Recipes

I will bring you some of my favorite recipes for the season every month -- or more often if i can!

June 2009
Cherries are the BEST this season. Here is one of my favorite cherry recipies from my book, Demolition Desserts.

BLACK ON BLACK chocolate chibouste, wine-soaked cherries, altoids liquorice ice cream (for minimalists version, skip the ice cream) serves 4 Chibouste is a combination of pastry cream and Italian meringue, with the addition of chocolate here. It can be served as a mousse without further cooking, or it can be warmed, bruleed, or baked, as in this recipe. When it is baked, it develops a smooth, rich texture that is like a cross between a warm chocolate cake and a souffle. There is too little chibouste to whip up properly in a stand mixer here, so I use a whisk or handheld mixer, and I try to find a friend to hold the bowl and beat while I drizzle in the syrup.

to make the wine-soaked cherries
(up to 2 months before)
1/2 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel
3 tablespoons (about 1 1/4 ounces by weight) granulated sugar
1 cup (about 4 ounces) halved and pitted Bing cherries
Small pinch of freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan, combine the wine and sugar and place over medium-high heat. Heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half, forming a syrup. Pour the syrup into a heatproof bowl and let cool for 2 minutes.

Stir the cherries and pepper into the syrup and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Serve them right away or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 months.


to make the Altoids Liquorice Ice Cream
(up to 3 days before)
10 Liquorice Altoids
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup (4 ounces by weight) unsulfured dark molasses
1 cup heavy cream

Crush the Altoids to a powder in a mortar with a pestle. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, wrap the Altoids in several layers of plastic wrap and smash them with a hammer or mallet.)

In a saucepan, stir together the milk and powdered Altoids. Place over medium-high heat and heat for 4 to 6 minutes, or just until the mixture comes to a boil (small bubbles will appear along the edges of the pan). Remove the pan from the heat, add the molasses, and stir until dissolved. Pour in the cream, stir well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to overnight.

Briefly stir the chilled mixture, and then pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Store in a covered container in the freezer for 2 hours before you plate the dessert. It will keep for up to 3 days. You should have about 2 1/2 cups.

to make the Pastry Cream
(up to overnight before)
3 (1 1/2 ounces by weight) large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (2 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) cornstarch
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of the sugar, and the cornstarch.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and the remaining 3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar and place over medium heat. Heat for about 2 1/2 minutes, or just until the mixture comes to a boil (small bubbles will appear around the edges of the pan). Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk a few tablespoons of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Then, while whisking steadily, slowly add the rest of the hot mil mixture. Return the combined mixtures to the saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly but gently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the custard begins to thicken. (If you are anxious about overcooking your pastry cream, cook it over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes.)

Once the pastry cream starts to thicken, it will do so almost instantaneously. Whisk continuously, making sure to get in the corners and across every inch of the pan bottom. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the pastry cream is the consistency of an eclair filling. If you are not sure about the consistency, pull the pan off the heat and check the custard. You can always put it back on the heat if it needs to thicken a bit more.

Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl and immediately whisk in the butter. To store the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature. (If you would like to cool it more quickly, set up an ice bath.) Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to overnight.

to make the Chocolate Chibouste
(up to a few hours before)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 (2 ounces by weight) large egg whites
3/4 cup Pastry Cream

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Have ready an ungreased 4 1/2-cup souffle dish.

Bring a few inches of water to a gentle simmer in a saucepan. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over (not touching) the simmering water (or use a double boiler). Heat slowly, stirring occasionally, until about 90 percent melted, and then remove the bowl from the heat and whisk until smooth. Stir in the orange zest.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and stir once or twice to mix. Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan, place over high heat, and cook, without stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a syrup forms that registers 240F on the thermometer.

Meanwhile , in a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk or a handheld mixer on medium-high speed until they begin to hold soft peaks. When the syrup is ready, very slowly drizzle it into the whites while whipping steadily. Aim for a spot midway between the whisk or beater and the side of the bowl. If you drip syrup onto the whisk, it will be flung against the sides of the bowl and form hard little lumps in the beaten egg whites. Place a dish towel under the bowl to help keep it in place while you simultaneously whisk and dribble. When all the syrup has been added, you will have a seductively smooth Italian meringue.

In a medium bowl, whisk the pastry cream once or twice and then whisk in the melted chocolate until blended. In tow or three additions, fold in the meringue, working gently to deflate it as little as possible. Pour the batter into the souffle disk. Don't bother smoothing the top.

Bake the chibouste for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center is slightly souffled and the top shows some cracks. Let cool to room temperature, about 40 minutes. If the chibouste sticks to the pan, use a knife to gently set it free. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

to plate the desssert
2 tablespoons finely ground espresso-roast coffee beans

Spoon about 6 cherry halves and a little of the wine syrup onto the center of the plate. Place a spoonful of the chocolate chibouste next to the cherries. Put a small mound of ground espresso on to the oppositie side of the cherries. Put a quenelle of the ice cream on top of the espresso mound. To make a quenelle, start with a regular serving spoon or soupspoon, but make sure it is oval and not round. Warm the bowl of the spoon over the gas flame or your stove top, in hot water from your tap, or in a bowl of boiling water. Don't let the spoon get red hot; you want only to warm it. Now, pull the edge of the spoon over the surface of the ice cream. (Note that if ice cream is rock hard from the freezer, you will need to let it sit out at room temperature for about 20 minutes.) Don't dig the spoon into the ice cream. Instead, just skim it along the surface, so it picks up the ice cream and forms it into a small, smooth oval in a single motion. Place the quenelle on the plate, and rewarm the spoon before starting the next one.

Ideally, serve this while wearing black on black and playing malcolm mcclaren ; )