my chocolatey valentine

Look, you don’t need some faux-holiday to indulge in some serious chocolate, but if you’re going to celebrate or anti-celebrate valentine’s day, chocolate overkill is a pretty good way to go.  Sometimes chocolatey goodness is equated with sickly sweetness like so many embarrassingly fleeting high school crushes.  At some point, a chocoholic’s taste matures and broadens, and you realize that the intensity of cocoa tastes better when it bites back a bit. So for those of you craving more complexity in your chocolate, I present to you a chocolate tart with bite.

This tart is potent, spicy, rich and just a bit sweet – dare I say a bit more adult than those crushes of yore.  This is not for the faint of heart, the bit of pepper adds a subtle kick but the ginger really heats things up.  The chocolatey-ness is so intense, a tiny sliver is all you need and it goes well with whipped cream or ice cream.  If you love your desserts with a bit of spice, you have just found your true valentine.

Dark Chocolate Tart with Gingersnap Crust

Bon Appétit, December 2007, Molly Stevens

Crust:

8 oz gingersnap cookies

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Pinch of salt

Filling:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 large egg yolks

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped crystallized ginger

For crust: Preheat oven to 325°F. Finely grind gingersnap cookies in food processor to yield about 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cups. Add melted butter and salt; mix until moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and sides of 9-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom.  Place pan on rimmed baking sheet.

For filling: Combine bittersweet chocolate and cream in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk yolks, egg, sugar, flour, pepper and salt in medium bowl to blend.  Very gradually whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until smooth and blended. Pour chocolate filling into crust. Bake chocolate tart until filling puffs slightly at edges and center is softly set, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack. Sprinkle chopped crystallized ginger over tart. Cool tart in pan 20 minutes. Gently remove tart pan sides and cool tart completely.

12+ servings

new year, new coco

So I have been a bit MIA – travel, bored, uninspired. But it’s a new year, and tomorrow, a new hope – as all eyes will be on DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama.  Who isn’t swept up in this whirlwind of excitement when history will be made? I know our household is pretty stoked, and rather than weather the freezing masses in DC, we plan to watch it all unfold in a toasty home with some good eats. We’ll be making Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, a nod to one of the culinary accomplishments of the city that sends us their own Mr. Smith.  And for dessert, I was inspired by Obama’s childhood in Hawaii for a cake full of tropical flavor.  So for a sweet ending to a memorable election, here is a luscious coconut cake – moist, fluffy and rich – that looks and tastes just as I imagine a bite out of cloud nine would.

Coconut Layer Cake

Bon Appétit, December 1999

2 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (not coconut milk)

4 large eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

4 cups of sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and cream of coconut in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended.

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold beaten egg whites into batter.

Divide cake batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from Bon Appétit, April 2003

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (not coconut milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond or coconut extract (optional)

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, then cream of coconut and both extracts. Chill until firm enough to spread, about 30 minutes.

Frost top of one layer of cake, top with coconut to cover.  Place second cake on top and frost generously on top and all sides. Top with coconut and press coconut into sides.

have your calvados and eat it too

Happy Halloween!  It’s ok to still gorge yourself on fun-size chocolate bars, I won’t tell.  But after the kiddies go home, treat yourself to a more adult delight – like this Calvados apple cake.  Two years ago, I threw a Halloween party as a thinly-veiled vehicle to concoct pumpkin cupcakes and spiked apple cider.  It was a dismal turnout and possibly the worst Halloween party in all of history.  Those 3 of you who came, thanks for the support.  But for us merry four, or five, the spikiness of the cider sure made it seem more warm and cheerful at the time.  Especially for me, as I’m pretty sure I went through a quart of liquid gold nursing my sorrow until the first guest showed up.  The secret wasn’t the slow simmer of local-pressed autumnal cider, or the blood orange studded with cloves thrown into the pot with cinnamon sticks and crystallized ginger slices.  No, it was definitely the spicy sweet Calvados, the French apple brandy, that you top off the mug of cider with at the end.  So now, 2 years later, I have the half empty bottle of delicious apple brandy still sitting in my cabinet…and with the weather turning back to autumn, it seems the perfect time to put it to good use.

The hardest part of this recipe is preparing the apples (I used Granny Smith) and layering them for a beautiful effect.  However, I think you’ll find that filling your house with the smell of cinnamon and apples is worth the time.  I made some changes, like doubling the Calvados (hey, I’ve got to use it up!), cutting the batter’s sugar to 1/2 cup and adding some nutmeg , but the original recipe is below.  This cake is pretty dense so it is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

French Apple Cake

Bon Appetit, October 1992, Ruth Gardner-Loew

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 and 3/4 cups sugar, divided

1/3 cup water

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 large apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large egg yolks

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons Calvados, applejack or other brandy

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter and lightly sugar a 9-inch-diameter cake pan. Melt the 1/4 cup butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in 3/4 cup of the sugar, water and cinnamon and bring to boil.  Add apples and cook until apples are just tender, turning frequently, about 15 minutes.  Remove apples, using slotted spoon, and let cool.  Arrange decoratively in bottom of pan. Continue boiling liquid in skillet until thick and syrupy.  Pour over apples.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into small bowl.  Whisk remaining 1 cup of the sugar, egg yolks, eggs, Calvados and vanilla in large bowl to blend.  Gently stir in dry ingredients.  Fold in the 1/2 cup melted butter.  Pour batter over apples in pan.  Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Cool cake in pan 5 minutes.  Run small sharp knife around side of pan to loosen cake.  Turn cake out onto platter.

Serves 8

epic fail-proof

Ok,  sometimes you just need some cookies around the house.  Something to dunk, something to nibble on, something to grab in-between on-the-go just-because.   Plus, baking them makes the kitchen smell wonderful.  This is my go-to recipe for anytime cookies because I always have these stock ingredients in the pantry, the recipe is easily halved, and it takes about 5 minutes to make except for the grueling wait for them to bake.  Some people love chocolate chip cookies, but I just find the chewy texture of oatmeal cookies very comforting.  These are not proper oatmeal raisin cookies because they lack any spices but they remind me of a big bowl of perfect oatmeal with golden brown sugar and dotted with butter.  I have no idea where this recipe came to me from, but you can not fail with this recipe – add in your most favorite mix-ins and trust me, they will come out perfect for your next cup of coffee.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoons salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

2 cups your favorite mix-in  (like 1 cup m&ms and 1 cup your favorite chopped nuts, or 1 cup dark chocolate chunks and 1 cup dried cranberries.  basically, whatever floats your cookie-boat as long as it adds up to 2 cups total)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cream the butter and sugars.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, co,mbine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Blend the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.  Add the oats and your 2 cups of mix-ins.  Drop by the tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets (you can line them with parchment paper for easy removal).  Bake about 12-14 minutes until a light golden brown.  Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack (or your mouth).

Makes 4 dozen cookies

as easy as peach tart

Some parts of the country have had extensions in their peach season (oh global warming, how delicious you are!) and we get to luck out as a result.  I like fruit pies, but get a bit grossed out if they’re too syrupy.  Especially cherry – the smooshy cherryskin carcasses always gave me the creeps.  Enter the tart – light, delicate, and fresh.   This recipe tastes like summer on a plate – the peaches are front and foremost, lightly highlighted with a drizzle of honey, a pat of butter, and a sprinkle of almonds.  Top it with some whipped mascarpone, and you’ve just made some humble peaches very happy.

Honey-glazed Peach tart with Mascarpone Cream

Bon Appétit, August 2003

Crust

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 and 1/2 tablespoons ice water

Filling

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

6 ripe medium peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (about 4 cups)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

2 tablespoons peach preserves, melted

Mascarpone cream

1 cup chilled whipping cream

6 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For crust:

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor.  Using on/off turns, cut in butter until pea-size pieces form.  With machine running, add enough ice water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps.  Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk.  Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour.  Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round.  Transfer to 9-inch diamter tart pan with removable bottom.  Trim overhang to 1 inch.  Fold overhang in and press to form double-thick sides.  Press inside edge of crust to push it 1/8 to 1/4 inch above top edge of pan.  Pierce bottom of crust with fork.  Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Bake tart crust until golden, piercing with fork if bubbles form, about 25 minutes.  Can be made 1 day ahead – cool, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.

For filling:

Mix sugar, flour, and lemon peel in large bowl to blend.  Add peaches and toss to coat.  Pour into baked crust.  Drizzle honey over peach mixture; dot with butter and sprinkle with almonds.  Bake until peaches are tender and almonds are toasted, about 35 minutes.  Brush fruit and almonds with peach preserves.  Cool 15 minutes before serving.  Can be made 6 hours ahead – store tart at room temperature.

For mascarpone cream:

Using electric mixer, beat cream, mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until peaks form.

Slice tart and serve with dollops of mascarpone cream.

Makes 6-8 servings

the cupcakes that started it all

When I was young, my mom told me that a freckle on your right hand is a sign of a good cook.  As I searched my limbs for this cosmic trait, my eyes widened at the freckle above my elbow.  Does that even count?  It’s on my arm.  In Bengali, haath can mean hand or arm, so I was uncertain of my fate.  My mom deftly exercised her own freckle-power; armed with my grandmother’s million variations on curry, she came to America and added a delectable Thanksgiving turkey, a rustic spaghetti, and my favorite french toast to her repertoire.  In comparison, I’m pretty sure my freckle is too far up to have an effect.  And yet, it’s just too much fun cooking, baking, learning and trying (despite some inedible disasters along the way).

One of my husband’s great loves is the cupcake.  So naturally, I had to master that little harlot if I was going to truly keep his undivided attention.  Six years ago, my friend Julie was living in New york and she told me of this famous bakery that made the most delicious everything.  For my birthday, she sent me The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook with some fabulous raspberry crumb squares that she made.  Two weeks later, I made their vanilla cupcakes for Wes’ birthday and it was love at first bite.  Perfectly moist, crumby, buttery goodness topped with real buttercream – guaranteed to kickstart your own cupcake love story.

Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake

The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torrey

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, one the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.

Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full.  Bake until tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20-22 minutes.  Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing.

Makes 24 cupcakes or 1 three-layer 9-inch cake

Traditional Vanilla Buttercream

The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torrey

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft

8 cups confectioner’s sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place butter in a large mixing bowl.  Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and the vanilla extract.  Beat until smooth and creamy.  Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (you may very well not need all of the sugar).  If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.  Use and store icing at room temperature, as icing will set if chilled.  Can store in airtight container up to three days.