A Tango Before Dying
Page 19
I’m picky about olive oil—even when it has a minor role to play as it does here. Always use a good quality, extra virgin olive oil that indicates “first cold pressed.” I think it tastes better, but it’s also better for you.
The wild mushrooms make this special, but if you can’t find them, cremini mushrooms, also sometimes called Baby Bella mushrooms, will work, too.
You can try making this tart with other herbs like basil, tarragon, or oregano instead of the thyme and rosemary used here.
The white wine adds a nice, subtle flavor and after cooking there’s no alcohol. If you don’t drink or don’t have any wine in the house, don’t worry—this is a scrumptious tart without it.
Steak Au Poivre
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 (1-inch-thick) boneless beef top-loin (strip) or ribeye steaks (8 to 10 oz each)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup Cognac or other brandy
3/4 cup heavy cream
Preparation
Preheat oven to 200°F.
Pat the steaks dry and season both sides with kosher salt.
Use coarsely crushed peppercorns or place whole peppercorns in a sealed plastic bag and crush them with a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Or pulse briefly in a blender or food processor. Press pepper evenly onto both sides of steaks.
Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet 0n medium high heat until hot, about 3 minutes, then add oil, swirling skillet, and sauté steaks in 2 batches, turning over once, about 6 minutes per batch for medium-rare or longer if you prefer the steak to be medium or well-done.
Transfer the cooked steaks to a heatproof platter and keep them warm in the oven while making the sauce.
Pour most of the fat from the skillet, then add shallots and half of the butter (2 tablespoons) to the skillet. Cook over medium low heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until shallots are browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Carefully add Cognac and boil, stirring, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and meat juices from the warming platter and boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half or it coats the back of a spoon. Usually this takes about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook over low heat just long enough to blend in the butter. Serve sauce with steaks.
Georgie’s Notes
This is a classic! There are versions of this recipe in many fine cookbooks and on the Internet. If you order this in a restaurant, the server or chef may flambé the steak in front of you creating quite a show! The Cognac adds a wonderful flavor to the steak and the alcohol cooks away in the heat. Be careful around the flame so any igniting you do is on purpose.
You can use a fillet mignon instead of a strip steak or ribeye. A thicker choice of beef will need to cook longer to be medium rare. If you’re concerned about how to know for sure when your steaks are medium rare, use a meat thermometer and check that the internal temperature is 130-135 degrees. The steaks will continue to cook a little while they’re in the warming oven so keep it on the low end if you really want to serve the steak medium rare. The FDA suggests allowing all beef to reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees, but chefs would call that medium not medium rare.
Meringue Baskets with Berries
Serves 8
Ingredients
4 large egg whites, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup granulated sugar
4 cups assorted berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
Garnish: fresh mint leaves
Preparation
Preheat oven to 200°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar with a mixer at medium speed until foamy. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until glossy and stiff peaks form.
Drop meringue into eight mounds on prepared pans. Using the back of a spoon, shape meringue into nests, roughly 1 inch high and 4 inches wide.
Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave meringues in oven with door closed overnight to dry out.
Fill shells with assorted berries. Garnish with mint, if desired. Serve immediately.
Georgie’s Notes
These meringue dessert cups are versatile and quick. Not to mention delicious—crunchy on the outside and chewy inside.
You can fill them with lemon curd, flavored whipped cream, or chocolate or other delicious ingredients besides fresh berries. If you do use fresh berries, you can dust the berries with sugar to add a little sparkle.
These will store well for a few days in an airtight container, so it’s possible to make them ahead of your party. They’re lovely to serve at a baby shower or wedding shower.
Jack’s Favorite
Spiced Cookies with a dash of Irish Whiskey
3 Dozen
Ingredients
Cookies
12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup diced crystalized ginger
Icing
4 tablespoons unsalted, butter, softened
3 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
1 to 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey, optional
Preparation
Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
By hand or using an electric mixer, beat 12 tablespoons butter with the sugar, molasses and egg until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in diced crystallized ginger. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, spices and salt and then slowly beat into wet ingredients.
Scoop dough and roll into walnut-size balls. Place the cookie dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until firm, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.
Icing
Beat remaining 4 tablespoons butter with confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla and enough cream or milk, and whiskey if using, to make a spreadable frosting. Use on fully cooled cookies or the icing will run.
Georgie’s Notes
If you add Irish Whiskey to the icing, the alcohol isn’t going to cook away! Make sure anyone who eats the cookies understands there’s a touch of alcohol in them.
Blueberry Coffee Cake
9 slices
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Zest of 1 small lemon
1/2 cup non-fat milk, plus 1 tablespoon
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
Crumb Streusel Topping
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, then coat once more.
In a large bowl, combine the white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in blueberries and lemon zest
.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and applesauce. Add to the flour and blueberry mixture. Stir by hand with a wooden spoon, just until combined. The batter will be very thick. Scrape into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
Prepare the crumble topping in a small bowl by combining the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. With a fork cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in the pecans.
Sprinkle the crumbles evenly over the top of the batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Georgie’s Notes
The whole wheat adds a little extra nutrition to this tasty, healthy cake that can be used for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. You can substitute almond flour for part of the wheat flour to add more fiber and protein.
Use another type of nut if you prefer. Try adding other spices, too, if you’re a fan of ginger or nutmeg. A different type of berry is good, too, or you can mix them. When using frozen berries, rinse them under water for a minute before adding them to the recipe. Drain them well. Rinsing will raise the temperature of the frozen berries a little, so you won’t need to bake the recipe any longer.
The Bombe!
Serves 12-15
Ingredients
Cookie dough layer
3 cups heat-treated, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips
¼ cup whole milk
Preparation
Line a 2 ½ quart bowl with plastic wrap.
Using a standing or hand mixer, stir together flour, salt, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Pour in butter and vanilla extract. Mix until a dry dough is formed. Add chocolate chips and fold in by hand or mix on low speed.
When chocolate chips are evenly dispersed, add whole milk 1 tablespoon at a time and mix on low speed. Remove dough from bowl and press about 2/3 into the bottom and up the sides of the lined bowl you’ve already prepared.
Wrap remaining portion of dough in plastic wrap and save for later use as instructed below in the step on “Assembly.” Ideally, the cookie dough layer should be about ¼ -inch thick. Place in freezer while you make the chocolate mousse.
Ingredients
Chocolate mousse
1/4 oz. package of powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk, hot – heat in microwave for 30-60 seconds
8 ounces high quality chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups whipping cream.
Preparation
In a medium saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over water. Let it stand for 1 minute. Whisk in eggs and sugar, and then stir in the hot milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Mixture will thicken after 5 minutes or so. When done, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in chopped chocolate and blend until chocolate has melted and no white streaks remain. Let cool.
Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until well blended. Remove the bowl lined with the cookie dough from the freezer and pour in the mousse mixture. Smooth the top so it is level using a rubber spatula. Place the bowl back into the freezer for 4-6 hours or make this a day ahead and leave it in the freezer overnight.
Ingredients
Brownie layer
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round baking pan and line the bottom with a parchment circle.
Mix together the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium sized bowl. Add the egg and beat well.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture and blend well. Spread the batter thinly and evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake 10- 15 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Turn the cooled brownie layer out onto a piece of plastic wrap and peel off the parchment circle.
Assembly, prior to glazing
Remove the bowl containing the cookie dough and mousse from the freezer.
Place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap on a work surface. Roll out the remaining portion of cookie dough on the paper to ¼-inch thickness.
With the help of the paper, flip the dough over onto the mousse and trim to fit inside the bowl. Lightly brush the cookie dough with water and then turn the brownie layer onto the cookie dough layer. Press the brownie layer into cookie dough gently but firmly.
Trim the edges of the brownie so that it fits inside the bowl and is flush with the bottom of the bowl.
Turn the entire dessert upside down onto a wire rack. Once the dessert is released from the bowl, peel off plastic wrap. Place the wire rack inside a large jelly roll pan or on a baking sheet with a lip. Let stand at room temperature while you make the glaze.
Ingredients
Ganache Glaze
9 oz. chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup [see Notes below]
Place heavy cream in a large microwaveable bowl. Heat in the microwave at 40 second intervals until very hot but not boiling. You can do this on the stove, but it’s easier to do in the microwave. Stir in chopped chocolate.
Let stand for 3 minutes then begin gently stirring mixture. Mix thoroughly, but gently to prevent air bubbles from forming. When chocolate and cream are thoroughly mixed and smooth, add corn syrup. Stir until combined.
Transfer to a 4-cup measure with a pour spout. Pour glaze over entire surface of bombe. Allow the dessert to stand until the glaze dripping stops, then pour the excess chocolate from the pan back into the 4-cup measure.
If the glaze has thickened, rewarm it glaze for 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Stir then pour a second coat over the entire surface of the dessert. When the dripping stops, repeat the process by collecting the excess, rewarming, and pouring a third time.
Transfer the bombe to a cake plate using a large spatula on one side of the dessert and a hand supporting it on the other side. Place regular-sized chocolate chips flat-side-out around the bottom edge of the dessert. Keep chilled. Slice and serve.
The outer cookie dough shell may seem resistant to cutting at first, but after the first piece you'll get a feel for slicing it. It’s important to be sure to use mini chocolate chips in the cookie dough because they make slicing easier.
Georgie’s Notes
This bombe is the bomb—trust me! You can’t find a more delicious or more dramatic dessert to serve, but it does require some effort to prepare. It’s really several desserts all combined into one. You can save a little time by substituting ice cream for the mousse—whatever flavor sounds wonderful to you in combination with cookie dough and brownie layers.
Once you’ve mastered the concept, there’s no end to the delicious versions of this dessert you can create. Cut out the cookie dough and line the bowl with a jigsaw puzzle of brownies instead and make it a brownie bombe or fill the center with a layer of caramel between two different ice cream flavors.
IMPORTANT! So, what about using raw cookie dough? This version uses NO EGGS, so that eliminates the worry about salmonella. Using heat-treated flour will alleviate concerns about E. coli contamination of the raw flour. If you’ve always loved using raw cookie dough in recipes, this is the way to do it!
You can buy heat-treated flour or “heat treat” your own by toasting it in the oven at 3500F for 5 minutes or
zapping it in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring at 15 second intervals. To “pasteurize” your flour, you want the internal temperature to reach 160 degrees—you can check the first time you do this by using a thermometer if you want to be certain you’ve done it correctly. You can make heat-treated flour in advance and store it once it has cooled. Heat-treating can destroy some of the gluten in wheat flour, so you’ll still want to use untreated flours for traditional baking.
When you try out this recipe you may discover that you enjoy the mousse all by itself. The ganache glaze can be used many ways too. Corn syrup can be omitted, but it makes the glaze extra glossy. The more times you pour the glaze over the assembled dessert the more sheen you get.
The bombe will keep for a week in the freezer covered loosely with plastic wrap.
To serve, cut it into wedges. It’ll be easier to cut if you let it sit for 15 minutes after removing it from the freezer. You don’t want the dessert to thaw before you cut it, so it can also help to use a hot, wet knife. Run the knife you’re going to use to cut the bombe under hot water, dampen a dish towel in the hot water, too. Keep the towel next to you and with each slice you cut, wipe the knife using the warm towel.
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