Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake

Source: adapted from Suzanne Goin "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" by Brett (who owns the blog site "in praise of sardines")

5 oz. hazelnuts, blanched to remove dark skins (a little over a cup)
½ lb. unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing the pan)
½ vanilla bean
1⅓ c powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting the cake
⅓ c all-purpose flour
5 extra-large egg whites (6 if using large eggs)
3 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Use the extra butter to grease a 9 or 10-inch cake pan. Cut out a parchment circle of the same dimensions as the pan and place it in pan. Rub butter on top of that too.

In the oven, toast the nuts until they turn golden brown and aromatic. Allow to cool.

To make brown butter, place the half pound butter in a pan over medium heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the butter, and add the pod halves. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. The butter will initially foam up and then subside and the milk solids will start to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. Pay close attention at this stage to ensure that the butter does not burn. It is a good idea to use a wooden spoon to scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last few minutes to ensure even browning. Allow butter to cool to room temperature (if short on time, transfer to a bowl to speed up cooling). Remove and discard vanilla pod.

In a food processor, combine the cooled hazelnuts with the powdered sugar and grind finely. Add the flour and pulse once or twice to blend. Transfer these dry ingredients to a bowl.

[Feb. 6: Before proceeding with this part of the recipe, I again recommend checking out Shuna's expert hints and tips!] In the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment (if you do not have one, use a regular bowl and electric beaters), combine the egg whites and sugar. Mix on high speed speed until the egg whites form very stiff peaks, meaning the peaks will hold when you turn the whisk upside down. Be careful not to over whip the whites, however. Transfer the whites to a large bowl. Once the whites are whipped, you have to work quickly.

Using a wide rubber spatula, alternate folding the dry ingredients and the brown butter into the egg whites, about a third at a time. Use as light a touch as possible to avoid deflating your egg whites too much. Make sure to get all the browned bits of butter at the bottom of the pan as well.

Pour this batter into the cake pan and place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Test with a wooden skewer after about 50 minutes. When no moist bits stick to the skewer, remove cake from oven and place on a cooling rack for half an hour. Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan (will not be necessary if using a non-stick cake pan). Invert cake onto a plate, then peel off parchment paper and turn cake back over onto a pretty serving plate.

Dust cake with extra powdered sugar and serve. Chef Goin suggests serving the cake with unsweetened whipped cream and pears caramelized in butter. Recipes for the pears are in her spectacular book, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, which I highly recommend.

12/11/06: Peanut Lovers' Cookies

Source: Staff Meals from Chanterelle, David Waltuck and Melicia Phillips

Makes about 3 dozen 2-inch cookeis

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (firmly packed) light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 jar (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter
3 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly butter two baking sheets.
2. Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl and cream them together until light and fluffy. Add the salt and baking soda and mix well to combine. Add the eggs and mix well to combine. Add the peanut butter and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl until it's thoroughly incorporated.
3. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing to thoroughly incorporate it before adding more. You'll have a very thick dough.
4. Place a bowl of warm water next to your work surface. Use your fingers to roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Use the tines of a fork to slightly flatten each cookie, pressing gently to make a cross-hatch pattern. Lightly dip the fork into the warm water between cookies to prevent it from sticking to the cookie dough.
5. Bake until the cookies just begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.
   

12/6/06: Mama's Marinara

Source: Rocco DiSpirito

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped fine
3 tbsp olive oil
chili flakes to taste
2 28-ounce cans tomato puree, Red Pack brand if possible
1 28-ounce. can crushed tomatoes, Red Pack brand if possible
1 tbsp tomato paste, Red Pack brand if possible
1 tsp sugar
1 cup chicken stock
red pepper flakes to taste
salt to taste

1. Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil in a sauce pot over a medium-low flame, about 10 minutes or until garlic is tender and onions translucent, not brown (this is called "sweating" because it will draw out a lot of moisture and flavor). Add the chili flakes to taste.
2. Add all the tomato products. Pour the chicken stock into one of the 28-oz cans. Fill it the rest of the way with water and add that and the sugar to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and cover. Simmer the sauce for about 1 hour. The sauce should be fairly thin, but not watery and very smooth. Uncover and simmer for 3 minutes if it is too thin for your taste; add a little water if it seems thick.

Yield: Serve 6

Published: 01/26/06

© Spirit Media 2004-2006 All Rights Reserved

12/6/06: Momma's Meat Balls

Source: Rocco DiSpirito

1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
¼ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground veal
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
3-6 cups Mama's Marinara, or your favorite marinara
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley in a blender of food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, parsley and salt. Combine with both hands until mixture is uniform. Do not over mix.
3. Put a little olive oil on your hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls. They should be about ¼ cup each, though if you prefer bigger or smaller, it will only affect the browning time.
4. Pour about 1/2-inch of extra virgin olive oil into a straight-sided, 10-inch-wide sauté pan and heat over medium-high flame. Add the meatballs to the pan (working in batches if necessary) and brown meatballs, turning once. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
5. While the meatballs are browning, heat the marinara sauce in a stockpot over medium heat. Lift the meatballs out of the sauté pan with a slotted spoon and put them in the marinara sauce. Stir gently. Simmer for one hour.
6. Serve with a little extra Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top. Serve alone or over spaghetti (in which case, you will need 6 cups of marinara).

Yield: Serves 4 as antipasto or over spaghetti
Published: 01/26/06

© Spirit Media 2004-2006 All Rights Reserved

12/6/06: Deluxe Apple Tart

Source: The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Desserts
10 servings
Pastry
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling
6 medium-sized Golden Delicious apples (about 2 pounds)
1 10- to 12-ounce jar apricot preserves
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Prepare pastry dough: Into medium bowl, measure flour, margarine or butter, sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons cold water. With fingertips, mix together just until blended, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed.
2. Press dough onto bottom and up side of 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom; refrigerate.
3. Prepare filling: Peel and core 3 apples; cut into chunks. In blender, combine 1/4 cup water with about one-third of apple chunks; cover and blend at high speed until apples are pureed. Add remaining apple chunks, a third a time; blend until smooth.
4. Pour pureed apples into 3-quart saucepan; stir in 1/2 cup apricot preserves and 2 tablespoons sugar. Over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook, uncovered, about 20 minutes until applesauce is very thick, stirring frequently.
5. Peel remaining 3 apples. Cut each apple lengthwise into quarters; remove cores.
6. Cut each apple quarter lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
7. In large bowl, gently toss apple slices with lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
8. Preheat oven to 400F. Fill tart shell with applesauce and cover with apple slices.
9. Bake tart 45 minutes or until apple slices are tender and browned. Remove pan to wire rack.
10. With spoon, press remaining apricot preserves through sieve into small saucepan; over medium heat, heat to boiling. Cook 2 minutes longer or until preserves are thick enough to coat a spoon. Brush preserves evenly over apple slices. Cool tart in pan on wire rack.
11. To serve, carefully remove side of pan.

12/4/06: New York Style Cheesecake

Source: The Cook's Illustrated Magazine (03/02)
For the crust, chocolate wafers (Nabisco Famous) can be substituted for graham crackers; you will need about 14 wafers. The flavor and texture of the cheesecake is best if the cake is allowed to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. When cutting the cake, have a pitcher of hot tap water nearby; dipping the blade of the knife into the water and wiping it clean with a kitchen towel after each cut helps make neat slices.

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake, serving 12 to 16

Graham Cracker Crust
1	cup graham cracker crumbs (4 ounces, 8 whole crackers, broken into rough pieces and processed in food processor until uniformly fine)
1	tablespoon granulated sugar
5	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus additional 1 tablespoon melted butter for greasing pan
Cheesecake Filling
2 1/2	pounds cream cheese , cut into rough 1-inch chunks and left to stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes
1/8	teaspoon table salt
1 1/2	cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
1/3	cup sour cream (2 1/2 ounces)
2	teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
2	large egg yolks
6	large eggs

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with most of remaining melted butter, making sure to leave enough to brush pan in step 3. Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.
2. For the cheesecake filling: Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese at medium-low speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula; add salt and about half of sugar and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; beat in remaining sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add yolks and beat at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add whole eggs two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, and scraping bowl between additions.
3. Brush sides of springform pan with remaining melted butter. Set springform pan on rimmed baking sheet (to catch any spills if springform pan leaks). Pour filling into cooled crust and bake 10 minutes; without opening oven door, reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of cheesecake registers about 150 degrees, about 11/2 hours. Transfer cake to wire rack and cool 5 minutes; run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours. (Cake can be refrigerated up to 4 days.)
4. To unmold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving plate. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

12/4/06: Cherry-Almond Oatmeal Scones

Source: The Cook's Illustrated Magazine (09/03)

This recipe was developed using Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour; best results will be achieved if you use the same or a similar flour, such as Pillsbury unbleached. King Arthur flour has more protein; if you use it, add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons milk. Half-and-half is a suitable substitute for the milk/cream combination.

Makes 8 Scones

1	cup rolled oats (4 1/2 ounces) or quick oats
1/2	cup slivered almonds
1/4	cup whole milk
1/4	cup heavy cream
1	large egg
1 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
1/3	cup granulated sugar (2 1/4 ounces)
2	teaspoons baking powder
1/2	teaspoon table salt
10	tablespoons unsalted butter , cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2	cup dried apricots (I used dried cherries instead)
1	tablespoon granulated sugar for sprinkling

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread oats and almonds evenly on baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 7 to 9 minutes; cool on wire rack. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Line second baking sheet with parchment paper. When oats are cooled, measure out 2 tablespoons and set aside.
2. Whisk milk, cream, and egg in large measuring cup until incorporated; remove 1 tablespoon to small bowl and reserve for glazing.
3. Pulse flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined, about four 1-second pulses. Scatter cold butter evenly over dry ingredients and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, twelve to fourteen 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl; stir in cooled oats, almonds, and apricots. Using rubber spatula, fold in liquid ingredients until large clumps form. Mix dough by hand in bowl until dough forms cohesive mass.
4. Dust work surface with half of reserved oats, turn dough out onto work surface, and dust top with remaining oats. Gently pat into 7-inch circle about 1 inch thick. Using bench scraper or chef’s knife, cut dough into 8 wedges and set on parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Brush surfaces with reserved egg mixture and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes; cool scones on baking sheet on wire rack 5 minutes, then remove scones to cooling rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Serve.