Category: Recipes

Sour Cream Custard Cherry Tart

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Sour Cream Cherry Tart

Sour Cream Cherry Tart

Like the many cake recipes in “The Art of Fine Baking,” I’ve barely scratched the surface of the tart recipes. Now that summer berries are on the horizon, you will see more tarts from me soon. So simple in flavor, tarts are a lovely (and classy!) way to emphasize fresh seasonal fruit. When I started seeing cherries at the fruit stands on the streets here in NYC a few weeks ago, I was inspired to make this easy Sour Cream Custard Cherry Tart. The only time consuming part of this recipe is pitting the cherries. Sometimes I still think my fingers may be a little too pink.

I prefer to make the tart shell from scratch. My grandmother’s rich tart pastry recipe is exceptional (especially the lemon zest) but to further simplify this recipe, a store bought shell can be used. The star of this tart is really the cherries (not the custard), so make sure to use fresh sweet ones. Frozen or canned will ruin both the texture and taste of the tart. Cherry fans are sure to appreciate this elegant end to that first summery meal.

Ingredients:

1 recipe rich tart pastry
3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pitted sweet cherries

Line a 9-inch tart ring with rich tart pastry. Chill, preferably in the freezer, for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs with sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Arrange pitted cherries in unbaked tart shell. Pour egg mixture over them. Bake about 45 minutes on the lowest rack of the oven, or until the custard is firm and the tart is brown. Serve chilled.

Adapted from “The Art of Fine Baking,” by Paula Peck.

Sour Cream Cherry Tart Slice

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Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Ring

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Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cake

Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cake Ring

Yes, Paula Peck made a gluten-free cake. She may not have realized it since gluten-free diets were unheard of 50 years ago but this cake recipe qualifies for the popular health trend. Ground almonds are used instead of flour, resulting in a nutty texture and nutritious flavor. If it weren’t for the number of eggs (I said it was gluten-free not vegan), and the lovely chocolate whipped cream frosting, this cake could almost pass as healthy. Whipped cream flavored with vanilla extract and cocoa powder makes a surprisingly delicious frosting. It can also be stabilized using gelatin (see whipped cream frosting recipe for Chocolate Velvet Cake). As you can probably tell from the photo, I might have gone a little heavy on this whipped delight – having a little cake with my chocolate whipped cream 🙂

I’ve been fairly busy with various projects lately so I haven’t been posting or writing as much. I hope to be up to speed soon but wanted to share this past-meets-present quick GF delight.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely ground almonds or almond flour
7 tablespoons dark, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
4 tablespoons cognac

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
2 cups heavy cream
3-4 tablespoons sugar
3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch tube pan.

In a large bowl, stir eggs and sugar together for 1 minute. Set bowl on a saucepan of warm water and heat, stirring constantly. When eggs are warm, beat them until they are cool, fluffy, and tripled in bulk. Beat in vanilla.

Combine ground nuts with cocoa. Sprinkle on top of beaten eggs. Fold in gently, adding the cooled melted butter at the same time. As soon as there is no further trace of butter, pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until top of cake is springy. Let ring cool before removing it from pan. Sprinkle with cognac.

While cake cools, whip heavy cream until thickened. Add sugar, cocoa, and vanilla while continuously beating until cream is stiff. Frost cake liberally.

Adapted from “The Art of Fine Baking,” by Paula Peck.

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Ceviche

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Best Ceviche Ever

Ceviche

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Those of us that like ceviche, usually love it. We recognize fresh fish as a special treat that requires so little cooking that the acid of lime juice can be used without any heat at all. This traditional Mexican dish is not only appropriate for this Cinco de Mayo holiday but also for spring – to get in the mood for summer.

I’ve written previously about my grandmothers exceptional Mexican recipes, many of which she learned while cooking in Mexico. This ceviche recipe definitely falls into that exceptional category. However, there are two very important aspects of this dish that can make or break it. The fish, which is marinated in lime juice for 3-4 hours, must be extremely fresh. Do not use frozen or anything that smells even the slightest bit fishy (ironically fresh fish should always have a clean smell, never fishy). Otherwise, you will be able to taste that fishiness all throughout the finished dish.

The other important aspect is the hot pepper. I recommend Serrano or even Jalapeño but as many of you may know, the heat of each pepper can vary. For this reason, stay away from using the seeds and add the pepper last, a little at a time, while combining and tasting.

My grandmother served this ceviche (while it was a work in progress) at one of her many dinner parties with James Beard and Craig Claiborne. My father was the designated dishwasher for these parties and he could always tell if a particular dish was well-liked by the leftovers on the plates that came back in the kitchen. Despite the lovely plating (in red cabbage cups), the ceviche came back virtually untouched on every plate. It turns out the hot pepper she used was so spicy that it made the dish inedible. Needless to say, my grandmother was mortified. However, this happens to the best of us and she definitely perfected the ceviche after that incident (and before it was published in “The Art of Good Cooking”). It is now by far the best ceviche I’ve ever had.

Note: Any combination of fish maybe used. I prefer to use just scallops and fish and skip the shrimp but I’ve listed the fish proportions as noted in the cookbook.

Ingredients:

1/3 lb fresh bay scallops or sea scallops
2/3 lb shelled, cleaned shrimp
1/3 lb striped bass, halibut or other firm white fish
1 cup lime juice
1 onion, sliced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small hot pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans pimentos, minced (optional)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 cornichons or small dill pickles
salt and pepper to tast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 large avocado

Cut all seafood into tiny pieces. Combine in a bowl. Pour lime juice over seafood. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for 3-4 hours or until seafood has changed color and looks cooked. Drain the lime juice from the seafood.

Combine all the remaining ingredients-except avocado- in a separate bowl. Taste. The mixture should be quite well seasoned-slightly sweet and spicy. Pour over drained seafood and toss well. Place in refrigerator till serving time. Before serving, peel and dice avocado. Combine with fish mixture.

Serves 6

Adapted from “The Art of Good Cooking.”

Ceviche Avocado Shell

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Honey Orange Bread Twist

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Honey Orange Twist

Honey Orange Twist Bread

I’m not much of a morning person. But if something tasty is waiting for breakfast, it makes waking up early a bit easier. I don’t necessarily mean eggs and bacon, or stacks of pancakes, though they can be potentially motivating as well. I find comfort in knowing that there is a simple, but delicious breakfast bread just waiting to be toasted and smothered with honey. Healthy? No. Promotes cheerfulness? Yes! Not to mention a perfect complement to that morning coffee.

There are many breads in “The Art of Fine Baking” and I hope to one day make my way through all of them. This particular Honey Orange Bread Twist, like many others, uses a base recipe that my grandmother managed to turn into many different bread and pastry variations. With its layers of orange and honey, this braided beauty struck me as a spring-ish sweet bread and a lovely light breakfast. Sliced almonds and walnuts add a slight crunch and the candied orange peel is a sweet citrus contrast to the buttery bread. Best served warm or toasted and a little extra honey never hurt 🙂

Ingredients:

Orange Honey Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
Zest of 1 orange
2/3 cup honey

1 recipe Basic Coffee Cake Dough
1/4 cup melted butter
2/3 cup finely crushed walnuts
1/2 cup diced candied orange peel
1 cup golden raisins
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon heavy cream 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5x3 loaf pans. Cream together butter, zest, and honey for Orange Honey Filling.

Roll dough into a large square, 1/4 inch thick. Brush with melted butter. Spread thinly with Orange Honey Filling. Scatter crushed walnuts, candied orange peel, and raisins over dough. Roll up jelly-roll style. With a rolling pin, press filled dough down to a thickness of 1 inch. Divide flattened dough lengthwise to make three long strips. Cut in half to make 6 shorter strips. Braid cut strips together to make 2 loaves.

Fit each loaf into a greased pan. Let rise until dough doubles in bulk. Brush with egg yolk mixture and scatter almonds over loaf twists.

Bake in preheated oven about 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Yield: Two Loaves

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Lemon Cake Logs

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Lemon Cake Logs

Lemon Cake LogsI’ve barely scratched the surface of lovely cakes and buttercreams that “The Art
of Fine Baking” has to offer. I’ve resigned myself to slowly working my way through
these lavish chapters since this is where some of Paula Peck’s best work lies. I
would like to go in order, but the intricacy of some of these recipes is
more than my schedule can allow for on a regular basis. This is partly why I
happened to select this Lemon Cake Logs recipe. It’s fairly straight forward and can be
completed in a few short hours, possibly less. Also, lemon seemed like an ideal
choice as we make our way through spring and the days grow warmer.

Unlike a traditional 9 inch round cake, you can get pretty sloppy when creating these little logs and they’ll still turn out cute and tasty. You don’t have to worry
much about ensuring the buttercream looks smooth or that cake crumbs don’t
stick to it. That’s the beauty of using sponge cake. Few crumbs and you can just slap on
the buttercream and roll it up. You can choose to frost both ends of the logs or
just one. Again, the buttercream doesn’t have to be perfect since it acts as a
glue for the sliced almonds. Crush the sliced almonds slightly for a refined look and dip slices of lemon in sugar for a sweet and sour garnish. No one has to know how simple this perfect party dessert was to make.

Ingredients:

1 basic sponge cake with 1 teaspoon lemon zest folded into the batter before baking
1 1/2 cups lemon buttercream
1 cup sliced almonds, slightly toasted
vanilla sugar (optional- see note)

Cut sponge roll in half to make 2 long rectangles. Spread each thinly with lemon buttercream. Roll up jelly-roll style, making 2 long, thin rolls. Trim ends. Cut into 2-inch lengths. Spread the ends of each roll with the remaining buttercream. Dip ends into almonds. Dust with vanilla confectioners sugar, if using.

Note: Vanilla Sugar can be made by burying 3 or 4 vanilla beans in a canister containing 1 lb of granulated sugar or confectioners sugar.

Yield 8-10

Lemon Cake Log

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