I’ve always loved pears, although I should confess that as a kid I loved them from a can, thoroughly soaked in a sugary syrup. You see, as a kid I could never get the timing right on when a pear was ripe. I’d get a few (or mom would bring some home) and then set to eating them right away only to end up disappointed.

Later on, I tried waiting for the pears to ripen. I would wait … and wait … and wait. I thought a ripe pear should be soft — that only seemed reasonable to me. So by the time I thought the pears were soft enough to be ripe, they were in reality well past their prime.

I wasn’t that bright, evidently. It didn’t really occur to me to ask anyone, check the web, or to otherwise find out how to tell if a pear was ripe. I just assumed that the pears I was buying were not great pears. I blamed the pears.

But there was one day among all the others when a few more of my brain cells than normal must have been on the job. I had a moment of self-doubt and thought for a second that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t the pears’ fault. It was time to figure this out once and for all.

And now, fresh pears and me are besties. (For anyone similarly challenged — a pear is ripe when it smells like a pear and when the flesh just under the stem gives a bit when you apply gentle pressure with your finger.) Pears are available in the winter when there aren’t a lot of produce choices, they’re portable, and there’s something that’s a little fancy about them and the sexy shape they have. Apples and oranges are great, but they’re definitely not as sexy as pears.

It’s hard to improve on the experience of eating a fresh pear out of hand, on its own. But if in the mood to bake with pears, I often turn to this simple cake. The cake still allows the pears to shine. You could even substitute canned pears and have it any time of year — just as long as they’re not the kind in the heavy sugary syrup.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Simple Pear Cake

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

This cake is simple and homey, but nice enough to serve to company. Canned pears could be substituted for the fresh I used here — drained, they should weigh about 2.5 pounds. This recipe was inspired by an apple cake recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table

Author: Kitchen Gusto

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• ¾ cup flour
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 4-5 ripe pears (Bartlett, D’Anjou or Bosc are all fine)
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp. almond extract
• ¼ pound (1 stick) butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter an 8-inch springform pan. You could also use a regular cake pan with a circle of parchment paper put in the bottom to help you in unmolding — butter before and after placing the parchment circle in the bottom.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside
4. Peel, halve, core and cut the pears into largish chunks. I usually cut each pear half into 6-8 pieces.
5. In a larger bowl, whisk the sugar and the eggs together until smooth, then whisk in the vanilla and almond extract. Now add half of the flour mixture, whisking until incorporated, then half the butter, the rest of the flour and then the rest of the butter, whisking after each addition. The batter will be thick.
6. Fold in the pear chunks. Stir them around to cover them in the batter, then pour/scrape everything into your cake pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. It will be done when the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and when a knife stuck into the center comes out clean.
7. Let the cake cool on a rack until it’s almost cool. Then run a butter knife around the sides of the pan to make sure there is no fruit stuck to the sides. If you’ve used a springform pan and want to remove it from the bottom, the best way to do it is to carefully run a long spatula or knife between the cake and the pan, then invert the cake onto a rack, remove the pan bottom, and re-invert the cake onto a serving plate. If you’ve used a regular cake pan, the inverting procedure is similar — the parchment paper will help the cake release from the pan when inverted and should be carefully peeled away before re-inverting.
8. The cake can be served plain, but I like it with a dusting of powdered sugar just before serving. It will keep for a few days at room temperature.

3.2.1596

Most of the things I write about are sweets or veggies. But when the weather turns, comfort foods tempt even the best of us. Heck, I’m going to be wearing a sweater for the next 4-6 months, so why not indulge a little?

This recipe is one of my favorite indulgences. Slowly-braised boneless beef shortribs in a smoky chipotle tomato sauce (called “tinga”) in Mexico. It’s somewhat spicy, not hot spicy, but more accurately described as smoky and warm — with the flavors of cumin and garlic. I’d compare it to a good chili base amped up slightly in flavor.

If you’ve never worked with chiles before, I really encourage you to give it a go. It’s a very easy way to add a ton of flavor to your dishes. The preparation is simple — remove the seeds from the dried chiles and toast them for a minute or two (here with cumin seeds) in a dry sauté pan before continuing with the other, wetter, ingredients. After everything is cooked, the whole shebang gets blended and comes together into a wonderfully flavorful sauce.

Once the shortribs are braised, you have a lot of options for serving the meat. I like to just serve them up with the sauce over a bed of polenta, rice, or mashed potatoes with a nice big green salad on the side. But you can also shred the meat and serve it as tacos or in enchiladas, with the sauce poured over it and topped with some cheese. The shredded meat also makes a great “game day” sandwich on a bun, tailgate-style.

Give it a try if you’re so inclined and lucky enough to have access to dried chiles. I realize this might be a bit for difficult for some of my Midwestern followers, although most large supermarkets have dried chiles if you look for them. But at any rate, cooking can sometimes be an adventure, so there’s no better excuse for a field trip to the nearest Latino market! You’ll wow the entire neighborhood.

Mexican-Style Braised Shortribs

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

5 hours 30 mins

Total time

5 hours 40 mins

 

Beef shortribs are braised in a smoky chipotle tomato sauce until they are fall-apart tender. This is delicious served in many ways — over rice, polenta, or mashed potatoes, or shredded in tacos, enchiladas, or sandwiches.

Author: Kitchen Gusto (slightly adapted from Carol Cotner Thompson)

Recipe type: Main course

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3 dried chipotle chilis, stems and seeds removed
• 5 dried pasilla or New Mexico chilis, stems and seeds removed
• 1 tsp (5 g) cumin seeds
• 1 tsp (5 g) dried oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it)
• 1 (28 oz or 794 g) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• ⅓ cup (79 ml) cider or white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 3 white onions, diced
• 4 lbs. (1.8 kg) boneless beef short ribs

Instructions

For the sauce:

1. Remove the seeds and stems from the dried chiles.
2. Heat a sauté pan until hot, then add the chiles and cumin seeds. Toast for 1-2 minutes, until you are getting a nice toasty smell.
3. Add the can of tomatoes, oregano, garlic cloves, and about 1.5 cups of water. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Blend the chile/tomato mixture with the vinegar in a blender until smooth.

For the shortribs:

1. In a large dutch oven, at least 5.5 quarts (5 L), sauté the onions in olive oil for 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat until starting to brown.
2. Meanwhile, season the shortribs with salt and black pepper.
3. When the onions are ready, add the shortribs and brown them slightly with the onions. You don’t need to develop a brown crusty outside here, you’re just cooking the outside of the shortribs a bit so that they hold together during the long braise.

Adding it all together:

1. Once the shortribs have browned a bit, add the chile/tomato paste and enough water to cover the everything. Use up to 2 quarts (2 L) of water.
2. Simmer uncovered for 5 hours. And by simmer, I mean that you should see steam rising off the top, and a bubble from time to time, but not all that often. Don’t boil this. During the 5 hours of cooking, you might need to add extra water if the level of the sauce starts to expose a lot of the shortribs. You want the mixture to reduce and thicken, but use your judgment and add some water if you think it’s reducing too much. You should also stir this from time to time to prevent any potential burning on the bottom.
3. After 5 hours, the meat will be fork tender and delicious. Season your work with salt to taste and serve in any way you like!

3.1.09

Okay, folks. I know that we are quickly coming up on Halloween and that Fall is in full force. Any responsible recipe-blogger would be filling up the site with recipes using butternut squash, sage, pumpkin pie spices, and the like.

And I intend to. But it’s hot here. Very hot. It’s always a bit of a shock at how warm September and October are in Southern California. And further, I maintain that one of the best things about having a blog is that I am able to post whatever I want to. I highly recommend it to anyone with a chip on their shoulder and something to say.

So, in a somewhat rebellious spirit, I’m sharing this recipe for my favorite non-alcoholic refresher. I realize that fresh and inexpensive watermelon may be becoming a bit out of season for some of you, but bookmark this recipe for next year. It’s really worth it.

It takes just minutes to blend some watermelon, strain it, and mix in grapefruit juice. And I promise that you’ll be glad you did. So humor me for this post, and I promise that the next will be something seasonally appropriate.

Watermelon/Grapefruit Agua Fresca

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Watermelon and grapefruit juices come together in minutes to make a simply awesome refresher. If this came in jugs from the supermarket, I’d buy it. But it’s also very easy to make at home. Try it.

Author: Kitchen Gusto (slightly adapted from the wonderfully awesome Bon Appetit)

Recipe type: Beverage

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 (10-12 pound or 4.5-5.5 kg) seedless watermelon
• 1-2 grapefruits
• mint sprigs (optional as a garnish)

Instructions

1. Cut the watermelon in half, scoop out the inside, and blend it (in 2-3 batches) in your blender. Put the puréed watermelon into a large bowl.
2. After ten minutes, skim any froth off the top of the bowl of puréed watermelon.
3. Using a fine-meshed sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth, strain the watermelon purée into another bowl or a large pitcher.
4. Juice the grapefruit(s) and stir the grapefruit juice into the watermelon juice.
5. Pour over ice and garnish with a mint sprig, if desired.
6. Enjoy!

3.1.09

Hello Fall! The new season has brought a lot of new beginnings for me — a new job, a new decade of life, and lots of new opportunities. I hope that you are settling into a productive and happy end of the year as well!

One of the best things about the weather turning is the comforting and homey foods that start appearing everywhere  you look. Warm spices, roasted squash and hearty soups come back from their summer vacation ready to please.

And one of the favorite cool-weather pleasers at Kitchen Gusto is this lentil soup. I make this over and over throughout the winter and it never disappoints. And the best part is that this soup is healthy as well as comforting. The recipe is slightly adapted from one I came across in Cooking Light Magazine years ago. It’s low in fat and contains a lot of vegetables. Without the ham and substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock, this even works well as a vegetarian dish.

Green lentils (also called “French” or “de Puy” lentils) can be hard to find, but they work best with this soup. They hold their shape and don’t become as mushy as regular brown lentils do when cooked. If you can’t find them near you,there’s always the neighborhood Amazon selection of lentils.

Brown lentils will work if it’s what you have, just don’t blend the soup to keep some texture. Or blend part of it and add a bit more water to reach the consistency you like.

Happy and healthy Fall! For other healthy posts (I have to balance out all the baking and desserts with something!) check out these:

Quinoa and Spinach Salad

A Really Good Tomato Salad

Zucchini Ginger Soup

Greek Salad

Salade Niçoise

French Lentil Soup

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

A healthy favorite for the cooler months, this soup will satisfy. It will also sink deep into your psyche, where it will assure that you will crave it from time to time. Perfect served with a baguette and a simple green salad. Omit the ham and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock and it’s a perfect vegetarian dish.

Author: Kitchen Gusto

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 to 7 oz (198 g) ham, diced
• 2½ cups chopped onion (preferably a sweet onion)
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup carrot, chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.5 cups (300 g) dried green lentils
• 4 cups (946 ml) chicken broth or stock
• 1 cup (237 ml) water
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Before you start cooking the soup, make sure that you’ve chopped all your vegetables, and measured out your other ingredients. Proper mise-en-place (i.e. preparation) makes the making of this soup much more enjoyable.
2. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté the ham for a few minutes until it begins to brown. Add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme, garlic and bay leaf. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid given off by the vegetables is almost completely evaporated. This will take 10-12 minutes.
3. Add the lentils and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring the whole time to make sure nothing burns/browns. (Turn down the heat if you need to keep things from browning.)
4. Add the chicken broth, water, and tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
5. Cook for 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Fish out the bay leaf and discard it.
6. Once the soup is cooked, you can blend (either in blender or with a hand-held stick blender) a third to half of the soup if you like to give the soup some body and enhance the texture. This is, however, optional. If you do blend a portion of the soup, re-combine it with the rest of the soup after blending.
7. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice before serving, adjusting the levels to your taste.

3.1.09

Hello readers! It’s been a bit longer between posts than usual, but I was on a trip to France getting some inspiration for things to come on Kitchen Gusto! Check out my Twitter feed to see some of the amazing pastries that I sampled in Paris.

But now that I’m back, I’m celebrating home. And muffins are one of those homey things for me. That’s why this particular post is about my favorite muffins recipe.

A muffin is all about the top. There was even an entire Seinfeld episode dedicated to this truth. And for those of you who don’t remember it, here’s a sample:

So, I can’t really compete with that for fun and silliness. But I can share this recipe for a spiced muffin with a delicious crumb topping. The last time I made these, someone literally told me that it was the best muffin they had ever had. I don’t know about that, but they certainly are good! It’s a great basic muffin recipe I learned when taking classes with Carol Cotner Thompson, Director of Culinary Education at the New School of Cooking. We used blueberries in class, but I particularly like this with raspberries. The tartness of the berries plays well with the homey spice flavors.

Crumb-Topped Raspberry Muffins

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

This is a great basic muffin recipe with a delicious crumb topping. And a muffin top is the best part, right?

Author: Kitchen Gusto

Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the crumb topping:

• ½ cup (64 g) flour
• ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
• ½ tsp (1.2 g) ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp (1.5 g) salt
• 2.5 oz (5 Tbsp or 71 g) cold butter

For the muffin batter:

• 2 cups (256 g) flour
• ¼ cup (32 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp (1.2 g) ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp (3.4 g) ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp (1.2 g) allspice
• ½ tsp (3 g) salt
• 1 Tbsp (10.5 g) baking powder
• ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup (158 ml) vegetable oil
• ⅔ cup (158 ml) milk
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1.75 cups (200 g) fresh or frozen raspberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (177 C).
2. Either lightly butter or spray a 12 capacity muffin tin, or use muffin/cupcake papers.

For the crumb topping:

1. Combine the ingredients together and mix (with your fingers, a hand mixer, or a few pulses of the food processer) until the mixture is crumbly.
2. Put your crumb topping in the refrigerator as you make the muffin batter. (It can also be made a day or two ahead.)

For the muffin batter:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, salt and baking powder. Do this with a whisk for a minute or so until well-combined, the mixture looks “fluffy” and there are no lumps.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is homogenous and well-combined.
3. Add the “wet” ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine just until fully mixed together.
4. Fold in the berries.
5. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups. It’s about ⅓ cup per regular-sized muffin tin. If you have a #20 disher/scooper, that also works well.
6. Top the muffins with about ½ inch (1.5 cm) of the crumb topping. You may have a little topping left over.
7. Bake for 25 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into a muffin. If it comes out without any wet batter on it (a few crumbs are fine), they’re done!
8. Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and let cool before serving.

Notes

As a good basic muffin recipe, you can substitute other things in for the raspberries as you like. Especially good are blueberries or diced apples (use about 1 cup instead of the 1.75 cups of raspberries).

3.1.08

Looking for something different in a salad side dish? What about something that is pretty much guaranteed to top anything that you can buy at the deli counter of the supermarket? Here is my suggestion.

It’s a simple couscous salad with cauliflower that gets an extra flavor kick from cinnamon, dates, and caramelized shallots. It’s a little nod to the North African flavors where couscous originated. To continue in that vein, this would be a great accompaniment to roasted or grilled meat. But it’s just as good alongside a sandwich or on its own, eaten at your desk as you steal a few minutes for yourself to check in on your favorite websites.

I use pearl (aka Israeli) couscous for this salad, as I like the texture of it and how it looks in this salad, but it can be a little difficult to find in some supermarkets. You can always order it online. Or you can substitute regular couscous — it will still taste delicious. You can also substitute the dates for other dried fruit that you have on hand. Dried apricots, prunes, and even raisins would be great here. Thinly sliced onion can also be substituted for the shallots.

So feel free to make this salad your own. The only real requirement is the cinnamon, and the sautéed cauliflower and shallots (or onions). The cinnamon gives the whole dish a warmth. And although it’s a bit unusual of a preparation for cauliflower (which is usually blanched or steamed) sautéing is the way to go here.

It takes a while to fully sauté the cauliflower, so be sure to be patient. Make sure that you’re working with quite small florets, the size of your fingertip is just about right. Add oil as necessary to keep the shallots from burning (cauliflower doesn’t have a lot of natural internal moisture) and keep the heat at a moderate level. You do want things to brown, however, and that’s what gives so much flavor to this salad. As you cook the cauliflower, the edges will brown alongside the ever-darkening shallots.

If any part of the preceding paragraph makes you skeptical, you can blanch the cauliflower for a few minutes in boiling water and then finish it in the sauté pan with the shallots. You won’t get much browning or caramelization, so you’ll miss a little of the taste, but it’s still a salad that will impress.

Happy cooking!

4.0 from 1 reviews

Cauliflower and Couscous Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Cinnamon, dates, cauliflower and couscous come together for an interesting and yet comforting salad. A great side dish, good as part of a picnic lunch, or for dinner alongside whatever you choose for your main event.

Author: Kitchen Gusto adapted from Food Network Magazine

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups (298 g) Israeli (pearl) couscous
• 1 head cauliflower, separated into small florets
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided use, plus more as needed
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup (45 g) dates or dried apricots, chopped
• 4 tsp (20 ml) vinegar (sherry or wine)
• 2 Tbsp (8 g) parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the couscous in water according to the directions on the package. When done, rinse the couscous under cold water and toss it with ½ a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large bowl.
2. Heat the remaining 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet, add the sliced shallot for 10 seconds or so, and then add the cauliflower florets. Cook over medium heat until the cauliflower is fully cooked (about 10 minutes) but not mushy (taste a piece to make sure!) and the shallot is nicely caramelized. You may have to add a bit more olive oil if it looks as though the shallots will burn before the cauliflower cooks fully.
3. Now add the dates or apricots, a pinch a cinnamon, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional few minutes, and taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
4. Add the cauliflower mixture to the couscous. Then add the chopped parsley and the vinegar. Toss it all together and do a final adjustment of salt and pepper (or vinegar) levels to get the taste just where you like it.
5. Enjoy!

3.1.07

This is my favorite chocolate cake.  Because when you’re having chocolate cake, you should go all out and really have chocolate cake. A serving of this cake is about as much chocolate as is humanly possible to eat at a time. I guess that’s why it’s called boca negra, as in “black mouth.” (I realize that it’s not really the most appetizing translation, so use the Spanish name, or be really fancy and call it a bouche noire cake.)

Most “flourless” chocolate cakes rely on whipped egg whites to do the leavening, lifting the chocolate into a puff that settles and cracks while cooling. This is why they are sometimes called “soufflé” cakes.  That’s great, and I make chocolate cakes like that once in a while, but egg whites make the cake drier and crispier.

This cake is the opposite of that. It’s not quite flourless — just over a tablespoon is used for all 12 servings. But instead of puffing up the cake with whipped egg whites, it opts to go for a dense, creamy, velvety texture.

A baker will often tell you to use room temperature eggs and butter, and they’re usually right but cheating a bit is usually fine. If I’m in a hurry, I put the eggs in a bowl of warm water and change the water a few times to take the chill off. And I’ll just smash the butter with my fingers until it softens. But you shouldn’t cheat with this cake. Make sure your butter and eggs are fully at room temperature — that’s what ensures an amazing texture.

This recipe comes from one of my go-to baking books, Baking with Julia. In the book, it’s served with a bourbon-spiked white chocolate cream that must be made the day before. I’ve included it here because it’s definitely worth trying, but I prefer this with ice cream or crème anglaise (aka melted ice cream).

As for the bourbon, I love how it subtly complements the chocolate, but it’s also optional. Substituting coffee works well. Or orange juice, or a good tea. Other alcoholic options are rum, framboise (raspberry liqueur), or even Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur).

Boca Negra Chocolate Cake

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

An intensely decadent chocolate cake. Use good chocolate that you really like, because this is all about the chocolate. That said, the flavor can be changed by substituting the bourbon for another liquid — coffee, rum, or pulp-free orange juice, framboise, chai tea, and earl grey tea all work well.

Author: From Lora Brody’s recipe in Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the optional white chocolate cream:

• 12 ounces (340 g) white chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup (237 ml) heavy cream
• ¼ cup (59 ml) bourbon

For the cake:

• 12 ounces (340 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 and ⅓ cups (268 g) sugar
• ½ cup (118 ml) bourbon
• 8 ounces (2 sticks or 227 g) butter, room temperature and cut into 10 pieces
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 1.5 Tbsp (12 g) all-purpose flour

Instructions

To make the optional cream (the day before):*

1. Put the chopped chocolate into a blender or the work bowl of a food processor.
2. Heat the cream just until it begins to boil.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and blend/process until smooth.
4. Stir in the bourbon.
5. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight.

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 (177 C).
2. Prepare a 9-inch cake pan. First cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Then, butter the pan without the parchment circle in it, place the parchment circle in the bottom of the pan, and butter that as well.
3. Find a ovensafe roasting pan/dish that your cake pan can fit into. Heat some water to boiling (this will be for a water bath in which the cake is baked).
4. Put the chopped chocolate into a blender or the work bowl of a food processor.
5. Heat the sugar and bourbon to a full boil in a saucepan.
6. Pour the hot sugar/bourbon mixture over the chocolate and blend/process until smooth.
7. With the blender/processor running, add the butter one piece at a time. Then add the eggs one at a time. Then add the flour and blend/process for another 15 seconds or so.
8. Pour the mixture into your prepared cake pan. Set the cake pan in the roasting/baking dish and pour hot water around the cake pan until the water comes halfway up the sides of the pan.
9. Bake for 30 minutes. At this point the top of the cake should have a dry crust on top.
10. Remove the cake from the oven, take it out of the water bath, and dry the pan with a towel. Cover the top of the cake with plastic wrap and invert the cake onto a sheet pan or flat plate.
11. Remove the pan from the cake. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. Now carefully invert the cake again onto a serving platter. Remove the plastic wrap and let the cake cool.
12. The cake can should be served at room temperature or slightly warm. It will keep just fine for several days at room temperature. Serve with the optional white chocolate cream or ice cream, crème anglaise, or sweetened whipped cream.

Notes

* This cream is totally optional. This cake tastes great on its own, or with a bit of ice cream, crème anglaise (i.e. melted ice cream), or sweetened whipped cream. This cream is really interesting, however, and worth a try to see if you like it.

3.1.01

I’ve always been a sucker for a layered dessert. To this day, every time I pass a Dairy Queen (which isn’t often) I’m struck with a craving for a Peanut Buster Parfait. The layers of hot fudge sauce between layers of soft serve ice cream, along with loads of peanuts, are delicious. This ranks as one of my all-time favorite childhood treats.

So, when I spotted this fantastic layered pudding (budino is Italian for pudding) in Bon Appétit, I knew I had to make it. And make it I did, again and again.

Let me count the ways I love this dessert. First, there is a chocolate cookie layer on the bottom. This adds some texture to the layer of delicious caramel-flavored pudding above it. On top of the pudding is caramel sauce, which I consider one of the most amazing achievements of humankind. It’s just that good. A healthy dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top and maybe a sprinkle of chocolate cookie crumbs over the whole thing and I’m officially in dessert heaven.

Of course, because this is a layered dessert, it’s nice to serve this in individual glasses or jars. Anything of about 8 ounces (237 ml) will be just fine.

The original recipe salts things a little heavily for my taste, so I’ve lessened the salt a bit. I like salted caramel, but in the past year or so I’ve kind of had my fill of salty desserts. I’ve had too many that I found too salty — just give me the sweet stuff any day.

There are a number of different elements to make, but each element is very quick and easy. That said, this is a nice dessert when you’ve got a little time to make the elements in advance, and then all you have to do is assemble it a couple of hours before serving. This recipe is also easily halved, for when you don’t need eight individual puddings (not that there’s anything wrong with making all eight and eating them yourself — as Julia Child said: “Everything in moderation, including moderation!”)

Caramel Budino

 

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Cook time

40 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Sometimes the whole equals something much more than the sum of its parts. Caramel pudding, caramel sauce, whipped cream and cookie crumbs combine to form a transformative dessert for any caramel lover.

Author: Kitchen Gusto adapted from Marcie Turney’s recipe in Bon Appétit

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Cookie Crust

• 1 cup (70 g) chocolate cookie crumbs (Chocolate animal cookies are good. Smash them in a plastic bag, or pulse them in a food processor.)
• 2 Tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, melted

Pudding

• 3 cups (720 ml) whole milk
• ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
• ¾ cup (packed) (150 g) dark brown sugar
• 5 large egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter
• 2 tsp (10 ml) dark rum (or vanilla extract)
• ½ tsp (3 g) salt

Caramel Sauce

• ¾ cup (185 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup (100 g) sugar
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) light corn syrup
• 4 Tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter, cut into 10 or so pieces

For the final topping:

• ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream (cold)
• 2 Tbsp (16 g) powdered/confectioners sugar

Instructions

Cookie Crust

1. Mix the cookie crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Save a couple of tablespoons of it for a final garnish, and press the rest (about 2 tablespoons each) into the bottom of eight (8 oz) glasses or jars.

Pudding

1. Whisk together the cornstarch with about a ½ cup of the milk in a small bowl.
2. Heat the rest of the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave until hot.
3. In another saucepan, stir the brown sugar with ¾ cup of water (175 ml) until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is boiling. Remove from heat.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until homogenous. Then, whisking continuously, slowly add the hot milk, then the cornstarch mixture, then the hot sugar mixture.
5. Pour everything from the bowl back into the saucepan, and, whisking continuously, heat the mixture until it thickens.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and the rum or vanilla extract.
7. Pass the pudding through a sieve into a bowl.
8. Put the pudding into the glasses/jars on top of the cookie crumbs (about ½ cup or 175 ml in each glass/jar).
9. Cover the glasses and chill them until the pudding is cold and set.

Caramel Sauce

1. Gently stir the sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water in a saucepan. Boil the mixture without stirring until it turns an amber color.
2. Remove from heat and add the cream and vanilla. Be careful here, the cream will bubble up a lot when it hits the superhot sugar. Stir or whisk until the mixture settles down and becomes smooth.
3. Stir in the butter. Let cool. (This can be ahead of time (several days). Just warm the caramel sauce very slightly to make it pourable before final assembly of the dessert.)

Final assembly:

1. Vigorously whisk the cold cream in a cold bowl until it thickens and holds a soft peak. Gently whisk in the powdered sugar.
2. Put about 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) of caramel sauce on top of each of the puddings in the glasses/jars.
3. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of additional cookie crumbs.
4. Fully assembled, this will hold well for a few hours. After a while, the whipped cream will start to go limp on you, so you can always assemble everything ahead of time and just finish with the whipped cream right before serving, if desired.

3.1.01

As we head into September, there’s still time to enjoy tomato season. They’re everywhere you look, big and beautiful and ripe. Do yourself a favor by thinking for a minute what sort of tomato you’ll be faced with in a few months, and gorge yourself on them now.

Make tomato sauce and freeze it for the coming months. Have tomato salad. And enjoy this great chilled soup.

There is a cucumber and a bell pepper along with the tomatoes to balance things out. A soup of just puréed tomatoes can sometimes have a tendency to taste more like a pizza topping than a soup. The cucumber and bell pepper prevent this from happening.

In addition, it’s got scallions, garlic, and Tabasco for some added kick. Start with a drop or two, and add more a drop or two at a time. The heat is a nice complement to the coolness of the vegetables, but it can easily overpower them, so be careful!

I used some really beautiful heirloom tomatoes I got at the Beverly Hills Farmer’s Market, but you can use any tomato as long as it’s ripe and delicious.

Chilled Tomato and Cucumber Soup

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Sure to please your guests, this soup makes the most of summer with both tomatoes and cucumbers

Author: Adapted from Cooking for Friends by Alison Attenborough and Jamie Kimm

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber (preferably English or hothouse variety)
• 3 lbs (1.36 kg) ripe tomatoes, heirloom or not
• 1 green bell pepper
• 4 scallions
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• ⅓ cup (79 ml) olive oil
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) sherry vinegar*
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• Tabasco sauce
• fresh parsley, dill, basil or chives for garnish

Instructions

1. Peel and chop the cucumber. Chop the tomatoes, bell pepper. Chop the scallions (white and green parts). Peel and mince the garlic cloves.
2. Combine all the things from step 1 in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil and the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Working in batches, blend the contents of your bowl until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.
4. Chill the soup for at least an hour. Before serving add drops of Tabasco to taste.
5. Garnish with minced fresh herbs just prior to serving.

Notes

*Sherry vinegar is classic with tomatoes, but you could also use a cider or wine vinegar.

2.2.8

I love trying something new. And I have to admit that I had never heard of these delicious little treats before until I read an article about an authentic Danish bakery in downtown Los Angeles. It’s called Hygge, which according to the article is pronounced “hyoo-geh” and means to focus on relaxation and enjoyment — living the good life with friends and food.  I suppose it’s the Scandinavian equivalent of “la belle vie” or “la dolce vita.”

I haven’t yet had a chance to visit this place, but it’s on my list of things to do the next time I’m in downtown LA. I grew up in the Upper Midwest, where Scandinavian culture was very prevalent. So although not of Scandinavian descent myself, I remember well coming home from school to a snack of sugared and buttered lefse, which is a Norwegian flatbread that is pretty much exactly like a tortilla except made with potatoes and milk or cream as a base. It’s delicious.

I’ve also had my share of lutefisk, a kind of gelatinous preserved fish that many dislike, but to me is just a vehicle for a huge amount of butter, so no complaints here. And when I make it back during the holidays, I always request that we have a  good Swedish potato sausage.  It’s among my favorite things of all time.

Well, anyway, at the end of the article on the Danish bakery Hygge, there was a recipe that caught my eye. Chokladboll? Hmmm. I don’t remember ever seeing that at Ikea.  But a little research and I was sold. A very simple recipe, and no baking at that. Don’t get me wrong, I love to bake, but in the heat of August I can be tempted to forgo turning on the oven. If you can mix up some cookie dough, you can make this recipe. In fact, it’s actually simpler than most cookie doughs.

So, with just a few minutes of work in a food processor, you can make these adorable little chocolate balls. You can serve them just like cookies. They’re perfect as an afternoon snack with a coffee or tea. In fact, although I followed the recipe and kept things traditional, next time I might substitute the coffee for a nice Earl Grey tea to mix it up a bit.

For my final pitch — it’s chocolate. It’s pretty much guaranteed to be delicious. Maybe they deserve to be an American tradition as well as a Scandinavian one. Try it out.

Chokladboll (Swedish Chocolate Balls)

 

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These simple no-bake treats are delicious and not very common in the US, so share them with your guests and they’ll be wowed. This recipe makes 3-4 dozen balls, depending on the size you make them.

Author: from Alison Ladman for the Associated Press

Ingredients

• 3.5 cups (315 g) rolled oats (quick oats are nice, but use what you have)
• 1 cup (225 g) sugar
• ½ cup (64 g) cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 10 Tbsp (142 g) butter, room temperature
• ½ cup (118 ml) coffee or black tea
• Shredded sweetened coconut for rolling

Instructions

1. Add the oats, sugar, and cocoa powder to the work bowl of your food processor (depending on your processor’s capacity, you may need to halve the recipe and make it in two batches). Pulse to combine.
2. Now add the room temperature butter along with the vanilla extract and pulse again to combine.
3. Continue by adding the coffee. Now pulse until the mixture comes together.
4. Empty the contents into a bowl, and stir to make sure that everything is well combined. Refrigerate for one hour, which will make it easier to work with the cocoa mixture.
5. Remove the cocoa mixture from the refrigerator, put some shredded coconut in a another bowl, and begin shaping the cocoa mixture into balls a little smaller than a golf ball. (A small disher or scoop is nice here but certainly not necessary.)
6. Roll the balls in the shredded coconut to coat.
7. Keep your chokladbollar in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep nicely for up to a week.

2.2.8