Archive for September, 2009
Cupcake Crusader 2: Halva Cupcakes
And we’re back. Per my post from earlier this week, I was tasked with developing recipes for a couple of the cupcakes mentioned in this NYT article. While I was kind of captivated by the “Blind Date” cupcake–by name alone, really–the request was for pomegranate cupcakes and for halva cupcakes.
And, though I’m not a huge fan of halva itself, I think the resulting cupcakes are pretty good. They carry the scent and flavor of nuts and sesame with a hint of warm spice, and while the cake is nicely moist, the almond flour and tahini gives it an authentic touch of grit. The saffron buttercream was slightly less successful, being rather pale in color and flavor. The textural contrast between the cake and the buttercream is really delightful, though, so maybe I just need to find a better way to extract color and flavor from the saffron.
Suzanne Goin, Me, and a Potato-Tomato Gratin
I have made the following potato-tomato gratin twice now. It’s a recipe I limit myself to making in late summer when tomatoes are at their peak and opal basil is plentiful and I’m tired of tearing up the latter and throwing it into a simple salad. Your thoughts on additional uses for opal basil will be embraced. Go on.
I first made this gratin last summer when my bosses were coming over for dinner. I was seeking something bold and grand, designed to impress my colleagues. No pressure at all. While I was serving a simple pork roast, I wanted to have another anchor item on the table, one that could be brought directly from the oven to table. A centerpiece to supplant a flower arrangement that would allow guests to “Ooooo” and “Ahhhh” over. Something bubbly and crisp, with stained, dark edges around the white porcelain dish. I found this delicious gratin in the book, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, the tome from the gracious and lovely Suzanne Goin, chef of Lucques Restaurant in Los Angeles.
Crusader Cupcake 1: “Pink Velvet” Pomegranate Cupcakes
While I’d totally missed this article in last week’s Times highlighting the success of several cupcake entrepreneurs who’ve succeeded in bringing the overexposed treatlet to the Middle East, a friend pointed it my way with some subtle hinting. (This happens a lot.) Like many of the article’s commenters, she was taken with the idea of cupcakes that incorporated the flavors of the region but bemoaned the piece’s lack of recipes. Of the many interesting cupcakes mentioned, she’d gotten stuck on two in particular: a “Pink Velvet” made with pomegranate and another unhelpfully described as a “halva cupcake”.
Well, I love a challenge, so here we are. Though I kind of loathe red velvet cake, the radioactively colored, curiously flavorless, and chokingly moist cupcake du jour here in D.C., a pomegranate-hued and flavored version seemed much more appealing, if only for the omission of gross amounts of Red 40. I turned, naturally, to Rose and The Cake Bible for a basic white cake. Using only whites instead of whole eggs, the pale crumb would better reveal the pomegranate’s color. Topped with a cream cheese frosting and a drift of pomegranate seeds, I’d have a flavorful, colorful, pink velvet cupcake for the diva in all of us… that was the idea, at least. Using both pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses in the batter resulted in cake with a noticeable fruity tang and a seductive, orchardy scent. The color, however, was a somewhat disappointing beige. So, you could… I suppose… add a bit of food color. The cake is plenty delicious, though, and the simple cream cheese frosting complements the cake’s bright flavor.
I’ll get to the halva cupcakes–with saffron buttercream–later this week.
Tres, Tres Chic: French Pear Tart
This traditional French sweet marries meltingly tender pears with a fragrantly nutty frangipane in a crisp pâte sucrée. One of the most delicious things to do with those lovely poached pears, it *is* kind of a production, but all the components are actually very easy to make and the tart is ample reward. It might be wise to spread it out, though, as the pears take some time and the crust needs to rest a bit in the freezer. I might suggest poaching the pears and prepping the crust one night, then par-baking the crust while you make the filling before putting it all together.
This is an elegant combination–crunchy, buttery crust; nutty, creamy frangipane; and mellow autumnal fruit–it has a little something for everyone and is almost universally adored. This is one that you’ll be asked for time and again–friends really do ask for it by name. Fortunately, I think, you’ll be all too happy to oblige.
This comes from Dorie Greenspan’s latest (it’s surely already been covered by TWD) and I’ve noted any modifications, mostly inspired by Joe Pastry’s version, in brackets. As noted above, breaking the components out makes for a less harried baking experience, though there’s nothing really difficult about any of it. The crust in particular is quite forgiving, and can just be lightly pressed into the pan instead of rolled out–a boon to novice bakers.
Crostini or Bruschetta?
I am a massive fan of bruschetta.
Anything that involves grilling slices of bread, rubbing them with a raw garlic clove, and finishing with fresh, seasonal ingredients followed by a glug of tasty olive oil, I swoon. I first became greatly enamored with bruschetta courtesy of the ladies at London’s River Cafe most notably their first cookbook which features gorgeous, rustic Italian recipes.
Included in this book are several pages of an endless array of varying bruschetta pictures, such as tender asparagus with shaved Parmesan. The visuals are stunning and will leave you with plenty of inspiration.
A week ago, I was leafing through my copy of David Tanis’ indispensible book, “A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes” and happened upon the following recipe for a cherry tomato crostini with ricotta.
Posted in Fresh, Recipe | 
Tags: bruschetta, crostini, genovese basil, ricotta, tomatoes | 
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Attack of the Local Tomatoes
I have a fetish. For tomatoes.
Trolling the farmers markets this time of year is always bittersweet. I anticipate fall’s bounty but bidding farewell to the now spartan displays of stone fruits, fresh basil and tomatoes adorning tables at the markets, well, it makes me a bit blue.
During the summer months, I often swoop up–weekly– several boxes of colorful baby heirloom tomatoes–they look like little jewels from Tiffany’s in their rustic, turquoise boxes– and end up making way more Insalata Caprese for friends than is humanely necessary.
Same goes for my greedy possession of Green Zebras, Cherokee Purples, Big Rainbows, you get the idea.
Everything’s Going Pear-shaped: Poached Pears
Pears, it seems, are destined to play second fiddle to their more robust Biblically-endorsed kin, apples. Though almost always around, pears are slightly fussy, with only brief period of peak ripeness bracketed by long stretches of unyieldying greenness on one hand and funky mushiness on the other. Pears are nevertheless very much worth the time management needed to enjoy their sweet, perfumed flesh at its best.
Poaching, however, allows us to expand that fleeting window of tastiness and amplify the pear’s winning, if sometimes muted, charms. Though reliable sources say that even the French will use canned pears in place of poaching them at home, I cannot imagine why one would do such a thing. Poaching is a cinch and the resulting fruit and syrup are so deliciously versatile it beggars belief.
I prefer Bosc pears–with their elongated bodies, evenly russetted skins, and densely creamy flesh–for poaching. Other pears like Bartletts or D’Anjous have thinner skins that make them more difficult to peel and a coarser grain that makes them better eaten raw. The basic poaching instructions can precede everything from traditional recipes like the elegant Poires Belle Hélène or a classic pear and frangipane tart to more contemporary–but just as delicious–applications like granitas and cocktails.
Tom… Collins
The weather this weekend in D.C. was simply glorious. Yours truly engaged in a near 39 mile bike ride on Saturday with some friends. Yes, tender butt.
The weather was so crisp, warm, and stunning I cannot yet say ‘goodbye’ to summer. So I decided to make a drink that has become a Summer 2009 standby for me: the Tom Collins.
Typically, I shun gin (we’ll not discuss that sophomore year gimlet experience) but Hendrick’s is something unique that is bound to win over most gin-adverse folks. And even those who would like to forget a bad experience with it in college. The cucumber in the gin and accompanying fresh cucumber in this cocktail make for a refreshing end to a day as the sun begins to set.
If the great weather continues, there will still be time to savor this tasty drink and toast to a great summer.
Squash Soup, Fit for a King
This soup has been a favorite in my family as far back as I can remember. It’s almost impossibly simple to put together, but the sweet-spicy blend of onions, sausage, cinnamon, and butternut squash is deliciously far removed from the norm.
It is, in fact, over 900 years removed from the norm. The original recipe comes from the reign of Richard II, and was brought into modernity–or at least the 70s–with a many other recipes from the royal kitchen by Lorna Sass’ “To the King’s Taste”*. The little volume is a really fun read, though this soup is the only recipe that made it into heavy rotation in our house. The elderflower cheesecake, for example, was… somewhat profanely less than stellar if my mother’s margin notes are to be believed.
‘C’ Is For Cookie
The chocolate chip cookie. Everyone loves them and claims to have “the best recipe.” I admit that I am known to abscond from work to seek out a cookie, one of the most satisfying snacks to have around 3 p.m. Though it doesn’t subscribe to my “fresh” philosophy–save for the fact they are “made fresh” in-house daily, I do love the occasional Potbelly Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, a caloric nightmare but a deeply-rewarding blend of gooey goodness. The incorporation of oatmeal almost makes you feel you’re doing your body some fiberous good.
Almost