I can’t remember the first time I had carrot cake, but I’m sure it wasn’t until I was well into my adult years.  It’s strange now that I think about it because my mother used to make a mean carrot salad.  The basic ingredients aren’t all that different except for the mayonnaise she’d dollop in the huge bowl of grated carrots and raisins before stirring in some sugar, and I’ll bet I can find more than one recipe for carrot cake that calls for mayo, too.  Mind you, this would be much to the complete horror of my husband who steers clear of anything that suggests mayo is an ingredient.

Other than cheesecake or an occasional pineapple upside down cake made in a skillet, my mother’s cakes came from a box, as did mine for years.  Can carrot cake actually be made from a box mix?  Perhaps that’s why I don’t remember ever tasting one.  I could blame it on family members more inclined to request chocolate cake:  chocolate peanut butter, German chocolate, and even a chocolate mint cake that unfortunately reminded more than one of us of toothpaste.  Sadly, there were no requests for carrot cake.

In the years since, I’ve learned that everyone seems to have made carrot cake but me and relies upon a favorite recipe.  I, on the other hand, have only made it twice:  the first time, I used a good friend’s recipe (sans the crushed pineapple she says she never adds) which was delicious;  the second time, I decided to look for a recipe that was made with olive oil.  Most of the recipes I’ve considered use from 3/4 to 1-1/2 cups of oil, so if  oil is going into a cake, why not make it monosaturated?

Perhaps it might soothe concerns about butter, mascarpone and sugar as one bites into this fabulously luscious cake.

Olive Oil Carrot Cake

For the cake batter…

250ml/8-3/4 fl. oz. olive oil
500g/1 lb. + 1 oz. sugar
4 eggs, beaten
250g/8-3/4 oz. all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. salt
125g/4-1/2oz. walnuts, coarsely chopped
250 g./8-3/4 oz. raisins
500g/1 lb.+1 oz. carrots, peeled and grated

For the icing…

125 g./4-1/2 oz. unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
250 g./8-3/4 oz. mascarpone
250g/8-3/4 oz. powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Pour olive oil, sugar and eggs in a medium bowl and blend well. Sift flour and remaining dry ingredients into a separate bowl. Add egg and oil mixture and stir until the mixture is uniformly moist. Add the walnuts, carrots, and raisins, stirring until incorporated.

Line two 8-in. cake pans with removable bottoms with baking parchment.  Spray with oil, then lightly dust with flour. Divide cake batter evenly between the two prepared pans and set on a baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center is removed clean.  Allow to cool at least 15 minutes in the pans on a baking rack before removing the layers from the pans to cool completely.
For the icing, mix the softened butter and mascarpone with the vanilla in the bowl of a standing mixer until smooth.  Add powdered sugar gradually, beating on medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Spread each layer with half the icing before stacking layers. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes:

• This is a very dense, moist cake with lots and lots of yummy texture.  A little slice will go a very long way in satisfying a sweet tooth.
• This recipe was adapted from one I found at BBC — Food and it forced me to use my kitchen scale.
• With a bit more than a cup of oil, this recipe’s quantity is average compared to others I looked at.   Make sure to use a good quality olive oil.
• The center of the cake will sink as it cools.
• Check out the link if you’d like a larger, single layer cake.
• Now, I’m off to find a version that uses applesauce.  I’ve heard that creates a nice, moist carrot cake as well.

Related posts:

1. Spiced Upside-Down Apple Cake The very last issue of Gourmet sits in a stack...
2. 12 Layers: White Dobos Torte I haven’t always been a contrary person, but when I...
3. “Pasteria” with Balsamic Strawberries and Basil I love ricotta, but I’ve never had truly fresh ricotta,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The very last issue of Gourmet sits in a stack along with the most recent issues of Saveur, Bon Appetit, and Food & Wine — all barely touched.  Holiday catalogs I’d rather not receive lay scattered in the mix as well reminding me that I should probably pay attention.  How can it be the end of November?  The month has flown by and with it my favorite season of the year, leaving only a few days to think about recipes I’d like to try this year for Thanksgiving.  Outside of making a simple list of traditional dishes and leaving it to sit on the kitchen counter, I’m still not prepared.

I’ve accepted that this just won’t be the year to try yet another way to mash and flavor potatoes with the likes of parsnips or roasted garlic, white truffle oil or black truffle shavings.  I won’t have to wonder why a stuffing recipe calls for freshly made cornbread that has to sit on the counter for a day before it can be cubed and tossed with other ingredients to make an herby stuffing.  And I’ve decided that deep-frying a ton of microscopically thin onion rings to flavor a new spin on the classic green bean casserole won’t be happening, either, even though it was quite a fabulous recipe.  No, we’re going to be relatively conservative this year which is why I was able to spend some time in the kitchen today trying a new recipe with some of my favorite flavors:  apples, pecans, and cinnamon with a hint of orange.

David Guas’ Spiced Upside-Down Apple Bundt Cake was perfect from the moment I saw it in Food & Wine’s “Last Bite.”  Even though I’ve never owned a bundt pan, it was the least of my worries because the recipe calls for buttermilk.  Whenever I buy buttermilk,  it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and is forgotten until long after the date stamped on it, then ends up down the drain.  Not this time!   I found it with a day to spare — not that I could tell given its characteristic pungent smell.

How does one tell whether buttermilk is sour when it always smells badly?  It’s a very good thing that it works so nicely as a cooking ingredient, don’t you think?

Spiced Upside-Down Apple Cake

The recipe can be found here in the November 2009 issue of Food & Wine.

Make the streusel first and make sure to add the pepper.  Yes, it’s unusual, but it’s very nice with this cake since the apples are sweet.  They compliment one another well.

The spiced apples are so tasty I had trouble keeping myself from spooning them right into my mouth.  Make sure you saute them only until just beginning to soften and then spread them out on a baking sheet to set in the fridge to cool.

The cake batter is thick and easily spooned over the cooled apples in the generously oiled (Pam) cake pans.

The brioche tins baked for 45 minutes, and the 6″ round cake for 1 hour.   Test for doneness with a wooden skewer.  After they come from the oven, let them sit for 5 minutes before turning them upside-down on a baking rack positioned over a baking sheet.  You may have to rescue a few apples stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Just add them to the top of the cake.

Divide the streusel evenly over the cakes, pressing gently into the apples.  They’re quite moist so let cool an hour before serving.

Notes:

• I used cardamom in the streusel instead of cinnamon. I couldn’t resist. Its somewhat citrusy taste had me thinking of lemon pepper, but that didn’t quite pan out.  Although I could taste the pepper in the streusel when eaten alone, it was less noticeable when I sampled the finished cake.  I’d definitely add more pepper next time.
• I didn’t have Calvados so used Laird’s Applejack instead.  No, it’s not quite French apple brandy from Normandy, but it worked out quite well in this cake.  There is no boozy taste at all — something I don’t enjoy in baked desserts.  If you’d rather not use alcohol, apple cider will work just fine.
• Fuji apples were substituted for the Granny Smith’s because I was out of those as well.  Fuji’s aren’t as tart, but they held up well and the flavor was excellent.
• We enjoyed this cake.  It’s super moist and surprisingly light in texture with hints of orange laced through it.  The streusel topping provides a perfect crunch.  Although pecans are ground in the streusel, I think next time I’d enjoy chopping a few more to add to the apples before spooning the mixture into the pans.
• Raisins or dried cranberries would be a nice addition to this cake as well.
• Definitely a keeper!
• Oh — of course you can make this with one 10-inch bundt pan.

Related posts:

1. Apple Walnut Pancakes A friend of mine gave me a bag of small,...
2. Waldorf Salad sans Mayo We’ve been eating quite a bit of soup and salad...
3. Vols-au-vent: Spiced Poached Pears with Hazelnut Sabayon It was only a matter of time that I’d have...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

About this time last year, I was editing the nearly 800 photographs I took while on vacation in Italy and as much as I can say that I enjoyed reviewing our trip in front of my Mac, one photo in particular stood out.  It was taken the first day we were in Rome from the kitchen window of the apartment we rented.  We’d visited the farmer’s market in the Campo di Fiori directly after arriving because I swore I was going to cook on vacation.  The market was near closing time so the vendors were busy packing up their product when we arrived rushing to gather the ingredients for our dinner. Of all the items still displayed, the tomatoes caught my eye.  Red, plump, shiny tomatoes.  I recognized their shape as something I’d only seen on the label of cans in select stores until that time.  More elongated than a Roma,  definitely thinner in the center, and a deep, deep red.  I knew they were San Marzanos, so of course I had to buy some for our pasta that evening.

Later in our trip while window shopping one morning in Sorrento, I saw packages of San Marzano seeds, but I resisted buying them.  I pictured the passive-aggressive customs officers pulling them from my bags as if they were dangerous contraband, and glaring at me for my indiscretion, so decided to wait until I returned home to order them on line.

Procrastination is my middle name, so it wasn’t until this past March that I accompanied my good friend to Tomato-mania, an event held at the Quail Botanical Gardens in San Diego.  While there, I chose five tomato plants:  1 heirloom, 1 yellow cherry, and 3 Super San Marzanos.  My friend chose several varieties as well.  Although I do consider myself a gardener, I’m a bit out of practice and have very little space to plant anything.  Therefore, I knew the tomatoes I’d purchased would end up potted, and in spite of my better judgment, I decided to plant them all in one large pot.   I knew the pot would be far too crowded, but the real experiment was to judge whether there was enough sunlight on the side of my house to actually grow tomatoes.  I thought that if my experiment worked, then I’d be willing to pull out the perennials in one of my flower beds and plant tomatoes the next year.  (Although this is somewhat true, I’ve decided it’s as good an explanation as any, and if you believe me, then I have swamp land in Florida you may be interested in.)

My tomatoes did grow as plants have a tendency to do if watered and fed occasionally, and the San Marzanos were the first to show fruit.  Unfortunately they were also the first to show evidence of blossom rot, which is caused by over-watering, under-watering, over-fertilizing, under-fertilizing, or a combination of any or all above.  I do appreciate that Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes who provided me with that information on a day when as much as I knew that the growing conditions for my tomatoes weren’t great, that having tomatoes that were plump and a gorgeous color of red did excite me until I saw the darkish bottom on several.

And then there were my friend’s tomatoes…

On July 4th, I finally picked quite a few to make two tomato herb tarts.  My friend had invited us over for the holiday and so I thought it was the perfect appetizer to share before she said, “Don’t bring tomatoes.”  This was actually code for I have a zillion trillion tomatoes coming from my gifted tomato plants and we’ve been eating tomatoes like there’s no tomorrow.

I did end up making my tomato herb tarts and if you’re like my friend who has so many tomatoes she gives them away,  then this recipe is definitely for you.  It’s extremely easy to make, you can make it ahead of time, it travels well,  and I promise the shell won’t be soggy.

Tomato Herb Tarts

2 sheets purchased puff pastry

1 whole egg, beaten

1 c. Parmesan, freshly grated

4-5 San Marzano tomatoes

goat’s cheese

fresh herbs

minced garlic

extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Remove the goat’s cheese from the fridge and warm to room temperature.  Chop the garlic and mix with about 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Slice tomatoes into 1/4″ rounds and place on several sheets of paper toweling.  Liberally sprinkle with salt, then cover with more paper towels.  Allow to sit for about 30 minutes, then gently press the tomatoes to remove any excess moisture.

While the tomatoes are sitting, lightly flour a work surface.  Gently roll each sheet of puff pastry until each is even in thickness and shape.  Using a rolling cutter, trim two 1-inch pieces from the short end of each rectangle.  Next, trim two 1-inch strips from the long end of each rectangle.  Place both rectangles on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet and brush egg around the perimeter.  Place the long strips around the exterior of the rectangle over the egg wash.  Brush the strips with egg wash again and trim any uneven edges.

Using a fork, evenly pierce the inside of the pastry surface.  Divide the Parmesan between the two shells sprinkling over the entire surface.

Bake 10-12 minutes then turn oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and very crisp.  Remove from oven and transfer immediately to a wire rack.

If you’re ready to put the tarts together immediately, then turn the oven back up to 425 degrees F.  Spread a thin layer of goat’s cheese over each tart shell.  Place the tomatoes evenly over each and dab on the garlic oil mixture.  Sprinkle on the chopped herbs and a bit more freshly grated Parmesan. Bake about 10 minutes.  Allow to cool a few minutes before slicing to serve.

Notes:

• I have made puff pastry only once and failed miserably.  Yes, I’ll give it another go, but not quite yet, so in the meantime, I’m glad I tried Aussie Bakery’s Puff Pastry at Whole Foods.  Lovely product — especially if you want to make a nice tomato tart.
• I used lemon thyme, basil, parsley, oregano, and green garlic from my very own little herb box that has managed to escape the bugs so far this year.  After the tarts were done baking, I chopped some fresh sorrell, mixed it with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled that over the top.
• I baked my tart shells ahead of time and allowed them to cool completely.  I packed up the dried tomatoes and herb oil with my softened goat’s cheese and assembled the tarts at my friend’s house — 5 minutes prep max.
• The shells were amazingly crisp even after sitting for a while after baking.
• This recipe was very loosely based on one from the August 2003 issue of Cook’s Illustrated, primarily for the tart shell and tomato preparation.
• My friend sent me home with about 6 lbs. of her tomatoes and because we were going on vacation, I popped them just as they were into the freezer.  I thawed them at room temperature after we returned and made a tomato spinach soup which was quite yummy.  In the process, I learned that after tomatoes thaw out, the skins come right off — no parboiling needed!
• My tomato plants are still producing, but only 4-5 at a time.  Not exactly enough to make a sauce with, unfortunately.  I guess I may have to pull out those perennials to get ready for next year, right?  Otherwise, how will I ever be able to keep up with my friend and her tomato growing skills?

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It’s becoming very apparent that I’m a complete failure at this business of working and trying to keep a food blog. I’m surprised, actually, because for years and years I managed to work a ridiculous number of hours and still have time to occasionally pretend that I might be Martha — sans the income, of course.  I’ve figured out that because I used to have so little time to do anything, I took quite a few shortcuts, or completely gave up what I enjoyed.

A few nights ago, I was yet again trying to explain to my very patient husband what the problem is;  I find solace in quiet activities that are often solitary in nature and often have a tangible product.  They’re things that keep my hands and mind busy and are often of a creative nature that can also be considered practical. Of course writing here packs several of those interests all into one nice product, so it makes sense that I’d enjoy it.  Unfortunately, for me it’s not very practical.

Therein lies the rub.

This would be the enormous excuse for why I’m just now getting around to posting The June Daring Bakers’ Challenge, hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart….er….pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.

Making a Bakewell Tart isn’t all that difficult if you’ve had lots of practice making pie crust.  It’s perfect with a cup of tea or coffee and a good book enjoyed on a sunny morning patio, or near a fireplace on a chilly day.  In fact, making a Bakewell Tart isn’t all that time consuming, either.  No, it’s more the time needed (and enjoyed) to read the forum at the Daring Kitchen to see what creative ideas others are using to make the experience more challenging, or to sit at my Mac on reveal day, clicking from one blog to the next, enjoying the stories and photos that accompany each baker’s experience.  I seem not able to manage both.

So here I sit well past June 27th, just now showing my tart.  It’s the first day of the July 4th weekend and the start of our family vacation time.  The sky is cloud free for the first time in more than a week and blue as blue can be.  It figures.

I’m sure there’s a lesson in this somewhere, so perhaps I’ll take my book out on the porch, stretch my legs and turn my face to the sun to doze a bit and wonder what I can do to avoid giving up something I truly enjoy yet again.

In the meantime, here’s my delicious Mixed Berry Bakewell Tart.

Here’s the recipe as provided by our hosts:

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it’s overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be “poofy” and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle.  After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Kelly’s Notes:

• I chose to make an easy jam of blackberries and raspberries.  I used equal quantities (300g) of each cooking them over a medium heat with 30g. granulated sugar until soft and thickened.  Off the heat, a squeeze from half a fresh lemon stirred in before cooling finished it off.  I actually enjoy the seeds in berry jam so didn’t use a sieve to remove them.  This is Jasmine’s recipe, so thanks!  For the most part, I’ve made fresh fruit filling using a microwave method from Baking with Julia which would also work perfectly for this tart.
• I made the pastry by hand on the same evening I made the jam and kept both in the fridge for a day and a half.  I’d never used the grater on the butter before and really liked the ease of this technique which I’ll use from now on when making pastry and biscuits.
• I rolled the pastry between two pieces of plastic wrap before placing it in a 9″ square tart pan and trimming the edges.
• The rest comes together quite quickly so make sure you have everything ready!
• I used parchment to make a design to place over the almonds and dusted the warm tart with powdered sugar.

If you’ve made it this far down the page and are still reading, thank you very much.  I’ll figure out how and when I’m able to keep writing here one way or another.  I hope.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Time has just flown by lately and with it, my opportunities to not only write as much as I have, but cook the way I’ve always enjoyed cooking — experimenting with new recipes.  Since coming back from Mexico, I’ve been mulling over an opportunity that has taken on a life of its own and me with it.  For the next year or so, I’ll be out of the house again for most of the day so will have to learn to adjust to writing here in the time I have left.  I know there are many of you who do this successfully, so I’ll look to you for inspiration and perhaps a schedule!  By all means, share your secrets with me so I can find a good balance.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a tart I made recently inspired by yet another tart made with some lovely vegetables from Specialty Produce. Although the brief and somewhat elusive season for ramps is close to ending (April – May) , I was able to sample them for the first time.  Ramps are wild leeks harvested by foraging in wooded, mountainous areas, and from what I’m learning, quite the reason to celebrate since they’re a sign of spring.  Ramps are a member of the allium family, so I decided to sample them with green garlic and shallot shoots knowing that whatever I ended up making would be delicious.  Unfortunately, the first tart was prepared for a dinner party, and since I’m challenged to find a way to shoot great photos while entertaining, I decided to recreate the tart using a different collection of vegetables from the onion family.

Because I was home alone that evening, I was thrilled not to have to share this amazing tart with anyone.

Three Onion and Leek Tart with Goat Cheese and Creme Fraiche

For the crust…

3 T buttermilk

1/3 c. ice water

1 c. flour

1/4 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. sugar

lg. pinch salt

7 T cold unsalted butter, chunked

For the topping…

1 leek, white and light green parts sliced thin and rinsed thoroughly

2 lg. cloves garlic, minced

3 cippolines, sliced

1 cambray onion, sliced

1 lg. shallot, sliced

1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

For the creme…

1/4 c. creme fraiche

1/4 c. goat cheese

1 tsp. fresh thyme

salt & pepper to taste

To make the crust, mix the buttermilk with the ice water in a small measuring cup and keep cold.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and cornmeal, then “pinch in” the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal of uneven sized crumbs.  Using a tablespoon, sprinkle a bit of the buttermilk-water mixture over the meal a bit at a time and mix lightly with a fork until it begins to hold together.  Only add as much liquid as needed to form a soft but not sticky dough.  Gather the dough into a ball and flatten it, wrap well in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  If you’d like to make two or more small tarts, divide the dough accordingly, flatten and refrigerate.

To make the creme, combine creme fraiche, goat cheese, thyme and seasoning in a small bowl and stir until well blended.  Leave at room temperature until ready to use.

To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat.  Add all the vegetables at once, stirring to coat with the oil.  Cook slowly, and stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft and very fragrant, but not browned, about 15 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.

To make the tart, remove the dough from the fridge and between two sheets of plastic, roll into one or more disks about 1/8″ in thickness.  Place on a parchment lined baking pan and spread a light layer of the creme over the surface, leaving at least a 1-inch border.  Mound the softened onion filling over the creme, and then fold the edge of the dough up over the filling pleating it as needed.  Lightly salt and pepper and place in a preheated 400-degree F oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool briefly on the baking sheet and either serve immediately, or cool completely at room temperature on a baking rack.

Notes:

• I made two small tarts — each about 7″ in diameter when finished.  One tart is plenty as a main course, or perfect to share if you add a salad.
• The first tart I made essentially the same way, but combined ramps, green garlic, and shallot shoots.  I made three and cut them into quarters to serve as a starter with wine and most of us agreed that we’d have been satisfied to skip dinner and just eat the tarts.
• The crust is one from Flo Braker and is truly special.  Although I’ve had trouble with it in the past, I bear with it because it is so delicious.  It can be made with yogurt, creme fraiche, or sour cream instead of buttermilk.  It can also be made in a food processor, but ends up so much more workable if you make it by hand.  The refrigeration is absolutely necessary, and depending on how warm the weather is, you may find you need to pop the tart in the freezer for a few minutes before baking.  The results are well worth the effort because it’s a delicate, flaky, but pleasantly crunchy crust.  It freezes well, too.
• A few explanations about the onions:  cipollines are small, flattened looking onions that fit in the palm of your hand.  They’re quite sweet and have mellow flavor when cooked.  Cambray onions are also called grilling onions.  They look like green onions but with larger, onion-sized bulbs.  They are truly fabulous when grilled.  I’ve also seen them at local farmer’s markets called spring onions, but with bulbs not quite as large.
• The creme is something you can truly make your own by adding other cheeses or herbs.  I enjoy the tang of the flavors with the onions is wonderful.  If you don’t have creme fraiche, then sour cream is good as long as it isn’t too thin or watery.
• This particular combination of flavors also makes for a great pasta dish.  Add sauteed mushrooms to the onion mix and pour over your favorite pasta.

Related posts:

1. Cool Zucchini Soup with Lemon-Cumin Shrimp and Cilantro Creme I’d like to believe the weather we’ve been enjoying is...
2. Meyer Lemon and Blackberry Chiffon Pie In the months before my youngest was born, my mother...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

One of the techniques I’ve shied away from has been making puff pastry.  Although I can be fairly tenacious, when I feel like I’ve worked diligently on something and it doesn’t turn out, I’m not willing to jump back to the task to get it right.  Let me adjust that — when it comes to something that isn’t important in the grander scheme of things, that is.  Making puff pastry would fit into that category.  If you’re a pro at making puff pastry, then you’re most likely thinking, “What a quitter.  It’s not that challenging…” and I would agree temporarily, but being the contrary person I am by nature, I’d come back with, “Yes, but when’s the last time you tore down a fence in your pajamas on the spur of a Monday morning moment while enjoying your first cup of coffee?“  And then I’d go inside and start a not quite puff pastry dough, but yeasted laminated dough all the same.

I think what annoys me most about my failings as a cook is the waste.  Yes, I absolutely learn something in the process of failing and know it to be an extremely important aspect of learning, but it’s the time invested when I’ve put off doing something else.  It’s the waste of product if it’s not eaten, and therefore, a waste of money as well.

Sounds grand, doesn’t it?  It’s really because I don’t like having my butt kicked by a recipe.

A good strategy after a colossal failure is to break down the task.  Perhaps begin again with something similar, but not quite as involved.  After success once, give it another go and pat yourself on the back.  Bask in the glow of your accomplishment and then instead of tackling the dreaded initial failure again, try another recipe, again similar, but a bit more involved.  Practice developing patience with copious amounts of deep breathing.   Think about those turns and all that butter nestled between those layers.  Still not quite puff pastry, but getting close.

So very close.  And some chocolate never hurts in the process, right?

I’ll get there.  I will.  You wait.

Pastry Ring with Dark Chocolate and Cardamom

For the pastry…
2 lg. eggs
3/4 c. warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 T sugar
2 c. unsalted butter, divided
1-1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

For the filling…
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter at room temp
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. ground almonds
1/2 c. finely grated semi-sweet chocolate

For the wash…
1 lg. egg yolk
2 T milk

In a small bowl, beat the eggs well.  Add the warm water (105-115 degrees F) and sprinkle over the yeast.  Stir to dissolve the yeast and set aside for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift the flour and add the salt, sugar, and cardamom.  Cut 1/2 c. of the cold butter into small cubes and mix it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, or with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the yeast liquid.  With a wooden spoon, working from the center and circling outward, incorporate the flour gradually until it is all combined.  With a floured hand, knead the mixture in the bowl into a smooth dough, about 2 minutes.  Form a ball and cover, allowing it to rest int the fridge about 20 minutes.

While the dough is resting, with a rolling pin, beat the remaining 1-1/2 c. cold butter between sheets of plastic wrap until it is soft and creamy and set aside.

On a very lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a loose rectangle, about 3/8″ thick.  With an offset spatula, spread butter over 2/3′s of the rectangle.  Fold the unbuttered third of the rectangle over the center third.  Then fold the remaining buttered third over the other two.  You now have three layers of dough with butter in between two of them.

Turn the dough so that the long side is perpendicular to you.  This is a quarter turn.  Roll it into another rectangle, about 1/4″ thick.  Fold it into thirds exactly as before but no butter is added this time. Complete 3 more turns.  Sprinkle it very lightly with flour, wrap well in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Toward the end of the chilling time, make the filling.  Cream together the sugar and butter until smooth.  Stir in the ground almonds and vanilla until well mixed.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll the chilled dough to 3/8″ thickness and a rectangle about 25″ x 10″.  Spread the filling over the dough leaving a 1/2″ border around the edges.  Sprinkle the shredded chocolate over the filling.

Beginning at the nearest long end, tightly roll the dough away, creating a long rope.  Make sure the edge is underneath.  Bring the two edges around to meet one another to form a ring, and dampen the ends with water to help them adhere.  Place the ring on a parchment covered baking sheet.

With a pair of kitchen scissors dipped in flour, cut diagonal slices into the ring about 1-2″ apart, making sure not to slice down too far into the bottom.  If desired, twist the slices a bit so that they’ll lean into one another.

Make the wash by mixing the egg yolk and the milk, then brush over the pastry.  Avoid brushing on the inside of the swirl.  If desired, sprinkle a coarse-grained sugar such as demerara over the top of the pastry ring.

Bake for about 25 minutes, turning the pastry once in the middle of the baking time.  It should be well-puffed and very deep brown when it is done.  Allow it to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving it to a rack to cool a bit more before serving.

Notes:

• This recipe was adapted from one found in the Joy of Cooking.  I have to say that following the directions in that cookbook make me want to rip my eyeballs out.  Is it the only cookbook in publication that believes that method is helpful, or am I the only one who doesn’t care for it?
• I began the dough early one day and allowed it to rest in the refrigerator overnight before resuming the turns.  I allowed it to chill again for 2 hours after finishing the turns.
• Evidently, this one recipe can make 2-9″ rings.  I, of course, made one humongous ring.  So now I’m wondering about the effect of that information on my end product.  The upper portion of the pastry was light, crunchy, and flaky.  The bottom not so much.  And I was worried to leave it in the oven longer, so who knows.  Maybe you have some advice for me?
• I chose to sprinkle on the grated chocolate instead of mixing it into the filling.  I’m thinking I should have mixed it.  At some point, all the butter melted and I can’t help thinking some flavor was lost.  I was careful not to cut too far down into the pastry when making my slashes, but must have done so in some places because there was a pool of butter and filling.
• The pastry is very light, buttery, and not too sweet.  If you’re one who loves sweet and gooey pastry, then this won’t be something you’ll enjoy, but we enjoyed it.  My husband took half to work, and I gave the rest to my mother, so it will serve quite a few.
• Will I make this again?  Maybe.  I still have croissants to tackle which means conquering puff pastry.  Stay tuned.
• A printable version of this recipe is available here.

On the chocolate I used in this pastry…

• The shaved chocolate I used was provided by Mars, Inc. who was sponsoring a taste test of their American Heritage Chocolate.  Mars, Inc. also makes Dove chocolate.  Although the Dove chocolate is sliky smooth and very creamy, the American Heritage chocolate is very firm, crunchy, and has an interesting spice to its flavor.  We truly enjoyed its flavor.  It’s a handcrafted dark chocolate made from an authentic colonial recipe and contains chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, spices, nautral flavors, annatto, and salt.
• Annatto in chocolate?  Interesting.  Evidently, it was used to deepen the color of chocolate in Europe until the 17th century, so that’s why it the colonial recipe includes it.  I’m used to seeing annatto in ground form (achiote molido), or in a small paste brick usually incorporated into Mexican recipes. In fact, I have a chicken recipe lined up.
• It specifies that the chocolate can be substituted for any recipe that calls for semi-sweet chocolate, but that it should only be grated or shaved.
• I also received a couple of colonial recipes with my samples, one of which is a Chocolate Tart made with rice flour that I’m planning on making soon.
• For more information about American Heritage Chocolate, visit their web site. It’s full of information, including some great videos on how chocolate was made in colonial times. (You can take the person out of teaching, but you can’t take the teacher out of the person…I’m a complete nerd!)

Related posts:

1. Chocolate Macarons with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Buttercream I’ve tried to remember the first time I saw a...
2. Chocolate Almond Dipped Sandwich Cookies Last year at this time, our house was completely torn...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.