1/24/07: Velvet Chocolate Torte with Clear Orange-Caramel Sauce

Source: Emeril's Delmonico by Emeril Lagasse

Make one 10-inch torte, 12 servings

3/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted, melted
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 large whites
3/4 cup confections' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons Kahlua, Tia Maria, or other coffee-flavored liqueur
1 recipe Clear Orange-Caramel Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Soread the pecans and walnuts on a small baking sheet and bake until frangrant and lightly toasted, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
3. Place the nuts and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor and with the machine running, add the melted butter in a slow stream through the feed tube and process until combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the nut mixture for the topping and press the remaining mixture evenly across the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan.
4. Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water and stir until melted. Set aside.
5. To make the meringue, combine the egg whites, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
6. In a clean bowl using clean beaters, whip the cream with the Kahlua until stiff peaks form, being careful not to overbeat.
7. Place the chocolate in a large bowl and add one-third of the meringue, stirring until well combined. Fold in the remaining meringue in 2 additions, being careful not to overmix. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, being careful not to deflate the mixture, and pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of the nut mixture over the top, wrap the pan with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
8. To serve, slice the cake using a thin, sharp knife dipped in warm water and arrange on 12 plates. Drizzle the orange-caramel sauce to the side of each slice and serve.

*Clean Orange-Caramel Sauce
Makes 1 3/4 cups

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1. Combine the sugar, water, orange zest, and lemon juice in a medium heavy saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves, stop stirring and continue to cook until the mixture thickens and turns golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and add the orange juice (the mixture will bubble up). Return to medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and cool to room temperature before serving. (The sauce will thicken as it cools.)
   

1/18/07: Cream Cheese Pound Cake

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

Make 1 cake; serves 10


1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 package (8 ounces) Philadelphia brand cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly butter a 10-inch tube pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla, then the flour and salt all at once. Beat just until incorporated.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. 1 1/4 hours.
4. Place the pan on a cake rack and cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

1/17/07: Our Favoriate Brownies

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

Makes sixteen 2-inch-square brownies

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
10 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (firmly packed) light brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a few grinds of black pepper (yeah...that's right!)
1/4 cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Combine the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler and place over gently simmering water. When the mixture is almost completely melted, remove it from the heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until both the butter and chocolate are completely melted and blended together. Pour the mixture into a medium-size bowl and let cool to room temperature.
3. Once the chocolate mixture is cool, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pepper and whisk well to combine.
4. Add the cocoa powder and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition to thoroughly incorporate. Stir in the nuts, if desired. Then pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies still has a slight coating of batter on it when removed, but when inserted near the edge of the brownies comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the brownies cool (the center will finish cooking to a nice chewiness), the cut them into square to serve.
   

01/12/07: Toasted Hazelnut-Almond Biscotti

Source: Butter Sugar Flour Eggs by Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small chunks with a heavy knife
1 1/2 cups whole hazelnuts, toasted and peeled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 tablespoons almond liqueur (recommended: Amaretto)

Up to 4 tablespoons waterHeat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large sheet pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together. Transfer 1/2 cup of the mixture to a food processor. Add the toasted almonds and grind until fine and powdery, about 45 seconds. Add to the dry ingredients. Add the chopped chocolate and whole hazelnuts and mix.

Whisk the eggs, extracts, and almond liqueur together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix. The dough may seem dry, but it will come together as you work it. If the dough doesn't come together, add water. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 equal pieces. Wet your hands and roll each piece of dough into a flattened log about 10 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 1-inch high.

Transfer the logs to the pan, leaving at least 3 inches between the logs (they will spread during baking). Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes to ensure even baking.

Let cool 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Wipe off the sheet pan and grease it again.

Using a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices, discarding the ends. Arrange the slices cut side up on the sheet pan. Bake until toasted, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the oven off, prop the oven door open, and let cool completely in the oven to set the chocolate. Store in an airtight container.

01/09/07: Ginger Pumpkin Bread

Source: Everyday Food, October 2006

Serves 12; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus room temperature butter for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cups)
3 large eggs
sugar glaze* (see note)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch (6-cup) loaf pans; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs; add flour mixture, and stir until just combined.
2. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; invert pans and transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool completely. Glaze, if desired.

Note: Sugar Glaze
In a small bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons water until mixture is smooth but thick. Place waxed paper under rack for a quick cleanup. For easy pouring, transfer glaze to a liquid measuring cup, and drizzle over loaves. Let dry 15 minutes before serving. Makes enough for 2 loaves.