Terra : Cooking from the Heart of Napa Valley (9780307815323)
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1¼ cups sugar
6 egg yolks
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
Cashew Brittle
1 cup sugar
¼ cup strongly brewed coffee or espresso
3 tablespoons corn syrup
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup toasted cashews
6 peaches, peeled and pitted
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream, beaten to soft peaks and sweetened to taste
1 (½-pint) basket fresh raspberries
TO PREPARE THE CAKES, preheat the oven to 325°. Sift the pastry flour into a large bowl. Add ¾ cup of the sugar, the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining ½ cup sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold one half of the egg whites into the yolk mixture, then fold in the other half. Fill twelve individual (3-inch) angel food pans or one 10-inch angel food cake pan three fourths full with the batter. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake is browned and springy to the touch. Let cool slightly. To unmold, run a knife around the inside of the cake pan and invert it. Let cool completely.
TO PREPARE THE BRITTLE, combine the sugar, coffee, and corn syrup in a medium, heavy sauce-pan. Bring to a boil and cook until the syrup registers 310° on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda and cashews with a wooden spoon; the baking soda will cause the candy to foam up. Don’t overmix, but once fully incorporated quickly pour the brittle out onto a baking sheet pan, and spread it into a flat layer. Set aside to cool completely. Put the brittle in a heavy plastic bag and break it up into small pieces with a rolling pin or mallet.
Cut the peaches into eighths and toss with the sugar and lemon juice. Let sit for 2 hours.
TO SERVE, place an individual cake or a generous slice on a plate. Place the equivalent of half a peach and some of the juice from the peaches along one side, then spoon the whipped cream partially over the cake. Top the whipped cream with the cashew brittle and scatter raspberries around the peaches.
Sautéed Strawberries in Cabernet Sauvignon and Black Pepper Sauce with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Sautéed Strawberries in Cabernet Sauvignon and Black Pepper Sauce with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Serves 4
We love this dessert. It’s like an adult ice cream sundae. Berries marry beautifully with the flavor of Cabernet Sauvignon, and the pepper adds an intriguing edge. You’ll find lots of other uses for the light, slightly sweet, crunchy sacristan cookies. We serve this dessert in oversized martini glasses, with a single cookie perched across the rim. It makes a stunning presentation. This is an easy dessert for a big group, as the recipe can be increased many times.
Sacristan Cookies
10 ounces puff pastry, made with unsalted butter
½ cup clear crystallized sugar or sanding sugar
½ cup finely chopped slivered almonds
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Cabernet Sauvignon and Black Pepper Sauce
1¼ cups good-quality Cabernet Sauvignon
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
Small pinch of freshly ground black pepper
(about one turn of a peppermill)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut lengthwise into quarters or halves, depending on size
1 pint vanilla bean ice cream
6 fresh mint sprigs
TO MAKE THE COOKIES, preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured board, roll the puff pastry out into a 12 by 5-inch rectangle that is ⅛ inch thick. Refrigerate until solid, about 30 minutes. Line a small baking sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the crystallized sugar and almonds. In another small bowl, combine the egg yolk and water to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the puff pastry. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture evenly over the pastry, then turn the pastry over and brush the second side with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture. Trim the edges of the dough so that it is squared, then cut it lengthwise into ½-inch strips to make 8 or 9 cookies. Take each strip and gently twist from both ends about 4 times. If the dough has gotten too soft to twist, refrigerate for 20 minutes and try again. Place the sticks on the parchment paper as straight as possible and 1½ inches apart. Refrigerate until the dough sets, about 30 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool.
TO MAKE THE SAUCE, combine 1 cup of the Cabernet Sauvignon, the sugar, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ cup Cabernet Sauvignon with the cornstarch. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return the pan to high heat and bring back just to a boil, then set aside. (The pepper should be added at the last minute.)
TO SERVE, dust the sacristans with confectioners’ sugar. Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, add the strawberries, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the sauce and the pepper. Bring just to a boil, then remove from the heat. Divide the strawberries and sauce among 4 serving bowls. Place a small scoop of ice cream in the center of each bowl. Lay 1 cookie across each bowl. Put a sprig of mint next to the ice cream.
Chocolate Mousseline on Pecan Sablé with Coffee Granité
Serves 6
This is an intensely chocolaty dessert—a sexy bittersweet chocolate mousse on a pecan shortbread crust alongside an icy coffee granité, which cuts through the richness of the chocolate. We make these in individual baking rings, but you can also make the mousseline in an 8-inch tart ring and then cut portions at the table using a very hot knife. The granité makes a nice warm-weather dessert on its own, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. The sablés are great as cookies on their own; just roll them out and cut into smaller circles, then bake.
Coffee Granité
1½ cups strong brewed coffee or espresso
¼ cup sugar
Pecan Sablés
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2¼ teaspoons bourbon
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sifted pastry flour
½ cup pecan pieces, toasted and finely chopped
Chocolate Mousselines
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
4 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
TO MAKE THE GRANITÉ, mix together the coffee and sugar in a shallow glass baking dish and freeze for 1 hour. Stir with a fork, then freeze for another hour. Stir again, then let freeze completely. Just before serving, take the dish out of the freezer and scrape the granité with a fork to make small crystals of coffee. If it starts to melt, return the dish to the freezer for 30 minutes, then continue the process. Coffee granité has the texture of shaved ice or snow cone ice. Once it is prepared, return it to the freezer until serving.
TO MAKE THE SABLÉS, combine the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the bourbon and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in the flour and the pecans with a wooden spoon just until blended. Transfer the dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disc, wrap in the plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Remove the dough from
the refrigerator and gently roll it out on a lightly floured board to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut it into six 4-inch rounds. Using a fork, pierce the dough all over so that it does not rise or bubble when baked. Place the rounds on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake the sablés until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
TO MAKE THE MOUSSELINES, melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler over barely simmering water (don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl, or the chocolate will get too hot). Remove from the heat and let stand over the warm water until ready to use.
IN A DEEP BOWL, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
Combine the egg yolks and 1½ tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until a slowly dissolving ribbon forms on the surface when the beaters are lifted. Quickly whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture (you need to be quick so that the egg doesn’t cook before it incorporates into the chocolate mixture). Whisk the chocolate mixture over barely simmering water until the mixture becomes very shiny and slides down the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes (don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl, or the chocolate mixture will get too hot). Remove from the heat and let sit for a couple of minutes to cool slightly. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and set aside.
Meanwhile, clean the mixing bowl and beaters for the electric mixer and dry well. Put the egg whites in the bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 1½ tablespoons of sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture until blended.
TO ASSEMBLE, take six 4-inch-diameter by 1-inch-high baking rings and place one around each sablé on the baking sheet. Fill each ring with chocolate mousseline. Scrape across the top of the rings with a long metal spatula or the back of a knife to level the mousseline. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour, or as long as 24 hours.
TO SERVE, remove the rings by running a knife that has been warmed in hot water around the inside of each ring, then gently lift the ring off. Put the cocoa powder in a small sieve and dust each chocolate mousseline evenly. Place 1 mousseline to one side of each of 6 dinner plates. Fill a very small bowl or an espresso cup with about ¼ cup coffee granité and place on each plate.
Tiramisù
Serves 4
We’ve had Tiramisù on our menu almost since the day we opened. Every so often, we contemplate taking it off, but then we think about all those “regulars” who love it and order it every time they come in. And so it stays, like a faithful old friend. Our version is made with the traditional ingredients—espresso-soaked ladyfingers layered with a sweet mascarpone cheese filling—but the presentation is unique. We make round ladyfingers and pipe on the filling, layering everything in individual Japanese bowls. An easier approach is to double this recipe and make it in an 8-inch square cake pan, then simply spoon out portions at the table. We prefer regular espresso to decaf; it’s your choice. Espresso extract can be purchased at cookware shops. Make the ladyfingers a day or two ahead of time, so they dry out a bit.
Ladyfingers (makes 25)
2½ eggs, separated
5 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup pastry flour
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Mascarpone Cream Filling
1 egg yolk
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup heavy cream
Soaking Liquid
1 cup brewed espresso
¼ cup espresso extract, or 2 tablespoons instant espresso
¼ cup Myer’s rum
1 tablespoon cocoa powder for dusting
TO PREPARE THE LADYFINGERS, preheat the oven to 325°. Line 2 baking sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
In a very clean mixer, beat the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the sugar on high speed until a slowly dissolving ribbon forms on the surface when the beaters are lifted. Transfer to a large bowl. Rinse and dry the beaters.
In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar slowly until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold one half of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Add the vanilla extract and the remaining egg whites and fold in. Sift the flour over the egg batter and fold it in just until blended; don’t overfold, or the batter will lose too much volume.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a No. 4 (large-size round) tip half full with the batter and carefully pipe the batter onto the prepared pans into rounds about 1½ inches in diameter and spaced about 1 inch apart. Dust the ladyfingers with confectioners’ sugar. Put this pan in the oven and repeat with the second pan. After each pan cooks for 5 minutes, turn it front to back so the ladyfingers will cook evenly. Bake each panful for a total of about 15 minutes, or until light brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pan before removing from the parchment paper.
TO MAKE THE FILLING, in a deep bowl beat together the egg yolk, mascarpone, and sugar, then gradually beat in the cream until very thick; don’t overbeat, or the filling will break and look curdled. Cover and refrigerate.
TO MAKE THE SOAKING LIQUID, mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
TO ASSEMBLE THE TIRAMISÙ, choose 4 beautiful 2-cup bowls, each about 4 inches in diameter and 4 inches high. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a No. 3 (medium-size round) tip with half of the mascarpone filling. Working in batches, soak the ladyfingers in the espresso mixture, working quickly so that they don’t get too wet (they should be soaked through with liquid but not soggy; squeeze one to see if it is soaked through). Place them on a plate as you finish soaking them. (How dry the ladyfingers are will determine how much soaking liquid you need; this recipe should make enough, but you may have some left over.)
Place about 1 tablespoon mascarpone filling on the bottom of a bowl, then place 2 ladyfingers on top of the mascarpone; slightly offset the lady-fingers so that only about ¼ inch overlaps. Pipe a 1½-tablespoon circle on top of the ladyfingers, being careful not to exceed their boundaries. Place 2 more ladyfingers on top of the filling with the same overlap, but at the opposite angle to the first 2, to make a cross. Pipe on another circle of filling just as in the last layer, then top with 1 ladyfinger right in the center. Pipe a circle of filling on top of the last ladyfinger, and carefully cover the bowl with plastic wrap. (If the bowl is the right size and the ingredients are in the correct amount, the last step should bring the mascarpone right to the top of the bowl or a little higher, so the plastic wrap will sit on the mascarpone.) Repeat with the remaining components. Refrigerate the tiramisù for at least 2 hours or as long as 24 hours before serving.
TO SERVE, dust with cocoa powder.
Apricot Tarte Tatin with Noyau Ice Cream
Apricot Tarte Tatin with Noyau Ice Cream
Serves 4
Tarte tatin is a classic French “upside-down tart,” in which the apples caramelize in their own juices on the bottom of the pan while the pastry cooks on top. The tart is then inverted to serve. This version is made with apricots, but you can use the traditional apples (which you’ll need to precook a bit if you’re making small tarts), as well as many other kinds of fruit. Try peaches, nectarines, pears, or small ladyfinger bananas. The light bitter-almond flavor of the noyau ice cream, which is made with apricot kernels, makes a nice complement to this tart. The tart pans we use are available through Bridge Kitchenware in New York (212-688-4220) and are called Puck tartlette pans.
8 ounces puff pastry, made with unsalted butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon Myers’s rum
8 small ripe apricots, halved or quartered, depending on size (save the pits for the ice cream)
Noyau ice cream
TO MAKE THE TARTS, preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured board, roll
the puff pastry out to an 8-inch square that is ⅛ inch thick. Cut out four 4-inch-diameter rounds, place them on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate.
IN A SMALL, HEAVY SAUTÉ PAN OR SKILLET over medium-high heat, melt the sugar with the water and cook until golden, swirling the pan occasionally to cook evenly. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the rum (it will splatter). Spoon the caramel into four 4-inch-diameter by ½-inch-high nonstick tart pans, and let cool. Overlap the apricots in a circular pattern in each pan. Cover each tart pan with a puff pastry round and push the edges of the pastry down onto the pan edge to seal the contents. Make 3 small slits in the dough. Put the tarts on a baking sheet pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and when you lift an edge it looks cooked through. Let cool slightly to serve immediately; let cool completely to serve later.
TO SERVE, if necessary, reheat the tarts in a preheated 350° oven for about 5 minutes, or until the caramel on the bottom of the tart pan is liquid. Invert each tart onto a dessert plate and place a scoop of Noyau ice cream alongside.
Feuilletée of Caramelized Bananas with Chocolate Fudge Sauce
Serves 4
If you have access to good-quality puff pastry dough, feuilletées are quite simple to make. They’re really nothing more than rectangles of baked puff pastry, which you slice open and fill—in this instance with rum-infused caramelized bananas and ice cream. Once you’re comfortable making them, have fun experimenting with different fillings. Fresh strawberries or raspberries and whipped cream is a beautiful choice. You might also want to make extra chocolate fudge sauce. It’s a wonderful all-purpose topping to have on hand.