White Cake

Just a simple sponge with lots of potential. It's super moist and not too sweet. Goes well with fruit and coulis and any kind of icing you can think of.

2 2/3 (405g) cups flour

1 2/3 cups (350g) sugar

2 tsps (10g) baking soda

1 tsp (4g) baking powder

1⁄2 tsp (2g) salt

2 large eggs

2 Tbsps vanilla

2 cups cream (any liquid will do but I like the richness)

1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsps. white vinegar

1. Set oven to 325°F.
2. Generously grease two 8 inch cake rounds. The batter does tend to stick, so you may elect to cut out some parchment paper circles to lay at the bottom of your pan (grease the pan first, lay the parchment paper over the surface and press to make it stick - this will prevent batter from leaking under the parchment paper. Then grease the surface of the parchment paper).
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour with the sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add in eggs, vanilla, cream oil and vinegar; mix until blended and smooth. Remember, the batter will be thin. Ta-da, all in one bowl!
5. Pour into prepared baking pans (about 740g per pan).
6. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done.
7. Cool completely before frosting.

Blackberry Coulis

A smooth, tart, fruit sauce that thickens on its own. I learned that blackberries thicken on their own from Dorothy Hartley's Food in England.

10oz fresh blackberries

1/4 cup (50g) white sugar

juice from ½ lemon (1 to 2 Tsbps)

1. Over medium-low heat, add the blackberries, lemon, and sugar to the saucepan. Stir to mix well.
2. Bring to a simmer and when it reaches 185°F to 212°F and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
3. Optionally, you can press through a sieve and strain out the juices to discard the seeds. 

Yogurt Icing

This icing is a bit like a light cream cheese icing (which is kind of weird to say since it's mostly butter). The yogurt is mostly there to add a tang to the sweetness.

4 cups (650g) icing sugar

160g butter, room temperature

115g plain full fat yogurt

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a stand mixer or by hand whisk the butter until creamy, then add the icing sugar in ½ cup increments until it's all in. 
2. While continuing to beat, add the yogurt and vanilla.
3. Continue to beat at medium speed until the sugar is completely dissolved into the yogurt and the icing looks glossy, about 10 to 20 minutes.

Crème Caramel Flan

Making this dessert is a mindfulness exercise. When making the caramel, paying close attention to the process is a must or the danger of burning it is very real. I by far prefer to use the dry method of making caramel over the wet method - adding water just seems to make it harder to get a good caramel.

This can be made in a cake pan or pie plate, or it can be made in 6 ramekins.

Note that the more egg yolk to egg white there is, the more creamy and tender the custard will be, and the more it will be difficult to serve in pretty slices. For the high yolk custards, I recommend using the individual ramekins.

Caramel

½ cup (3.8oz/110g) sugar

Custard

2 cup whole milk

2 tsps vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

6 eggs (or 4 eggs and 1 yolk, OR 2 eggs and 3 yolks)

½ cup (3.8oz/110g) sugar

pinch nutmeg (optional)

1. Fill a dish or roasting pan (larger than what you have the creme caramel in) and fill with just enough water that it will be about a half inch below the creme caramel dish. Put this in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 325°F.
2. In a small stainless steel (for the light colour) saucepan, pour in the sugar. Shake the pan to evenly distribute the sugar - it shouldn't be too thick to allow for the sugar to heat evenly.
3. Without any stirring (!) heat the sugar over low to medium heat until it starts to melt. This will begin at the edges - because this is where it starts to melt it also means this is where caramelization starts. 
4. Be patient! DON'T turn up the heat - sugar can burn very quickly.
5. Once the sugar starts to melt around the edges, use a rubber spatula to bring the melted sugar into the middle of the pan.
6. Gently stir, just enough make sure all the sugar is dissolving.
7. Once everything has dissolved, continue to slowly cook, watching constantly and closely ('cause it can burn quickly), until you get the colour you want - light caramel colour = sweeter; dark caramel colour is more complex with bitter notes. 
8. Immediately pour the hot caramel into the cake tin or pie plate or in the individual ramekins and swirl to coat the bottom evenly. Set aside.
9. Pour the milk into the same saucepan, so that it dissolves and absorbs the remaining caramel on the bottom and sides for extra flavour. (If using the whole bean, split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the milk, and add the pod.)
10. Heat the milk just to the boiling point, turn off the heat, add the vanilla, cover, and set aside to infuse for at least 10 minutes. 
11. Meanwhile beat the eggs with the sugar. Add the nutmeg, if using. Once the milk has infused, whisk it into the egg mixture.
12. Strain the custard over the hardened caramel and set the pan in a larger dish or roasting pan which has been heating in the oven. (655/6=109g)
13. Bake until set, 45 minutes to an hour (20-30 minutes for individual serving dishes).
14. Remove the flan from the oven and from the water bath. Run a knife around the outside edge to loosen the it. Cool completely – even chill, if you like. To serve, flip the flan onto a plate, pour over any caramel remaining in the pan. Serve in wedges if in a cake tin or pie plate.

Crème pâtissière - Pastry Cream

I've seen other pastry cream recipes call for whipped cream instead of liquid cream. I've tried this, and it is a tasty variation but it also changes the texture, making it much lighter. In most of the recipes I use this for, a thicker, more unctuous texture is preferable.

1 cup milk
2 tsps. vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
¼ cup (50g) sugar
2 Tbsps. (16g) flour
¼ cup heavy cream (option: whipped cream)

1. Put the milk in a saucepan. Heat to a simmer, remove from heat, add vanilla, cover, and set aside to cool about 10 minutes. 
2. Whisk the yolks with the sugar until pale, then whisk in the flour. 
3. Gradually whisk the milk into the sweet egg mixture. 
4. Pour this back into the saucepan and, whisking constantly, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and cook, whisking, one minute. Remove from the heat. 
5. Strain into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to cool. 
6. When chilled, stream the cream in and mix with whisk until smooth.
7. OR, if you want a lighter cream, first whip the cream then gently fold in.

Torta di pere e crema pasticcera (Pear Cake with Custard)

This is a cake Carole mentioned several times, having read it in Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti detective novels. This recipe figured in the recently released cookbook based on those novels. I decided to make it for her retirement party. Well I tried to make the darned thing four times, and it wasn't until, the night before the event, despairing of ever making a version that was good enough for Carole, that I gave up and just put it together any old how. And to my surprise, it turned out! Although I had some better and worse versions of it in my experimentations, I always found the cake part was too dry, until, in that last moment, while working on my final version (re-created below), I decided to use all the cooking liquid from the pears and completely saturate the cake with it. This last element was all that was really needed to make it work. I admit that I've snuck in my own pastry cream recipe, and I simplified the sponge cake recipe, but it really was the darned potato flour that I found so hard to work with!

NOTE : There are two kinds of potato flour - one isn't really a flour but is sometimes passed as a flour; it is potato starch, which is very fine and almost totally white. Real potato flour is a pale yellow and a bit grainy.

For the sponge cake
4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp baking powder
1¼ cup potato flour

1. Before juicing the lemon, cut away a ribbon of the lemon zest for the pastry cream, leaving no white pith on the ribbon (which is bitter).
2. Whip egg and sugar and vanilla together in a mixer for about 5 minutes, no less! It will increase in volume and become pale and sort of frothy. Add the lemon juice and beat for another 5 minutes.
3. Turn mixer down to slowest setting and sprinkle in very slowly the flour and baking powder until combined, then whip on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Pour into a buttered and floured spring-form pan and bake at 325°F for 25 to 30 minutes (the usual toothpick test works to find out if it's done).

For the pears
2⅓ cups Bosc (also known as Kaiser) pears, peeled, cored and sliced lengthwise into eighths
½ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar

1. Meanwhile, place the pears, sugar and ½ cup water in a non-stick pan and cook over moderate heat for about 30 minutes or more. The pears should be sort of transparent and the sauce a syrup.

For the pastry cream
1 cup milk
1 long ribbon of lemon zest (remove all white pith)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsps flour
2 Tbsps Cointreau

1. Put the milk in a saucepan with the ribbon of lemon zest and heat to a simmer, then remove from heat. Cover, and let infuse 10 minutes. When cool, add vanilla extract.
2. Meanwhile, in a mixer bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until nice and pale. Beat in the flour. Then gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture. Pour the lot back into the saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook one minute. Remove from the heat, and stir in the Cointreau. Strain into a bowl (this helps avoid any lumps), cover with a plastic wrap, and set aside to cool (make sure the plastic wrap touches the surface of the pastry cream, or a 'skin' will form on top). 

Assembling

When the sponge cake, pears and custard are completely cooled, assemble the cake. Using a very long knife, cut the sponge cake into 2 discs, and place one on a round cake plate (it will be messy when you pour the pear syrup over the cake, so make sure the plate has a lip). Measure out the cooked syrup left over from simmering the pears, and use exactly half of this juice to pour evenly over the bottom round of sponge cake so that it infuses. Then, spread the pastry cream, and place the second disc on top.
With a skewer, poke lots of holes all over the top of the cake so that when you slowly and carefully pour the remaining pear syrup over it, it will seep into the cake and not over the sides! This can take time, and if you want to poke more holes in go ahead - the pears will completely cover the top if you've made a mess of it. Once all the liquid has been poured and absorbed, garnish it with the pears in whatever design you like - a simple rose pattern does for me; you can pile on the pear slices until they're all used up. Put the cake in the refrigerator and let sit from a couple of hours to 24 hours. Serve slightly chilled (if it's been in the refrigerator for a long time, let it sit at room temperature for about an hour).
ANOTHER NOTE: This is a cake that doesn't seem to keep well, so try to eat it up as soon as you can.

Chocolate Soda

From Fran Bigelow's book Pure Chocolate, this is a lovely drink, reminiscent of soda fountains.

3 Tbsps Chocolate Sauce
3 scoops vanilla gelato
Sparkling or carbonated water

1. In a tall glass mix 2 Tbsp chocolate sauce with 1 scoop gelato and mix to make a paste.
2. Carefully and slowly pour in sparkling water until the glass is half full - the water will react and foam up. Dilute chocolate ice paste in the sparkling water until uniform.
3. Add the rest of the gelato as balls, then drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of chocolate sauce.
4. Continue adding sparkling water until water is 3" from the edge, to leave room for the soda-fountain bubble.

Chocolate Sauce

Generally speaking I try to avoid using corn syrup. However, I haven't yet found a substitute for a chocolate sauce that remains liquid at room temperature. I wonder what the sweetness difference is between honey or maple syrup is, and how much of their flavour comes through when mixed in the the chocolate? Corn syrup is sweet but has no other flavour. Maybe agave syrup? I believe in the edict "Avoid, don't eliminate". This is from Fran Bigelow's book Pure Chocolate.
Dutch-processed cocoa powder is recommended here because it is de-bittered therefore is milder.

1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup sugar
½ cup corn syrup (try substituting with Golden Syrup)
¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted into a mixing bowl

1. In a saucepan stir together cream and sugar; heat gently 'til sugar dissolves. Stir in the corn syrup and bring just to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and pour in ½ of the mixture into the sifted cocoa; whisk until smooth, then add the remaining sweet cream and whisk again until smooth.
3. To make sure there are no lumps, pass through a fine-meshed sieve back into the saucepan. Put over low heat and slowly cook until there are large bubbles that begin to break the surface and the chocolate is glossy, about 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. Serve warm or store in the refrigerator for as long as two weeks.

Marshmallow candy

There is nothing like a fresh, home-made marshmallows. It's a little involved but well worth it. The funny thing is that, because of the gelatine, it's not a vegetarian dessert!

Part 1 - the candy
3 (1 oz) packages unflavoured gelatine

1 cup ice cold water, divided

12 oz granulated sugar, approx. 1½ cups

1 cup light corn syrup

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Part 2 - the finishing
¼ cup confectioners' sugar

¼ cup powdered starch, corn or arrowroot

vegetable oil

1. Place the gelatine into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1⁄2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
2. In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½ cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240°F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
3. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows:
4. Combine the confectioners' sugar and starch in a small bowl. Lightly coat with oil a 13 x 9" metal baking pan. Add the sugar and corn-starch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
5. When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and starch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1" squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Home made chocolate cake store bought mix

What I like most about experimenting with food is trying recipes that seem insane but turn out really well. I discovered this chocolate cake recipe on what used to be Recipezaar.com but is now called Food.com. When I first made it, the batter which is very runny made me nervous. But it turned out wonderfully moist and rich, and is terribly simple to make. In fact, it reminds me so much of those instant cake mixes we used when I was a child, although the flavor is infinitely better. Definitely not a low-cal dessert, especially with the frosting I recommend. The original has been altered since I prefer a little less sweet with my chocolate and I love the taste of vanilla. I think it's the perfect classic home-made chocolate cake for birthdays.

NOTE: I use dutch process or de-bittered cocoa powder for this recipe. The flavor is smoother and more pleasant.

2 cups (10.5oz/300g) flour

2 cups (14.5oz/410g) sugar 

3⁄4 cup (2.6oz/75g) unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1⁄2 tsp salt

1⁄2 tsp cinnamon

2 large eggs

2 Tbsps vanilla

1 cup strong coffee, cooled

1 cup cream (any liquid will do but I like the richness)

1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsps white vinegar

1. Set oven to 350°F.
2. Generously grease two 8 inch cake rounds. The batter does tend to stick, so you may elect to cut out some parchment paper circles to lay at the bottom of your pan (grease the pan first, lay the parchment paper over the surface and press to make it stick - this will prevent batter from leaking under the parchment paper. Then grease the surface of the parchment paper).
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour with sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add in eggs, cooled coffee, vanilla, cream oil and vinegar; mix until blended and smooth. Remember, the batter will be thin. Ta-da, all in one bowl!
5. Pour into prepared baking pans (approx. 750g).
6. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done.
7. Cool completely before frosting.

Petit pots de crème

I'd seen recipes for Petit pots de crème on other sites, but they all seemed to require gelatine, and that just seemed wrong to me. I didn't know why, until I finally found references that used just egg yolk, cream and chocolate... more or less. When I first made these it was for my Ben and my niece Isabelle, and they ate two each, enjoying the rich flavours, but after a full meal, then gorging on this unctuous, fatty chocolate, they felt sick afterwards. I realize that I have a sadistic streak when it comes to people enjoying the food I make so much they make themselves sick. Compliment? Perhaps.

NOTE: You may be tempted to use more than 4 oz of chocolate. Be forewarned that more chocolate will make a more dense pudding. The ratio of ingredients in the recipe below ensures a smooth, creamy pudding with loads of chocolate flavour.

For 6 ramekins

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

4 oz. chocolate (70%)

6 egg yolks

3 Tbsp. sugar 

1. Heat the oven to 325F
2. Heat the cream, milk, vanilla and sugar, remove from heat just before it boils. Set aside to cool a bit.
3. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie.
4. Whisk the yolks a bit. To avoid making scrambled eggs, slowly drizzle the hot melted chocolate into the yolk while whisking vigorously. When you've added all the chocolate, it will be thick. Whisk in a bit of the cream at first - it's quicker and easier this way, and you'll be sure that the yolk/chocolate mixture is well diluted into the cream.
5. Scoop off any froth, then strain to get rid of any particles, to have a smooth texture.
6. Pour into 6 ramekins and bake in a bain-marie until set at the edges, but slightly jiggly still in the centre, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Chocolate has a tendency to absorb flavours, so wrap the ramekins and refrigerate several hours before serving.

Crisp, Chewy Meringue

EXPERIMENTATION: I tried substituting lavender essential oil for 1 tsp vanilla. I put in too much lavender, and it left a bitter after-taste on the back of the tongue. TRY adding vanilla for depth of flavor and only 4-5 drops of lavender essential oil instead of 11.

EXPERIMENTATION: try substituting the vanilla with lavender water instead of essential oil, and try orange flower water or maple extract or other flavours, especially floral, like, oh, ROSE!

NOTES: When paired with the Chocolate Pavements with Candied Ginger, the lavender taste is tamed and more pleasant. Try with less lavender but still paired. The cookie itself was beautiful and, Susan being a true meringue officionado, was perfect in every other respect.

4 egg whites

pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 drops Lavender (see EXPERIMENTATION)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Whip the whites and salt into peaks, add the essences, and continue beating to stiff, dry peaks. Stir the cream of tartar into the regular sugar and whisk into the whites very gradually, a spoonful at a time, until the meringue is stiff and the sugar has dissolved. Sift together the icing sugar and cornstarch. Sift over the meringue and gently fold until fully incorporated.
2. Spoon the meringues onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spinning the spoon around the tops to create the pretty cloudy peaks. Bake at 225ºF/110ºC until cream-coloured and crisp on top when tapped, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove from the oven. Cool on the trays. Store in an air-tight container.

Chocolate Pavement

I'm always surprised at the reaction I get from this incredibly simple dish. It's a perfect thing to do if you don't have time to make a dessert, such as when unexpected guests drop by and the company is so good that they end up staying for dinner.

At least 6 oz. 70% chocolate

1/4 cup of dried fruit or nuts or both (cranberries, cherries, candied ginger, salted almonds, etc)

1. Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
2. Put some parchment paper in a cookie sheet or plate or pan. Arrange the fruit and/or nuts in the general area of you think the chocolate will cover, keeping a few bits aside.
3. Pour the chocolate over the other ingredients, pushing stray pieces into the chocolate, to cover. Sprinkle to top with the bits of fruit/nuts you've kept aside. Let harden in the refrigerator or, if this is last minute, in the freezer, which should take about 10-20 minutes to set.
4. Break into slabs and pile on a plate or serve the whole stretch of pavement on a board and let guests hack away as they please.