Everyday items such as eggs, butter, flour and sugar when mixed properly can transform a kitchen into a warm home and a simple dinner party into a memorable feast.
Desserts, from elaborate productions such as the passion-fruit cake that follows to the simpler cashew-and-hazelnut pie, are works of art, labors of love and enjoyed by all. An unforeseen bonus is the myriad of ills that can be overcome when the final course is a sumptuous indulgent treat.
Who among us has not been guilty of saving room for dessert?
Many sweets-lovers have even been known to forgo the whole meal for an extra-thick slice of double chocolate this or triple cream that.
The recipes that follow are based on classics-some with a flavor twist. Decorations and garnishes have been kept to a minimum. The emphasis instead is on fine-tasting, not overly sweet desserts.
Fresh, seasonal flowers can provide a festive, elegant finishing touch to a dessert in place of elaborate sugar decorations.
When making desserts, don`t be intimidated by the length of a recipe. Simply think of it in its parts-a pie shell, filling and topping or cake layers, frosting and decoration. As an added benefit most of the parts to a dessert can be made in advance and then the dessert assembled shortly before serving.
Unless you are an experienced baker do not use the dessert course as your place to experiment. It is best to do a trial run, especially on intricately timed desserts such as souffles, before the guests arrive.
The chocolate curls on the white- and dark-chocolate layer cake are perhaps the most difficult decoration included here. By using a very sharp vegetable peeler and a block of chocolate approximately the same width as the peeler blade, it is possible to simply ”peel” off a curl. This trick works particularly well with white chocolate and milk chocolate because of their soft texture.
The desserts that follow are fine endings to almost any meal. A glass of champagne or a light dessert wine will accompany them nicely. Strong coffee after the cashew-and-hazelnut pie and creme de cassis to sip with the souffle are nice as well.
FRESH-FRUIT TARTS
16 to 18 tarts
Pastry dough:
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
2 egg yolks
6 tablespoons half-and-half
Custard:
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
2 cups milk
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon brandy
To assemble:
5 to 6 cups prepared fruit (such as seedless grapes, sliced peeled papaya, fresh cranberries, sliced pear, sliced fig, etc.)
Melted apple jelly
1. For pastry, put flour, salt, sugar and lemon rind into food processor. Process until mixed. Add butter. Process with on-off turns until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix egg yolks and half-and-half and add to food processor with motor running. Process just until mixture starts to form a ball. Remove to a sheet of wax paper and press dough together into a flat disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough to fit into small individual fruit tart pans. Press dough into pans. Line with foil and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Put tart pans onto a baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes. Remove foil and dry beans. Continue baking until golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool completely on wire rack.
3. For custard filling, mix sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the milk into medium bowl until smooth. Heat remaining 1/2 cups milk and salt in large saucepan. Gradually pour cornstarch mixture into hot milk. Whisk constantly, over medium heat until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl. Stir in brandy. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and refrigerate until chilled.
4. To assemble, remove pastry shells from pans. Fill with chilled custard. Cut and prepare fruit. Arrange fruit over custard. Brush with melted jelly. Serve within 2 hours of assembly.
PASSION-FRUIT CAKE
10 servings
Dough base:
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup sifted flour
3 large eggs
1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough (8 1/2 ounces total), thawed according to package
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
Caramel:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
Cream filling:
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
2 cups milk
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon brandy
1/3 cup strained seedless passion-fruit pulp (pureed mango with 1 tablespoon lemon juice may be substituted)
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners` sugar
1. For dough, put milk, butter, salt and sugar into medium saucepan. Heat to boil. Add flour all at once. Stir over low heat until mixture forms a ball and comes away from sides of pan. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
2. Using a wooden spoon, beat in eggs, one at a time, until completely incorporated.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll puff pastry on floured surface just large enough to fit a 10-inch circle. Cut out a 10-inch circle and lay it on baking sheet. Pierce the bottom with a fork.
4. Put dough into pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe a ring of dough around the outside of puff pastry base. Pipe a circle of dough in center of puff pastry.
5. Pipe remaining dough into small round balls on separate baking sheet. Brush balls with beaten egg yolk mixture. Bake both puff pastry ring and dough balls until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
6. For caramel, put 1 cup sugar and the water in small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar melts and turns a caramel color. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes to thicken slightly. Carefully dip top half of balls into the caramel mixture to glaze them nicely. Dip bottom into caramel and attach around outer ring of dough base.
7. For cream filling, mix sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the milk in medium bowl until smooth. Heat remaining 1/2 cups milk and salt in large saucepan. Gradually pour cornstarch mixture into hot milk. Whisk constantly, over medium heat, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and strain into bowl. Stir in brandy. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and refrigerate until chilled.
8. Whisk passion-fruit pulp into chilled custard. Beat cream and confectioner`s sugar until soft peaks form. Fold 1/4 of the cream into the custard to lighten it. Then gently fold in remaining cream. Put mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip and pipe into center of dough ring.
9. Serve cut in wedges within 1 to 2 hours of filling dough ring with cream filling.
CASHEW-AND-HAZELNUT PIE
10 servings
Pie crust:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla
Filling:
2 cups dry-roasted, unsalted cashews
2 cups blanched hazelnuts
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup whipping cream
Hazelnut cream:
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons Frangelica (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)
1. For pie crust, put flour, salt and sugar into food processor. Process until mixed. Add butter. Process with on-off turns until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix egg yolks, half-and-half and vanilla, add to food processor with motor running. Process just until mixture starts to form a ball. Remove to a sheet of wax paper and press dough together into a flat disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough between 2 sheets of floured wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Remove 1 sheet of wax paper. Gently put dough into a 10-inch pie plate paper side up. Carefully remove paper and press and trim dough to fit into pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Line dough with foil and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and dry beans. Continue baking until golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. For filling, arrange cashews and hazelnuts over bottom of cooled crust. Put brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and cream into a medium saucepan. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves and boils.
5. Pour hot filling over nuts. Bake until filling bubbles, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
6. For hazelnut cream, beat cream in small mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in liqueur. Serve pie cut into thin wedges with a dollop of the whipped cream.
CASSIS-AND-CREAM SOUFFLE
Six to eight servings
1 package (10 ounces) frozen raspberries packed in light syrup, thawed
1/3 cup creme de cassis or black currant syrup
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
1 cup milk
8 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch salt
1 cup whipping cream
Confectioners` sugar
1. Puree raspberries in food processor or blender. Push through a sieve to remove seeds. Mix raspberry puree and creme de cassis.
2. Mix 4 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the milk in small bowl until smooth. Heat remaining 3/4 cup milk in medium saucepan. Gradually pour cornstarch mixture into hot milk. Whisk constantly, over medium heat, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Stir in creme de cassis mixture. Cool to room temperature. 3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap a 6-cup souffle dish with an aluminum foil collar that extends 3 inches above the dish. Secure foil with a piece of string. Generously butter insides of dish and foil collar. Sprinkle with sugar and swirl to distribute sugar over dish and foil.
4. Beat egg whites and salt in large mixer bowl until frothy. Beat in remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff but not dry. Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into creme de cassis mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining whites.
5. Scrape mixture into prepared souffle dish. Bake until puffed and top is golden, about 35 minutes.
6. While souffle bakes, beat cream until soft peaks form. When souffle is done, immediately bring it to the serving table. Sprinkle with confectioners` sugar. Remove top of souffle with a large spoon. Put cream into center of souffle, replace top. Serve with a large spoon.
WHITE- AND DARK-CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE
10 to 12 servings
Cake layers:
2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup buttermilk
Chocolate buttercream:
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup egg whites (from 5 to 6 large eggs)
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups (1 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
Garnish:
Cognac or brandy
1 large piece of bulk white chocolate
1 large piece of bulk milk chocolate
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-by-1 1/2-inch square cake pans.
2. For cake layers, put white chocolate and semisweet chocolate into two separate small saucepans. Add 1/4 cup cream to each. Cook over very low heat just until melted. Remove from heat.
3. Sift flour, soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Divide mixture between two bowls.
4. Stir melted white chocolate into one bowl. Stir semisweet chocolate into the other. Alternately fold half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk into each bowl of batter.
5. Scrape batter into pans and spread smooth with spatula. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center is withdrawn clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
6. For buttercream, melt chocolate over hot water in top of double boiler. Remove from heat; cool.
7. Put egg whites and sugar into large mixer bowl. Set bowl over simmering water and whisk until the mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved. Remove and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Continue beating until mixture it room temperature. Beat in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is smooth, fluffy and spreading consistency. (If mixture curdles, set bowl over a pan of hot water and beat until smooth; do not allow butter to melt. If mixture is too loose to spread, refrigerate it until it reaches spreading consistency.) Beat in 3 tablespoons cognac and cooled chocolate.
8. Cut cake layers horizontally in half. Put one dark chocolate layer onto serving platter. Drizzle layer with Cognac. Spread thickly with buttercream. Top with a white chocolate layer. Drizzle layer with Cognac. Spread thickly with buttercream. Repeat layers. Spread top and sides with buttercream.
9. If desired, put any remaining chocolate buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. Pipe a border around base of cake. Refrigerate cake, loosely covered, at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
10. To garnish, use a very sharp vegetable peeler and draw it across the piece of white chocolate to form a curl. Repeat to make as many curls as desired. Carefully arrange curls over top of cake. Repeat to make milk chocolate curls and intersperse them among the white chocolate curls.
