Archive for April, 2010
This recipe is an adaptation of the Fresh Plum Cake recipe in The Baking Bites Cookbook (a great gift for Mother’s Day, to all you last-minute shoppers!). It is a very simple cake, with a vanilla-scented cake batter supporting lots of fresh, juicy plums. It is beautiful to look at (you’ll have to check out the photo in the book), too. But as I’ve always said, it never hurts to mix things up a little bit, so I decided to make a chocolate variation on that cake.This cake is meant to showcase fresh plums, so even though the cake is chocolate, it only has a light chocolate flavor to it and doesn’t overpower the fruit at all. In fact, the cake tastes richer and more complex where it meets with the plums and has fruit juice running into it. I like the way that this cake rises up well around the plums during baking for a lovely presentation to the finished cake. I always sprinkle the top of this cake with a bit of coarse sugar before putting it into the oven. It adds a little bit of extra sweetness to the fruit, and a hint of crunch to the top of the cake.
The plums look fantastic when you slice into them because I leave the skins on in this recipe. Plums have very thin skins that are not tough after baking. Leaving the skins on allows a brilliant purple-red color to stain the otherwise pale peach-colored flesh of the plums. For an even more vibrant color, look for plums that have a naturally red flesh and use them in this cake instead!
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Heavy cream, also known as whipping cream, is an ingredient that is frequently called for in recipes. Cream is the thick, fat-rich part of milk, which rises to the top when milk is fresh and is skimmed off. The type of cream is determined by its fat content. Heavy cream has a fat content between 36 and 40%. A high milkfat will add tenderness and moisture to a baked good, just like adding most other types of fat. For instance, many scones are called cream scones because they are made with cream. It is certainly possible to substitute some other type of milk for the cream in these recipes and have them come out, but they won’t be nearly as tender or moist as a scone that is actually made with heavy cream. Heavy cream is also used to make whipping cream. The fat in the cream is what helps stabilize it after it is whipped, and why you can’t whip just any old dairy product into whipped cream with a whisk. The fat also prevents the cream from freezing too hard when it is used in ice cream, leading to a creamier finished product.
There is one type of heavy cream, called manufacturing cream, that is used commercially by bakers, cooks and bakeries. It has an even higher fat content of 40-50%. This can be substituted to regular heavy cream (it is often found at bulk stores, but would not be found at a grocery store with regular cream), but otherwise there are no real substitutes for heavy cream when you need it. The fact that heavy can whip and hold its structure so well makes it unique. And because its high fat content gives lightness to all kinds of dessert, from featherweight mousses to silky ice cream to tender scones, it is an ingredient that is generally worth using when called for to get the best results you can.
It’s easy to be a foodie in your own home, where you have control over all of the ingredients you use, but when you’re traveling it’s not always possible. And I don’t mean traveling half way around the world, either. Ever had a sandwich at lunchtime that really needed something to give it some zip? There is a Foodie Survival Kit that lets you bring a complete set of spices wherever you go. Now, there is also a Chef’s Case that makes it even easier. This secret agent-style briefcase is packed with all kinds of gourmet ingredients – a.k.a. a foodie’s secret weapons – that are ready to go at a moment’s notice. The kid includes: Pomegranate Teriyaki Sauce, Lemon and Mint Chili Sauce, Garlic Chili Sauce, BBQ Figs Sauce, Red Wine Onion Sauce, Salt and Pepper Blend, Grilling Spice Blend and a Provence Seasoning Blend. All of these are made with all natural ingredients, no fillers, high fructose corn syrup or anything else like that.
Naturally, the case makes a great gift for foodies, especially those who have to be on the road a lot (you don’t always have the chance to hit up foodie hot spots on business trips, for instance). And it’s a great gift for yourself. When you’ve run through the contents of the case, you can refill with your favorite sauces and seasonings and pack it up for your next road trip.
Graham cracker crusts are easy to use, whether you bake them yourself or buy them at the store, because they take a lot less prep time and quite a bit less baking time than more traditional pastry crusts do. The drawback to them is that they got soggy very easily, a problem that is usually only made worse by the fact that the fillings placed in graham cracker shells tend to be custards, puddings and creams.
Fortunately, there are a couple of quick fixes that can prevent a graham cracker crust from getting soggy. When you have a no-bake filling, such as the one on this Caramel Banana Cream Pie or this Fresh Strawberry Pie, you can line the inside of the graham cracker crust with melted chocolate. This creates a waterproof barrier between the crust and filling, and will keep the crust in perfect condition even after the pie is sliced. You can use any kind of chocolate, simply brush it on with a pastry brush (or spread it very thinly) the chill it for a few minutes to set before filling.
If you have a pie that doesn’t go well with chocolate, or one that needs to be baked with its filling already in place, there is another trick to use. This time, brush the inside of the graham cracker crust with a lightly beaten egg white and pop it into the oven at about 350F 3-5 minutes to let it dry. The egg white has the same effect as the melted chocolate (although chocolate is sturdier overall), keeping moisture out of the crust.
Lasagna is one of those dishes that seems like it is going to be tricky and time consuming to make, but is actually quite easy to prepare. It makes a big batch, so it is a great dish to make to feed a crowd, but it is also a good option for a smaller group, since you can slice it up and freeze portions, ready to reheat a few days or weeks down the line for a quick (yet still homemade) dinner!
I’m not a big fan of lasagnas that go overboard with cheese. Instead, I prefer lasagnas that have a good balance of meat, veggies and spices in them to keep them interesting. This lasagna is a good example, as it incorporates ground beef, spinach, mushrooms, onions and garlic into it. It isn’t heavy on cheese, although it does use ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, which I think keeps it a little lighter and a little healthier than some other recipes. I cheated a little bit and used good quality jarred marinara sauce as a base, as well as no-boil lasagna noodles, which saved on prep time.
About 1 hour after you start cooking, you’ll be ready to sit down to eat. The sauce for this lasagna is meaty and flavorful, with lots of nice garlic flavor and a hint of spice from the red pepper flakes. Add in more pepper when you’re preparing the sauce if you like things spicier. You can actually taste the spinach in the spinach filling because the ricotta and parmesan cheese that it is mixed in with don’t overwhelm it. Mozzarella on top, of course, adds a classic lasagna look to everything.
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