Chocolate, Salted-Caramel Ice Cream

August 17, 2012    |    Print Print

I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse that there are so many great ice cream shops from which to choose here in the Twin Cities.  Besides scooping up some great and unique flavors, they give me inspiration for coming up with even more ideas.

Here’s the latest one.  It’s a combination of a half-dozen other recipes including a couple of chocolate and salted-caramel, plus a compilation of several methods.

I will definitely make this one again, but I also want to see if I can recreate the Salted-Caramel that is served at Izzy’s Ice Cream shop in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Makes 1 quart

8 ounces (64 – 65 %) chocolate (I used Valhrona Manjari)
4 large egg yolks, preferably free-range, organic
1¾ ounces (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
3½ ounces (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1½ cups whole milk (Cedar Summit Farm)
1½ cups heavy cream (Cedar Summit Farm)
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) premium unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon fleur de sel, divided

In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, position a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl that is set in an ice bath (a large bowl containing ice water).

In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs yolks and the 1¾ ounces of sugar until pale yellow.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add the water and 3½ ounces of sugar.  Gently stir just until the water and sugar combine.  Then, swirl to evenly cook the sugar to the color of dark amber.  Add the butter, ½ teaspoon salt and heavy cream.  The caramel will seize but that’s okay.

Stir until the caramel re-melts.  Add the milk and heat to barely a simmer (about 175°F).  Whisk half the warm milk mixture into the beaten yolks, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.

Whisk the milk-yolk mixture back into the remaining milk-caramel mixture in the saucepan; set the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until steam appears, foam subsides, and the mixture is slightly thickened or an instant-read thermometer registers 185°F. (Do not allow to boil the mixture.  Otherwise the eggs will curdle.)   Immediately strain the custard into the bowl that is set in the ice bath.  Stir in the cooled chocolate.

Cool the custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Cover and refrigerate until an instant-read thermometer registers 40°F or lower, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Pour the custard into the ice cream machine canister and churn, following the manufacturer’s instructions, until the mixture resembles soft-serve ice cream.

Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container, press plastic wrap flush against the surface, cover the container, and freeze the ice cream until firm, at least 2 hours.  The ice cream will keep for up to 2 days.

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Where’s that brownie recipe?

August 8, 2012    |    Print Print

I had a hankering for a dense, rich, double chocolate brownie the other day.  Immediately, I went searching through my library.  Every time I go hunting for a particular book, I am reminded of the Dewey Decimal System.  In other words, I need to come up with a better cataloging system for my collection.  Go figure!

This time I was looking for Alice Medrich’s book, Cookies and Brownies, published in 1999.  During one of her cooking classes in the Twin Cities, Alice, herself introduced me to it.  Even after many years, I remember one of the recipes in particular.  It calls for cooling the pan of brownies in an ice bath just after it comes out of the oven.  We’ll get back to this technique a little later.

Anyway, I baked off the recipe for her Bittersweet Brownies (page 96 in the book).  I’m not sure what happened, but they never got completely firm.  Instead they remained too gooey to even cut.  They were great, however, eaten with a spoon.

I baked off the recipe again, this time adding just an extra tablespoon of flour.  Yes, only one tablespoon.  Since this time I was needing to cool the pan down quickly, I  remembered the technique and placed the pan in the ice bath.  It worked splendidly.  What I don’t know is whether it was the extra flour or the ice bath that caused them to become firm and crusty on the outside, yet moist and creamy on the inside.

Therefore, I had the pleasure of making them once again.  This go-around, I had time on my side.  The brownies were allowed to cool in the pan without the aid of the ice bath.  The results were the same; crusty on the outside and moist on the inside.

Next, I had to make a decision as to which chocolate would be a part of this decadent snack.  I decided to use a Scharffen Berger un-sweetened and a 64% Valhona – Manjari dark chocolate.  The Scharffen Berger is not at all harsh and has notes of espresso.  The Valhrona comes from the best beans grown in Madagascar.  It is slightly bitter on the tongue with hints of fruit, especially dark cherry.

I’m also in the school that doesn’t mind having nuts in my brownies, cookies or ice cream.  Since I had macadamia nuts in the freezer, I thought, hey why not use these.  Don’t use good macadamia nuts in this brownie.  They were totally lost in the chocolate decadence.  If you are part of the “I like nuts in my brownie” school, stick to using toasted pecans or walnuts.  Keep your macadamias for something where they can shine.

One more thing.  Where’s the rule that says brownies have to be square?  I have a 7-inch and 9-inch square pan, but no 8-inch square.  Therefore, I used an 8-inch round cake pan.  Luckily, it worked perfectly.  Whew!  It allowed me to get my chocolate fix and saved me from purchasing yet one more pan.

ALICE MEDRICH’S BITTERSWEET BROWNIES  (with a slight variation)

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus enough to butter pan
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
7 ounces (1 cup) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 ½ ounces (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
2 ½ ounces  (2/3 cup walnut, pecan pieces – optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Line a 8 x 8-inch square or 8-inch round pan with foil leaving at least a 1-inch overhang.  Set-aside until ready to fill.

Melt the butter with all the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a medium heatproof bowl set in a pan of barely simmering water.  Stir frequently until the mixture is melted and smooth.

Remove the top of the double boiler (or the bowl) from the heat.  Stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla.

Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring until each is incorporated  and before adding the next.  Stir in the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth, glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan, at least 2 minute.  Stir in the nuts if using.  Scrape the batter into the pan.  (I used macadamia nuts, which in the end were not the best option.  They got lost in the chocolate flavor.)

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the brownies just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan.  Slide a knife between the pan and the brownies on the unlined sides.

Lift the foil to transfer the brownies to a cutting board.  Cut into 16 squares or 12 triangles.  May be stored, airtight for 2 to days.

 

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Cherry Turnovers

July 22, 2012    |    Print Print

My cherry pie/tart fillings have been hit or miss due to the amount of liquid extracted from the fruit when cooking.  After considerable trial and error, my friend Carolyn turned me on to this particular recipe.  It is now my new favorite for pies, tarts and turnovers.  And, lucky for me, as tart cherries are in season at this moment.

Now that I had the filling perfected, my next dilemma was finding suitable dough that would cloak all this deliciousness.  You see, my stash of home-made, that I generally keep in the freezer had already been used for other recipes.  Therefore, the choices I had included a brand called Dufour (touting all butter and according to their website is available across the country), Pepperridge Farms; or if you live in the Twin Cites – The Wedge Co-op’s own brand.

This time though, I decided to use the Dufour brand.  It’s not inexpensive at $10 a package retail, but with the all-butter claim and the fact that I have had success with it in the past; I decided I’d use it again.

For the Filling:
2 cups pitted sour cherries (10 ounces), fresh or frozen (thawed and drained)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
Pinch of kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
14-ounce package of puff pastry
Egg wash (beat together 1 large egg with a teaspoon of water)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In an 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, mix the cherries with the cornstarch, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt.

Bake for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.   The juice will become thickened and bubbling.  Remove from the oven.  Stir in the extracts and allow to cool to room temperature.

While the filling is cooling and the oven is heating, it’s time to tackle the pastry.  It generally comes frozen.  In the case of Dufour it is in one 14-ounce sheet folded between a layer of parchment paper.  The paper prevents it from sticking to itself.  It’s also best to keep it wrapped and to thaw it in the refrigerator.  When ready to use, unwrap and cut the un-folded dough in half along the seam.  This will give you two, approximately 6 x 9 rectangles.

Lightly flour (preferably a granite or marble) counter-top and rolling pin.  Working quickly, roll each half of the dough to an 8 x 12 rectangle.  Keeping moving it on the counter, adding a little flour as necessary, to prevent it from sticking.  Using a bench knife, cut the rectangle down the middle (resulting in two 4 x 12-inch rectangles).

From there cut each of the rectangles into 3 equal parts.  Six 4 x 4 squares should be the end result from each half of the original dough.  If the dough gets too  soft, pop it back in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Retrieve them from the refrigerator and using a pastry brush, brush two sides of each square of dough with egg wash.  Place a good tablespoon of the filling on half of each square.

Fold the dough over and seal the two sides by pressing the seam with the tines of a fork.  Again, if the dough seems soft, place it back in the refrigerator until it firms up.  Then proceed where you left off.  After all 12 turnovers are assembled; into the refrigerator they go one more time until firm; about 20 minutes.  Remove them from the fridge, brush each lightly with additional egg wash, vent by making a small slash in the top, and sprinkle with granulated sugar.  At this point they can be frozen.  (I freeze them on a sheet pan and then place them to a zip-loc bag.)

Bake (from the refrigerator or freezer) on a parchment lined sheet pan for about 40 minutes or until nicely browned.   Watch them carefully, because after all this work the last you want is to have them burn on you.  Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

 

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It’s Plum Delicious!

July 9, 2012    |    Print Print

I hate to say “many”, but more than a few years ago I assisted Zoë François in a “Summer Pies and Tarts” class she was teaching.  Well, just last week I was flipping though my stacks and stacks of recipes and came upon the booklet from that class.

With plum season upon us and remembering that I had not baked this tart for some time; it was now or never.  Otherwise, it would be yet another year, as the plums would be gone again until next season.

The filling, in which the fruit is nestled, is called “frangipane”.   It is made with a mixture of almond paste, sugar, a couple of eggs, butter, and a little flour to bind it all together.

Also, if you want, you can skip the poaching of the fruit all-together.  The added flavors though, in doing so, is something I would highly recommend.  Instead of using champagne, I used Prosecco to poach the plums.  Once poached, place them cut side down on top of the frangipane filling.

Serves 8 – 10
1 tart dough recipe*
1 frangipane recipe*
10 plums, ripe but not too soft
1 bottle Prosecco
2 cups water or just enough to cover fruit
1 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split

Preheat oven to 350°F

Blind bake the tart shell (see the recipe below).  While it is baking wash, pit, and halve the plums, set aside.

If poaching the plums, bring the Prosecco, water, sugar and vanilla bean to a boil; cook until sugar has dissolved and then reduce to a simmer.  Add plums, cooking until fruit is just tender.  If the fruit is very ripe, reduce liquid by 1/4 of the total volume before adding fruit. Check fruit for tenderness using a paring knife; plums should still have some resistance.  If allowed to cook too long, the fruit will fall apart. Remove plums from liquid with a slotted spoon.  Reduce cooking liquid to the consistency of maple syrup.  Remove from heat.

After tart shell is blind baked, fill with the frangipane batter, about 1/4-inch thick.  Arrange plums on top of the frangipane, cut side down.

Bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until the frangipane is golden brown.   Glaze the tart with the Prosecco glaze and allow to cool to room temperature.

*Pate Sucrée – (Tart Dough)
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 whole egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cake flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Add the egg and yolk and mix until well incorporated.  Add salt and flours and mix just until incorporated.

Remove dough from mixer and form into a disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling out.  The dough can also rest in the refrigerator overnight or it can be wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.  If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before rolling out.

When ready to make the tart, roll out to a diameter of 12-inches and form into a 10-inch tart shell.

Dock the bottom with a fork and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Remove from freezer and place on a sheet pan.  Line tart dough with foil or parchment paper and add weights.

Bake for about 20 minutes.  Remove weights and paper and continue to bake until lightly browned.  Remove from oven.

*Frangipane Batter
7 ounces almond paste (Odense is the brand I prefer)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
¼ cup cake flour, sifted

Mix almond paste, sugar and butter in a food processor until smooth.

Add eggs one at a time and then add the flour.

Set aside while tart shell is baking.

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Homemade Crème Fraîche and Vanilla Seed Panna Cotta

July 4, 2012    |    Print Print

Italy has mascarpone and we Americans enjoy sour cream.  France’s version of thickened cream is called crème fraîche; and it will knock your socks off.  It’s complex in flavor with hints of tang,  sweetness, and in some instances overtones of hazelnut.

Each of these flavor profiles depends of course on the quality of the cream.  The more complex the profile, the more complex is the finished product.  I used Cedar Summit Farm organic, grass-fed cream and whole milk for these recipes.

Crème fraîche can be heated without curdling making it a perfect medium to fold into sauces.  Just a dollop on a bowl of fresh berries will put them over the top.  Best of all, it’s so darn simple to make.  It does require just a bit of planning though (start 2 days ahead) so that it will be on-hand when you are ready to enjoy it.

I tested two recipes.  For the first one, I used a 1/2 cup full fat sour cream to 2 cups of heavy cream and proceeded with the method below.  It was good but the amount of sour cream overwhelmed the complexity of the cream.  Therefore, I prefer this recipe.

2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
2 cups heavy cream (pasteurized, but not ultra pasteurized or sterilized, and with no additives)

Combine the buttermilk and cream in a saucepan and heat it to no more than 85 degrees on an instant reading thermometer.  Pour into a clean glass or ceramic bowl.  Cover with a couple of layers of cheese cloth and let sit at room temperature (between 65 and 75 degrees) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened.  Stir and refrigerate at least 24 hours before using. The cream will keep about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Now that the crème fraîche is made, here’s a recipe perfect for a simple, yet elegant dessert.

Makes 12 servings

1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin, such as Knox brand
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split with seeds removed and reserved
1 cup crème fraîche, see recipe above

Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it.  Let stand at least 10 minutes or until gelatin is dissolved.  Set Aside.

Pour cream, milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds into a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over high heat.

Remove from heat and take out the vanilla bean.  Whisk in the dissolved gelatin and crème fraîche and stir to combine.

Pour evenly into 12 – four ounce ramekins.  I used 5 ounce, clear plastic tasting cups which gave an incredible shine when unmolded.  Chill to set for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, carefully run a sharp knife around the parameter of the mold.  Unmold onto a serving plate and garnish with fresh berries.

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Sablés aux olives noires – Black Olive Biscuits

June 26, 2012    |    Print Print

As promised, here’s the recipe for the olive sablés.  The day prior to our party that recent Saturday evening, I happened to find a cylinder of the dough in the freezer.  It’s one of my versions of a Pillsbury® slice and bake sugar cookie and what we enjoyed with our Kir Royale.

I have found with any refrigeator cookie/sablé/cracker dough, it is easier to form it into a cylinder and slice it off as needed than it is to roll out between parchment paper, refrigerate, cut out, re-roll scrapes, etc.  This recipe was adapted from one by Pierre Hermé, the King of Pastry.

Makes 60 biscuits

1 large hard-boiled egg, white discarded
2 ¼ cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons (2 ½ ounces) potato starch
15 tablespoons (7 ½ ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup fruity olive oil
1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
2 ½ ounces (about ½ cup) pitted black olives, preferably oil-cured, chopped

Using a fork, mash the hard-boiled egg yolk into fine crumbs in a small bowl.

With a mesh strainer set over a large bowl, sift together the flour and potato starch; whisk to incorporate and set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.  Beat in the olive oil, followed by the finely crumbled egg yolk.

Reduce the mixer speed to low.  Blend in the confectioners’ sugar and add the other dry ingredients.  Mix until the dough just comes together.

Stir in the chopped olives.  Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide it into thirds, and shape each piece into a cylinder about 1 ½-inches in diameter.

Wrap the dough in parchment paper and then plastic wrap.  Chill for several hours or overnight.  (The dough can be frozen for up to 6 months and baked off later.)

Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Working with one cylinder at a time, slice the cookies ¼-inch thick and arrange them on the baking sheet.

Bake the sablés for 15 to 18 minutes.  Transfer to a rack to cool and repeat with remaining logs of dough.

Photograph by Lou Miranda

 

 

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Nicolas Feuillatte’s Champagne

June 17, 2012    |    Print Print

Enjoying a flute of champagne is a wonderful experience.  And, it’s my conviction that it should not be reserved for just special occasions, though it can kick any party up a notch.  This particular one by Nicolas Feuillatte was poured at the party to celebrate the completion of the doctoral studies and subsequent graduation of a friend of mine.

Luckily, at a recent dinner party at Bret’s Table the last bottle from my friend’s collection was presented for our apéritif to kick off the evening.  To add to the beauty on the tongue, we poured it to make Kir Royales.

Historically, The Kir originated in Burgundy, France in the 1940s, and is named after Félix Kir, the Mayor of Dijon from 1945 to 1968.  According to the folks from that region, Mayor Kir was to entertain dignitaries from other regions of France and wanted to promote the local products near Dijon.

The story goes that his wife actually came up with the idea of mixing the local peasant and very acidic white wine, Aligote with the local black currant liqueur Crème de Cassis, thus making it a sweeter and more appealing cocktail.  The drink caught on in popularity across France with the bourgeoisie adding champagne to make it a “Royale”.  At our party we added a splash of our house made berry apéritif and watched the bubbles dance upwards as the champagne comingled with the berry liqueur.

Don’t get me wrong this champagne is delightful enjoyed on its own.  The colour is golden with an abundance of elegant bubbles and floral fruit aromas.  Before we added our own liqueur, there was the predominance of pear, apple, almonds and hazelnuts.  On the palate it is fresh at the beginning, smooth, pleasant and balanced to the finish.

The day prior to our party, I happened to find a cylinder of olive sablé dough in the freezer.  It’s one of my versions of a Pillsbury® slice and bake sugar cookie and what we enjoyed with our Kir Royale.  I’ll share the recipe with you next week.

Photographs by Lou Miranda

 

 

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Vichy What?

June 12, 2012    |    Print Print

With the farmer’s market in full swing, the asparagus is lined up like sentries ready to descend on the new potatoes and the geraniums that seem to be proliferating as every week passes. They are perfect (the asparagus I mean) tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and thrown on the grill.  It is discouraging though when they are one turn from perfection and that last flip with the tongs throws them under the grate and into the coals of the Weber.

I know it may be hard to believe, but if grilling is not your thing, they can also be blanched, shocked and become part of a composed salad.  However, they can also be added to the classic potato and leek soup called vichyssoise; pronounced (vih-shee-swazh).

There is an ongoing debate as to whether this classic was an American invention (says Julia Child) or rather it is of French origin.  Regardless, this is a perfect soup for summer!  Making it a day ahead allows the flavors a chance to marry.  And, it offers you the opportunity of washing the blender and getting it back in the cabinet well before your dinner guests arrive.

Some people like it best served warm; I on the other hand enjoy it cold, garnished with a little chervil and the tops of a couple of sentries — yes the asparagus tops.  Enjoy it now and if the asparagus departs before you’ve had a chance to snatch up a bundle, make it the classic way with the leeks and potatoes.  Either way it will be delicious.

Serves 6 as a first course

1 pound asparagus, tips reserved, stalks cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large leek, white and tender green parts only
1/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 ¼ cups chicken stock preferably home made
1 cup water
1 – 2 large thyme sprig
1 cup whole milk, preferably organic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

In a saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the asparagus tips until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain the asparagus tips in a colander and refresh under cold water.  Pat dry, halve the tips lengthwise and set aside.

To clean the leeks, cut the root end off and remove the first layer.  Cut in half lengthwise and cut into thin half rounds.  Submerge in cold water, swishing the leeks around to dislodge and dirt.  Allow them to sit undisturbed allowing the dirt to rest on the bottom of the bowl.  Then, carefully lift out the leeks into a strainer, shaking to remove as much water as possible.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus stalks, potatoes, stock, water and thyme and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Discard the thyme sprig. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, then transfer to a large bowl.

Stir in the milk, salt and white pepper. Let the soup cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Garnish with the asparagus tips and serve.  The soup can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

 

 

 

 

 

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