Oh, happy sweets lovers! This holiday season has brought not one, but two books from Maida Heatter, the undisputed queen of American desserts.
One is “Maida Heatter’s Brand-New Book of Cookies” (Random House, $25), a successor to her 1977 “Book of Great Cookies.” The other is a reissue of “Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts” (Random House trade paperback, $15), a best seller when first published in 1980.
Unfortunately, if you hold one of her books in each hand, there is no hand free to stir. So, after last week’s holiday cake and before the cookie festival coming Wednesday in the Good Eating section, I made the not-too-difficult decision to concentrate on chocolate and share with you two of Maida Heatter’s delicious chocolate pastries.
The recipes, as you will see, are long-not because they are difficult, but because Heatter is a caring teacher who takes time to anticipate for the reader any potential uncertainties or difficulties. There are no unmarked forks in the road in a Maida Heatter recipe.
Both the chocolate squares and the fudge are ideal treats for holiday entertaining.
VIENNESE CHOCOLATE SQUARES
16 small squares
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) almonds, blanched or unblanched
5 1/3 ounces (10 2/3 tablespoons) sweet butter
2 teaspoons dry powdered (not granular) instant espresso or other powdered instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum, Cognac or whiskey
4 eggs (graded large or extra large), separated
2 tablespoons unsifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional: 2 or 3 tablespoons apricot preserves
Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a shallow 8-inch-square metal baking pan as follows: Invert the pan, cover with a 12-inch square of aluminum foil, turn down the sides and the corners of the foil. Then remove the foil, turn the pan right side up, place the foil in the pan, and press it smoothly into place. Butter the foil using soft or melted butter and a pastry brush or crumpled wax paper. Set the prepared pan aside.
Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover until partially melted then uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.
The nuts must be ground to a fine powder. It may be done in a food processor, a nut grinder or a blender. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the coffee, vanilla, rum and the melted chocolate and beat until smooth. Add the egg yolks all at once and beat until smooth. Add the flour and then the almonds and beat until incorporated. Remove from the mixer.
In the small bowl of the electric mixer add the salt to the egg whites and, with clean beaters, beat only until the whites barely hold a firm shape, not until they are stiff or dry.
Gradually, in several additions, small at first, fold the whites into the chocolate mixture.
Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.
Cover with a rack and invert. Remove the pan and foil, cover with another rack and invert again, leaving the cake to cool right side up. (The cake will be a scant 1 inch high.)
Optional: Spread the top of the cooled cake with 2 or 3 tablespoons of warm, melted and strained apricot preserves. Let stand while you prepare the icing.
CHOCOLATE BUTTER ICING
4 ounces semisweet chocolate*
2 ounces (1/2 stick) sweet butter
1/2 teaspoon dry powdered (not granular) instant espresso or other powdered instant coffee
Place the chocolate and the butter in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover until partially melted. Then uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the coffee. If the mixture is not smooth, stir it briskly with a small wire whisk. Remove from the hot water and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Then let stand at room temperature or refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until only slightly thickened or thick enough so it will spread without running down the sides.
Place the cake upside down on a small board.
When the icing is ready, stir it well and turn it out onto the cake. With a long, narrow metal spatula, spread smoothly.
Let stand until the icing is set (it will not take long).
After the cake is cut into squares, they may be served as they are, or each one may be topped with a walnut or pecan half, a whole, toasted blanched hazelnut, or a chocolate coffee bean (candy).
If you plan to leave them plain, when the icing is set use a long, thin, sharp knife to trim the edges and then cut the cake into 16 small squares.
*If you prefer a less sweet flavor, use 1 ounce of unsweetened and 3 ounces of semisweet for the icing.
-From “Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts”
FRENCH FUDGE SQUARES
16 squares or 32 small bars
8 ounces (8 squares) unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs (graded large, extra-large or jumbo), separated
1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Adjust rack one-third up from bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square cake pan as follows: Invert the pan, tear off a 12-inch square of aluminum foil and center it over the inverted pan, fold down the sides and corners, remove the foil and turn the pan right side up. Place the foil in the pan. In order not to tear it, use a pot holder or a folded towel and, pressing gently, with the pot holder or towel, smooth the foil into place. Lightly butter the bottom and sides, using soft or melted butter and a pastry brush or crumpled wax paper. Set aside.
Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on low heat. Cover until partially melted, then uncover and stir occasionally until completely melted. Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.
In the small bowl of an electric mixer, beat the yolks until they are pale lemon-colored. Set aside.
Place the butter in the large bowl of the electric mixer. You can use the same beaters without washing them to cream the butter. Add 1 3/4 cups (reserve 1/4 cup) of the sugar and beat well. Add the egg yolks and beat to mix, then add the chocolate and beat again. On low speed gradually add the flour and beat, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula, and beating only until thoroughly incorporated. Remove from the mixer.
Now you need a clean, small mixer bowl and clean beaters. Place the egg whites in the bowl, add the salt and beat until the whites thicken so they barely hold a soft shape. Reduce the speed to moderate and gradually add the reserved 1/4 cup sugar. Increase the speed to high again and beat only until the whites hold a definite shape but not until they are stiff or dry.
The chocolate mixture will be quite stiff. First stir in about half a cup of the beaten whites. Then fold in half of the remaining whites-do not be too thorough-and then fold in the balance of the whites. The chocolate mixture will seem too stiff, but don’t worry; just continue to fold until the whites disappear. It will be OK.
Turn into the prepared pan. Smooth the top as well as you can-the mixture does not run as it bakes.
Place the pan in a larger shallow pan and pour hot-not boiling-water into the larger pan to about half the depth of the cake pan.
Bake for 50 minutes (there is no test for doneness; just time it.)
Remove the cake pan from the hot water and let stand until completely cool.
Cover with a rack, invert, remove the pan and the foil lining, and then transfer the cake, upside down, to a broad, flat platter or a cookie sheet. (The cake will be 11/4 inches high.)
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day or two, or freeze for a longer time. Bring to room temperature before glazing.
FUDGE GLAZE
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 ounce (1/4 stick) sweet butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
In a small, heavy saucepan stir the cocoa, sugar and water to blend. Place over moderate heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Let boil slowly, still stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chocolate and stir until it melts.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition. Add the oil and stir until completely blended.
Now, immediately, while the glaze is hot, pour it onto the top of the cake. With a long, narrow metal spatula, spread it over the top only; if a bit runs down on the sides, just leave it.
Let stand at room temperature for at least several hours. If the cake is refrigerated, the glaze will become dull-the taste and texture will still be delicious but different from the way they are at room temperature. (The consistency will be firmer and the taste will be slightly less sweet.) As a matter of fact, if I weren’t so intrigued by the shine of the glaze, I would say that I prefer the cake chilled.
With a long, thin, sharp knife, first trim a thin slice from each of the four sides so they will look the same as the cut interior sides. If necessary, wipe the blade after making each cut. Then cut into 16 squares. Or cut each square in half, making 32 small bars if you are serving these as finger food.
-From “Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts”
