Chocolate Amaretti Cake

It rained cats and dogs all weekend at the lake. Add windy conditions and a considerable drop in the outside temperature, it seemed more like fall than summer. Stranded inside for the weekend it was a perfect time to bake. I had purchased some amaretti cookies a few weeks back for a Chocolate Amaretti Cake recipe I had intended to make for a family party which we cancelled due to a family emergency. With all the necessary ingredients waiting to become something it seemed the right time to finally tackle the recipe. It comes from Giada De Laurentiis’ Everyday Italian cookbook. It was the first time making the recipe. Based on the results I would make it again, however, with a few minor adjustments.

This is essentially a chocolate flavored flourless cake.  Ground almonds and crushed amaretti cookies replace the flour and provide the structure for the cake. I am a big fan of almond flavored anything and selected this recipe expecting the nuts and cookies to deliver that rich almondy taste I like so much in pastries and desserts. No so.  Chocolate is the predominant flavor though it is subtle rather than rich (using dark or bittersweet chips instead of the prescribed semi-sweet would likely enrich the flavor). 

Less dense than most flourless cakes, it is quite moist and slightly fudgy, with the nuts and cookies providing texture and a satisfying slightly crunchy bite. The recipe calls for the zest of 1 orange which overpowers the flavor of the cake on the first cut, but seems to dissipate and becomes almost undetectable the next day.  All in all, in spite of the fact that the almond taste I craved was not there, (I would add a teaspoon of almond extract next time) the cake is quite delicious and a great choice for a dinner party dessert. Not too sweet or rich, and simply wonderful with a good cup of coffee.

Chocolate Amaretti Cake

3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup (about 2 oz. amaretti cookies)

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temp.

2/3 c. sugar

2 tsp. grated orange zest (1 orange)

4 large eggs

2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T. sliced almonds 

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Spread the 2 T. sliced almonds over the bottom of the pan and refrigerate.

In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor (I used a mixer instead), combine the almonds (I used sliced almonds instead slivered) and cookies, and pulse until finely ground.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add the butter, sugar and orange zest and blend until creamy and smooth.  With the machine running add the eggs, one at a time. Add the nut mixture and the melted chocolate. Pulse until blended. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake until the center puffs and tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes.  Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter, and sift the 2 T. cocoa powder over the top and serve.

 

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Plum Tart

My sister from Houston is visiting here for two weeks. Along with my other sisters (I have four) this means many lunches and dinners together at our cottage, our various homes and nearby restaurants. There will inevitably be lots of conversation about our kids (all adults now), recollections of the past, cooking, our health and what current diets and/or exercise regimen we are engaged in, but never politics where our opinions are quite divided. This, of course, always leads to the need for some dessert and coffee.  With several super ripe red plums on hand I made a simple and delicately sweet Plum Tart for last night’s dinner dessert.

So simple a recipe is almost not needed, the dessert is an adaptation of a recipe in a baking textbook used by Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program.  The pastry base is a standard tart crust, or Pate Brisee – not as flaky as a pie crust and more shortbread cookie-like in texture and taste. I like this dough because you don’t have to roll it out. You can, of course, to achieve a smoother, more tender crust, but I find it to be too delicate and difficult to handle, so I simply fit it into the pan by hand. 

For the filling, aside from simply the fruit and sugar, I added a base of finely crumbled Italian cookies. My husband and I are big fans of Stella Doro’s Breakfast Treats, which we call S-cookies. These are tender butter style cookies with a subtle almond flavor. Delicious on their own and especially good with coffee, the almond flavored crumbs serve as an easy alternative to the traditional frangipane base used in more sophisticated pastries. To further enhance the almond flavor I finished the tart with a sprinkle of sliced almonds.

Plum Tart

  

Tart Crust:

1 ¼ c. all purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. very cold water

8 T. (1 stick) very cold butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes

 

In a small bowl mix together the egg yolk, vanilla and water and set aside.

Mix together in a food processor the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse a few seconds to combine all ingredients. Add the butter and pulse several times till mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Now add the egg mixture and pulse till dough pulls from the sides of the bowl and pulls together.

Transfer dough to pan a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and with hands fit dough into pan. Set aside.

Fruit filling and assembly:

5-6 plums, any variety firm to ripe but not hard, cut into 8 wedges

1/3 c. crumbled cookies or cake

1/3 c.  Tubinado (raw) sugar

¼ -1/2 tsp. cinnamon

¼ c. apricot preserves, heated and strained

1-2 T. toasted sliced almonds

Spread a thin layer of cookie crumbs around the bottom of the pastry dough. Arrange the plum wedges in concentric circles, fitting them tightly into the pan. Mix together the Turbinado sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle a generous layer over all of the plums.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes (cover with aluminum foil if crust becomes too brown).  Allow to cool for 20 minutes than brush the top of the tart with the strained apricot preserves (discard solids). Sprinkle top with toasted sliced almonds.

Summertime Desserts using Mascarpone Cheese

I purchased a number of ingredients last week for recipes I had intended to make but never managed to complete.  Of particular concern was the mascarpone cheese which I don't buy on a regular basis. Too good to let go to waste I was anxious to put it to good use. Coincidentally, summer weather finally arrived here in Michigan, and I mean arrived with a vengeance! We went from cold, rainy 50 degree days to hot and humid 90 degrees in an instant. My thoughts, as a result, went to looking for something cold and refreshing.

While perusing a number of cookbooks for ideas I came across a recipe for a simple lemon sorbet enriched by a large dollop of mascarpone cheese. Sounding wonderful, I couldn’t resist giving it a try. The recipe comes from Jamie Oliver’s cookbook, jamie’s italy, which provides a collection of Italian recipes inspired by the country’s local cooks.

The recipe for the sorbet is super simple and requires only a few ingredients – water, sugar, lemons and the mascarpone. The end product is both very sweet and quite lemony tart with the mascarpone lending a rich, creamy mouth feel to the dessert.  The recipe makes about 2 cups, not enough for a crowd, but plenty for 4 servings as one can only handle a few small scoops of this super sweet treat.

I still had six more ounces of mascarpone to use.  Though not enough for a tiramisu I knew I had enough to make a substantial dessert for my husband and I.  Inspired by the filling used in a tiramisu I put together an easy Italian inspired parfait.  I started with the filling which is essentially a tiramisu filling without the richness of eggs or the addition of any liquor.  Continuing the Italian theme I sandwiched the filling between layers of crumbled chocolate cookies from an Italian brand I purchased from my local Italian specialty store. Of course any crisp plain cookie will do. Amaretti immediately comes to mind, but certainly a rich tea cookie or butter cookie would suffice. For the fruit layers, I used strawberries macerated in some raw sugar and Chambord liqueur (okay, not so Italian) to make them super sweet and syrupy.  

The sorbet can be made a few days in advance and kept frozen till needed. The parfaits are best eaten within a few hours so the cookie crumbs don’t turn to mush. The sorbet is incredibly sweet while the parfait much less so. Though my intention was to look for summertime treats both would be great any time of the year.

Sorbetto di Limone con Mascarpone

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup lemon juice (about 3-4 large lemons)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 heaping tablespoon mascarpone (I used a good 2 T.)

Pre-freeze a shallow container (this will allow the sherbet to freeze nice and quickly).  Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.  Once the liquid is clear and syrupy, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for 15 minutes, and then add the lemon juice and zest, mixing together. Next, add the mascarpone and stir until totally combined. 

Pour into your pre-frozen dish and return it to the freezer leaving it there for at least an hour before you check it.  If it has started to freeze, fork it up a bit.  Do this maybe every hour or so for the next 3 hours, after which it will be ready to eat.  It can now be kept for a couple of days in the freezer, with plastic wrap over the top – any longer and it will start to get ice crystals in it.  Always a real treat served on its own in a bowl or glass, but also delicious served with a fresh berry coulis sauce poured over the top.

Italian Parfait for Two

6 oz. mascarpone, slightly softened

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 T. powdered sugar

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 T. lemon juice

1 c. plain chocolate cookies

¾ cup sliced fresh strawberries

Couple of teaspoons of raw sugar

2 T. Chambord liqueur

Prepare filling and store in refrigerator till ready to assemble parfaits. 

In large bowl whip together the heavy cream and powdered sugar till firm but not too stiff. In another bowl cream together the mascarpone cheese with the lemon zest and lemon juice.  Fold in the whipped cream. combine and refrigerate. 

Slice the strawberries and sprinkle with the raw sugar and Chambord, set aside. Let rest till syrupy.

Crumble cookies by hand and set aside.

To assemble, layer cookie crumbs in the bottom of the serving dishes. Top with some cheese filling and then with some strawberries. Repeat the layers one more time. Garnish with either some mint leaves, or any leftover cookie crumbs. If any strawberry syrup is left be sure to pour it over the top just before serving so as not to over saturate the parfaits.