Julia's Kitchen Wisdom

by Julia Child

Another cake with nuts. For two 9-inch cakes layered together, serving 10 to 14. Preheat oven to 350°F, prepare cake pans, and pulverize 1 cup walnut meats. Sift 1½ cups all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons double-action baking powder and return to sifter. Whip 1½ cups chilled heavy cream into soft mounds and add 2 teaspoons vanilla and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Finally, beat three large eggs and 1½ cups sugar, gradually fold in two-thirds of the flour, scoop the whipped cream on top, and fold it in along with sprinklings of the walnuts and the remaining flour. Turn the batter into the pans, and bake about 25 minutes in the middle level of the oven. Let cool 10 minutes before unmolding on racks. When thoroughly cool, fill and ice as described below.

  Filled and Frosted Walnut Layer Cake. Set one of the walnut cakes on a circular rack over a tray and spread on top a good ¼-inch layer of filling, such as the brandy-butter. Turn the second cake upside down over the first and paint the top and sides of the structure with warm apricot glaze. While the glaze is still warm, brush chopped walnuts around the walls of the cake and transfer to a serving platter. Spread a thin layer of glace-royale frosting over the top of the cake and decorate, if you wish, with walnut halves.

  La Reine de Saba—the Queen of Sheba Chocolate Almond Cake

  My favorite chocolate cake. For an 8-by-1½-inch cake, serving 6 to 8. Preheat oven to 350°F, set rack in lower-middle level, and prepare the cake pan. Measure out ½ cup sifted plain bleached cake flour and ⅓ cup blanched pulverized almonds. Using an electric mixer, cream 1 stick unsalted butter with ½ cup sugar; when fluffy, one at a time beat in 3 egg yolks. Meanwhile, melt 3 ounces semisweet chocolate and 1 ounce bitter chocolate with 2 tablespoons dark rum or strong coffee, and stir the warm chocolate into the yolks. Beat 3 egg whites into stiff, shining peaks, and stir a quarter of them into the yolks. Rapidly and delicately fold in the rest, alternating with sprinklings of almonds and siftings of flour. Turn at once into the prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes, until it has puffed to the top of the pan but the center moves slightly when gently shaken.

  Let cool 15 minutes before unmolding. This type of chocolate cake is always at its best at room temperature. Serve with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, or with the soft chocolate icing.

  PERFECTLY BEATEN EGG WHITES.

  The Electric Mixer. Whether you are using a mixer on a stand or a hand-held mixer, use a round-bottomed glass, stainless-steel, or unlined copper bowl just wide enough to hold the mixer blade or blades, so that the entire mass is in continuous motion as you beat. This is essential for beating egg whites—as well as for beating whole eggs and sugar. (If you do any serious cooking, you’ll never regret investing in a professionally designed heavy-duty electric mixer. It costs money but it really does the work, and it will last you a lifetime.)

  Preparing Beater and Bowl. To make sure the beating bowl and beater are absolutely grease-free, pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt into the bowl and rub clean with a paper towel, then rub the beater with the towel. Do not rinse, since the trace of vinegar will help stabilize the egg whites. Be sure there is no trace of egg yolk in the whites.

  Beating. If the eggs are chilled, set bottom of bowl in hot water for a minute or so to warm briefly to room temperature. Whip them fast for 2 or 3 seconds, just to break them up, then start slow and gradually increase speed to fast, watching very carefully not to overbeat if you have a powerful mixer. They are done when a bit is lifted up in the wires of the beater and it forms a stiff, shining peak, bending down slightly at the tip.

  Beating Whole Eggs and Sugar “to the Ribbon.” The same general principles apply—the beater/bowl relationship, grease-free equipment, and warming the eggs over hot water if chilled. Beat 4 to 5 minutes or more, until they are thick and pale and a bit dropped from the beater forms a fat, slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface.

  Meringue-Nut Layer Cakes—Dacquoise

  Easier to make than conventional cakes, these are always immensely popular with guests. For 3 layers, 4 by 16 inches and ⅜ inch thick. Preheat oven to 250°F, and place racks in upper- and lower-third levels. Butter the surfaces of 2 baking sheets, dust with flour, and shake off excess, then mark on them three 4-by-16-inch rectangles. Pulverize 1½ cups toasted almonds or hazelnuts (be sure they are fresh!) with 1½ cups sugar and reserve. Beat ¾ cup (5 to 6) egg whites with a big pinch of salt and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to soft peaks (see box above), and continue beating as you add 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon almond extract and sprinkle in 3 tablespoons sugar. Beat to stiff, shining peaks. (This is now a Swiss meringue, which you could also turn into individual baked meringues.). By big sprinkles, rapidly fold in the pulverized nuts and sugar. Using a pastry bag, fill the 3 rectangles on the baking sheets. Immediately set in the oven and bake about an hour, switching levels every 20 minutes. They should barely color, and are done when you can push them loose. If not used within a few hours, wrap airtight and store in the freezer.

  SERVING SUGGESTION

  CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT DACQUOISE. Trim and even the edges of the layers with a serrated knife, and paint tops of each with apricot glaze. Layer with chocolate-ganache or chocolate-meringue filling, bringing it up and around the cake. Brush chopped nuts around the sides of the cake, and strew a decorative layer of shaved or grated chocolate on top. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, to soften the meringue and set the filling, but bring back almost to room temperature before serving.

  TO WHIP CREAM. For about 2 cups of softly whipped cream—crème Chantilly. Pour 1 cup of chilled heavy cream into a metal bowl set over a larger bowl of ice and water. To incorporate as much air as possible, either sweep a large balloon whip down and around and up and into the bowl with rapid strokes, or circulate a hand-held electric mixer with vigorous movements. The cream will not begin to thicken for several minutes. It is done when the beater leaves light traces on the surface and the cream holds softly when lifted.

  IMBIBING SYRUP—FLAVORING AND MOISTENING FOR LAYER CAKES. Makes about 1 cup, enough for 3 cake layers. Stir ⅓ cup hot water into ¼ cup sugar; when dissolved, stir in ½ cup cold water and 3 to 4 tablespoons white rum, orange liqueur, or cognac or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract. Sprinkle over each cake layer before spreading on the filling.

  SUGAR BOILING FOR SYRUPS AND CARAMEL. Proportions are always ⅓ cup water for every 1 cup of sugar.

  Simple Syrup. For imbibing cake layers, for instance. Stir over heat until sugar has completely dissolved.

  The Thread Stage. Used for butter creams and Italian meringue. When the sugar has dissolved completely, cover the pan tightly and boil over high heat—never stirring—until when you rapidly take up a little in a metal spoon the last drops to fall from its tip into a cup of cold water form threads.

  Caramel. Continue boiling until bubbles are thick, then uncover the pan, swirl it slowly by its handle, and boil until the syrup has darkened into caramel. Pour at once into a separate pan to stop the cooking.

  To Clean Pans and Spoons. Fill pan with water, add tools, and simmer a few minutes to melt the syrup.

  FILLINGS AND FROSTINGS

  Here is another vast subject; I am only touching on the essentials. The glorious but tricky butter cream, with its egg-yolk base, was the standard frosting and filling of classic pastry, but in modern times the equally delicious but far simpler ganache, consisting only of melted chocolate and heavy cream, has largely taken its place when chocolate is called for. Again, you will find recipes for all of the classics in other cookbooks, including some of mine.

  Italian Meringue

  To be used as a frosting and filling and as an accompaniment. Enough to frost a 9-inch cake. Beat ⅔ cup (4 to 5) egg whites with ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar and a pinch of salt to soft peaks and turn machine to slow. Meanwhile, boil 1½ cups sugar and ½ cup water to the thread stage. Beating the eggs at moderate speed, slowly dribble in the hot syrup. Increase speed to moderately fast and continue beating until the meringue is cool and forms stiff, shining peaks.

  VARIA
TIONS

  MERINGUE BUTTER CREAM FILLING. For a 9-inch cake. Cream 1 stick of unsalted butter until light and fluffy, then fold in 1 to 1½ cups of Italian meringue. Season with 1 teaspoon of white rum or orange liqueur, or 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.

  CHOCOLATE MERINGUE FILLING. For a 9-inch cake. Fold 4 ounces of tepid, smoothly melted semisweet chocolate into the preceding meringue butter cream, and flavor with 2 tablespoons dark rum.

  LEFTOVERS. May be refrigerated for several days, or frozen for several months.

  MERINGUE CREAM FILLING. To fill a 9-inch cake. Combine 1 cup of Italian meringue with 1 cup of softly whipped cream, and flavor as suggested for the butter cream.

  Chocolate Ganache

  To frost a 9-inch cake. Bring 1 cup heavy cream to the simmer in a 1½-quart saucepan. Lower heat and stir in 8 ounces semisweet chocolate broken into bits. Stir briskly until melted and smooth, then remove from heat. It will thicken as it cools.

  Soft Chocolate Icing

  For an 8-inch cake. Melt 2 ounces semisweet chocolate with 1 ounce bitter chocolate, a pinch of salt, and 1½ tablespoons rum or strong coffee (see box below). When smooth and glistening, beat in by spoonfuls 6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter. Stir over cold water until cooled to spreading consistency.

  Brandy-Butter Cake Filling

  For a 9-inch cake. Beat 1 egg over moderate heat in a small saucepan with 3 tablespoons cognac, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ tablespoon cornstarch, and 1 cup sugar. Boil slowly 2 to 3 minutes to cook the starch, remove from heat, and beat in 2 to 4 tablespoons additional butter. The filling will thicken as it cools.

  Apricot Filling

  Enough for a 9-inch, 3-layer cake. Pour the contents of three 17-ounce cans of unpeeled apricot halves into a sieve set over a saucepan. When well drained, chop apricots and set aside. Boil the apricot juice with 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅓ cup sugar, and the grated zest and strained juice of 1 lemon. When thick and syrupy, stir in the chopped apricots and boil several minutes, stirring until thick enough to hold its shape softly in a spoon.

  TO MELT CHOCOLATE

  Chocolate Melted with Liquid Flavoring. Always use the proportion of a minimum of 1 tablespoon liquid per every 2 ounces chocolate. For 1½ cups. Break into small pieces 6 ounces semisweet chocolate and 2 ounces bitter chocolate, place in a small pan, and add ¼ cup dark rum or strong coffee. Bring 3 to 4 inches water to the boil in a larger pan, remove from heat, cover the chocolate pan, and set it in the hot water. In 4 to 5 minutes the chocolate should have melted; stir to smooth it.

  Melting Plain Chocolate. Use the same system, but do not let any liquid near it. Or, for large amounts, cover the chocolate pan and set in a 100°F oven, where it will melt smoothly in about half an hour.

  The Microwave. I don’t use it for chocolate—too risky.

  FRUIT GLAZES FOR CAKES AND TARTS

  Apricot Glaze. Sieve 1 cup of apricot jam, blend with 3 tablespoons sugar and, if you wish, 3 tablespoons dark rum, and boil it down until the last drops to fall from the spoon are thick and sticky. Use while warm.

  Red Currant Glaze. Make the same way, using 1¼ cups unsieved red currant jelly and 2 tablespoons sugar.

  GLACE ROYALE—WHITE SUGAR ICING FOR THE TOPS OF CAKES AND COOKIES. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat 1 egg white in a small mixing bowl with ¼ teaspoon lemon juice and 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar. Beat in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, then slowly add up to about 1 cup more confectioners’ sugar, until you have a smooth, thick white paste that stands up in peaks. This will take several minutes of beating. If not used almost at once, cover with a slightly dampened paper towel.

  COOKIES

  Only one cookie! But a most useful one, since you can serve it not only as a cookie but as a liner for molded desserts, and you can turn the batter into a sweet container. Make a lot while you are at it, since they freeze perfectly.

  Cat’s Tongues—Langues de Chat, Finger-Shaped Sugar Cookies

  For about 30 4-by-1¼-inch cookies. Preheat oven to 425°F and set racks in upper- and lower-middle levels. Butter and flour 2 or more baking sheets, and insert a ⅜-inch round tube into your pastry bag. Briefly beat 2 “large” egg whites in a small bowl to blend, and set aside. Using a portable electric mixer, cream ½ stick of unsalted butter in another bowl with ⅓ cup sugar and the grated rind of 1 lemon. When soft and fluffy, start folding in the egg whites rapidly, with a rubber spatula, ½ tablespoon at a time. Do not overdo. Keep the mixture puffed and fluffy.

  Then, by big sprinkles, delicately and rapidly fold in ⅓ cup all-purpose flour. Turn the batter into the pastry bag and form shapes 4 inches by ½ inch spaced 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake 2 sheets at a time for 6 to 8 minutes, until an ⅛-inch border around the edges of each cookie has browned. Remove from oven and at once, with a flexible-blade spatula, dislodge cookies onto a rack. They crisp as they cool.

  VARIATIONS

  COOKIE CUPS. These make charming edible containers. For 8 cups 3½ inches across. Preheat oven to 425°F and set rack in middle or lower-middle level. Lightly oil the outside of 2 large teacups (or bowls or jars that flare out) and turn upside down. Butter and flour 2 baking sheets, and mark four 5½-inch circles spaced 2 inches apart on each. Prepare the preceding cookie batter and, one sheet at a time, drop a spoonful of batter in the center of each circle. Spread out to 1/16-inch thickness with the back of a spoon. Bake about 5 minutes, until cookies have browned to within an inch of the center. Set baking sheet on the open door of the oven. Immediately and rapidly, remove one cookie at a time with a flexible-blade spatula, turn it upside down over one of the teacups, and press into place. It will crisp almost at once. Proceed with the second cookie, remove the first from the cup to a rack, and proceed quickly with the third, then the fourth. Close the oven door to bring temperature back up to 425°F before continuing with the second sheet. (Cookies will keep a day or two in a closed container, or can be frozen.)

  Serving Suggestions: Fill with ice cream, sherbet, fresh berries, or a dessert mousse.

  TUILES. Rather than being flat, these are curved, like a roof tile. Form the cookies on a rolling pin or bottle, to make a curved shape. Or wrap them around the handle of a wooden spoon for cylinders, or around a cornucopia shape, and fill with something like a sweet raspberry mousse.

  TO PULVERIZE ALMONDS AND OTHER NUTS. Grind up to ½ cup at a time in an electric blender with on-off pulses, or up to ¾ cup in a food processor, always adding at least 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar to prevent the nuts from turning oily.

  ANOTHER FORMULA WITH GROUND NUTS: TUILES AUX NOIX—ALMOND OR HAZELNUT WAFERS. Use exactly the same formula as for the cat’s tongues, but fold into the creamed butter 1 cup of toasted and ground hazelnuts or almonds and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Then proceed to incorporate the egg whites, and finally the flour.

  P.S. BISCUITS

  I forgot the biscuits! You can’t have a cookbook, however short it is, without a proper recipe for baking-powder biscuits, and you can’t have a proper strawberry shortcake without them, either. Just before putting the proofs for this book to bed, David Nussbaum and I worked this out in Judith Jones’s Northeast Kingdom Vermont kitchen.

  Baking-Powder Biscuits

  When the talk is about biscuits I always think of Leah Chase, chef and owner of Dookie Chase’s in New Orleans, and those she baked for us on one of our Master Chef TV programs. They were the tenderest, the lightest, and really the best I ever remember eating. This is our interpretation of her method. The key to tender biscuits is using light, rapid movements, so that you activate the gluten in the flour as little as possible, and the flour itself plays a role. Southerners make their famous biscuits with soft wheat (low gluten) flour, and to approach its equivalent use part regular all-purpose and part cake flour as indicated here.

  For about 1 dozen 2½-inch biscuits, baked in a 425°F oven. Preheat the oven. Provide yourself with a pastry blender or 2 knives, a pastry sheet either covere
d with parchment paper or buttered and floured as described, and a round 2½-inch cookie cutter.

  Measure into a large mixing bowl either 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour and ½ cup plain bleached cake flour or 2 cups soft wheat (pastry) flour, plus 1⅔ tablespoons fresh lump-free double-action baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 1 table-spoon sugar. Mix thoroughly and then, with the pastry blender or 2 knives, rapidly cut in ¾ cup vegetable shortening (I use Crisco) until the flour-covered fat particles look like small peas. With a wooden spoon or your hands, lightly and rapidly, but in big dollops, fold in 1 cup of milk to make a rough, somewhat sticky, dough—do not attempt a smooth mixture at this point.

  Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and, as a gentle type of kneading, lift the far side up over onto the near side, pat it out gently into a fat circle, sprinkle on a little flour as necessary, then lift the left side over the right, the right over the left, and so forth, giving 6 folds in all. Finally spread and pat the dough into a reasonably smooth rectangle ¾ inch thick.

  Cut out biscuit circles and place them close together, but not touching, on the pastry sheet. Gently gather the scraps together and give 2 or 3 folds as before, pat out again into a rectangle, cut out the circles and place them on the baking sheet, and continue until the dough is used up. Finally, pressing the sides of each biscuit shape with your fingers all around, plump them up slightly. Set in the middle or lower-middle of the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly browned.