut the remains of the garlic into chunks and add it to the dressing; set aside.
3. Wash the endive and the lettuce, pat dry or dry in salad spinner. Arrange the endive as a crown around the inside of the salad bowl. Place the baby lettuce leaves in the middle of the crown. Mix together the chopped apple and the cubed gouda and place on top of the baby greens.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad being careful to strain out any of the garlic chunks so that they don’t end up in the salad. Serve immediately.
5. NOTE : if your salad has to sit for a bit, toss the chopped apple with a little lemon juice to keep it from turning brown.

Chicken Leftovers Pot Pie

What to do with bits of cooked chicken other than slapping them into a sandwich? Slap it in a pot pie! Even there is no stuffing in this pie, there it has a flavor similar to it, and it has just the right amount and quality of gooey sauce inside. I've made this almost as many times as I've made roast chicken. Which is often. 

1 small potato, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1/4 cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1/4 cup flour

2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup crème fraîche

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 heaping cups chicken, cooked and chopped
2 batches of pie crust, uncooked

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Sauté onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in butter until cooked through and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Add flour to sautéed mixture, stirring well. Cook one minute, at least, or until well browned. This is important - cooking the flour in the buttered vegetables means the flour is absorbing all the liquids and fats in the pan, then cooking so that when you make the sauce, it will have carried all the lovely browning flavour with it, and it won't taste floury.
4. Combine the broth and the crème fraîche. Dump into the vegetable mixture and stir thoroughly. Stir in the thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the broth thickens and gets bubbly. If you feel you haven't browned the flour mixture enough, it's not too late. Leave on a high simmer and let cook a bit more.
5. Mix in the chicken and stir to combine well.
6. In a shallow pie pan lined with uncooked dough, pour in the chicken mixture and top with the remaining pie dough. Cut slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly and heated through.

I got my book!

Today I arrived and there was a plastic-wrapped package waiting for me. I knew what it was! I had ordered Monet's Table, my inspiration for picnics, from a used book store for under a dollar... then shipping charges which were quite a bit more NOTWITHSTANDING, I got my book. What a pleasure! My inspiration in the book for picnics comes from a photograph, but I hadn't realized there was an entire chapter with Picnic in the title! I wonder if there will be any ideas for my picnic menus.

Flipping through the book, I can only really see desserts as picnic fare. I'm sure they didn't publish all the recipes in this book. Perhaps I should study the photographs for ideas.

Chocolate Cakes in a Jar

A new picnic idea! I found a recipe for chocolate cake baked into a jar. At first I thought it must be some sort of fancy, special method, but after reading the recipe, I realize that it's just a chocolate cake batter baked in canning jars. I still have to check, but, like making cupcakes, the cooking time is probably a bit different.

What this means is that I can bake all sorts of things in jars and oven-proof containers that would fit in the picnic baskets. This is very exciting. It's like an extra wow factor to the picnics - baked in this way, they are specifically made just for YOUR picnic, my lord and lady, not just slopped into containers from a democratic mass.

Ten to twelve ½-pint canning jars

½ cup (4oz/114gr) butter, softened

1½ cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1½ cups sifted all purpose flour

2/3 cup crème fraîche

2/3 cup brewed coffee (I just use the morning’s leftover coffee)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place 10 to 12 ½-pint glass canning jars on a rimmed baking sheet, evenly arranged with space between them.
2. To make the cakes, in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. Add half of the flour, then half of the crème fraîche, and mix until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and crème fraîche. Drizzle in the coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin, like heavy cream.
3. Pour the batter into the jars, filling them halfway. Bake until the tops of the cakes are firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.
4. A topping is a good idea for presentation. Delicately sprinkle some powdered sugar and add a centre-piece like a nut or a piece of fruit or something extra-special like a candied flower. I was also wondering if a layer of some sort of clear jelly would look good and add a flavour dimension to the cake.
   

Roasted Tomato Soup

This is a really good soup at ambient temperature, making it great for picnics. I tested it at a dinner party, indoors and at room temperature, and the reaction after the first spoonful was very positive, so it goes on the picnic list! It's from England's Channel 4 Web site so I had to change the measurements from metric to Imperial. Imagine! Oh, and I chopped everything by hand instead of a blender and it turned out great!

2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, quartered (I mixed in cherry tomatoes - more intense flavour)

1/2 lb. red onion, cut into thick wedges

4 garlic cloves

3 fresh rosemary sprigs

2 red peppers, quartered and deseeded

4 Tbsps. olive oil

1 cup chicken stock (veg for vegetarian)

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 dashes of Tabasco

4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

A few sprigs of fresh parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Put the tomatoes, onions, garlic, rosemary and peppers into a large roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 45 minutes or until tender and beginning to char.
2. Let the roasted vegetables cool enough to handle comfortably and chop super fine.
3. Tip into a large pan, then add the stock, wine vinegar, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and heat gently, or skip this step and serve at ambient temperature. Divide among 4 bowls and finish with some freshly ground black pepper and a few parsley sprigs.

Pan-Fried Fennel

I love fennel, I think it's my favourite vegetable, so I try to find different ways of introducing it into meals. Lately I've been looking for side dishes to accompany protein meals. This, I think, is the most delicious dish in relation to its utter simplicity. And it's fennel. And, oh, ok, it's Laura Calder's!

1 large fennel bulb

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsps. olive oil

1. Trim the fennel bulb and cut into slices about 1/4-inch/1/2 centimetre thick (I cut them on the length of the bulb so that the base which I usually cut out remains and keeps the leaves together). 
2. Season with salt and pepper. 
3. Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan and fry on medium-high heat on both sides until tender and slightly golden.