imPECKable eats

At first glance, pound cake may seem very plain and boring. Even this ginger poundcake version may seem to lack the excitement of todays elaborate desserts. Thoughts of that dry crumbly cellophane covered mess at the corner deli might even come to mind at just the mention of simple pound cake. So let’s change that.

I too, was less than enthusiastic to make just pound cake (flavored or not). However, I knew there had to be a reason my grandmother included both two mixing methods as well as five different versions in “The Art of Fine Baking.” Also, out of all the memories my father has of her wonderful baking, he has described few as a “phase” like pound cake. Golden brown, light but substantial cakes coming out of the oven one after another until the perfect recipe emerged. With a moderate amount of sugar, and eggs beaten until thick or stiff (depending on the mixing method), this ginger poundcake has just the right level of sweetness and is fluffy yet still cakey. As the smell of sugar, eggs, and butter began to waft through my kitchen moments before the cake was ready to come out of the oven, I knew my opinion of pound cake would soon change.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped candied ginger
1/4 cup cognac or rum
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep 9-inch tube pan and dust with flour.
Combine candied ginger and cognac or rum. Let stand for 20 minutes. Drain excess liquid and toss ginger with 1 cup flour.

Separate egg yolks and whites. Cream butter with 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add a pinch salt to egg whites and beat until egg whites hold soft peaks. Add remaining sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition for at least 5 minutes, or until egg whites are very firm.

Fold 1/4 of stiffly beaten egg whites thoroughly into creamed butter-sugar-egg yolk mixture. Pour mixture back on top of remaining egg whites. Fold gently together while sprinkling in flour and candied ginger mixed with flour. Be careful not to over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake about 50 minutes or until cake is golden brown and pulls away from the sides.

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

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Polish Mazurka – Plain. With Pumpkin Spice Caramel below.

This little known buttery shortbread –like cookie often doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Simple but rich with a nutty crunch, Mazurka is as fun to eat as it is to say. There are many different versions of Mazurka – some with fruit fillings, chocolate, and even meringue. These along with this preface my grandmother wrote for this recipe in “The Art of Fine Baking” inspired to me to make a version of my own:

“Mazurka is a Polish cookie bar. There are many ways to make it. It is sometimes filled. Here is one simple and delicious version.”

Caramel and pumpkin seemed fitting this time of year and are also two of my favorites. The deep full flavor of homemade caramel and the zip of fall spices compliment this flakey rich cookie. Though it can be tricky, I insist on making caramel from scratch without corn syrup. I try to avoid corn syrup and use it only when necessary (like in marshmallows for example). Other than a small difference in texture and a more fool proof process, corn syrup really doesn’t provide any benefit to caramel and I think it tastes better omitted.

So why make two versions? One with pumpkin spice caramel and one without? For one thing, eating each one is a completely different experience. But mainly, the original recipe is so easy and delicious; I just couldn’t leave it out.

Ingredients:

¾ cup plus two tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup plus two tablespoons granulated sugar
4 hard cooked egg yolks, mashed
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 teaspoon water
1 cup sliced almonds

Pumpkin Spice Caramel (optional)
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
¼ cup pumpkin puree
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
a pinch each ground ginger, nutmeg, and ground cloves

Lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking pan.

Cream butter with sugar. Add mashed hard-cooked egg yolks and vanilla. Gently stir in flour mixed with salt. Press dough into prepared pan. Chill until dough is firm.

For simple/original version:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix egg white with water and brush over the top of dough. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 45 minutes until firm and lightly browned on the edges. Cool and slice into bars.

For pumpkin spice caramel:

Bake chilled dough for about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile heat sugar over medium heat in a heavy bottomed wide pan. When sugar begins to melt, whisk or stir until all of the sugar is melted (it will clump at first but eventually melt). Stop stirring when the sugar has melted. Right before the sugar comes to a boil (or about 350 degrees), stir in butter and cream. Whisk in pumpkin puree, salt, and spices. Remove from heat.

Pour an even layer of caramel, about 1/8 of an inch deep, over pre-baked dough. Sprinkle with almonds and return to oven for about 10-15 minutes or just until almonds begin to brown.

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If there’s one recipe that my grandmother is most well known for, it’s brownies. Search for Paula Peck recipes on the internet and this brownie recipe is one of the first to pop up. Many of you may have seen Mark Bittman’s recent article, “Fear of Frying”, in The New York Times Magazine that acknowledges my grandmother‘s cooking (and this blog!). But it was one of his much earlier articles where I found her amazing brownie recipe mentioned (“Truth in Fudginess“). I have to admit that my views differ somewhat from his. With an extra large sweet tooth, I don’t discriminate against those brownies with all the bells and whistles (as long as they’re not dry and crumbly of course). However, the beauty of my grandmother’s recipe is its old-fashioned simplicity. I’ve experimented using semi-sweet chocolate instead of unsweetened, and the cakey brownie that emerged was just not the same. This is a classic, no-fuss recipe with minimal ingredients that creates the perfect, fudgy, sweet, chocolaty brownie that makes you want to devour every last crumb.

Brownies

Ingredients

3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup walnut pieces (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and lightly flour an 11 x 13 baking dish or pan.

Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat and set aside to cool slightly. Beat eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Stir in chocolate mixture, then flour, salt, and nuts. Mix only until combined.

Pour into prepared dish/pan. Bake about 25 minutes until top looks dry. Cool before cutting into squares or bars.

Yield approximately 25.

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

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