On a lightly floured board, pat the dough into a disc about 1 inch thick. With a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 4 shortcakes. Re-form the scraps, pat them out, and cut an extra one (a treat for the cook). Put the shortcakes 3 inches apart on a small baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until solid, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Brush each shortcake with a little cream and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown on the top and bottom. (If the shortcakes flatten out too much, there was too much cream in the dough; next time add a little bit less.) Let cool slightly if serving immediately; let cool completely to serve later.
TO START THE FRUIT COMPOTE, puree 1 cup of the fruit in a blender with the sugar and lemon juice. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
TO SERVE, in a deep bowl, beat the cream with the vanilla sugar until stiff peaks form. Add the crème frâiche, and mix until blended. If necessary, warm the shortcakes in a preheated 325° oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Cut each one in half crosswise and place the bottoms in the center of 4 dinner plates. Dust the top halves with the powdered sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the fruit puree and the remaining fruit and stir to coat. Spoon the fruit over the shortcake bottoms, then put a large dollop of the cream mixture on top of the berries. Drizzle the warm caramel sauce all around and over the fruit and cream, then put the top halves of the shortcakes on top of the cream.
Orange Risotto in Brandy Snaps with Passion Fruit Sauce
Orange Risotto in Brandy Snaps with Passion Fruit Sauce
Serves 6
When they see this dessert on our menu, people often ask us, “Risotto for dessert?” We just smile, and say, “Trust us.” If you’re a fan of rice pudding, imagine how wonderful arborio rice can be when it’s sweetened, chilled, and lightened with whipped cream. We pipe this heavenly filling into crispy, lacy brandy snap cylinders, cannoli-style, and add a little tangy passion fruit sauce—the perfect balance to the sweetness of the risotto. The brandy snaps take a little practice and patience. If you’re frustrated by forming them into cylinders, simply drape the warm rounds over a small bowl or cup, letting them cool in a bowl shape. Then spoon the risotto into the brandy snap bowl—not quite as dramatic, but much easier. If fresh passion fruit are unavailable, you can find passion fruit purée in some markets. If you use it, don’t add the water, and taste it to determine if you need to add the sugar.
Brandy Snaps
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Orange Risotto
1½ cups half-and-half
Finely minced zest of 1 orange
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup arborio rice
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon plain gelatin
2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur or orange juice
Passion Fruit Sauce
6 passion fruit
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1½ cups whipped heavy cream
24 orange segments
12 grapefruit segments
12 fresh mint sprigs
TO MAKE THE BRANDY SNAPS, combine the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and cook until the brown sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, add the flour and ginger, and whisk to incorporate. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a metal bowl and let cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 1 week.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Heat a baking sheet pan in the oven until hot. Have a broom handle ready or a ½-inch-diameter piece of PVC pipe to wrap the brandy snaps around.
Roll 2 small pieces of dough into 2 balls the size of a quarter, and place them far apart on the hot pan. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the snaps have a honeycomb texture and are slightly dark; if you take them out too early, they won’t hold their shape when cool. Remove the pan from the oven and wait 1 minute to allow the snaps to set (take care not to touch the snaps, as they are extremely hot). Using a spatula and working very quickly, lift up the edge of a snap; if it comes up, then quickly wrap the snap around the broom handle or pipe with the textured side facing out, to form a cylinder. Quickly repeat with the other snaps. While they are cooling, put 2 more balls of dough in the oven and repeat the process. Carefully take the cooked snaps off the mold before the next ones come out of the oven and place on a flat tray to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. It is a good idea to make extra; they are so fragile you will probably break some either in forming or filling. (The broken pieces taste great with ice cream.)
TO MAKE THE ORANGE RISOTTO, preheat the oven to 350°. In a small ovenproof saucepan, bring the half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla bean, and sugar to a boil. Add the arborio rice, stir, and return to a boil. Cover the pan and put it in the oven. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the half-and-half is absorbed and the rice is tender. (If it starts to get a little color, that’s all right.) Remove the rice from the oven and quickly stir in the egg yolk, then the butter. Dissolve the gelatin in the liqueur; this should take about 10 minutes, or until the gelatin blooms and becomes soft. Stir the gelatin into the rice mixture, then put the rice into a heat-resistant container and let cool completely. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the rice and refrigerate until chilled or for up to 2 days.
TO PREPARE THE SAUCE, cut each passion fruit in half and scoop all the pulp and seeds into a small bowl. Add the sugar and water, and mix well. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing against the pulp and seeds with the back of a large spoon to extract all the juice. Save some seeds for garnish. Refrigerate.
Transfer the rice to a large bowl and, with a wooden spoon, fold in ½ cup of the whipped cream. The mixture will be stiff, so mix it thoroughly so there are no small lumps. Fold in ½ to 1 cup more of the whipped cream, depending on how thick the rice is, so it is light but not runny. Half-fill a pastry bag (without a tip) with the risotto. Insert it in one end of a brandy snap and fill halfway, then finish filling from the other side. Or, if you don’t have a pastry bag, use a heavy-duty self-sealing plastic bag and cut off one corner. Be gentle, as the brandy snaps break easily.
TO SERVE, make a ring of passion fruit sauce on each of the 6 plates, and sprinkle the reserved seeds on the sauce, leaving the center open. In a pattern that resembles a butterfly, alternate 3 orange and 2 grapefruit segments on either side of the plates. Place a brandy snap in the center of the plate, vertical to the fruit. Garnish with a mint sprig on either side of the brandy snap.
Cooking with Vanilla Beans
TO GET THE MOST FLAVOR OUT OF A VANILLA BEAN, CUT OFF ONE END, THEN, STARTING JUST BELOW THE OTHER END, USE THE TIP OF A SHARP PARING KNIFE TO CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE BEAN LENGTHWISE. SCRAPE OUT THE SEEDS AND ADD THEM TO WHATEVER YOU’RE MAKING, ALONG WITH THE BEAN. IF YOU’RE USING ONLY HALF A BEAN, FIRST CUT INTO TWO PIECES, THEN SPLIT ONE PIECE AND PROCEED AS DIRECTED ABOVE. ONCE YOU’VE USED THE BEAN, RINSE IT OFF, LET IT DRY, AND SAVE IT TO MAKE VANILLA SUGAR.
Pavlova with Frozen Yogurt and Tropical Fruit Salad
Makes 6
Although Australia has long claimed this meringue-and-fruit confection as its national dessert, recent evidence indicates that it may have been invented in New Zealand. Whatever the case, everyone agrees that it was created in honor of the famous Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Lissa’s grandmother used to make an enormous pavlova filled with vanilla ice cream and strawberries for every special occasion. Our low-fat version is made with homemade frozen yogurt, which is wonderfully creamy and nothing like the store-bought version.
Frozen Yogurt
2 cups low-fat plain yogurt
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pavlova
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons plus ¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces egg whites (about 2½ egg whites), at room temperature
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
½ small pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 kiwi, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
¾ cup Passion Fruit Sauce
TO PREPARE THE FROZEN YOGURT, whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2 hours or until completely frozen.
TO MAKE THE PAVLOVA, preheat the oven to 250°. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper and dust it with ½ tablespoon of the cornstarch. Mix 1 tablespoon of the sugar with the remaining 2½ tablespoons cornstarch and set aside. Mix together the vinegar and vanilla; set aside. In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on a low speed until foamy, then increase speed to medium and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the speed up to high and slowly beat in the remaining 1 tablespoon plus ¾ cup sugar, no more than 2 tablespoons at a time, waiting a minute between additions, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes. (Take your time with this step, as it is what makes a great pavlova.) Quickly add the cornstarch and sugar mixture and beat on low speed. Beat in the vinegar and vanilla. Dip a 4-ounce ice cream scoop in room-temperature water, then scoop mounds of egg white onto the parchment paper about 3 inches apart. Make a small indentation in the top of each meringue with the back of the scoop. (This will help to hold the frozen yogurt.) Place the pan in the oven and immediately decrease the oven temperature to 225°. Bake for 1¼ hours, or until the meringues are dry and hollow-sounding when you tap them on the bottom. They will color very slightly but should be close to white; if they start to brown, decrease the oven temperature to 200°.
TO SERVE, combine all the fruit in a medium bowl and gently mix. Place a pavlova in the middle of each of 6 plates and place a small scoop of the frozen yogurt on the top of each pavlova. Divide the fruit salad evenly around each pavlova, then drizzle about 2 tablespoons passion fruit sauce around and a little over the top.
Upper left: Tim crushing apples at the Apple Farm Upper right: Karen bottling boiled cider
Baked Apple Crème Brûleé with Maple Cookies
Baked Apple Crème Brûleé with Maple Cookies
Makes 6
This sensational dessert takes “comfort food” to a whole new level—especially because it was inspired by our friend Jerry Comfort, the executive chef of Beringer Winery. We saw a picture of his baked apples filled with crème brûlée and loved the idea, so we created our own version. (This is not uncommon for chefs. Speaking for ourselves, rather than get bogged down in reading recipes, we prefer to just look at a picture and then make up what we think the dish should be. This can be interesting when the picture is not altogether clear, and we wind up creating an appetizer from what was originally a dessert!) Wrapping the apples in cheesecloth helps them hold their shape as they bake. “Boiled cider” is made by boiling down apple cider to a sweet, thick syrup. It’s available, along with many other wonderful apple products, from The Apple Farm in Philo, California (707-895-2333).
Maple Cookies (makes 24)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups pastry flour
1¼ cups finely chopped pecans
Baked Apples
6 Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonagold, or Macintosh apples
6 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
3 teaspoons unsalted butter
3 cups hot water
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Crème Brûleé Custard
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons maple sugar or brown sugar, sifted
1¼ cups heavy cream
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons boiled cider or maple syrup (optional)
TO MAKE THE COOKIES, combine the butter and sugar in a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and beat until fully incorporated, then beat in the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in the flour and pecans with a wooden spoon. Divide the dough onto 2 large pieces of plastic wrap, fold the wrap over the dough, and flatten into a ½-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Remove one of the dough packets from the refrigerator and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it gives a little when you push on it. Don’t let the dough get too warm, or it will be difficult to roll out and will absorb more flour and make a tougher cookie. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin, turning the dough a little with each roll and lightly dusting the board and the dough with flour as needed. Roll to a ⅛-inch thickness. Using a maple leaf cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible from the dough, dipping the cutter in flour periodically. Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Gather the scraps, refrigerate them for a few minutes, reroll, and cut out. Place the cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to let the dough set up again. Repeat with the second packet of cookie dough. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool on the pans. Store in an airtight container.
TO PREPARE THE APPLES, preheat the oven to 325°. Cut down at an angle from the shoulder of the apple to the stem and remove the top to make a 2-inch opening. With a melon baller, remove the core and some of the inside of the apple (be sure to get the hard part around the seeds), but don’t cut through the bottom. Put 1 tablespoon brown sugar in each apple and top with ½ tea-spoon butter. Wrap each apple in a piece of cheesecloth, then tie at the top with string. Place the apples in a deep baking dish just big enough to hold the apples closely packed. Mix the water and granulated sugar and pour it into the baking dish. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the apples are tender but before the skin begins to loosen. Remove the pan from the oven. Let cool, then remove the apples from the liquid and remove the cheesecloth.
TO MAKE THE CUSTARD, combine the egg yolks and maple sugar in a double boiler over barely simmering water (don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl, or the custard will burn), and whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes a pale yellow and is very thick. This will take about 8 minutes; be careful that the egg doesn’t cook around the edges of the pan. Meanwhile, pour the cream into a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the pan, along with the bean. Bring just to a boil, then remove from the heat. Whisk the cream mixture into the yolk mixture and continue to cook over the barely simmering water, whisking periodically and checking the water level occasionally, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and won’t drip off, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Rinse and air-dry the vanilla bean, which can be used to make vanilla sugar. Let cool, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
TO SERVE, preheat the broiler for 15 minutes. Carefully fill each apple with the custard, then add more to slightly round the top of the custard. Sprinkle each custard with 1½ teaspoons sugar just before caramelizing. Use a hand-held blowtorch to evenly caramelize the sugar, keeping the blowtorch moving and about 3 inches above the apple (do only one apple at a time, or the sugar will liquefy while waiting on the custard). Repeat with the remaining apples. Or, sprinkle the sugar over 1 apple and place it under t
he broiler, 2 inches from the heat source, and broil until the sugar caramelizes, moving as needed to brown evenly. Repeat with the remaining apples. Place each apple in a shallow bowl, drizzle the boiled cider around each apple, and place 2 maple cookies on the side.
To Prevent Food from Oxidizing
SOME FOODS (SUCH AS BANANAS, APPLES, POTATOES, AND ARTICHOKES) CHANGE COLOR RAPIDLY WHEN CUT AND EXPOSED TO AIR. AN ENZYME IN THE FOOD REACTS WITH OXYGEN TO PRODUCE A CHEMICAL COMPOUND THAT GIVES THE EXPOSED SURFACES A GRAY, BLACK, OR BROWN COLOR. THIS REACTION HAPPENS FASTEST AT 100°. TO SLOW THE PROCESS DOWN, KEEP CUT FOODS IN THE REFRIGERATOR OR IN COLD WATER, OR RUB THE CUT SURFACES WITH LEMON JUICE.
Sunshine Cake with Cashew Brittle and Peach Compote
Makes 12 individual cakes or 1 large cake
Sunshine cake is an old-fashioned dessert that is similar to angel food cake but is made with egg yolks, which give it its sunny color. Our version is based on one that became a San Francisco tradition at Blum’s. We make individual cakes, but it’s easier to make a single large one in an angel food cake pan. The brittle keeps for a couple of days in an airtight container, and makes a nice little treat on its own. Try making slightly larger pieces and dipping them halfway in melted dark chocolate. Let the chocolate set and serve the brittle with coffee.
Sunshine Cake
1¼ cups pastry flour
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