Showing posts with label Coffee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coffee. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Café Brûlot... A Perfect Ending For A Romantic Dinner
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For more than a century, both Antoine’s and Galatoire’s, in New Orleans, have been serving refined French-Creole cuisine in their gilded dining rooms. The epitome of their old-world, over-the-top grandeur? Café Brûlot .
Café Brulot Diabolique, or “Devilishly Burned Coffee,” was invented at Antoine’s Restaurant by Jules Alciatore, the son of the restaurant’s founder. It became especially popular during the Prohibition as a means of concealing alcohol.
Today, the drink is found at only a few restaurants, such as Antoine’s, Galatoire’s and Arnaud’s.
The preparation is a spectacle in itself – all ingredients are
artfully combined tableside in ornate bowls. Once the alcohol is added,
the waiter adds flame to the concoction, ladling the flaming liquid
into cups and in some cases, onto the table to create a fiery display.
Dining in New Orleans is hardly ever ordinary, and ordering Café Brulot is the perfect way to ensure an exciting finale to an amazing meal. In the original recipe a server ladles flaming brandy-spiked coffee down a spiral of orange zest into a silver bowl heated by a ring of fire.
Don’t try that at home, especially on Valentine's Day. The last thing you need is your partner's hair on fire before the real big event (wink) takes place. So skip the theatrics and play it safe by making it this way. Here, the spice- and citrus-infused spirits are ignited in the saucepan, the coffee added, and the glowing drink served in demitasse cups. It’s a less risky—but equally astounding—spectacle.
Should you find your calling in preparing Cafe Brulot, you might want to bid on these at auction:
But before, you might want to pay a visit to New Orleans and see how the pros make it.
Café Brûlot
Spiced Coffee with Brandy and Orange
For more than a century, both Antoine’s and Galatoire’s, in New Orleans, have been serving refined French-Creole cuisine in their gilded dining rooms. The epitome of their old-world, over-the-top grandeur? Café Brûlot .
Café Brulot Diabolique, or “Devilishly Burned Coffee,” was invented at Antoine’s Restaurant by Jules Alciatore, the son of the restaurant’s founder. It became especially popular during the Prohibition as a means of concealing alcohol.
Dining in New Orleans is hardly ever ordinary, and ordering Café Brulot is the perfect way to ensure an exciting finale to an amazing meal. In the original recipe a server ladles flaming brandy-spiked coffee down a spiral of orange zest into a silver bowl heated by a ring of fire.
Don’t try that at home, especially on Valentine's Day. The last thing you need is your partner's hair on fire before the real big event (wink) takes place. So skip the theatrics and play it safe by making it this way. Here, the spice- and citrus-infused spirits are ignited in the saucepan, the coffee added, and the glowing drink served in demitasse cups. It’s a less risky—but equally astounding—spectacle.
Should you find your calling in preparing Cafe Brulot, you might want to bid on these at auction:
But before, you might want to pay a visit to New Orleans and see how the pros make it.
Café Brûlot
Spiced Coffee with Brandy and Orange
Ingredients:
- 1 orange
- 12 whole cloves
- 1/3 cup brandy
- 1/3 cup Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur
- 3 (2-inch-long) strips of lemon zest
- 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- 3 cups hot very strong brewed coffee (preferably chicory coffee blend or French roast)
Preparation:
Remove zest from orange in a single spiral with a sharp
vegetable peeler or paring knife. Stud orange zest with cloves. Add to a
wide heavy medium saucepan with brandy, liqueur, lemon zest, cinnamon,
and sugar. Warm through over medium heat, stirring. Tilt pan over gas
burner (or use a long match) to ignite carefully (flames will shoot up).
While flames subside, slowly pour in hot coffee. Ladle into small cups
(preferably demitasse).
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Affogato...A Simple Dessert In a Glass
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Some of life's greatest pleasures are either free or easy to make. Take the affogato. One shot of espresso, one scoop of gelato and the rest is up to you. What could be easier and more delicious than that!
Sometimes when I'm in a pinch I will serve this for dessert, primarily for lunch, and it's as if I had presented my guests with a chocolate souffle. Granted, here in the States it's not often that you come across affogato while in Italy is just as common as Coke.
You have to start with good ingredients, though, and a good shot of espresso is a must . Espresso is very easy to make at home and you don't need one of those fancy machines either. Get a simple stovetop espresso maker like the Bilaletti Moka Espresso Maker which comes in various sizes. Take your pick. If you are a serious drinker you will have a couple of sizes - a small one for everyday use and a larger one for when you have guests. I have 3 sizes, wouldn't you know?!
Next, you will need good ice cream, or preferably, gelato. Take your pick, chocolate, vanilla, chocolate hazelnut or my favorite, coffee.
And next come the accoutrements. Here you can be as creative as you want. Biscotti, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, hazelnuts, amaretti cookie crumbles. Whatever you do, try to keep the Italian theme!
Next is optional, and that can be anything from grappa to Amaretto or Kahlua.
Pretty cups, pretty dishes, nice presentation and you've got a smashing success!
Recipe
1 scoop of gelato
1 shot of espresso
whipped cream or your choice of topping.
You might also want to check this recipe for Chocolate Gelato Affogato
Photos Google
Some of life's greatest pleasures are either free or easy to make. Take the affogato. One shot of espresso, one scoop of gelato and the rest is up to you. What could be easier and more delicious than that!
Sometimes when I'm in a pinch I will serve this for dessert, primarily for lunch, and it's as if I had presented my guests with a chocolate souffle. Granted, here in the States it's not often that you come across affogato while in Italy is just as common as Coke.
You have to start with good ingredients, though, and a good shot of espresso is a must . Espresso is very easy to make at home and you don't need one of those fancy machines either. Get a simple stovetop espresso maker like the Bilaletti Moka Espresso Maker which comes in various sizes. Take your pick. If you are a serious drinker you will have a couple of sizes - a small one for everyday use and a larger one for when you have guests. I have 3 sizes, wouldn't you know?!
Good espresso beans are important - either Lavazza or Illy will do the trick.
Next, you will need good ice cream, or preferably, gelato. Take your pick, chocolate, vanilla, chocolate hazelnut or my favorite, coffee.
And next come the accoutrements. Here you can be as creative as you want. Biscotti, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, hazelnuts, amaretti cookie crumbles. Whatever you do, try to keep the Italian theme!
Next is optional, and that can be anything from grappa to Amaretto or Kahlua.
Pretty cups, pretty dishes, nice presentation and you've got a smashing success!
Recipe
1 scoop of gelato
1 shot of espresso
whipped cream or your choice of topping.
You might also want to check this recipe for Chocolate Gelato Affogato
Photos Google
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
And Speaking of Yemen...Moka Gateau!
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How many times have you walked into a French pastry shop and bypassed all those beautifully sculpted slices of cake and gone straight for the eclairs or the macarons? It's like who needs jello when one can have ice cream!
Let's face it, if we had them around the corner perhaps eventually we would work ourselves to the gateaux but when it's a special treat, like it usually is, they are just not worth it, or so we think. Now making them at home is another matter...for there is nothing more delicious than a mocha gateau.
The cake is basically very easy to make, don't be put out by the length of the recipe. I just broke down the ingredients by steps. What also makes it look complicated is all the frou frou on top which is something that is up to you. You start with a genoise which is the simplest of cakes, make a simple coffee syrup and top with a buttercream. If you don't want to pipe the frosting and make fancy decorations, you can just spread the buttercream all over and just coat the sides with almonds. Add a few chocolate shavings on top.
The cake does not come out as tall as the photo above. What I did was double the buttercream frosting so I had enough to put about and inch between the layers and enough leftover to pipe some on tod edge as shown above.
As I was comparing my recipe to others on the net, I came across this interesting tidbit, most appropriate for the times we live in..
Mocha or Mokha (Arabic: المخا [al-Mukhā]) is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Until it was eclipsed in the 19th century by Aden and Hodeida, Mocha was the principal port for Yemen's capital Sana'a.
Mocha is famous for being the major marketplace for coffee from the 15th century until the 17th century. Even after other sources of coffee were found, Mocha beans (also called Sanani or Mocha Sanani beans, meaning from Sana'a) continued to be prized for their distinctive flavor—and remain so even today. From this coffee the English language gained the word mocha, which is now used for combinations of chocolate and coffee flavors as cafe mocha.
It is commonly believed that the coffee bean that originated in the port city of Mocha was encountered by Marco Polo on his trip through the Arab World. After the month and a half of Polo's turbulent journey, his party were forced to go ashore at Ṣūr (modern-day Tyre, Lebanon) to resupply their stocks, because the captain, William Maurice, had provided insufficient room for food storage. In the marketplace there, Polo found a Yemenite salesman who had brought coffee beans from Mocha, purchased some and ultimately returned with them (among many other imports) to Europe. However, the bean was not widely known through Europe until the 17th century.
In 1595 Spanish Jesuit missionary Pedro Páez was the first European to taste Mocha's coffee in place.
Its importance as a port was also due to the Ottoman Empire law that required all ships entering the Red Sea to put in at Mocha and pay duty on their cargoes.
At present, Mocha is no longer utilized as a major trade route and the current local economy is largely based upon fishing and small amounts of tourism. The village of Mocha was officially relocated 3 kilometers west along the Red Sea shore to accommodate the building and demolition of several coastal highways.
The term "mocha" in relation to chocolate and coffee–chocolate blends is strictly as a result of European influence. Chocolate is not cultivated at Mocha nor imported into it.---From Wikipedia
French Patisserie Moka Gateau
Ingredients
For the genoise or sponge cake:
4 eggs
225g /1 cup sugar
225g /1 cup flour
15g / 1/2 oz butter
an 8 inch cake pan
For the coffee syrup
100g / 4ozs granulated sugar
75ml / 3 flozs water
2 tablespoons very strong black coffee
2 tablespoons rum
For the butter cream*
150g / 5 ozs granulated sugar
75ml / 3 ozs water
2 egg whites
225g / 8ozs unsalted butter
10g / 1/2 oz vanilla sugar
coffee extract
50g / 2 ozs toasted almonds.
Directions
To make the Genoise cake:
Heat the oven to 160c or 325f.
Butter the cake pan.
Place a bowl in a pan of warm water keep it on a low heat do not let it boil.
Place the eggs into the bowl. Add the sugar and beat until double in volume and warm to the touch.
Remove from the heat and beat until cold.
Beat in the sifted flour and place into a buttered tin.
Bake for 18 to 20 mins when cooked remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack
To make the sirop au cafe:
Boil the sugar and water together over a medium heat for 5 mins.
After boiling point is reached allow to cool a little and add the coffee and rum
To make the creme au beurre:
Cook the sugar and water until the syrup formed registers 220c on a sugar thermometer.
Or drop a little in cold water, a soft ball should be formed.
Beat the egg whites to a stiff peak. Slowly add the boiling syrup in a fine stream.
Beating constantly until the mixture is cold.
Soften the butter in a warm bowl work in the vanilla sugar.
Fold the egg whites in and add a few drops of coffee essence
*Double the buttercream recipe to have enough to pipe some decorative edges
Cut the cake across horizontally and sprinkle the cut side with the coffee syrup. Let it absorb
Spread the bottom half with the creme au beurre and place the top of the other half.
Spread the top and the sides of the cake with the creme au beurre.
Reserve a little for the decoration.
Chop the almonds and press them thickly around the sides of the cake.
Pipe the remaining cream around the top of the cake.
Chill lightly for 12 hours before serving.
Photos: Google and A Taste of France
How many times have you walked into a French pastry shop and bypassed all those beautifully sculpted slices of cake and gone straight for the eclairs or the macarons? It's like who needs jello when one can have ice cream!
Let's face it, if we had them around the corner perhaps eventually we would work ourselves to the gateaux but when it's a special treat, like it usually is, they are just not worth it, or so we think. Now making them at home is another matter...for there is nothing more delicious than a mocha gateau.
The cake is basically very easy to make, don't be put out by the length of the recipe. I just broke down the ingredients by steps. What also makes it look complicated is all the frou frou on top which is something that is up to you. You start with a genoise which is the simplest of cakes, make a simple coffee syrup and top with a buttercream. If you don't want to pipe the frosting and make fancy decorations, you can just spread the buttercream all over and just coat the sides with almonds. Add a few chocolate shavings on top.
The cake does not come out as tall as the photo above. What I did was double the buttercream frosting so I had enough to put about and inch between the layers and enough leftover to pipe some on tod edge as shown above.
As I was comparing my recipe to others on the net, I came across this interesting tidbit, most appropriate for the times we live in..
Mocha or Mokha (Arabic: المخا [al-Mukhā]) is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Until it was eclipsed in the 19th century by Aden and Hodeida, Mocha was the principal port for Yemen's capital Sana'a.
Mocha is famous for being the major marketplace for coffee from the 15th century until the 17th century. Even after other sources of coffee were found, Mocha beans (also called Sanani or Mocha Sanani beans, meaning from Sana'a) continued to be prized for their distinctive flavor—and remain so even today. From this coffee the English language gained the word mocha, which is now used for combinations of chocolate and coffee flavors as cafe mocha.
It is commonly believed that the coffee bean that originated in the port city of Mocha was encountered by Marco Polo on his trip through the Arab World. After the month and a half of Polo's turbulent journey, his party were forced to go ashore at Ṣūr (modern-day Tyre, Lebanon) to resupply their stocks, because the captain, William Maurice, had provided insufficient room for food storage. In the marketplace there, Polo found a Yemenite salesman who had brought coffee beans from Mocha, purchased some and ultimately returned with them (among many other imports) to Europe. However, the bean was not widely known through Europe until the 17th century.
In 1595 Spanish Jesuit missionary Pedro Páez was the first European to taste Mocha's coffee in place.
Its importance as a port was also due to the Ottoman Empire law that required all ships entering the Red Sea to put in at Mocha and pay duty on their cargoes.
At present, Mocha is no longer utilized as a major trade route and the current local economy is largely based upon fishing and small amounts of tourism. The village of Mocha was officially relocated 3 kilometers west along the Red Sea shore to accommodate the building and demolition of several coastal highways.
The term "mocha" in relation to chocolate and coffee–chocolate blends is strictly as a result of European influence. Chocolate is not cultivated at Mocha nor imported into it.---From Wikipedia
Click here for more on the history of coffee and Yemeni coffee in particular
French Patisserie Moka Gateau
Ingredients
For the genoise or sponge cake:
4 eggs
225g /1 cup sugar
225g /1 cup flour
15g / 1/2 oz butter
an 8 inch cake pan
For the coffee syrup
100g / 4ozs granulated sugar
75ml / 3 flozs water
2 tablespoons very strong black coffee
2 tablespoons rum
For the butter cream*
150g / 5 ozs granulated sugar
75ml / 3 ozs water
2 egg whites
225g / 8ozs unsalted butter
10g / 1/2 oz vanilla sugar
coffee extract
50g / 2 ozs toasted almonds.
Directions
To make the Genoise cake:
Heat the oven to 160c or 325f.
Butter the cake pan.
Place a bowl in a pan of warm water keep it on a low heat do not let it boil.
Place the eggs into the bowl. Add the sugar and beat until double in volume and warm to the touch.
Remove from the heat and beat until cold.
Beat in the sifted flour and place into a buttered tin.
Bake for 18 to 20 mins when cooked remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack
To make the sirop au cafe:
Boil the sugar and water together over a medium heat for 5 mins.
After boiling point is reached allow to cool a little and add the coffee and rum
To make the creme au beurre:
Cook the sugar and water until the syrup formed registers 220c on a sugar thermometer.
Or drop a little in cold water, a soft ball should be formed.
Beat the egg whites to a stiff peak. Slowly add the boiling syrup in a fine stream.
Beating constantly until the mixture is cold.
Soften the butter in a warm bowl work in the vanilla sugar.
Fold the egg whites in and add a few drops of coffee essence
*Double the buttercream recipe to have enough to pipe some decorative edges
Cut the cake across horizontally and sprinkle the cut side with the coffee syrup. Let it absorb
Spread the bottom half with the creme au beurre and place the top of the other half.
Spread the top and the sides of the cake with the creme au beurre.
Reserve a little for the decoration.
Chop the almonds and press them thickly around the sides of the cake.
Pipe the remaining cream around the top of the cake.
Chill lightly for 12 hours before serving.
Photos: Google and A Taste of France
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Coffee Caramel Creme Brulee
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Did you miss this recipe when it came out in Bon Appetit last year? If so here it is and keep it close to your heart. I love coffee anything...as a matter of fact, I love caramel too, so this is a double whammy for me!
Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1/4 cup dark-roast coffee beans (such as French roast; about 3/4 ounce), crushed with mallet in plastic bag
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
2 cups half and half
8 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons raw sugar*
Preparation
Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth. Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.
Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup.
Arrange eight 2/3-to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan. Divide custard among ramekins. Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins or custard cups.
Bake custards until just set in center, 65 to 70 minutes. Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoon raw sugar. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber. (Alternatively, preheat broiler. Arrange custards on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.) Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (do not chill longer than 1 hour or topping will start to soften). Serve custards cold.
* Also called turbinado or demerara sugar; available at most supermarkets and at natural foods stores
Recipe courtesy Epicurious March 2009
Did you miss this recipe when it came out in Bon Appetit last year? If so here it is and keep it close to your heart. I love coffee anything...as a matter of fact, I love caramel too, so this is a double whammy for me!
Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1/4 cup dark-roast coffee beans (such as French roast; about 3/4 ounce), crushed with mallet in plastic bag
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
2 cups half and half
8 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons raw sugar*
Preparation
Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth. Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.
Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup.
Arrange eight 2/3-to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan. Divide custard among ramekins. Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins or custard cups.
Bake custards until just set in center, 65 to 70 minutes. Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoon raw sugar. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber. (Alternatively, preheat broiler. Arrange custards on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.) Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (do not chill longer than 1 hour or topping will start to soften). Serve custards cold.
* Also called turbinado or demerara sugar; available at most supermarkets and at natural foods stores
Recipe courtesy Epicurious March 2009
Thursday, April 22, 2010
S'mores Coffee and Fudge Ice Cream Cake
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It's getting warmer everyday...guess it's time to bring the ice cream machine down from the attict. A cake like this is not complicated, but it does require at least 30 minutes of your dedicated time while the layers are getting hard. Do it in the afternoon, while watching some of the cooking shows and time will fly by! Once you get throught this step, you don't have to worry until serving time.
A decadent, impressive dessert that appeals to everyone's inner Boy Scout or Girl Scout. Begin preparing this a day ahead. Serve it next time you have a barbecue, particularly if kids are invited!
yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
16 whole graham crackers (about 8 ounces)
1 cup whole almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 quarts coffee ice cream, softened until spreadable
Fudge Sauce
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind graham crackers, toasted almonds and 3 tablespoons sugar in processor. Add 1/2 cup melted butter; process mixture until moist crumbs form. Press graham cracker mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Cool graham cracker crust completely.
Spread 2 cups softened ice cream in crust. Spoon 3/4 cup cooled Fudge Sauce over. Freeze until sauce is just set, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate or freeze remaining ice cream as necessary to prevent ice cream from melting. Repeat layering with 2 cups ice cream, then 3/4 cup sauce. Freeze until sauce is just set. Spread remaining 2 cups ice cream over. Cover and freeze cake overnight. Refrigerate remaining Fudge Sauce.
Preheat broiler. Warm remaining Fudge Sauce in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Place cake in pan on baking sheet. Spread marshmallow creme over top of cake. Sprinkle miniature marshmallows over in single layer. Broil just until marshmallows are deep brown, watching closely to avoid burning, about 1 minute. Run knife between pan sides and cake to loosen. Remove pan sides. Cut cake into wedges. Serve cake immediately with warm Fudge Sauce.
Fudge Sauce
yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
print a shopping list for this recipe
Preparation
Bring cream and corn syrup to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until cool but still pourable, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Bon Appetit 2000
It's getting warmer everyday...guess it's time to bring the ice cream machine down from the attict. A cake like this is not complicated, but it does require at least 30 minutes of your dedicated time while the layers are getting hard. Do it in the afternoon, while watching some of the cooking shows and time will fly by! Once you get throught this step, you don't have to worry until serving time.
A decadent, impressive dessert that appeals to everyone's inner Boy Scout or Girl Scout. Begin preparing this a day ahead. Serve it next time you have a barbecue, particularly if kids are invited!
yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
16 whole graham crackers (about 8 ounces)
1 cup whole almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 quarts coffee ice cream, softened until spreadable
Fudge Sauce
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind graham crackers, toasted almonds and 3 tablespoons sugar in processor. Add 1/2 cup melted butter; process mixture until moist crumbs form. Press graham cracker mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Cool graham cracker crust completely.
Spread 2 cups softened ice cream in crust. Spoon 3/4 cup cooled Fudge Sauce over. Freeze until sauce is just set, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate or freeze remaining ice cream as necessary to prevent ice cream from melting. Repeat layering with 2 cups ice cream, then 3/4 cup sauce. Freeze until sauce is just set. Spread remaining 2 cups ice cream over. Cover and freeze cake overnight. Refrigerate remaining Fudge Sauce.
Preheat broiler. Warm remaining Fudge Sauce in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Place cake in pan on baking sheet. Spread marshmallow creme over top of cake. Sprinkle miniature marshmallows over in single layer. Broil just until marshmallows are deep brown, watching closely to avoid burning, about 1 minute. Run knife between pan sides and cake to loosen. Remove pan sides. Cut cake into wedges. Serve cake immediately with warm Fudge Sauce.
Fudge Sauce
yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
print a shopping list for this recipe
Preparation
Bring cream and corn syrup to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until cool but still pourable, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Bon Appetit 2000
Foodie Friday is at DesignsbyGollum!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Espresso Pots de Creme...Dessert In A Cup
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This is a wonderful dessert to have in your repertoire. You can serve the pots for lunch or dinner, any time of the year. If you serve them in fancy cups, which you can do because of the low oven temperture, you can place a saucer underneath and kill two birds with one stone. It will take a die hard coffee drinker to ask for a cup after these!
They go well after nearly any entree, but if you serve them on the cool side, they are great after spicy dishes such as the Lamb Tagine, The Shrimp Creole, a curry, or even the Chicken Chili. After Haagen Daz Coffee Ice Cream, these are my favorites!
This is definitely a rich but lite dessert. Whatever you do, dont try substituting milk for the cream. If you must, make something else and save these for a time when you are not watching your figure! You will be sorry if you do.
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 vanilla bean, split
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
Chocolate chavings or espresso beans for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Combine heavy cream, half-and-half, vanilla bean, and sugar in a 1-quart heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until mixture reaches 180 degrees F. Stir in instant espresso until dissolved.
Place egg yolks in a heat-proof bowl and temper the yolks by gradually adding some of the hot cream mixture.
Return the egg mixture to the pan with the remaining cream mixture. Stir in the vanilla. Strain custard and then ladle 5 to 6 ounces into 8 custard cups or ramekins.
Bake, covered, in a water bath for about 40 minutes or until set. Check at 30 minutes; you may need to reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F for the remaining 10 minutes. The centers should not be firm. They should have the consistency of creme brulee.
Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate if not serving right away. Bring to room temperature before serving. Garnish with whipped cream.
Adapted from Crescent City Coolbook
This is a wonderful dessert to have in your repertoire. You can serve the pots for lunch or dinner, any time of the year. If you serve them in fancy cups, which you can do because of the low oven temperture, you can place a saucer underneath and kill two birds with one stone. It will take a die hard coffee drinker to ask for a cup after these!
They go well after nearly any entree, but if you serve them on the cool side, they are great after spicy dishes such as the Lamb Tagine, The Shrimp Creole, a curry, or even the Chicken Chili. After Haagen Daz Coffee Ice Cream, these are my favorites!
This is definitely a rich but lite dessert. Whatever you do, dont try substituting milk for the cream. If you must, make something else and save these for a time when you are not watching your figure! You will be sorry if you do.
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 vanilla bean, split
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
Chocolate chavings or espresso beans for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Combine heavy cream, half-and-half, vanilla bean, and sugar in a 1-quart heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until mixture reaches 180 degrees F. Stir in instant espresso until dissolved.
Place egg yolks in a heat-proof bowl and temper the yolks by gradually adding some of the hot cream mixture.
Return the egg mixture to the pan with the remaining cream mixture. Stir in the vanilla. Strain custard and then ladle 5 to 6 ounces into 8 custard cups or ramekins.
Bake, covered, in a water bath for about 40 minutes or until set. Check at 30 minutes; you may need to reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F for the remaining 10 minutes. The centers should not be firm. They should have the consistency of creme brulee.
Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate if not serving right away. Bring to room temperature before serving. Garnish with whipped cream.
Adapted from Crescent City Coolbook
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Amaretti Cookies
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After I posted the Roasted Peaches with Amaretti Crumble recipe, I got a lot of inquiries as to where to find the cookies. It is indeed a problem to find them these days, unless you have a good specialty store in your town. I have added them to my Amazon store in the right fray and also thought you might want to bake some yourself. They are really easy and simple to make and much better than the ones that come in the box.
After I posted the Roasted Peaches with Amaretti Crumble recipe, I got a lot of inquiries as to where to find the cookies. It is indeed a problem to find them these days, unless you have a good specialty store in your town. I have added them to my Amazon store in the right fray and also thought you might want to bake some yourself. They are really easy and simple to make and much better than the ones that come in the box.This recipe for amaretti cookies, courtesy of chef Mario Batali, is an excellent accompaniment to pumpkin lune pasta and can be found in his book, "The Babbo Cookbook." Use them in the Roasted Peaches with Amaretti Crumble and as an accompaniment to the Chocolate Gelato Affogatto previously posted.
A nice espresso with these cookies is a delighful and "lite" dessert. Don't forget to add a touch of Limoncello to the espresso!
Makes about 30 cookies
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups whole blanched almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large egg whites
Pinch of kosher salt
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon amaretto
1/2 cup turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place almonds, cornstarch, and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until almonds are very finely chopped.
Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add salt and beat on medium speed until foamy and light. Gradually add granulated sugar in a slow, steady steam and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Beat in almond extract and amaretto.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in ground almond mixture.
Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle each cookie generously with turbinado sugar.
Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are pale golden and begin to crack slightly, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees. Leave oven door ajar to release some of the heat. Let cookies stand in oven until completely dry and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes more.
Let cookies cool briefly on baking sheets, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Celebrating National Ice Cream Day...Chocolate Gelato Affogato!
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I was eating this in the 1960's and didn't know it had a name!
Boarding school meals are atrocious, as anyone who has gone to one can attest..but leave it to a group of creative 14 year olds and even vanilla ice cream can turn into a gourmet dessert.
Remember those ice cream squares covered in paper that they used to have years ago? They tasted like frozen milk. On Sundays, as a treat (?) they would give us Neapolitan ice cream... or so they called it. To us, it was just three colors of frozen milk. I can't remember exactly which one of us invented what I now know as Gelato Affogato* but God Bless her! We'd take a vanilla square and pour coffee over it and presto! coffee ice cream...what a treat! Hey, Haggen Daz wasn't around in those days... but we did have Schraffts, just not at school.
This secret recipe became a tradition, particularly if you were a junior or senior, although I wonder if boarding school kids today would put up with the horrors they called food in those days.
So in memory of those horrible days, here's a wonderful recipe for a hot summer afternoon!
Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
2 pints chocolate, vanilla or coffee gelato or ice cream
2 cups freshly brewed espresso
Kahlua (optional)
Crushed Espresso Beans (optional)
Biscotti or amaretti cookies (optional)
Directions
Beat cream until soft peaks form
Place two scoops gelato or ice cream into each of 4 glasses. Pour 1/2 cups hot espresso over tops of each, just to cover. If you are using Kahlua, pour some now. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle some amaretti cookie crumbs or crushed espresso beans on top and serve with biscotti.
*The word affogato means "drowned" in Italian; affogato al caffe is the name of a popular dessert in which hot espresso is poured over gelato just before it is eaten. The bitterness of the espresso acts as a pleasant counterpoint to the sweet creaminess of the ice cream. Liqueur intensifies the overall flavor. Although traditional gelato is denser than ice cream and therefore melts more slowly, you can use either one for equally delicious results. If you prefer, substitute very strong brewed coffee for the espresso.
If you want to make your own gelato go to:
Photo: marthastewart.com
I was eating this in the 1960's and didn't know it had a name!Boarding school meals are atrocious, as anyone who has gone to one can attest..but leave it to a group of creative 14 year olds and even vanilla ice cream can turn into a gourmet dessert.
Remember those ice cream squares covered in paper that they used to have years ago? They tasted like frozen milk. On Sundays, as a treat (?) they would give us Neapolitan ice cream... or so they called it. To us, it was just three colors of frozen milk. I can't remember exactly which one of us invented what I now know as Gelato Affogato* but God Bless her! We'd take a vanilla square and pour coffee over it and presto! coffee ice cream...what a treat! Hey, Haggen Daz wasn't around in those days... but we did have Schraffts, just not at school.
This secret recipe became a tradition, particularly if you were a junior or senior, although I wonder if boarding school kids today would put up with the horrors they called food in those days.
So in memory of those horrible days, here's a wonderful recipe for a hot summer afternoon!
Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
2 pints chocolate, vanilla or coffee gelato or ice cream
2 cups freshly brewed espresso
Kahlua (optional)
Crushed Espresso Beans (optional)
Biscotti or amaretti cookies (optional)
Directions
Beat cream until soft peaks form
Place two scoops gelato or ice cream into each of 4 glasses. Pour 1/2 cups hot espresso over tops of each, just to cover. If you are using Kahlua, pour some now. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle some amaretti cookie crumbs or crushed espresso beans on top and serve with biscotti.
*The word affogato means "drowned" in Italian; affogato al caffe is the name of a popular dessert in which hot espresso is poured over gelato just before it is eaten. The bitterness of the espresso acts as a pleasant counterpoint to the sweet creaminess of the ice cream. Liqueur intensifies the overall flavor. Although traditional gelato is denser than ice cream and therefore melts more slowly, you can use either one for equally delicious results. If you prefer, substitute very strong brewed coffee for the espresso.
If you want to make your own gelato go to:
Photo: marthastewart.com
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