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.

Popovers

(NOTE: This recipe stopped working. I posted it before I had established my testing methodology, so it's now in the recipe development blog, the Experimental Mouffette. Things are going very well, it has been improved, has passed the first testing phases, and should be updated, here, shortly).

I have recently rediscovered the joy of popovers. These were never standard fare growing up. In fact, the first time I'd had them was in my mid-twenties at a friend's country place in McDonald's Corners near Perth, Ontario. Baked in a gas oven with home-made crabapple jelly (which I'd made), they were a revelation. A few days ago, realizing that my repertoire of breakfast foods was sadly under-developed, I mixed a batch from a recipe I found in the good-old Moosewood cookbook. This time, right after taking them out of the oven, I stuffed a few squares of dark chocolate into the pastry's hollow, covered it with parchment paper and waited a few minutes. The chocolate melted beautifully and I had a gooey, chocolatey treat to eat. The recipe below is mostly from Moosewood, with a few minor alterations.

But the popover has raised some questions - can it be stuffed? Can it act as a receptacle for savory foods? Would it be good flavored with, say, fruit juice, or herbs? My investigation is just beginning.

I think I'm onto somethine, if not new, at least tasty. While searching for popover recipes on-line, I found a restaurant review for something in Amherst, MA in the U.S. called Judy's, where the signature element in many of the dishes is the humble popover.

In the meantime, here's what is, so far, my favorite popover recipe.

NOTE: put ramikins or muffin tins in oven to heat before starting your mix. This can be done at least 5 minutes before pouring in the batter.

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

½ tsp salt

2 Tbsps (28gr) butter + more for buttering the tins

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Melt the butter and allow to cool a bit.
3. Warm the milk a bit (microwave for 30 secs).
4. Whisk together the butter and warm milk, add the eggs and, when uniform, add the flour and salt; continue to whisk until it's a lovely smooth consistency.
5. When the oven reaches 425°F, put a little pat of butter in each muffin tin (about 1⁄4 tsp or less) and pop in the oven. It's important that the tin be super hot when you pour in the mix.
6. Work quickly for this part; take muffin tin out of the oven and quickly swirl the now-melted butter around until the bottom 2⁄3 of the containers are covered with butter (this is less of an issue for non-stick tins). With a 1⁄4 cup measure, distribute the batter among the tins (I use a muffin tin with 12 cups) and pop back into the oven.
7. Bake for 25 minutes; then bake for another 10 minutes at 325°F. Serve immediately with butter and jam or, stuff into the middle a square of chocolate - it will melt.

Originally published Sunday, April 4, 2010

Zucchini Bread with Walnuts and Chocolate Chips

This passed the Ben test in only two tries (this being the second). I usually keep recipes on the Experimental Mouffette blog until I've perfected them (to Ben's liking) and then until I can reproduce them three times. This got such a high reading on the Ben-O-Metre that it got a photograph, so I figure, it's ready to share. It makes quite a heavy loaf, and the crumb is super moist. The walnuts and chocolate chips are just suggestions. You can omit them or substitute them with whatever you like.

⅓ cup (2.67oz/76gr) melted butter and grape seed oil (fill a little less than ¼ of the measuring cup with melted butter and top it off with the oil)
1½ cups flour
3⁄4 cup sugar
2¼ tsps baking powder (or 1 Tbsp.)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup (2 oz) walnuts, chopped
½ cup (3 to 3.5 oz) chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1½ cups (9 oz) shredded zucchini

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Melt the butter. Butter a 8½" by 4½" loaf pan. 
2. In large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, walnuts and chocolate chips.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and oil, and the vanilla. 
4. Add the grated zucchini to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly, until the zucchini pieces are separated and covered in flour.
5. Now, add the wet ingredients and mix only just until well combined, and no more (the more you stir, the tougher the crumb of the cake will be).
6. Pour the batter into the buttered loaf pan. Bake 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. 
7. Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 to 20 minutes before popping it out of the pan. Once the loaf is removed from the pan, let it cool completely, still on the wire rack.

Sweet pie crust

I've published my savory pie dough on this blog, so here's the sweet version. This is such an easy and absolutely delightful dessert pie crust. To enjoy the flavour of the butter and avoid the excess fat, just chant over and over "No Calories Here" while you're making it, to cast a protective spell.

1 cup (150g) flour

1⁄4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1⁄2 cup (4oz/114gr) butter, cut into pieces 

1⁄2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsps + cold water

NOTE: The pastry needs time to cool in the refrigerator not once, but twice, for about 15 minutes each time, and then another 15 minutes to pre-bake in the oven, a total of about 45 minutes.

1. Put the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a lumpy mixture with pea-sized pieces throughout. We're not looking for perfection here, just to break up the butter a bit and spread it out.
2. Make a well in the middle, and pour in the vanilla and water. Quickly work in the flour to create dough. Do not over-mix. The bits of butter are what help the crust become crisp and flaky.
3. Pat into a thick disk and refrigerate 15 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough to about 2⁄3 of the usual size, fold in, reform into a ball and roll out again. You can do this one more time if you want before rolling it out completely to line the tart shell. Chill another 15 minutes. These two chilling times are important, because it hardens the little bits of butter in the dough so that it creates minuscule pocket in the crust for that flaking effect.
5. To pre-bake, heat the oven to 400°F. I use weights to blind-bake the shell, this prevents it from puffing up. Line the frozen pie shell with parchment paper, pour in weights (I use beans), just enough to cover the bottom and up the sides. Bake the shell for about 10 minutes like this, then remove the weights and the paper, put the partially-baked shell back in the oven and bake another 5 minutes or until the crust is ever-so-lightly browned.
6. Allow it to cool completely before using to allow the crust to set.

Lemony good butter cookies

These are delicious and versatile butter cookies that can be flavoured with all sorts of good stuff. The standard I make is with lemon rind, but I've also put in ground anise, and I'm looking forward to trying it with fresh lavender flowers. What else can I use in them? Only time and inventiveness can tell.

1 1⁄2 cups (12oz/339gr) butter, softened

2⁄3 cup white sugar

1⁄4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

(see Options, below)

1 tsp grated lemon zest

2 1⁄2 cups flour

1⁄2 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder

1⁄4 tsp salt

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in lemon zest. Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt; mix into the batter until well blended. Divide dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten to about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate to let the dough rest for about 1 hour and up to 72 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheets - stoneware works great.
3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, just until cookies begin to brown at the edges. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
4. OPTIONS: 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lavender, 1 tsp ground star anise seeds, and/or hey, why not, fresh mint leaves, etc, etc, etc...

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.

Chestnut and chocolate, a sweet consonance - Fondants Chocolat Marron

My favourite recipes are the simple ones that give the impression of great luxury. This is one of them. The cake is so moist and thick with dark chocolaty gooey goodness, it's a miracle they're not sold at McDonald's. It's a recipe from the Limousin region in France, and I've adapted it from the Recoins de France Web site.

1 can sweetened chestnut paste

100g 70% chocolate (usually 1 bar)

3.5 oz (100g) butter 

3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Melt together chocolate and butter in a bain marie.
3. Whisk in the chestnut paste until the mixture is uniform, then add eggs one-at-a-time.
4. Pour into a single cake tin or smaller containers such as ramekins.
5. Bake 25 minutes or until centre is firm.
6. Let cool completely before removing from containers and serving
7. Recommended with crème anglaise, raspberry coulis or caramel sauce.

Gougères

These puffs of heaven are delicious. The recipe is fun, too because it's so strange - when adding the eggs to the dough it separates into globs at first and looks ruined, but keep mixing and there will be a magic moment when everything just comes together. And they are seriously difficult to resist! Thanks French Cooking at Home!

Yield: 50

6 Tbsps (3oz/84gr) butter

1 cup water or light chicken stock

½ tsp. salt

pepper to season

Pinch of paprika

1 cup flour (4¼oz/120g)

3-4 eggs depending on size

4oz Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated

Milk for brushing

1. Heat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Put the butter in a heavy saucepan with the water or stock, salt, pepper, and paprika. Bring to a boil and pull from the heat. 
3. Dump the flour in all at once, and beat until smooth with a wooden spoon. The mixture will pull away from the sides of the pan and form a ball. 
4. Put the pan back on low heat and beat for a minute to dry the paste somewhat. Remove from the heat and let cool about 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition. You want a smooth, soft, glossy paste that falls easily from the spoon, and this is dependent on the size of your eggs - if they are large, 3 should do, but if they are too small the dough will be too stiff so use 4 (or more if your eggs are really small.) 
6. Stir in the cheese.
7. Using a pastry bag, pipe 1-inch/2.5 cm balls onto a buttered baking sheet, or simply drop the mixture by spoonfuls. Brush with milk so they will emerge golden and shiny - I dip my finger in milk and dab the tops. Bake until puffed up, nicely browned and not just light gold, and feather light when you pick one up, 25 to 35 minutes.

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.

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.

Savory Pie Crust

I've always searched for the perfect pie crust recipe. I hate the idea of using vegetable shortening; there's something trashy about it. I'm due to try pork lard or goose fat. My mother used olive oil which is an interesting idea, but more often than not it makes for a tough and bready crust. But butter, ah, golden sun of the edible fat world, butter is perfect. It creates this lovely, erm, buttery pastry, suitable for savory or sweet dishes (just add a tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla for sweet crusts).

1 cup (150g) flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup (4oz/114gr) cold butter, cut into pieces
2+ Tbsps. cold water

1. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a crumb texture. The secret to a good crust is to have small globules of butter throughout the dough; really cold (but not frozen) butter helps with this.
2. Make a well in the middle, and pour in the water. Quickly work in the flour to create a dough. Do not over-mix; again, this is to prevent overheating the butter from the heat of your hands so that it stays solid as little pockets of fat in the dough.
3. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough to about 2/3 of the usual size, fold in, reform into a ball and roll out again. You can do this one more time if you want before rolling it out completely to line the tart shell. Chill another 15 minutes. These two chilling times are important, because it hardens the little bits of butter in the dough so that it creates minuscule pocket in crust for that flaking effect. Chill for another 15 minutes.
5. To pre-bake: Heat the oven to 400F. Poke holes in the bottom (I use a fork to do this). To use pie-weights (sometimes called "baking beans") to help the crust retain its shape, line the uncooked crust with parchment paper and fill with the pie-weights. Bake the shell about 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and take out the pie-weights and parchment paper. 
6. Allow it to cool completely before using to allow the crust to set. Then the crust is ready to be filled.

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