Adapted from a recipe in Saveur Magazine

Recently, I came across an article titled “Here’s the Scoop”, written by Molly O’Neill.  It’s in the Aug/Sept issue of Saveur magazine.  In the article she talks about the science of making “rich and creamy” ice cream.  I had a vague idea of the “science”, so my interest was peaked.

She also writes about one entrepreneur, Jeni Britton and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream stores in Ohio and a lonely one in Tennessee.  Jeni has a new book out called, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home (Artisan, $23.95).  In it she walks the readers through her novel technique, for what Molly believes is some of the creamiest, most flavorful ice cream on which she’s ever laid her tongue.

The long and the short of her technique is that she uses, among other ingredients, a small amount of corn starch.  This replaces the traditional egg yolks as the binder for the frozen emulsion.    She also boils the liquid to reduce the water content, thus concentrating and denaturing the milk proteins which then allows a greater ability to bind the remaining water and fat.  She also uses some cream cheese, which is high in casein proteins; another binder.

She goes on in more detail about the “science” and has included an ice cream base recipe, plus three variations: Blackstrap Praline, the Darkest Chocolate in the World, and a Beet with Mascarpone, Orange Zest, and Poppy Seeds.  Since Jeni said that her base is a starting point for any ice cream, I of course came up with my own version; a Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl recipe.

2 cups whole milk
4 teaspoons (1/2 ounce) cornstarch
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 cup (8 ounces) smooth natural peanut butter, divided
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 pinch of sea salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup hot fudge sauce*

In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside.  Place the cream cheese and ½ cup of peanut butter in a bowl and set that aside as well.

In a 4-quart saucepan, whisk together the remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Cook for 4 minutes and then stir in the cornstarch slurry.  Return the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Pour ½ cup of the hot milk mixture into the bowl of the peanut butter/cream mixture and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the remaining milk mixture and vanilla extract.

Place the bowl with the mixture in an ice bath and stir occasionally until cool.  Cover and refrigerate until cold; 6 – 8 hours, or over night.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacture’s instructions.  Transfer to a freezer-proof bowl and quickly swirl in remaining 1/2 cup peanut butter and ¾ cup chocolate sauce.   Cover and freeze until hard.  Serve with remaining hot fudge sauce, or use the sauce to make another batch of ice cream.

Hot Fudge Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar or dried cane juice
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring cream, corn syrup, sugar, cocoa, and salt to a boil in a 1 to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat.  Reduce heat and cook at a low boil, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate and stir until smooth. Cool cool completely before adding to churned ice cream.

I was riding home on the train recently during which time I got a phone call from Jon.  “Hey meet me at the 38th Street Station”, he said.  Pourquoi I inquired?  We need to go downtown to pick up 23 dozen eggs from our farmer friends, Curt and Paul.  23 dozen eggs?  Immediately visions of ice cream popped into my head.  The reason for this “sugar plum” thought is thanks to my friend Zoë François and her recent delicious looking post for making, “The Best Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream“.

Though, we will be distributing many eggs to friends, who also enjoy the golden organic yolks and sturdy whites, we will be left with plenty.  Therefore, using almost a dozen to make an ice cream base will not even make a dent in our storehouse.  I also had a quart of sour cherries that I dried last year still in the freezer.  These are the cherries from Maple Leaf Orchards, Spring Valley, WI, which by the way, will be at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market, July 23, 2011.  Anyway, I pulled out some, made a quick simple syrup in which to simmer them and then added some ameretto for soaking them.

Okay, note that if have looked at Zoë’s blog via the link above, I make my ice cream base slightly different than she makes her base.  Whereas, she adds the sugar to the milk/cream mixture, I whisk the sugar into the egg yolks and then temper them with the hot milk.

What I have heard is that adding the sugar to the milk/cream helps in preventing the mixture from boiling over. Adding the sugar to the yolks, helps in preventing the yolks from scrambling when the hot milk/cream is added.   Personally, I would rather keep an eye on the milk and take more precautions in not scrambling the eggs.  Either way, one of the steps will require a watchful eye.  However, you will get the same results.

After it was all said and done (making the ice cream I mean), I’ve come to the conclusion that there are at least two schools of thought as far as sweets.  The first school is for folks who enjoy tart and sweet together.  The other is for people who enjoy only sweet.  If you use dried sour cherries, as I did,  you will be in the first school.  You will taste the sweet of the ice cream and chocolate.  Then, you will bite into the cherry, which will cause you to want to take another bite of the ice cream to taste the sweetness again. Is that really such a bad thing?  If you are in the second school, I would recommend, instead, using dried sweet cherries.  These would be folks that have a serious sweet tooth.

Brandied Cherries:
4 ounces dried sour or sweet cherries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
½ cup brandy or ameretto

Bring the water, sugar and cinnamon to a boil in a small saucepan.  (The goal here is to rehydrate the cherries before all the liquid evaporates.  Therefore, a saucepan is favored over a sauté pan.)  Add cherries and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the brandy or ameretto.  Let cool, topping off with extra Brandy if needed.  I didn’t need to add any additional this time.  Cover and allow to steep over night or longer.  Strain the cherries from the juice just before ready to use.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Base:
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 large vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
10 large egg yolks (180 grams)

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (reserved for the final step)

Combine milk and cream in heavy medium saucepan.  Split the bean down the center and lay open two halves.  Taking the back of the knife, scrape the seeds from vanilla bean.  Add the seeds and the bean to the milk mixture.  Bring to a simmer, which will take about 5 minutes.  Don’t walk away as there is nothing worse than cleaning-up cream that has boiled over the pot.  Remove from heat and let steep for up to an hour.  The flavor will become more pronounced the longer it sits.  If the mixture has cooled bring it back to a simmer before proceeding.

Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.  What you don’t want to do is pour sugar onto eggs and then not stir together, as the sugar will draw out the moisture from the eggs, causing bits of the egg to become hard and will never dissolve.

After the cream has come to a simmer, remove from the heat and whisk a small amount of cream into the egg mixture, adding enough cream to warm the eggs.  Once the eggs are warm, add them back into the pot with the remaining cream.  If you ever see the phrase, “tempering the mixture”, this is what you are doing.

With a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, (one that has not been used to sauté garlic) gently stir the custard over low heat until it thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when your finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes.  Do not let it boil!

Have an ice bath at the ready.  Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer or chinois into a bowl.  Set the bowl into the ice bath and stir to cool.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

For the most delicious results, allow the custard to sit in a refrigerator for anywhere from 6 to 12 hours.  If you want only vanilla ice cream freeze this custard in an Ice Cream Maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you are adventuring beyond vanilla, churn the custard in the ice cream maker.  Then, scrape the churned ice cream into a freezer-proof bowl.  Mix in the strained brandied cherries and chocolate chunks.  Cover and place bowl in the freezer until good and hard.

My friend Elise was gracious enough to share this recipe with me.  If I remember correctly, it’s actually a recipe she got from her mother.  I had every intention of  making it back in June, but somehow that month got away from me.

However, according to the u-pick farms, we still have at least two more weeks to enjoy the local berries here in Minnesota.  Now’s the time to save a couple of pints to slice for this delicious recipe.  I’m guessing that it would make a wonderful French Toast with additional fresh berries on top.

4 cups (1.2 pounds) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs, (5 1/4 ounces) room temperature
2 ½ cups (14 ounces) washed, dried and sliced fresh strawberries
2/3 cup (6 ounces) whole milk sour cream, room temperature

Position a rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.  Lightly butter the bottom and sides of two 9x5x3 loaf pans and line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper.  Butter paper and lightly dust with flour, shaking out excess.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next.  Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in the strawberries.

Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and on low speed in three additions, alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream.

Divide batter between the 2 prepared loaf pans and smooth the tops.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool 20 minutes in pans then remove and cool completely before slicing.

Serve with softened cream cheese as a spread.

There are many variations of this cake from the Basque region of France.  My version was originally created for PastureLand and I hope that it will still be published on their site.  However, this great company in jeopardy of closing its doors, which will be a huge loss for all of us that enjoy this fabulous butter.  Therefore, I decided to go ahead and publish it here too as another way of keeping the hope alive that a solution will be found to keep their doors opened.

Of course with most everything I do, I’m always pushing the envelop.  In this case since there was almond flour in the freezer gilding the lily was in order.  I substituted some of the all-purpose flour with almond flour and bumped up the flavor even further by adding a little pure almond extract.  Almonds and cherries are a classic combination.

I realize that not everyone is going to have brandied cherries in their refrigerator, but if you have some at hand, add a few to balance the sweetness of the jam.  I have a couple of jars of said cherries as I made a sour cherry apéritif  last summer using the fruit from Mark and Sue Christopher’s trees of Maple Leaf Orchard, Spring Valley, WI.  I talked to Mark last Saturday at the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market.  He said that if the abundance of flowers are any indication, it should be a great crop of fruit this year.

I’ll try and post the recipe for brandied sour cherries and the Sour cherry Apéritif come July when the fruit will be plentiful.

1 ½ cups (6 ¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 ¾ ounces) ground almond flour or 1 ¾ ounces sliced blanched almonds, processed to powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (7 ounces) organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) PastureLand unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
¾ – 1 cup (6 – 8 ounces) thick cherry jam
1/3 cup of brandied sour cherries, cut in half (optional)
1 large egg, beaten with about 1/2 tablespoon of water for glazing the cake
Crème Fraîche or Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)

Whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat another 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the extracts and mix for about a minute more.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in two or three additions, mixing only until they’re fully incorporated.

Divide the dough approximately in half and place each half between large pieces of plastic wrap.  One can be a little larger than other other as you will need one piece dough to be rolled to an 8 1/2-inch diameter round and the other to 8-inch in diameter round.

Place the doughs on a baking sheet and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.   When you’re ready to assemble and bake the gâteau, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350ºF.  Generously butter a 8 x 2-inch round cake pan.  Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.

Remove one of the pieces of dough from the refrigerator.   Cut out a round of dough 8 1/2 –inches in diameter.  Fit the round in the bottom and up the sides of the pan by ½-inch.  If it tears a little, just press the piece together.   Spoon the jam onto the dough, starting in the center of and leaving 1/2 -inch of dough bare around the edge.   Using a pastry brush, moisten the bare edge of dough with a little water.

Remove the second piece of dough from the refrigerator and cut out 8-inch round of dough.  Set this piece on top of the jam filled piece.  Gently slide an off-set spatula down against the outside of the dough and push the ½-inch piece over on top of the piece that was just placed on top of the jam.  The goal is to seal the top dough to the bottom one.

Brush the top of the dough with the egg glaze and use the tips of the tines of a fork to etch a cross-hatch pattern across the top.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for 5 minutes before carefully running a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. Turn the cake over onto a cooling rack and then quickly and carefully invert it onto another rack so that it can cool to room temperature right side up.

The cake is delicious eaten plain or enjoy it with a dollop of crème frâiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore the flavor and aroma of lavender.  But, when it comes to using this fragrant herb in cooking a little goes a long way.  Therefore, when I see recipes calling for as much as one tablespoon of lavender in a couple of dozen cookies I get somewhat leery that they will taste more like Savon de Marseille.

Here I took a traditional shortbread and added just 1 1/2 teaspoons of chopped dried lavender and the zest of one organic lemon.  It has just the right balance of floral headiness and the brightness of citrus.

The best part is that the recipe is very quick to put together.  And, they’ll be delicious as an after Easter dinner sweet with a glass of Sauternes.  Go ahead and make two batches, so that you will have a couple to enjoy with a cup of tea as well.

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (1¼ ounces) semolina flour
5 tablespoons (3 ounces) granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) PastureLand unsalted butter
Zest of one lemon, (preferably organic)
1½ teaspoons dried lavender blossoms, finely chopped

Sift flour and semolina into bowl.  Add sugar, lemon zest and lavender blossoms.  Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine bread-crumbs.

Press into a 7-8 inch round or square baking tin or floured shortbread mold.

Prick all over with a fork and sprinkle with additional sugar (pearl sugar) if desired.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes in 325° oven.  Cool slightly and score into wedges (if a circle) or squares so shortbread can be broken (cutting into pieces is thought to bring bad luck to the recipient).

Let cool completely and serve.

The recipe is also posted on the PastureLand co-op website.  Please check out all other recipes that I have created for them.

Why is it that I’m always intrigued by the most complicated recipes when perusing the cooking magazines that land in my mailbox? This time it was a classic Sicilian Cassata or Ricotta Cake in the April 2011 issue of Saveur magazine that caught my whimsy. I thought that if it was a success, I’d make it again for Easter Dinner.  But why tackle this recipe test alone when your friend is Zoë François of Baking with Zoë and she has invited you to spend the day baking whatever you want in her beautiful kitchen?

On a recent Monday morning I arrived with ingredients in hand, except of course the ricotta that was still sitting in my fridge. After a quick trip to the co-op, we got down to the opportunity at hand. Zoë hung the sheer curtains around her sunny breakfast room to defuse the copious amounts of sunlight streaming in the windows. (Of course, I’m still using blue painters tape to hang mine when I set up my “studio” for blog photos.)

After reading the recipe through several times, we divided it up so that our limited time would have the greatest success. We had barely started when we stopped to admire the farm fresh eggs that my friends, Curt and Paul, had brought from their farm, The Gentleman Farmers, Inc. in Richmond, Minnesota.  They provide Bret’s Table with dozens of these gorgeous and delicious organic, free-range eggs on a regular basis. With eggs admired, we forged ahead only to halt moments later to pay equal homage to the wonderful citrus whose rinds we were about to candy for the decoration on the finished cake.

The Cake:
With the photographs of the eggs and citrus taken, we got down to the business of baking. The cake batter came together quite easily, but the 9-inch cake pan was definitely too small. As it baked, it rose a good 1/2-inch above the rim, only to fall from its own weight as it cooled. Note to self—using a 10-inch cake pan would have worked much better. Zoë’s idea, though, of baking it in a half-sheet pan was brilliant, and the amount of batter called for in the recipe was perfect.

The Marzipan:
We tackled the marzipan, learning from the experience of making it twice. When the recipe calls for using “only enough egg white to form a smooth dough,” don’t let that last bit of egg white dribble into the food processor, as it will become too wet. How does one remedy this mishap? Remove the dough from the processor, process another ½ cup of pistachios and add the “wet” dough in pieces back into the processor, buzzing the whole mixture again. Also there is no need to roll the dough much wider than the rim of the pie pan (or in the case of Zoë’s recipe, a bread pan).

The Candied Fruit and Simple Syrup:
Instead of using the simple syrup called for in the recipe, we used the syrup from the candied kumquats.  Here’s a link to Zoë’s blog to make your own candied fruit.

The Ricotta Filling:
Finding a one-pound container of whole milk ricotta was impossible, and I didn’t find it prudent to purchase a second container for one ounce. Therefore I made an executive decision and decided on fifteen ounces per recipe. After squeezing out as much whey from the ricotta as was humanly possible, we opted for mixing the filling in the food processor, again following the pictures instead of the recipe. The results were very soupy and it was doubtful that it would ever set. Luckily, Zoë had about four pounds of full-fat cream cheese in her fridge. We measured off ½ pound for each recipe, whipped it in the stand mixer and then incorporated it into the filling. At that point it was a perfect consistency.

The Assembly:
I lined a 10-inch pie plate with plastic wrap as I couldn’t find a 12-inch plate called for in the recipe.  Based upon the pictures included with the recipe, we determined that we needed to line the rims of our respective pans with the marzipan before adding the cake strips (again you’ll see when Zoë’s posts her recipe, she’s using  a bread loaf pan). This step was not noted in the recipe itself. We added the first layer of cake slices to the bottom of the pan and brushed them with the simple syrup. We then poured the “altered” filling into the mold and topped it with the second layer of cake slices, brushing them with more simple syrup. Finally we covered it with the overhanging plastic wrap and laid it to rest in the fridge overnight.

Finishing the cake:
The next day we unmolded our respective cakes and poured the glaze (the one component we didn’t change) over the top of the cake. Back in the fridge it went to allow the glaze to set before it was decorated with the candied fruit, sliced and enjoyed.

In the end the cake was as delicious as it was beautiful decorated with the jewels of candied fruit. Since I have enough leftover ingredients, I’ll be making it again for our Easter dinner. If I do say so myself, it will be the centerpiece of the buffet table! And, not to worry blog fans Zoë will be posting her rendition of the cake as well in time for Easter.

Recipe as published in Saveur:

Butter, for greasing pan
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting pan
2/3 cup plus 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest (organic if possible)
6 large eggs
1 cup shelled pistachios
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
White of 1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur
1 pound whole-milk ricotta, drained overnight in a cheesecloth-lined strainer, or ricotta impastata
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Whole candied fruits, such as oranges, apricots, and cherries, halved

Candied citron, cut in strips

Heat oven to 350°
Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan; set aside. Combine 2/3 cup granulated sugar, zest, and eggs in a large bowl and beat on high speed of a stand mixer until pale and light, about 5 minutes. Add flour and fold to combine. Pour into cake pan and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, let cake cool completely, and remove cake from pan.

Using a serrated knife, cut cake crosswise into 1/2″-thick strips; set aside. Line bottom and sides of a 12″ metal pie plate with plastic wrap; set aside.

Process the pistachios in a food processor until finely chopped. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and process until finely ground. With processor running, slowly add enough egg white to form smooth dough.

Transfer dough to a work surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and knead until smooth. Using a rolling pin, roll marzipan until 1/4″ thick. Cut into 2″-wide strips and line side of pie plate with strips, flattening where they overlap to form one continuous ring; set aside.

Heat 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, then stir in Grand Marnier; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining sugar, ricotta, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth, 2–3 minutes; set aside.

To assemble, line bottom of prepared pie plate with cake strips, cutting to fit, and then sprinkle with 5 tablespoons Grand Marnier syrup; place ricotta mixture on top of cake and spread evenly to fill pie plate, smoothing top. Cover top of ricotta mixture with remaining cake slices, cutting to fit evenly, and drizzle with remaining syrup; trim excess pistachio marzipan and then wrap pie plate in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 2 hours.

Meanwhile, combine remaining confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl to make a thick glaze. Invert pie plate onto a serving dish and peel off plastic wrap. Pour glaze over cake to cover evenly. Decorate with candied fruits. Refrigerate cake until set, 2 hours or overnight.

This recipe first appeared on the PastureLand website.
Makes one 9-inch cake

Rosemary was a symbol of love in the middle ages.  It’s also a classic pairing with almonds. Why not combine these two ingredients to make one delicious cake.  It can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerated for up to 1 week.

½ cup (3 ounces) fine yellow cornmeal
½ cup (2 ounces) cake flour, not self-rising
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for buttering the cake pan
¾ cup (7 ounces) almond paste, softened
1 ¾ cups (7 ½ ounces) confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
¾ cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter sides and bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with a piece of buttered parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the cornmeal with the cake flour, baking powder, salt and rosemary and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter and almond paste, mixing on medium speed until very smooth.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla extract, and beat until light and fluffy.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the egg yolks and whole eggs, 1 at a time, fully incorporating in between additions, until smooth.

Add the sour cream and beat until fully blended then add the flour, cornmeal mixture.  Mix until just incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface. Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden, puffy and just pulls away from the side of the pan.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert the cake, from the pan onto the rack and let it cool completely. Turn the cake right-side up.  Just before serving,  sift the top with confectioners’ sugar.

APPLE STRUDEL
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

There are so many activities that can occupy one’s time on a cold, winter day here in Minnesota, so Kevin, Jen and I chose to spend the day making strudel.  We decided to make the same dough recipe but roll it around three different delectable fillings; a Pear, Roquefort and Pecan, the Apple (recipe below) and a Chocolate.

The only time that I have ever seen strudel dough made and stretched by hand was by Mr. Rick Rodgers himself. (For a second, I was just going to just say by Mr. Rodgers, but that name conjures up a gentleman in a sweater asking if he would be your neighbor.)

Anyway, since we realized earlier in the week that making a traditional cassoulet, which was our original plan, would take upwards of three days to prepare, we settled on making this Austrian pastry.  It’s quite easy to make actually, especially if a second pair of hands are there to assist in stretching the dough.

Strudel Dough
1 1/3 cups (6 ½ ounces) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry; add a little more water if necessary.

Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.

Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inchround table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches. Cover your working area with tablecloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.

Jen and Kevin stretching the dough

Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

Letting gravity help stretch the dough

The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it’s about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Apple Filling
2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

Heat 3 tablespoons (1 ½ ounces) of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Remove breadcrumbs to a shallow bowl and let it cool completely.

Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, or you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands).

Bread crumbs and walnuts on strudel dough

Sprinkle the buttered dough with the breadcrumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.l  Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling.

Jen rolling up her chocolate strudel

Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself.

Ready for the oven

Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

Now out of the oven

Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Pear and Roquefort Strudel served with a salad

]]> http://www.bretstable.com/recipes/strudel-an-austrian-pastry/feed/ 4 http://www.bretstable.com/recipes/orange-pecan-cookies/ http://www.bretstable.com/recipes/orange-pecan-cookies/#comments Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:42:56 +0000 BRETM http://www.bretstable.com/?p=2265

This is a recipe that I added to my cookie repertoire a couple of years ago.  It combines elements from my southern food memories; that being oranges, pecans and cornmeal (i.e, grits).  And, of course how could one not like something dipped in  chocolate.

Makes about 4 dozen 2 inch cookies

2 cups (9 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) course ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon (1/8 ounce) kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
Zest from one large navel orange, preferably organic
1 teaspoon pure orange extract or 1/4 teaspoon pure orange oil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) toasted pecans, ground
6 ounces chocolate coating wafers

Stir together flour, cornmeal, salt and baking soda in medium bowl.  Set aside until ready to use.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Beat in egg yolks, zest, and extract until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and stir in the flour mixture and pecans just until combined.  Remove from bowl bringing  dough together with your hands or a spatula.  Divide dough in half and flatten. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to one day.  Dough can also be frozen for up to one month.

When ready to roll out, heat oven to 350º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats

On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll half of dough 1/4 inch thick. With floured 2-inch round or square cookie cutter, cut out dough.  Place 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake in 350º F oven 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on wire rack.

Melt chocolate in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat. Dip one edge of each cookie into chocolate. Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet.  Let stand until chocolate hardens, 1 hour. Can be stored at room temperature for a week or frozen for about 1 month.