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Archives for January 2010

Cake Donuts.

26 January 2010 | Ten 01, delicious, dessert, pastries, plated dessert | 4 Responses

At the restaurant we call them Beignets but really they are simple donuts.  They fry up GBD with a thin buttery crust and a fluffy cakey center.  They can easily be adjusted to taste like gingerbread by subbing in molasses for some of the sugar, and using ginger, cinnamon, and clove in lieu of nutmeg and mace.  Those are  tossed in cinnamon sugar.  I recently switched from using melted shortening to olive oil as the fat and it made a noticeable improvement in texture and flavor.  I think these are best served with a cold, creamy sauce like creme anglaise; but would also work with caramel or chocolate sauce.  Tony over at Tabla once served one of these babies with a fat scoop of blueberry sorbet.  This is an easy, versatile recipe.
Cake Donuts.
4 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg (or 2 tsp ginger,1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp clove for gingerbread)
1/4 tsp mace (skip the mace if you’re doing the above)
2 eggs beaten
1 cup sugar (or 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup molasses)
1 cup buttermilk
5 tblsp melted shortening (or olive oil)
Instructions:
• Measure and sift the dry ingredients except the sugar.
• Whisk together the sugar and eggs. Whisk in the buttermilk and shortening.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook, combine all ingredients and mix on low speed to form a smooth dough.
• Rest the dough for fifteen minutes before rolling out and cutting into donuts. Deep fry at 350 until puffed and golden brown. Dust with granulated (or cinnamon) sugar to serve.

2010: The Future is Now.

7 January 2010 | Ten 01, cake, delicious, dessert, faithful readers, pastries, plated dessert, recipe | 5 Responses

Two thousand and motherfucking TEN?!? The future is now my faithful readers. I command the powers of the internet in my pants. I make ice cream base in an immersion circulator. As a race we fringe on symbiosis with technology; and I can’t wait to realize this next phase of evolution. Anyway, I been busy as shit.  The holidays kicked my ass; and with in-laws in town and hell of prep, plating and me plowing through it all it went by in a pop!  Shit 2009 was a pop, a bang, a blast, dice cast and rolled and truth be told past year was fucking fast. I turned thirty, I got married, I’ve become a half way decent pastry chef and an annoying blogger.  I’ve made some bad-assed desserts and also learned some killer savory food. Pretty standard actually.  Looking to the new year, I’m hoping to step up my game.  Turn it up to eleven so to speak.  I just need to work harder, cleaner.  The desserts will be smaller, more precise.  Flavors? Louder.  Here’s a recipe bitches.  I adapted it from one of the best recipes I’ve learned in a long time.

Graham Cracker Sponge Cake

250 g soft butter

375 g sugar

5 g salt

6 eggs

375 g fine ground graham cracker crumbs.

7.5 g baking powder

100 g A.P. flour

1.  Preheat your convection oven to 300 F.  Spray and line with parchment one half sheet pan.

2.  Cream the butter, sugar and salt light and fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer.

3.  Weigh the crumbs, baking powder, and flour into a bowl and whisk them together well.

4.  Add the eggs 2 at a time, allowing the batter to fully absorb each addition of eggs.  Scrape the bowl twice during this step.

5.  Scape the bowl again and add the dry ingredients all at once.  Mix the batter on low speed until homogeneous.

6.  Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake 12 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake an additional 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown and springy.  Use as a base for a no bake cheesecake or serve it warm with a cream cheese ice cream.