Grapefruit + Campari + Your Freezer =

  

Happiness!

Hello, friends!  I know, I know.  It's been a while.  I hadn't forgotten, but it was pointed out to me (again) today, so I wanted to throw a quick post out there to let you know that I'm alive and still cooking/baking.

Actually, I've been baking more than ever these days, since I am now a bona fide professional baker.  I turned in my W4 today at the bakery (more on that later), so I'm legit.  Not that it will really change the scope of this blog, because I'm doing just as much baking at home these days, but I didn't want to keep the exciting news to myself for too long.

Now for the food part:  If where you are is half as hot as the northeast was last week, you are probably dying for something cool and refreshing.  Good news: two Sundays ago (the 16th) Mark Bittman offered a cure in the New York Times Magazine:  Grapefruit Campari Popsicles.  Amazing, friends, amazing.  So simple.  (4 ingredients!)  So delicious.  The whole is so much greater than the sum of the parts.  My excitement was so great that I made them the next day.  As I tasted the unfrozen mixture I though, "this is decent," but once it was frozen my enthusiasm skyrocketed!  I can't explain it logically, because generally speaking, cold food has less flavor than warm food.  (This is why you never season a soup, for example, when it's cold, if you intend to serve it warm.  Seasoning is amplified with heat, so it will likely taste over-seasoned once warmed.  Likewise, cold foods often require more aggressive seasoning to make the flavors pop.)  In any case, my logic was that a decent tasting cocktail--which is essentially was these Popsicles are in liquid form--would lose some of its flavor in Popsicle form, but in fact the opposite was true.  The sourness of the grapefruit juice and the slight bitterness of the Campari soared to new and tangy heights, but it was neither too sweet nor too sour because of the balancing effects of the syrup (sugar and water), that serves as the third and final ingredient.

For my first go around I made Popsicles in Dixie cups (Jell-O shots, anyone?), with an assortment of butchered take out chopsticks and the handles of plastic utensils serving as Popsicle sticks.  (If anyone knows where to buy real Popsicle sticks in the city--I don't want to trek out to the 'burbs to a Michael's or something--PLEASE let me know!  I was completely stumped!)  Those were a wild success, so I decided to experiment a little, so I made a second batch and froze it like a granita.  For those that are not familiar with granita, I like to consider it a gourmet cross between Italian Ice and a SnoCone.  The process is simple: you take a liquid and pour into a freezer-proof pan so that it makes a shallow layer--half an inch or less.  As it freezes you drag the tines of a fork through it to fluff up the frozen parts (the top and edges, since those parts freeze first).  You do this several times during the freezing process, and you're left with a light, icy, flaky sorbet-like dessert that requires minimal time and equipment.  I've just been eating it out of the Pyrex pan that I froze it in (8" x 8" works very well for this recipe), but it could make a very elegant dessert served in martini glasses, garnished with a few fresh raspberries.  Alternatively, a tiny scoop in a shot glass or other small dish can make an impressive palate cleanser in between courses of an elaborate meal.  (Not that I ever entertain that way, but I recall such things occurring during fancy meals out in Spain and Portugal, for example). 

 Granita

So without further ado, since the minutes are ticking by, and I am out of the house quite early these days, the recipe:

Grapefruit Campari Popsicles (or Granita) Adapted very slightly from Mark Bittman, The New York Times Magazine, July 16, 2011

Serves about 6, depending on the size of the Popsicle molds

* 1 1/2 cups grapefruit juice (if you are squeezing your own, this is 2 large and very juicy or 3 large but only adequately juicy grapefruits

* 1/2 cup of Campari

* 1/3 cup of granulated sugar

* 1/3 cup of water

1. First, make your simple syrup.  Combine the sugar and water in a microwave safe dish or measuring cup and heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute on high.  Set aside to cool

2. Combine your grapefruit juice and Campari, then stir in the simple syrup.

3. If you are using Popsicle molds, divide the liquid among the molds, or pour it into small disposable cups, such as Dixies.  (If you are using cups, I'd suggest putting them into a shallow Tupperware or cake pan to keep them upright and steady in the freezer).  Freeze partially, then stick in the Popsicle sticks, and continue freezing until solid, ideally overnight.  To unmold the pops. dip the molds into hot water for 5 or 10 seconds to loosen the cup/mold, pull off and enjoy!

3 a.  If you are making granita, pour the mixture into a freezer-safe pan, such as an 8" x 8" Pyrex pan or something comparably sized.  Freeze for about 30-45 minutes, then drag the tines of a fork through the top and sides to loosen and fluff up the parts that have already frozen.  Repeat two or three more times over the next couple of hours, so that when the mixture is completely frozen it has an evenly fluffy texture, and there are no layers or large clumps.  At this stage you can keep it in your freezer, covered, for weeks or perhaps months--mine hasn't lasted long enough to tell!  Scoop out with a spoon into a bowl or martini glass and enjoy!!

I also tried the Mojito pops, put they aren't nearly as tasty as the Campari ones

Cake > Chili

**Photos coming soon**
 

So, remember how last month I said that I like cooking one thing, then eating it for several meals in a row?  I take that back.  At least for now.  Two and a half weeks ago I made a pot of vegetarian chili, and I have been eating it since then.  TWO AND A HALF WEEKS, PEOPLE!!!  Okay, well, I admit, I managed to eat out every night the entire week that I cooked it, so I didn't actually eat any for the first seven days.  But, I've been eating it since then, and enough is enough!  I thought it would be a bloggable recipe, but to be honest, I can't even tell you at this point if I even liked it or not.  So it's not making to blog cut.

What will make the cut are a few cakes that I kinda snuck in during those 2 weeks when I was supposed to be virtuously eating that pot of beans.  Yeah, a few of those nights I might have just had cake for dinner...probably another reason why that stupid chili lasted so long.

In honor of a couple of bourbon drinking friends who were leaving the island for the season, I made Orangette's Whiskey Soaked Chocolate Cake, which is a big winner in my book.  It's a dark chocolate cake, made doubly--no, triply--delicious because it has both espresso and booze (and lots and lots of it) to really amp up that chocolaty flavor.  I have been reading Ina Garten's cookbook Back To Basics this week, and in the introduction she talks about unlocking the flavors in ingredients to bring out their essence, about that extra "special element" that each recipe needs to elevate it from ordinary to extraordinary.  In one perfect example she writes: "Close your eyes the next time you teas a piece of chocolate cake; did it really taste like chocolate, or did the fudgey-looking icing just trick you into thinking it would taste like chocolate?  The best chocolate desserts have a depth of flavor that hits you in a few ways--both sweet and bitter, with a winey complexity."  Ahh, Ina.  So right.  Couldn't have put it better myself, even if I tried all day.  I have noticed that Ina often uses coffee and/or espresso and rum to make her chocolate desserts extra special, so I am sure that she would approve of this cake, with its espresso and whiskey (or bourbon).  The cake has a dense and fudgey texture that makes you just think "chocolate," but it also has enough booze to make your nostrils sting just a little, or at the very least, makes you open your eyes and say "wow."

The one question that I am still trying to figure out is what the best brand of booze to use?  Molly of Orangette says to use a brand that you would also drink, but not being a whiskey or bourbon drinker myself, that's sort of hard for me to pinpoint.  I can't remember what I used the first time I made the cake, the second time I used Old Grand Dad, because that's what my parents had around the house.  (Yes, this is an oft-repeated recipe.  That's how much I like it)  This time I used Jim Beam, because it's the only brand my local liquor store sells in smallish bottles, and I only had about $10 on me when I went to go buy it, thus, it was all I could afford.  And besides, I didn't want leftovers, because I wouldn't drink it if I had it.  Perhaps next time I make the cake I will split the batter in half and try two slightly higher end brands, and see what's best.  I mean, it's a rough job, but someone has to do it, right? 

Finally, it is important to note that this cake is even better after it's had at least 24 hours to sit around and let the flavors mellow and meld, so it's a perfect bake-ahead cake for a party.

Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Cake (From Orangette.com)

Makes 1 Bundt cake or 2 loaf sized cakes

* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan

* 2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

* 5 ounces of unsweetened chocolate

* 2 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

* 1 cup of your favorite whiskey or bourbon, plus more for soaking

* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

* 1/4 cup instant espresso granules

* 1 cup of boiling water

* 2 cups granulated sugar

* 3 large eggs at room temperature

* 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* Confectioners sugar for dusting, optional

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan or two 8-or 9-inch loaf pans, and set aside.

2.  Set up a double boiler--place a heatproof bowl over, but not touching, a saucepan of simmering, not boiling, water.  Break up the chocolate and put it in the bowl.  Stir occasionally until it melts, then remove from heat and let cool.


3. Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2 cup capacity glass measuring cup and add enough boiling water so it reaches the 1 cup line, stir to dissolve.  Add 1 cup of whiskey or bourbon and salt, and set aside to cool.


4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.  Add sugar, continue beating until well combined.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is well combined.


5. With the mixer on low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture (2/3 of a cup). When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Add another 2/3 cup of the whiskey mixture, beating until absorbed, then add the 2nd cup of flour, beat, then end with the remaining whiskey mixture.  The batter with be very liquidy; don't worry--this is normal.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a Bundt pan, or about 55 minutes for loaf pans.


6. Cool the cake, still in its pan, on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn out of its pan and sprinkle the warm cake with additional whiskey. (I did this by pouring a little bit into a teaspoon, and then shaking the teaspoon over the cake, using a few tablespoons in all.  If you wanted to be high-tech about it, a clean spray bottle would probably give nice, even results.  Next time...)  Cool completely before serving.  For bonus presentation points, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.  Also fresh whipped cream, sweetened with a tiny bit of confectioners' sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract is a perfect accompaniment.  '


Enjoy!

Poached Pears in Raspberry Sauce

  

Poached pears are one of my favorite light desserts, and a perfect make-ahead dessert when you are having people over for dinner.  Everything can be done ahead of time and just sit in the fridge until you are ready to serve up a sweet yet light ending to any dinner.  My mother used to make spiced poached pears when I was younger, although I had forgotten about them until I discovered this recipe in one of my favorite cook books, (and one that I've mentioned before), In The Kennedy Kitchen.  Neil's recipe is a a cinch to follow, but I simplify it even more by using the poaching liquid to make the sauce.  The following recipe is for 4 pears, but the recipe can easily be increased, as long as you have enough sauce pans!  Also, by using good quality frozen raspberries you can make this dish year round!

Wine Poached Pears with Raspberry Sauce (Adapted from In The Kennedy Kitchen)

Serves 4

For the pears:

* 4 Bartlett or Anjou pears, firm but ripe

* 1 bottle of Chardonnay or any white wine that you like--sweet or dry

* 1 1/4 cups white sugar

For the sauce:

* A 12 oz bag of frozen raspberries, (organic, if you can find them), thawed, or 1 1/2 pints of fresh raspberries

* 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid

* Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, to garnish (optional)

1. Peel the pears and cut out the bottom 1/2 inch of the core using a paring knife.  Leave the stem on top, for an elegant presentation.  Slice just enough off the bottom of the pears so that they will stand upright.

2. In a saucepan, dissolve the bottle of wine and the sugar over medium heat.  Add the pears, lower the heat, and cover.  Simmer the pears until they are tender--if you started with ripe pears, this should take about 20 minutes.  If your pears are quite hard to start, this may take up to 45 minutes.  Check on them periodically--they are done when they can be poked with the tip of a knife easily, but not yet falling apart. 

3. Meanwhile, puree the raspberries in a mini food processor or blender.  Transfer the puree to a large meshed sieve and press the puree through, straining out the seeds.  I have found that you really need to take a rubber spatula or a spoon and mush the puree around to press the liquid through, and periodically take your spatula and wipe off all the puree that sticks to the underside of the sieve.  If you feel like a lot of the puree is still sticking to the seeds, add a few tablespoons of water to the puree, mix it around, and this should help. 

4.  When the pears are soft, remove from heat.  Take out a 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to the raspberry puree.  Taste the sauce and add more poaching liquid if it is still too tart.  When desired sweetness is achieved, transfer the pears, still in the the remainder of their liquid, to the fridge to cool--at least 2 hours but up to 24.  Cover the raspberry sauce and refrigerate until it is time to serve.

5. To serve, place each pear in a shallow bowl and pour a pool of sauce around each pear.  Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream, if desired.  For even more pizazz, a sprig of mint is a nice garnish, or light sprinkle of grated dark chocolate, but these will taste divine as is.

Enjoy!

Fresh Whipped Cream

* 1/2 cup of heavy or whipping cream

* 2 tablespoons white sugar

* 1 teaspoon of real vanilla extract

Combine ingredients in a bowl and whip with an electric beater until cream is thick and holds its shape.

Butterscotch Sauce, aka, Nectar of the Gods

 
My favorite page of December's Food & Wine is page 130: Perfecting Caramel. Yes, please. I mean, I think caramel is pretty perfect, but what would be even more perfect is if I could make it myself.  The page includes three straightforward recipes, but the easiest (aka, doesn't require a candy thermometer), is Classic Butterscotch Sauce. Seven basic ingredients, six of which I already had, go into this simple but delectable sauce, and it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish (excluding cooling time). It's dark, rich, and doesn't taste anything like this:

I promise you will love this sauce drizzled over vanilla ice cream, fruit, or just straight from the jar.

Classic Butterscotch Sauce (Food & Wine, December 2009)
Makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce

* 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
* 1/2 cup light corn syrup
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 2 Tablespoons Scotch whiskey (I thought it tasted even better with 3!)
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes).

2. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add the whiskey and vanilla extract and simmer for an additional 2 minutes over low heat.

4. Cool (this will take several hours) and transfer to jars.



Can be refrigerated in jars for 3 months.

Mince Pies That Will Make You Swoon

I know, you're skeptical already. But it's true. I just made them, and they are delicious. I've never actually eaten mince before--I have only once been confronted with one mincemeat pie in my life time, and I'm not going to lie...I steered clear. It was at the annual Nantucket Historical Association Christmas party, which is done potluck-style. One employee spouse brought a massive, lasagna-sized mince meat pie beautifully with pastry spelling "NHA" on top. Points for creativity, but I couldn't tell if it was the kind of mincemeat with actual meat, the idea of which kind of creeps me out, so I didn't eat it.

However, my attitude towards mince changed last Sunday morning when I was elliptical-ling away at the gym while watching Nigella's Christmas Kitchen. Honestly, that woman can make dirty socks sound appetizing, and soon I found myself drooling over these adorable mini mincepies that she was making. Plus, cooking shows make everything look so easy, so immediately I thought, "I can do that!" The key to Nigella's mincepies is that she doesn't use meat. Her filling is fruity and boozy, and honestly, what better combination can you find? It's basically a glorified cranberry sauce spiked with port, brandy, and lots of spices and dried fruit. The crust, which was easy (and this is coming from a complete crust novice), is amazingly flaky, so these pies are in instant winner in my book. The only tricky part was tracking down the recipe online, and discovering that the whole thing is in ounces. F***ing ounces. Since Santa hasn't brought me a food scale yet (it's at the top of my list, though), I had to do a little bit of educated-guessing based on what I know from Cooking Light (which often gives weights & measurements for baked goods), and some internet conversions. However, internet conversions don't take food density into account, so I had to fudge things a little. But, given my delight with this recipe, I guess I didn't do too badly. I will give the BBC links for both recipes so that you readers who are food scale-equipped can just go to town, and I will also write out my measurement guesstimates. Prepare to be stunned by the deliciousness of these mincepies!

Nigella Lawson's Mincepies

Makes 36 pies

Crust:

* Something just shy of 2 cups of all purpose flour (8 oz)
* 1/2 stick of unsalted butter (2 oz)
* 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening, aka Crisco, (2 oz)
* Juice of 1 orange (or some Tropicana...whatever ;) (about 1/4 cup)
* Pinch of salt

Special equipment:

* Mini muffin tins (About 1.75 inches in diameter and .75 inches deep)
* Fluted biscuit cutter 2.25 inches in diameter 
* Star cookie cutter 1.5 inches in diameter

1. Sift the flour into a shallow freezer-proof bowl.

 
2. Pinch off bits of vegetable shortening and add to the flour. Dice the butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Toss to coat the fats.

3. Put flour mixture in freezer for 20 minutes.

 
4. Mix the OJ and salt in a measuring cup and place in the fridge.

 
5. After 20 minutes, place the chilled flour and fats into the bowl of a food processor. (If you only have a mini prep, like me, do this in 2 batches). Pulse a few times until the flour is in "porridge-like crumbs." Slowly dribble in the oj/salt mixture, still pulsing, until the dough just starts to come together. This step may not need all the OJ. However, if you need more liquid, use ice water.

 
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Using your hands, bring the dough together. Divide into 3 equal pieces and wrap each one in saran wrap and place in fridge for 20 minutes.

 
7. Working with one piece at a time, roll out the dough on a floured surface and using a floured rolling pin. Roll the dough so that it is thin but still sturdy enough to hold the filling--let's call it about 1/8 of an inch thick. Using a fluted pastry cutter 2 1/4 inches in diameter, cut out rounds of dough. Place rounds in mini muffin tins and gently press the dough into the cups, without stretching it.

 
8. Place about a teaspoon of mince mixture into the dough cups.

 
9. Roll out the dough scraps to a similar thickness and using a tiny star cookie cutter, cut out stars and place over the mince mixture.  (See the special equipment list for where to order the right size cookie cutters, if you can't find them locally)

10. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until crust starts to turn golden brown. Keep an eye on these, because they don't take long to cook.

 
11. Remove from pans immediately and let cool on a wire rack. Allow pans to cool completely before starting another batch.

12. Dust with confectioner's sugar & enjoy!


Mince Filling

* 2.5 oz dark brown sugar (a scant 1/3 cup)
* 2 fl oz ruby port (1/4 cup)
* 10.5 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen (about 2.5 cups)
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp ground ginger

* 1/2 tsp ground cloves
* 2.5 oz raisins (a scant 1/3 cup)
* 2.5 oz currants (a scant 1/3 cup)
* 1 oz dried cranberries (a scant 1/8 cup)
* the zest and juice of 1 clementine
* 1 fl oz brandy (2 TBS)
* a few drops of almond extract
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 TBS honey

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the brown sugar in the ruby port.

 
2. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the cranberries, spices, raisins, currants, cranberries, and clementine juice and zest, and stir.

 
3. Bring the mixture to a simmer (medium-low heat) and cook about 20 minutes or until the cranberries are quite soft and the fruit has broken down and absorbed the liquid.

 
4. Allow mixture to cool slightly, and then stir in brandy, almond and vanilla extracts, and honey. Stir well with a wooden spoon to make a thick paste.

  

5. If you are not using the mince filling right away, put in sterilized jars and once cool, store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.



Obviously I made these before I got my hands on the right size cookie cutters, but still, if these things aren't the best little morsels you've ever tried, then all I can say is you're a Christmas Grinch!