A Very Busy Month

It has been a while since I’ve posted to the blog but I have been busy cooking, writing recipes, experimenting, entertaining and even working.  Yes, working.  I had a few parties this past month and I did some entertaining at home as well.

The pictures will tell the story of my month and I will post some of the recipes.  The one recipe so many people are asking for is the birthday cake I made for Jim’s celebration in August:  A yellow cake with the real deal ganache.

So feast your eyes and if there is a recipe you would like, let me know and I will post it on this blog.

Ganache is by far the simplest way to frost and cake.   Chefs and bakers always want it to seem so difficult, but once you frost a cake with ganache you will never do any other chocolate frosting.  Just pour it over the cake and let it run down the sides.  The nuts will hide any imperfection.

Never waste the over-ripe bananas.  This moist, delicious and so easy quick bread is a wonderful addition to breakfast or afternoon coffee break.  Try it with a shmear of cream cheese and a little dab of Fig Preserves.

The secret to these chewy chocolate chip cookies is in the recipe.  See if you can find it.  I know the secret and you will, also, once you make everyone’s favorite cookie.

Figs are at their peak right now.  If you wait too long they will be impossible to find.  Figs were at our table growing up and they bring me back to those great days.  Try spreading on quick bread such as the Banana-Toasted Coconut Bread or do as they do in Italy – use the preserves as a condiment with cheese and crostini.

Among the fruits at their peak are cherries, peaches and nectarines.  I always buy a lot of fruit and what we don’t eat I preserve.

A great brunch or lunch treat is the Gorgonzola and Caramelized Onion Tart.  Instead of a pastry crust I used bread crumbs.  It is so much lighter and easy to put together at the last minute.

Traditionally, Polenta was served in the winter since it is a stick to the ribs kind of dish.  But if I have to wait until it’s cold and blistery outside, I will never prepare it since it is always hot in Florida.  Tradition be damned!!!  Eat it when you want it.

Slow Roasted Pork Butt makes for a great pulled pork meal.  Try it either as an entree, in a sandwich with BBQ sauce or as a soft taco with a selection of condiments to accompany this rich, luscious, tasty cut of meat.  For the recipe go to my earlier posting – May 10, 2011 – A No Stress Party Menu.

Well, there you have it.  Besides all of the above items I made this last month I also created a great recipe for Vanilla Creme Fraiche Semi-Fredo.  I’m saving this recipe and picture for the future posting I am planning on writing with Semi-Fredo and Gelato as the topic.

Here are a couple of recipes for you to try:

Yellow Cake

4        Large Eggs at Room Temperature

½       Cup Whole Milk at Room Temperature

2        Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 ¼    Plain Cake Flour

1 ½    Cups Granulated Sugar

2        Teaspoons Baking Powder

1        Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt

8        Ounces Unsalted Butter, Softened, Cut into 16 Pieces

 

Preheat oven to 350F Degrees F (325 if using a convection oven).  Place oven rack in lower middle position of oven.  Spray two 9 inch cakes pans with baking spray such as Pam for Baking.  Cover pan bottoms with rounds of parchment paper and spray with baking spray.

Beat eggs, milk and vanilla with a fork in a small bowl.  Measure out 1 cup of this mixture and set aside.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on lowest speed to blend, about 30 seconds.  With mixer still running at lowest speed, add butter one piece at a time, mix until butter and flour begin to clump together and look sandy and pebbly, with pieces about the size of peas  Once all of the butter is incorporated beat on low for an additional minute.  Add reserved 1 cup of egg mixture and mix at lowest speed until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds.  Increase speed to medium high (#6 on the Kitchen Aid Mixer) and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.  Add remaining egg mixture (about 1//2 Cup) in a slow steady stream.  Stop mixture and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl.  Beat on medium high until thoroughly combined and batter looks slightly curdled, about 15 seconds longer.

Divide batter between the prepared cake pans, spread batter to sides and smooth with a spatula.  Bake 20 – 25 minutes, until top is light brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.  Cool on rack 10 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely before icing.

Chocolate Ganache

Enough for a 9” Two Layer Cake

3        Cups Heavy Cream (36%)

¼       Cup Light Corn Syrup

2        Lbs. Good Quality Bittersweet Chocolate, Chopped Fine

OR    Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips

2        Cups Toasted Slivered Almonds, Slightly Crushed with a Rolling Pin

To Crush the Almonds, place between two sheets of parchment paper and roll over with a rolling pin to slightly crush.

Place the chocolate in a medium large bowl.

In a medium size sauce pan, heat the heavy cream and the corn syrup until just boiling.  Remove from heat and immediately pour over the chopped chocolate.  Let rest for 5 minutes and then whisk until completely smooth and blended.

Pour half of the Ganache into another bowl and place bowl over ice bath.

Set the other half of the Ganache to the side.  Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes, until the Ganache is slightly thickened, not hot but still pourable.

Stir the chocolate that is sitting in the ice bath until cooled to room temperature.  Once cooled, beat in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.

Set the first layer of the cake on a round cake board the exact size of the cake (9”) and place on a rack set over a half sheet pan that is lined with a sheet of parchment paper.

Spread some of the whipped Ganache onto the first layer of cake.  Top with second layer and frost the cake with the whipped Ganache using all of it on the top and sides.  Smooth top and sides with an off-set spatula.  (This is called the crumb coat.)  Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes or until the Ganache is set.

Once the crumb coat is set, remove from refrigerator and pour the cooled Ganache over the center of the cake top.  The Ganache will gently fall down the sides of the cake.  Pour the Ganache slowly without stopping until all of the Ganache is used.  You will have a completely smooth frosted cake.  Let the Ganache set for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator.  After 10 minutes remove the cake from the refrigerator and gently press the crushed almonds onto the sides of the cake.

Remove the cake from the rack and place onto a serving dish.  Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.  One hour before serving, remove from the refrigerator to let the cake come to room temperature.

Hints and Tips: Using the cake board makes it easy to move the cake from the rack to the serving dish.

Resist the urge to spread the pourable Ganache with a spatula.  The wonderful thing about this is the way it goes down the sides without any help.  Help will leave marks and make the Ganache dull and not glossy as it should be.

If you think the Ganache has set too much and will not pour, microwave for 20 seconds and gently stir.

All of the Ganache that is left on the parchment paper is easy to scrape off and put into a container.  The left over Ganache will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  You can use the left over Ganache to make Chocolate Truffles.  Roll the cold Ganache into balls and then in Cocoa Powder and Finely Chopped Nuts.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Camille’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 3 Dozen Medium Size Cookies

2¼ Cups All-Purpose Flour

1        Teaspoon Baking Soda

1        Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt

½       Cup Vegetable Shortening (Crisco) at Room Temperature

½       Cup Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature

¾       Cup Granulated Sugar

¾       Cup Dark Brown Sugar Firmly Packed

2        Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

2        Large Eggs at Room Temperature

2        12 Ounce Packages Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or

Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F (350 if using a convection oven.)

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the vegetable shortening, butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Gradually add flour mixture and mix well.

Put half of the chocolate into a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until most of it is chopped fine.  Add the chopped chocolate and the chocolate chips into the dough and mix on low until combined.

Drop the dough onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or silpat, using a small ice cream scoop to measure.  Slightly press down the top of each cookie and bake for 12-13 minutes rotating the pan half way through the cooking time.  Cool completely on baking sheet before storing.

Hints and Tips:  I use a 1¾ inch ice cream scoop.  This makes a nice size cookie.  You can use a smaller scoop if you like but remember to adjust the baking time.

This last month I got all of my recipes to the Library of Congress for Copyright.  This is pretty exciting for me.  Now I can say they are copyrighted and are not to be published by anyone but me, blah, blah, blah.  You know the rest.

Let me know if you make any of the recipes by commenting on the blog or e-mailing me at  camille@camillecooksforyou.com I recently heard from a friend that she was e-mailing me to this address but I never received her e-mails.  Please let me know if this is happening to you.  I answer all of my e-mails so if you did and I didn’t then there is a problem.  I am still learning WordPress.