Whisk Wednesdays—Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers)

A simple salad appetizer topped with slippery liver that's been sautéed lightly and finished with a little shallot-wine sauce thickened with crème fraîche. Nothing too tricky and everything is delicious…except the liver.

If I had used foie gras, the perfect substitute, I could tell you all about how foie gras is made and possibly get into trouble from activists about how geese are force fed for the last few weeks of their lives. Do the geese mind the funnel-feeding? Does the liver of ethically-raised geese who naturally gorge themselves taste better than geese that have been force fed? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to run out to buy this delicacy as I had intended to.

"Every good chicken has a good liver."
— Peter Hoffman

But I do have a bit of time to think, read and ponder foie gras. Before I knew much about it, I had tasted it and found it smooth, custardy, salty, rich and good. Pan fried lightly in a touch of butter, ending with a bit of a crust and a smooth, velvety center, it was memorable. It was served as part of the main dish at a restaurant that was paying tribute to Julia Child shortly after she died. I ordered Tournedos Rossini (Filet Steaks with Foie gras, Truffles, and Madeira Sauce) found on page 299 in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I: 40th Anniversary Edition (affiliate link) But the fois gras is what stood tall in my memory banks. And how different is fois gras (besides cost!) from chicken liver? I wish I'd had the time to source some fois gras this week just to compare the two offals.

"On a ritz, on a stick, in a box, with some lox...Chicken Liver."

Working through this curriculum, I've made several dishes that I wouldn't normally come home from work and choose to make. Frog legs, chicken liver, caul fat encased sausage and soon rabbit are examples. Why does the vision of Hannibal Lecter whispering in my ear linger each time I'm about to sample something unfamiliar, causing me to take a deep breath before taking a taste? Why don't I feel guilt or discomfort when I put a piece of beef tenderloin in my mouth? Is it any different? No, it's just more familiar.

"Real cooks have hard hearts." — Marjorie Leet Ford

Recipe: Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers)

Serves: 6 (I halved the recipe.)

Ingredients:

1 head escarole

1 head red leaf lettuce

For the Vinaigrette:

¼ cup sherry vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¾ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chervil or parsley, chopped

1 pound chicken livers

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

½ cup port wine

¾ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream (or sour cream)

1 tablespoons chervil or parsley, chopped

You can find the recipe for Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home or here. To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!

Serve with Chianti.

Tasting Notes
I did a tasting and confirmed that chicken liver is not for me. The vinaigrette was tangy and the pink color of the sauce on the liver was pretty. But next time I'll use regular chicken breast or foie gras instead.

"My idea of heaven is eating patés de foie gras to the sound of trumpets." — Sydney Smith, English writer (1771-1845)

Links
• Washington City Paper: Anthony Bourdain on Foie Gras
• Bay Area Bites: Foie Gras: Duck, duck, goose
• Salon.com: Relax, it's just foie gras
• TED Talk: Dan Barber's foie gras parable

Next Class
• Longe de Porc aux Pruneaux (Roast Pork Loin with Prunes) and Mousseline de Céleri Rave (Creamed Celery Root Purée) pages 122-123

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $1,341.87 + $5.04 = $1,346.91
($1.68 per serving)

Butter used so far: 12 pounds, 3.5 tablespoons

. . . . . . . . . .

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Tuesdays with Dorie—Chipster-Topped Brownies

This recipe is brilliant. It combines the best of both worlds by putting chocolate chip cookie dough on top of brownie batter and baking them together. The cookie forms a crust that hides the soft, moist brownie underneath.

Recipe: Chipster-Topped Brownies

Makes: 24 brownies (I made 48 minis and one 8x8 pan.)

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer:

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 2/3 cups sugar

4 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Cookie Layer:

1¼ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

You can find the recipe for Chipster-Topped Brownies in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours (affiliate link) by Dorie Greenspan or here. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Beth of Supplicious who chose the recipe for this week.

Tasting Notes
Chocolate-y, crunchy, chewy, tender, cake-y all in one bite.

Recipe for Next Week (June 2)
Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures chose Cinnamon Squares on pages 210 and 211.

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Bread Baker's Apprentice—Greek Celebration Bread

The Greek Celebration Breads are sweet breads served at holiday times such as Christmas, Easter, and New Year's. This week I made the Greek Christmas Bread called Christopsomos Bread. The holiday recipes are generally made using the base "Greek Celebration Bread" and then fruit and nuts are added.

I chose to make the Christopsomos bread in part because I'm a big fan of raisin bread and hot cross buns, and also because of its curly cue appearance. Today though I was in the mood for something a little different, so I replaced the fruit with raisins and swapped walnuts out in favor of pecans. Yum!

This recipe suggests that authentic Greek spices can be used. Spices such as Mastic and Mahleb (which is extracted from Santa Lucia cherry pits) could replace all the spices found in the recipe.) Unfortunately, I couldn’t find either locally, so here is the North American version.

Recipe: Greek Celebration Bread

Makes: 1 loaf

For the Poolish:

2½ cups unbleached bread flour

1½ cups water, at room temperature

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

For the Dough:

1 cup poolish (not the entire poolish above)

3½ cups unbleached bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon minced orange zest

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

¼ cup honey

¼ cup olive oil

¾ cup whole milk, lukewarm

My Christopsomos Variation:

1 cup dark raisins

½ cup chopped pecans

For the Glaze:

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

You can find the recipe for Greek Celebration Bread in the book The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread (affiliate link). To see how the rest of the BBA (Bread Baker's Apprentice) Challenge group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! I'm not listed there since the group grew to 200 (the cutoff point) too fast. I'll join in now and then, though.

Tasting Notes
First of all the appearance of this bread is amazing with its Christmas cross in the center and then swirls reminiscent of the elaborate columns found in ancient Greek architecture decorated with sesame seeds and honey glaze. Appearance-wise alone, this bread would draw out a chorus of oohs and aahs if served at a big family brunch.

So, what about the taste? Sweet and delicious! The raisins fit very nicely with the complex combination of spices in this bread, which was very reminiscent of hot cross buns. In all, I really enjoyed this bread and can't wait to serve it next Christmas!

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Bread Baker's Apprentice—Anadama Bread

Anadama bread is a traditional New England sweet bread characterized by flour, molasses, and cornmeal. It has an unusual name whose origins are explained by local folklore. The story has several variations but most of them go something like this: a fisherman, angry at his wife for serving him little more than cornmeal and molasses porridge, decides to take matters into his own hands, adds flour and yeast, then bakes it. As he eats the resulting bread, he mutters “Anna, damn her!” and the name stuck. Or at least the kinder, gentler version, Anadama, stuck!

"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou."
‑ Omar Khayyam

The recipe demands your attention because it requires several more steps than traditional versions that tend to be of the direct bake variety. The first two steps draw out the flavor from the corn as well as soften it to improve its digestibility. In these steps, you first create a cornmeal soaker and leave it overnight, and then you mix that into a sponge, leaving it for another hour. Next, you mix the dough and allow it to rise for about 90 minutes, followed by shaping and proofing for 90 more minutes. Finally, the cooking time is around 40-50 minutes. So, in all (if we don't include the soak overnight), it takes about 5½ hours from start to finish.

Recipe: Anadama Bread

Makes: 2 loaves of bread

Ingredients:

For the Soaker:

1 cup cornmeal, preferably coarse grind (also known as polenta)

1 cup water at room temperature

For the Regular Sponge:

2 cups unbleached bread flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

For the Final Dough:

2½ cups unbleached bread flour

1½ teaspoons salt

6 tablespoons molasses (lighter is better)

2 tablespoons shortening or unsalted butter at room temperature

You can find the recipe for Anadama Bread in the book The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread (affiliate link). To see how the rest of the BBA (Bread Baker's Apprentice) Challenge group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! I'm not listed there since the group grew to 200 (the cutoff point) too fast. I may join in now and then, though.

Tasting Notes
I enjoyed this bread. It's tender and sweet but not overpowering. I was surprised to find that the gritty cornmeal texture wasn't apparent as I was eating it. Thinking back, softening the cornmeal was part of the purpose of the soaker and sponge stages, and it really worked. Anadama bread's somewhat dense structure pays off in the crust. The slightly chewy texture is easily the best part of a slice and lightly toasting it really brings that chewiness to the rest of the slice.

This is the first time I've made Anadama bread, and next time I try it I'd like to see how a more traditional, less involved, recipe compares. Also, I would like to try it again with lighter molasses (as recommended by the recipe). I used a dark molasses this time and I think a lighter molasses would allow the corn flavors to be more prominent. All in all though, I highly recommend this bread.

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Whisk Wednesdays—Gratin de Fruits au Marasquin (Fruit Gratin with Maraschino Liqueur)

Sabayon (or Italian zabaglione) is a pudding, or custard, served on its own, or with fruit. For this quick dessert, the fruit is macerated, the sabayon is whisked, and the two are broiled before serving.

This is the third time I've made sabayon in this curriculum. First, it was a traditional fruit zabaglione. Then we made a savory sabayon to top poached oysters. Now, we're making a sabayon that's browned under the broiler before serving.

Before making the sabayon, you macerate the fruit in liqueur. Macerating is done at room temperature. (Say that five times fast!) Whereas, marinating is generally done in the refrigerator. So, the fruit is soaked in the liqueur for at least 20 minutes. Then you make the sabayon.

The key to sabayon is constant whisking over simmering water to avoid scrambling the eggs. After making the sabayon, you broil it for a few minutes until it's lightly browned.

Recipe: Gratin de Fruits au Marasquin (Fruit Gratin with Maraschino Liqueur)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 mangoes

6 figs (I used papaya.)

2 tablespoons maraschino liqueur (I used cherry brandy.)

For the Sabayon:

2 egg yolks

½ cup confectioners' sugar

2/3 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons maraschino liqueur (I used cherry brandy.)

You can find the recipe for Gratin de Fruits au Marasquin (Fruit Gratin with Maraschino Liqueur) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) or here. To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!

Tasting Notes
You actually don't need to spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen making this dessert. Although the sabayon requires a light touch, it is an easy recipe once you know that you're working with "diva" eggs and handle them properly. The sweet custard with the macerated fruit is delicious, and browning just adds even more flavor.

Links
• Culinate and David Lebovitz: Zabaglione Gelato
• Dhanggit's Kitchen: Apricot Gratin in Sabayon
• :pastry studio: Oranges with Rosemary Sabayon

Next Class
• Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers)

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $1,332.38 + $9.49 = $1,341.87
($1.58 per serving)

Butter used so far: 12 pounds, 1.5 tablespoons

. . . . . . . . . .

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Tuesdays with Dorie—Fresh Mango Bread

What's better than banana bread? Fresh mango bread. I used the champagne of mangoes: Ataulfo mangoes. As well, I ground up ginger and cinnamon from Montreal's Philippe de Vienne’s line of épices de cru (small-production "estate" spices). The difference between using freshly dried ginger and cinnamon and the one that's expired on your shelf is incredible. To top it off, I used farm fresh eggs from a local farmer.

Recipe: Fresh Mango Brea

Makes: 12 servings (I halved the recipe.)

Ingredients:

3 large eggs (I used 2 for half a recipe.)

¾ cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 cups diced mango (from 1 large peeled and pitted mango)

¾ cup moist, plum golden raisins (I used dark raisins.)

Grated zest of ½ lime (I used lemon.)

You can find the recipe for Fresh Mango Bread in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours (affiliate link)s by Dorie Greenspan or here. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Kelly of Baking with the Boys who chose the recipe for this week.

Tasting Notes
I have flagged this recipe as a keeper. Many recipes from this cookbook have been keepers, but this one incurred a lime green stickie note to identify it as one to make again soon. In fact, it took too long to photograph and complaints were bellowed from the other room that it was getting cold and would be better enjoyed warm from the oven rather than cooling under the lens of my camera. Oh, the bane of food blogging.

Recipe for Next Week (May 26)
Beth of Supplicious selected Chipster-Topped Brownies on pages 94 and 95.

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Whisk Wednesdays—Rouelles de Veau Bourgeoise (Veal Shanks with Pearl Onions and Mushrooms)

"Holed bone" is on the menu this week, better known as Osso Bucco (or Ossobucco). The meat comes from the back leg of the veal, called the shank, and the bone marrow is part of the appeal of the dish, which is best eaten with a marrow spoon.

To make this dish, first you boil the veal! Basically, this makes a flavored stock to later braise the meat in. Other recipes for osso bucco dredge the meat in flour and brown it instead of boil it.

Then you make a roux and add the meat and braising liquid. Finally, a few aromatics are added, consisting of a Bouquet Garni, salt and pepper. After a while, the pearl onions are added (with one lonely onion studded with a clove).

When the meat is cooked through until fork tender, you set it aside and finish the sauce with a liaison of egg yolks.

The mushrooms, the best part of the dish, were sautéed in butter and added to the braised mixture just before serving. Season (generously!) and serve with a touch of parsley.

Recipe: Rouelles de Veau Bourgeoise (Veal Shanks with Pearl Onions and Mushrooms)

Serves: 6 (I halved the recipe.)

Ingredients:

3 pounds (approximately) veal shanks, sawed into 6 slices, each about 1½ inches thick

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 Bouquet Garni

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

30 pearl onions, peeled

1 clove

¾ pound small button or quartered large mushrooms, trimmed and cleaned

2 egg yolks

Parsley leaves for garnish

You can find the recipe for Rouelles de Veau Bourgeoise (Veal Shanks with Pearl Onions and Mushrooms) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) or here. To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!

Tasting Notes

"Osso Buco can be either fabulous, or it can be decidedly mediocre."
— Aunt Aletha and Dear Old Dave

Unfortunately, mine was mediocre. Although the meat was extremely tender, the sauce was thin and the flavor was lackluster. Next time, I'll buy a better cut of veal shank, dredge and brown the meat first, brown the roux to a darker color, use more flavorful aromatics, add bacon or pancetta, use homemade veal stock, and thicken the sauce with another egg or through reduction. If there is a next time!

Links
• Video: How to Make Osso Bucco
• Chocolate & Zuchhini: Jarret de Veau Braisé à la Cuiller
• La Tartine Gourmande: Osso Bucco Comfort Food

Next Class
• Gratin de Fruits au Marasquin (Fruit Gratin with Maraschino Liqueur) page 376

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $1,304.02 + $19.80 (veal) + $8.56 (other ingredients) = $1,332.38
($9.45 per serving)

Butter used so far: 12 pounds, 1.5 tablespoons

. . . . . . . . . .

::Whisk Wednesdays::
We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.

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Tuesdays with Dorie—Tartest Lemon Tart

Tartest Lemon Tart is definitely the tartest, most pucker-worthy, and bitter tart I've tasted. But it's perfect. A spoonful of lemon with a chaser of homemade vanilla ice cream was sour, sweet, and bitter all in one bite.

You need a blender or food processor to make this dessert. After removing the seeds from the lemons, all the ingredients are whizzed to a smooth consistency.

I baked some of the mixture in hollowed-out half-lemons at a lower temperature of 300°F for 30 to 35 minutes (because my first batch of minis exploded). I also baked some in little antique tin molds for about the same length of time.

To serve, I spooned some vanilla ice cream on the side and placed an amaretti cookie in each.

What's your favorite lemon squeezer? Mine is an antique one I found at a flea market.

Recipe: Tartest Lemon Tart

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1½ lemons, scrubbed and dried

1½ cups sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature (I used leftover eggs that I had frozen.)

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1½ tablespoons cornstarch

½ cup heavy cream

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I didn't melt it.)

1 9-inch tart shell made with Sweet Tart Dough with nuts, partially baked and cooled (I used amaretti.)

You can find the recipe for Tartest Lemon Tart in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours (affiliate link) by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Babette of Babette Feasts who chose the recipe for this week.

Tasting Notes
What is it about lemons that make us want to squeeze out a bit of juice and feel our whole face pucker? We'll keep coming back to this dessert, just like this video of a baby boy tasting lemon for the first time.

Recipe for Next Week (May 19)
Kelly of Baking with the Boys selected Fresh Mango Bread on page 45.

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Whisk Wednesdays—Aubergines Bayildi (Gratin of Stuffed Eggplant)

"To dream of three aubergines is a sign of happiness."
— a Middle Eastern saying

I wish I'd had a dream about three aubergines instead of the one I had last night about driving a car and not being able to open my eyes to see the road! I'm nervous to ask for a dream interpretation on that one.

The next phase of the curriculum is all about menus. The first menu consists of the following:
• Aubergines Bayildi (Gratin of Stuffed Eggplant)
• Rouelles de Veau Bourgeoise (Veal Shanks with Pearl Onions and Mushrooms)
• Gratin de Fruits au Marasquin (Fruit Gratin with Maraschino Liqueur)

The challenge is to try to make all three courses in one cooking session, preferably in a three-hour time limit similar to the class setting. So, on Saturday I used more pots and pans in one cooking session than ever (matched only by the stack of dishes after Christmas dinner).

"The Imam fainted''
First up is a Middle Eastern dish better known as Aubergines Imam Bayildi (pronounced AH-mahn by-yahl-deh), which means "the Imam fainted''.

Eggplant is notorious for requiring a lot of oil to pan-fry. If you try to add "just the usual amount", you’ll find yourself adding "just a bit more" and maybe even "just a bit more" again as the fruit (yes, eggplant is technically a fruit) soaks up the oil. Depending on the amount of oil you usually like to use, you may find that eggplant requires up to five times more!

This propensity to consume oil is a key part of Turkish folklore about how the dish got its name. The folk story centers on a village Imam who married a young woman. In those days, the father of the bride provided a dowry to the groom and in this case, since the Imam was a lover of fine food, the father offered twelve very large jars of olive oil. Now the wife turned out to be an excellent cook and her husband had her make his favorite dish, stuffed eggplant, every day. At this point, eggplants' ability to consume oil comes into play and after only twelve days the olive oil was gone. So, on the thirteenth day, the wife explained the problem to the Imam and told him that he needed to buy more. Shocked, the Imam fainted or translated to Turkish: Imam Bayildi. Turkish, though, is full of witty double meanings, and while some feel that the eggplant dish was so incredible that he fainted at the prospect of going without, others take the view that the Imam fainted because of the expense of the olive oil!

How to Make the Imam Faint
While the eggplants have their splash of salt on a rack (to remove bitterness and moisture while adding flavor), shallots are softened in olive oil, along with a few crushed cloves of garlic. Then tomato paste and peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes are mixed in and heated to remove moisture, a third of it is cooked "until dry".

After the salt has performed its magic, the eggplants are scraped of their salt scrub and baked for 15 to 20 minutes to soften their flesh. The flesh is scraped out and cooked in a good amount of quality olive oil (preferably Turkish olive oil). After cooking the eggplant, the tomato mixture is added. Finally, some sliced basil is added for flavor and color.

The tomato/eggplant mixture is used to stuff the eggplants which are then topped with a slice of tomato and freshly grated cheese and finally dotted with butter. They are baked and browned for about 10 to 12 minutes and served on a bed of puréed tomatoes.

Now imagine this dish with allthe  local ingredients. The eggplant, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and basil from your garden. The homemade olive oil is made from the olive tree in your backyard. And the cheese and butter from the local cow down the road. Though none of my ingredients were local, it was a tasty dish but I may have to visit Turkey to experience Aubergines Bayildi's faint-inducing attributes.

Recipe: Aubergines Bayildi (Gratin of Stuffed Eggplant)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Chinese, Italian, regular and baby eggplants

3 small eggplants

Salt

5 tablespoons olive oil

3 shallots, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1¾ pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

Freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons finely sliced basil leaves

2 tomatoes

4 ounces grated Gruyère cheese (about 1 cup)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Basil leaves for garnish

Vegetable oil for baking sheet

You can find the recipe for Aubergines Bayildi (Gratin of Stuffed Eggplant) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link). To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!

Tasting Notes
Each step of baking, sautéing, and then broiling brought out more and more flavor from the eggplant, tomato, garlic, and basil. Using the freshest and most local ingredients you can find would make this even better and playing around with the cheese would change the dish. Even adding some spices such as cinnamon and allspice or cumin and coriander, currants or walnuts would change it up a bit.

Links
• Article: Eggplant — A Mad Apple with a Dark Liaison
• Bon Appetit: How to Cook Eggplant Perfectly Every Time
• Don't Sweat The Aubergine by Nicholas Clee

Next Class
• Rouelles de Veau Bourgeoise (Veal Shanks with Pearl Onions and Mushrooms) pages 18-19

My Bucket List
• Taste Aubergine Imam Bayildi in Turkey.
. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $1,287.18 + $16.84 = $1,304.02
($2.81 per serving)

Butter used so far: 11 pounds, 28.5 tablespoons

. . . . . . . . . .

::Whisk Wednesdays::
We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.

More to Explore:

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Tuesdays with Dorie—Tiramisu Cake

What makes tirami-su?
Tiramisu usually contains lady finger biscuits, mascarpone cheese, a coffee-flavored liqueur, and is dusted with cocoa. My version doesn't contain any of these ingredients. Dorie's riff on tiramisu uses a sponge cake instead of lady finger biscuits. I was forced to do a couple of riffs myself. Since I didn't have mascarpone, I used some long-neglected cream cheese that was soon going to expire. As well, I didn't have the recommended Kahlúa or brandy so I used crème de cacao. Finally, I forgot to put the chopped chocolate in between the layers so I sprinkled it on top which meant my cake wasn't dusted with cocoa.

(n) tiramisu (an Italian dessert consisting of layers of sponge cake soaked with coffee and brandy or liqueur layered with mascarpone cheese and topped with grated chocolate) — Link

Whatever you call it, it's a treat in the middle of the afternoon guaranteed to pick you up and get you to the 5 o'clock whistle.

Recipe: Tiramisu Cake

Makes: 10 servings (I halved the recipe.)

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¾ cup buttermilk

For the Espresso Extract:

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

2 tablespoons boiling water

For the Espresso Syrup:

½ cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlúa, or brandy (Deb note: I used brandy)

For the Filling and Frosting:

1 8-ounce container mascarpone

½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlúa, or brandy (Deb note: I used brandy)

1 cup cold heavy cream

2½ ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about 1/2 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Chocolate-covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional)

Cocoa powder, for dusting

You can find the recipe for Tiramisu Cake in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours (affiliate link) by Dorie Greenspan or here. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Megan of My Baking Adventures who chose the recipe for this week.

Tulip Festival, Ottawa & My Favorite Espresso Cup
Tasting Notes
After sitting in the refrigerator overnight, I pulled out a piece to nibble on while writing this post. I found the cake moist, with a slight coffee flavor, followed by the stronger taste of cream cheese with a touch of chocolate. Overall, it had a subtle mocha taste that was perfect with an espresso. To get more coffee flavor, next time I would soak more espresso extract in the sponge cake and use Kahlúa. I'd also try making it with mascarpone and compare it with the cream cheese. But I liked my tiramisu-inspired cake.

Sam Baldwin: What is "tiramisu"?
Jay: You'll find out.
Sam Baldwin: Well, what is it?
Jay: You'll see!
Sam Baldwin: Some woman is gonna want me to do it to her and I'm not gonna know what it is!
— Sleepless in Seattle

Links to Other Posts and Articles on Tiramisu
• Smitten Kitchen: Tiramisu Cake
• The Washington Post: The Trail of Tiramisu

Recipe for Next Week (May 12)
Babette of Babette Feasts has chosen Tartest Lemon Tart on page 336.

More to Explore:

• Index of Recipes
• Visual Recipe Index