(Not a Short Cake)
How you doin’? Living in California, I have access to fresh strawberries within hours of when they are picked. I bought a flat of fresh-from-the field strawberries this weekend and they were so sweet and delicious. But a full flat was way too many for two to eat over a weekend so I had to find a way to use them before they spoiled. I thought strawberry shortcake.
 
Here was my dilemma—I really dislike those spongy little circles with the shelf-life of plutonium that you buy in the supermarket. I also don’t really care for split sweetened biscuits that go stale once they cool down. Split, day-old muffins don’t do it for me either. I started to think, how can I improve on something so great as just eating fresh strawberries? Voilà! That’s French for “Eureka.” How about a Strawberry-Custard Cake topped with whipped cream and a fresh berry? And, here it is… the perfect fresh summer dessert.
 
Sometimes when you are cooking or baking tragedies occur… even to professionals. Read the After-The-End-Story at the end of this post—it was a comedy of errors.
 
Prep time:  35 minutes
Bake time:  23 to 30 minutes
Additional time:  2 hours for macerating the strawberries
Yield:  8 servings:
 
Ingredients
For the berry filling
2 pounds fresh strawberries, sliced / reserve 8 beautiful, ripe strawberries for topping.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
 
For the cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
 
For the whipped cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
 
Directions
To make the strawberry filling

1. Place the sliced strawberries into a mixing bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of sugar. Cover, and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight. Stir the strawberries occasionally. The longer they sit in the syrup, the more syrup you will have.
2. Make the My Way Basic Pastry Cream / custard filling (see recipe below)

To make the cake

1. Set an oven rack in the center of the oven.
2. Preheat your oven to 375⁰F.
3. Generously butter and flour a 9” x 13” baking dish.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder.
5. Beat the egg yolks in a separate small bowl together with the vanilla extract until smooth; set aside.
6. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until very stiff. Slowly add the 1-1/4 cup sugar to the egg whites, a few tablespoons at a time, until the sugar is incorporated and the whites are stiff.
7. Gently fold in the yolk mixture until almost fully blended into the whites.
8. Gently fold in the flour mixture until just combined. It’s okay if a few small lumps of flour remain.
9. Deposit the batter into the prepared baking dish.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 23 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out dry and clean.
11. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert the cake onto a sheet of waxed paper and cut into 8 equal pieces.

To make the whipped cream

1. While the cake is cooling, whip the heavy cream with the confectioners' sugar to soft peaks.

To assemble the strawberry not-shortcakes

1. Cut each cake square in half horizontally and put the bottom halves onto dessert plates.
2.  Deposit about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the custard on the bottom pieces of cake and smooth it out.
3. Spoon the strawberries and syrup over the custard. It’s okay if things start to run over the cake and onto the plate.
4. Place the cake tops over the custard and strawberries.
5. Spoon on another tablespoon of custard and then top with whipped cream.
6. Place one of the reserved whole strawberries on top of the whipped cream or on the side of the plate.

                                                          My Way Basic Pastry Cream
                           As found in my cookbook--Choclatique-150 Simply Elegant Desserts
A classic pastry cream is used in bakeries and restaurants to fill cakes, pies, tarts, and pastries. Over the years, I have come to judge great pastry chefs on the quality of their pastry cream and have never found this criterion to let me down. What I like about this pastry cream is that when “as is,” you can eat it like a pudding. I am always disappointed when I order dessert in a restaurant only to discover that the pastry chef uses using some kind of plastic, gloppy packaged custard mix. What’s so hard about doing it my way?

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Cool time:  20 minutes
Yield:  2-1/2 cups

Ingredients
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 
Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg.
2. In another bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of the sugar with the cornstarch. Slowly stir into the eggs until creamy and smooth.
3. In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar over medium heat until boiling, stirring continuously.
4. Drizzle the milk into the egg mixture in a slow, thin stream, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs so that they do not cook.
5. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir constantly over low heat until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla until the pastry cream is smooth and blended.
7. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.
8. Let the pastry cream cool for about 20 minutes and then refrigerate until ready to use. The pastry cream will keep fresh for up to 2 days. Whisk well before using.

ChefSecret:  To flavor the pastry cream, whisk 1/2 cup chocolate syrup into the pastry cream with the butter. You can also whisk in 1/2 cup of caramel sauce to make caramel pastry cream.

After-The-End-Story:  You know, sometimes stuff happens and that was the case with this recipe. For some reason, the cake wouldn’t easily come out of the baking dish. And, you guessed it—it broke apart and crumbled. I did manage to get at least one good piece for the picture—and I ate that soon after the photo was taken.
My very formal and strait-laced pastry chef in Paris once told me there would be days like this. So, in these cases, you can always make trifles. In my case I made parfaits—a couple of spoonfuls of custard, a broken lump of cake or two, strawberries, and repeat ‘till you reach the top of the glass leaving room for whipped cream.
Since this cake can be a bit temperamental and if you have a fear of failure, replace the whole cake recipe with a boxed version of yellow cake mix… replace the called-out oil with melted butter.

ChefSecret:  Try making different fruit fillings using other berries and ripe stone fruit. Just follow the same direction above.

#Dessert #Strawberry #CustardCake #StrawberryShortcake #Baking #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

How you doin’? Just think, today is one day closer to getting all this behind us… the coronavirus that is, plenty of other stuff to work on to improve the state of our human condition.
 
I was thinking the other day how could advanced civilizations like the Incas and Aztecs simply disappear from the face of the earth? I’ve watched lots of shows on the Discovery Channel that speculate that it was caused by war, famine, water shortage or the collapse of agriculture—but maybe it was just a pandemic. Who knows? Too much to ponder this early in the morning—let’s talk about cookies.
 
I’ve been working on a project with a Kelly—he’s the COO at Algood Food Company in Louisville, Kentucky. Kelly told me he wanted to make the Oatmeal Cookies from a previous recipe blog, but that his wife has a sensitivity to gluten. He wanted to know what I could suggest. So, we came up with a Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie that the whole family could enjoy.
 
A couple of years ago we developed a line of baked good for the National Peanut Board to be used by Yale University’s foodservice department. Our research developments discovered that peanut flour and peanut butter can be used to substitute all-purpose flour in some baking recipes. So here you go Kelly and “Mrs. Kelly” and the whole Kelly family—happy baking!
 
No one will ever believe these chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are baked without flour and are gluten-free.
 
Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Total time:  20 minutes
Yield:  20 large cookies
 
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned quick-cooking oats (be sure they are gluten-free oats if you want the cookies to be gluten-free)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or peanuts
1 cup dark chocolate chips
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the eggs (one at a time) and the vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
4. Add the oats, cinnamon and baking soda and mix on low speed until just combined. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.
5. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
6. Using a 1-ounce cookie scoop, drop two-tablespoon sized portions of dough a few inches apart onto lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Lightly wet your hands and slightly flatten the top of each scoop of dough with the palm of your wet hand.
7. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

ChefSecret: You can even add a half cup of raisins, dried cherries or blueberries to make a more complex cookie.  By letting the dough rest for a half hour before baking you allow the and oats to re-hydrate and absorb all the liquid. It also allows the cinnamon to blossom in flavor.

#OatmealCookies #Dessert #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #Gluten-Free #Baking #PeanutButter

How you doin’? I started writing this post a few weeks ago, when the unemployment counts were heading sharply up. Last week’s surprisingly good report on that front doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods by any stretch, but it was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise pretty bleak week. I reached back in our files to bring back this Chocolate Depression Cake, but perhaps we can update (vegan) it and call it the Chocolate Pandemic Cake. We are all concerned about our health and our budgets. It’s a sign of the time.

Many of the standard ingredients used in baking chocolate cakes like butter, milk and eggs were in limited financial reach and supply during the Great Depression. We are finding some of that right now in our own grocery stores.  But, then as now, people found workarounds, so they didn’t have to give up their ration of chocolate cake. Even without those ingredients in this recipe, it still delivers on big chocolate flavor and a moist, fudgy texture.

I’ve replaced the butter with oil and cut down on the typical amount of sugar. It’s still a great chocolate cake only a tad less sweet. This recipe is more about the chemistry of the ingredients than the art of baking—so follow the recipe carefully. Because there are not any eggs, butter or milk the cake is suitable for a vegan diet—hip-hip hooray! 

Prep time:  10 minutes
Bake time:  35 to 40 minutes
Yield:  8 to 10 servings
 
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon for dusting
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil or other neutral-flavored oil (or butter, if you please)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
whipped topping (optional)
 
Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
2. Spray and dust an 8-inch square baking pan with one tablespoon of cocoa powder.
3. Sift together the whole-grain pastry flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. Combine the water and vinegars in a small bowl.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; pour the oil and the vanilla extract in the well.
6. Pour the water-vinegar mixture over the dry ingredients; stir to form a smooth batter.
7. Fold in the chocolate chips.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
9. Bake on the middle rack for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Transfer the pan to a wire rack for the cake to cool.
11. Before serving, dust the top of the cooled cake lightly with confectioners’ sugar and/or a spritz or a dollop of whipped topping.

ChefSecret:  Dusting your sprayed pan with cocoa powder instead of flour prevents white streaks on the sides of your chocolate cake.

#Dessert #ChocolateCake #Baking #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #Vegan

How you doin’? I’m great after a weekend of binge-watching Seinfield.  What else are you going to do when there aren’t many places to go?
 
One of my favorites episodes of Seinfeld is when Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer are invited to a dinner party. As usual Elaine wants to bring a gift cake and a bottle of wine to the party. Jerry and Elaine stop at Royal Bakery to purchase a chocolate babka. Jerry and Elaine forget to take a number at the counter. As a result, others get ahead of them in line and purchase the last chocolate babka. Jerry and Elaine eventually resort to purchasing a cinnamon babka without chocolate considered, "a much lesser babka." If all that wasn’t bad enough, Jerry finds that the babka has a hair on it, and they are forced to wait in line again to purchase a new cake. 
 
According to Jerry, a chocolate babka is the “king of babkas.” It is a combination of gooey chocolate and soft, pillow-y sweet dough. This recipe produces an especially large, no, a giant babka that makes a real table statement. Cut the babka into large wedges, serve warm and enjoy.
 
This recipe takes a lot of time. Make sure the people you share your babka with are well worth it.
 
Total time:  4 hours 20 minutes
Prep time:  45 minutes
Proof time:  2 hours + 30 minutes
Bake time:  40 to 45 minutes
Yield:  10-12 servings
 
Ingredients
For the sweet dough
1 cup whole milk
1/4-ounce active dry yeast (1 package is about 2-1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
2 tablespoon vegetable oil, for the bowls
 
For the chocolate filling
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (about 3 cups)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
For the egg wash
1 large whole egg
1 tablespoon water
 
For the white glaze
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
 
Directions
To make the dough

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 105°F to 110°F. Anything over 110⁰F will kill the yeast.
2. Sprinkle in the yeast and a teaspoon of granulated sugar. Cover with a dish towel and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Whisk together the flour and remaining granulated sugar in a large bowl. 
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the butter, vanilla extract and egg yolks on low speed until combined.  
5. Add the yeast mixture and continue to mix on low speed until combined.  
6. Carefully add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until a thick and slightly sticky dough forms and comes together, about 3 minutes.  
7. Add the mini chocolate chips.
8. Change out the paddle for a dough hook and knead on medium speed, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour if needed to make a soft, smooth ball that sticks to the hook, 3 to 4 minutes. 
9. Lightly coat 2 large mixing bowls with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil each.  
10. Cut the dough in half; form into 2 balls put each into the prepare bowls; rotate the dough balls to coat them in the oil.  
11. Cover the bowls with dish towels and let the dough rise at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

To make the filling

1. Microwave the chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals at 50% power, stirring in between each burst, until melted, smooth and creamy.  
2. Mix in the cinnamon and confectioner’s sugar and set aside. 

To assemble the babka

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment.  
2. Punch down one ball of dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times, then roll into a rectangle 12” x 16”, keeping the longer side closest to you.
3. If the chocolate filling has set and is no longer spreadable, microwave for 30 seconds.  Spread half of the chocolate filling all over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around.
4. Starting from the long side, gently roll up the dough so you have a long log. Position it seam-side down. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise so you have 2 long pieces. Twist each piece 4 times. Repeat this with the other ball of dough. 
5. Form one twisted piece into a tight coil and transfer to the prepared sheet pan. Coil the second twisted piece around the first. Repeat the rolling, filling, twisting and coiling process with the second dough ball and add it to the first ball’s coil to yield 1 large twisted babka roll.
6. Cover the baking sheet with clean dish towels and let proof for 30 minutes. 
7. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

To make the white the glaze:

1. Beat the whole egg with 1 tablespoon water. Using a pastry brush, brush the babka all over with the egg wash.  
2. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. The internal temperature should be between 190°F.
3. Let the babka cool on the sheet pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

To make the white the glaze:

1. Microwave the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl until softened, 10 to 15 seconds.  
2. Add the confectioners' sugar, milk and almond extract; whisk until smooth.  
3. Drizzle the glaze on top of the babka.

ChefSecret:  For a lighter texture cake, add 1/2 cup of sour cream to the dough when mixing. 

Chef’s Historical Note:  New York-style babka is associated with the Eastern European Jewish traditions. This babka is usually made from a doubled and twisted length of yeast dough and can typically bake in a high loaf pan or a fluted pan. Some have fruit fillings, but nothing is better than a sweet babka dough which contains chocolate and/or cinnamon. You may have seen this style babka topped with streusel or crumb topping in your local Jewish or Russian bakery.

 #Brunch #Dessert #Babka #Baking #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #Seinfeld

How you doin’? Did you ever try my recipe for Texas Cowboy Casserole (Lesson #14) using Original Bisquick? Why not? Don’t be a slacker. You’re at home with the kids and baking and cooking are great releases from all the stress you are going through. Okay, I’m going to give you another chance to be a “baking hero.”

Cheddar Corn Cakes make a great accompaniment to a nice dining room dinner or an informal outdoor cookout. It all starts with a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix and a box of Original Bisquick. Skip the standard bake-and-serve, store-bought dinner rolls and try these quick-to-fix biscuits studded with cheddar and corn kernels. It's almost impossible to resist eating one right from the oven!
 
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 20 minutes
Yield: 16 to 20 biscuits
 
Ingredients
Food release spray (Pam)
1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (8.5-oz.)
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
 
2-1/2 cups Original Bisquick Baking Mix
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground dry rosemary
8 tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed
1/2 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk, plus more for brushing the tops
1/4 cup melted salted butter for brushing the tops after baking
 
Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
2. Prepare 2-baking sheets with parchment paper sprayed with food release (Pam).
3. In a medium bowl combine the muffin mix, egg and milk; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the Bisquick, sugar, mustard and rosemary.
5. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
6. Add the creamed corn, cheese, eggs and milk; stir until just moistened.
7. Add in the prepared corn muffin batter.
8. Deposit batter on the prepared sheet pans using a #20 scoop (standard ice cream scoop).
9. Place the corn cakes 2-inches apart on the prepared sheet pans, brush biscuit tops with milk.
10. Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and rotate pans midway through the baking time.
11. When the biscuits come out of the oven brush with melted butter.
12. Serve warm.

#Biscuits #JiffyMuffinMix #Bisquick #Brunch #Dinner #CheddarBiscuits #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19