Sunday, October 31, 2010

The 24 Hour Chocolate Chip Cookie


Don't let these pretties fool you. They're not that good. 

I believed the hype. A guy I worked with said they were amazing and had a party devoted to them. The New York Times featured a three page article on them. The last straw was an email from Tasting Table highlighting David Lebovitz's recipe for them. Yeah, I don't get it.
Supposedly, letting the dough refrigerate from 12-24 hours greatly improves our beloved chocolate chip cookie. Bah. I was expecting a truly sensational cookie. A mesmerizing blend of flavors, a melt in your mouth epiphany. My coworkers happily played test testers to my efforts and while they did indeed hastily eat them, I wanted an 'eyes rolling into the back of the head' kind of reaction. Didn't happen.Maybe my expectations were too high?
I don't know, but I went back to making this recipe I found a couple of years ago in the Los Angeles Times, not to be confused with the aforementioned New York Times. Ahem. This cookie has been presented to us by the fabulous LA eatery, Milk. Check 'em out.
Milk's Ooey-Gooey Double Chocolate Cookies
Servings: 1 1/2 dozen
Adapted from Milk.

1/4 pound (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons Valrhona cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound Valrhona bittersweet chocolate (chunks or chips)
1-3/4 cup chopped, roasted walnuts

1. In a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
2. In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a fork, combine the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Mix just until incorporated and set aside.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until combined, then stir in the bittersweet chocolate and walnuts.
5. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill thoroughly. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Divide the dough into 18 portions. Grease your hands (to prevent the dough from sticking) and shape the portions into balls. Place the balls on a greased, parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving 2 to 3 inches between each.
7. Bake until the edges of the cookies are just set and the center is still soft, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Place the cookies, still on the parchment, on a rack and cool completely before serving. They will be very soft.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Southern Cakes: Coconut Layer Cake or the "Coconut Butterball Cake"


I am constantly sifting through recipes for Southern cakes. I have a quite the collection: Caramel, Lady Baltimore, Hummingbird. And I intend to make them all. It's only fitting that the part of the country with the biggest sweet tooth has such an amazing cake tradition. Coconut moved to the top of the list when I saw an episode of America's Test Kitchen on PBS featuring the Coconut Layer Cake. I love anything to do with coconut. I am particularly enthusiastic about the use of coconut oil as a lotion. I could slather that stuff on all day.

Back on topic, Brooke. The adorable Christopher Kimball and Bridget Lancaster were looking for ways to intensify the flavor of coconut within the cake itself. Usually, you get lots of coconut punch in the frosting, but not so much in the cake. Their solution was to add canned cream of coconut. Between the cream of coconut, the coconut extract and the toasted coconut on top, the coconut flavor really does come through. So no worries there. Of course, the thing I couldn't get over with this cake was the amount of butter used in the buttercream frosting. I guess I took the 'butter' in 'buttercream' for granted all these years. Or maybe I should say, I lived in blissful ignorance.

So. I guess you're probably wondering if you should make this cake. Yes, it will take up most of your day, and yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but this is a beautiful cake with great flavor, especially if you're a lover of coconut. And butter. Of course. Don't even think about making cupcakes instead.


Coconut Layer Cake from America's Test Kitchen
Makes one 9-inch, 4-layer cake
Cream of coconut is often found in the soda and drink-mix aisle in the grocery store. One 15-ounce can is enough for both the cake and the buttercream; make sure to stir it well before using because it separates upon standing.
Ingredients
Cake
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 3/4 cup cream of coconut
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), sifted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 12 pieces, softened, but still cool
  • 2 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut (about 8 ounces)
Buttercream
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  •   pinch table salt
  • 1 pound unsalted butter (4 sticks), each stick cut into 6 pieces, softened, but still cool
  • 1/4 cup cream of coconut
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  • 1. For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with shortening and dust with flour.
  • 2. Beat egg whites and whole egg in large measuring cup with fork to combine. Add cream of coconut, water, vanilla, and coconut extract and beat with fork until thoroughly combined.
  • 3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on lowest speed to combine, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on lowest speed, add butter 1 piece at a time, then beat until mixture resembles coarse meal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
  • 4. With mixer still running, add 1 cup liquid. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer still running, add remaining 1 cup liquid in steady stream (this should take about 15 seconds). Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds. (Batter will be thick.)
  • 5. Divide batter between cake pans and level with offset or rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown, cakes pull away from sides of pans, and toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes (rotate cakes after about 20 minutes). Do not turn off oven.
  • 6. Cool in pans on wire racks about 10 minutes, then loosen cakes from sides of pans with paring knife, invert cakes onto racks and then re-invert; cool to room temperature.
  • 7. While cakes are cooling, spread shredded coconut on rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until shreds are a mix of golden brown and white, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Cool to room temperature.
  • 8. For the Buttercream: Combine whites, sugar, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; set bowl over saucepan containing 1 1/2-inches of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is opaque and warm to the touch and registers about 120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
  • 9. Transfer bowl to mixer and beat whites on high speed with whisk attachment until barely warm (about 80 degrees) and whites are glossy and sticky, about 7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and beat in butter 1 piece at a time. Beat in cream of coconut and coconut and vanilla extracts. Stop mixer and scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Continue to beat at medium-high speed until well-combined, about 1 minute.
  • 10. To Assemble the Cake: Follow illustrations in chart below. Cut into slices and serve. (Wrap leftover cake in plastic and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving.) 

Monday, October 11, 2010

U-pick Farms and Canning in Little Rock, CA


I don't advise you go picking fruit in the desert during the hottest weekend of the year. BUT you might get a deep-fried Twinkie and venison jerkie out of it if you stop by Charlie Brown Farms.
http://www.charliebrownfarms.com/
Both exceeded expectations.

Admittedly, Alissa, my co-canner and wanna-be farmer for the day (also sporting a horrified look that I was actually going to eat that Twinkie!), and I did have a good time although threatened with heat stroke, overly amorous dogs and unripened fruit. We managed to get enough fruit for batches of apple and plum butter, spiced peaches with vanilla, and peach liqueur. Truly, a bumper crop. 

Plum Butter  from "Well Preserved: Small Batch Preserving for the New Cook" by Mary Anne Dragan

Makes 5 to 6 8oz jars

"Serve this mellow, richly flavored butter with roast pork or turkey, or as a spread on fruit or nut quick breads."

12 cups coarsely chopped, pitted plums (we used sugar plums)
1 cup water
4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Combine the plums and water in your preserving pot. cover and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until the plums are tender. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Puree in food processor.

Prepare the preserving jars.

Return the puree to the preserving pot. Stir in the sugar until iti is dissolved. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the mixture is somewhat thickened. Stir in the spices during the last 10 to 15 minutes of the cooking time. Test for doneness if desired.
Remove from heat. Spoon the butter into hot, sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4" head space. Release the air bubbles. Wipe the rims clean. Seal according to manufacturer's directions. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.