As you may have noticed, I am not the very best at consistantly doing anything. For those who do follow the blog, I apologize. It has not been forgotten--just put aside for a while.
Here is a fantastic low-carb lasagna, or, if you are a purist like my brother (who insists that it cannot be called lasagna), a cabbage and tomato gratin. Or perhaps it's like flattened cabbage rolls. Despite his protests on this dish's authenticity, my brother ate three pieces and offered to take home what we didn't want, so whatever you call it, be assured that your family or guests will call it delicious.
I got this recipe from a friend of mine who has done fantastically on a low-carb diet. Thank you, Hetty, for a wonderful, filling meal with low-cost ingredients.
Cabbage Lasagna
8-9 servings
One medium to large head of cabbage
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
3/4 to 1 lb ground round
1 can spaghetti sauce (I use Prego, generally mushroom-flavored varieties)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
1 cup or more grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ricotta or cottage cheese (whole milk ricotta, on my part)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash cabbage and remove the tough outer leaves (those that are a very dark green). Cut the head in half. Carefully peel back the leaves, trying to keep them intact--they will serve as the lasagna noodles. Steam the leaves in whatever way you find best (microwave, steamer, rice cooker) until they are very tender. Do not skimp on the steaming--they will not soften further in the oven, and crunchy cabbage leaves do no textural favors to this dish.
Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and green pepper, if you are using it (I personally despise green pepper, so I skip it) until the onion is translucent. If you know you'll have to leave the stove, do the onions first, and add the garlic once they are already translucent, cooking a few more minutes. It won't hurt the onions, and it will keep your tiny pieces of garlic from burning.
Add the ground round and brown thoroughly. Drain or skip any excess fat or liquid. Pour in spaghetti sauce and seasonings, and stir until combined. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2 (standard long) baking pan with olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan with cabbage leaves. Top with half the meat mixture. Add a third of the mozzarella, and half the ricotta. Repeat the layers. Add a third layer of cabbage leaves, top with the last third of mozzarella, and cover with Parmesan. Cover with foil or a lid.
Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more, or until top is bubbling and slightly brown.
I hear this dish freezes well. I wouldn't know. There's generally enough for lunch for both of us once we've had it for dinner, and then it's gone.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, December 19, 2008
Chicken Wings a la Alton Brown
For those who are or were attempting to follow this blog, I apologize for my long hiatus. Things have been pretty crazy around here, and a lot of my writing energy has been spent dealing with the crazy things, or working on a novel in November for NaNoWriMo. (No, I did not write 50,000 words. But at least I have a start!) Also, cooking has been a bit on the back burner, so to speak. We have been on a very tight budget, and a lot of things that I have been cooking, I admit, really haven't been low carb at all. But it was food, and it did nourish our bodies, however non-optimal the nourishment may have been.
But I have several recipes that you might enjoy tucked away now, and I'm looking forward to trying even more. The size of my recipes-to-try folder (a virtual one in MS Word...any physical pieces of paper may as well be kissed goodbye in my house) is enormous. 7.97 MB and counting...
Anyway, last night I made Alton Brown's chicken wings. They were absolutely delicious. I am not a big wing person (mostly because 90% of them are covered in sauces that are painful for me to eat) but these were pretty amazing. They were amazing enough to consider making again even though my sauce needs a lot of work.
You will need:
12 chicken wings (or 1 5-lb bag frozen seperated wings). Remember, those are whole chicken wings, so you'll need 24 pieces from the frozen bag if that's the way you're going.
If your chicken wings are fresh and still one piece, hack them apart with a knife or kitchen shears. Save the wingtips for soup or stock. If they are frozen, defrost in your microwave or in the fridge. Normally, I dislike defrosting in the microwave (especially in a low-quality microwave like mine) because half the time your product gets steamed in places. However, you are going to steam your chicken first anyway. According to food guru Alton, this gets rid of a lot of the fat that otherwise goes up in smoke in your oven when you roast at high temperatures. Steaming allows later crispy skin without filling the room with a noxious black cloud.
Once your chicken has been prepared, you will steam it. Alton uses a nifty setup with a 6-quart saucepan and an ingenious threaded-rod-and-collapsible-steamer-basket assembly to steam your chicken all at once. Myself, I do not own a suitable saucepan, nor do I have the time or money at the moment to make a cool tiered steamer basket. I used the steamer insert on my ricemaker, which now functions almost exclusively as a steamer. It fits about 6 chicken wing pieces without stacking or touching, so I did mine in four shifts, defrosting one batch as the prior batch was steaming. The wings need to be steamed for 10 minutes.
Once your chicken has steamed, remove it carefully with tongs. Pat it dry, and place it onto a rack above a paper-towel covered baking sheet. I skipped the rack, and it still worked out ok. Cool your wings for at least an hour in your fridge.
After cooling, replace the paper towel with parchment paper. Argh, I know, parchment paper, but once you have it, you'll be able to make all those other annoying recipes with parchment paper. :) The directions are unclear whether or not you are supposed to leave the chicken on the rack to cook or cook it directly on the parchment paper. I recommend greasing your parchment paper if you do the latter, as I did.
Preheat your oven to 425 F. Once it's hot, insert your half-cooked chicken wings. Cook for 20 minutes; turn, and cook for another 20.
While your wings are cooking, you will want to make some sauce for them. My sauce of last night was tasty, but had absolutely no sticking power. Feel free to use Alton's sauce (see recipe link), or make your own. The best part is that you can customize the flavor, in my opinion!
When the wings are done, take them off the baking sheet with your tongs and into a large bowl. While they are still hot, toss them with your sauce. Eat them while they're still warm. Mmm, crispy.
But I have several recipes that you might enjoy tucked away now, and I'm looking forward to trying even more. The size of my recipes-to-try folder (a virtual one in MS Word...any physical pieces of paper may as well be kissed goodbye in my house) is enormous. 7.97 MB and counting...
Anyway, last night I made Alton Brown's chicken wings. They were absolutely delicious. I am not a big wing person (mostly because 90% of them are covered in sauces that are painful for me to eat) but these were pretty amazing. They were amazing enough to consider making again even though my sauce needs a lot of work.
You will need:
12 chicken wings (or 1 5-lb bag frozen seperated wings). Remember, those are whole chicken wings, so you'll need 24 pieces from the frozen bag if that's the way you're going.
If your chicken wings are fresh and still one piece, hack them apart with a knife or kitchen shears. Save the wingtips for soup or stock. If they are frozen, defrost in your microwave or in the fridge. Normally, I dislike defrosting in the microwave (especially in a low-quality microwave like mine) because half the time your product gets steamed in places. However, you are going to steam your chicken first anyway. According to food guru Alton, this gets rid of a lot of the fat that otherwise goes up in smoke in your oven when you roast at high temperatures. Steaming allows later crispy skin without filling the room with a noxious black cloud.
Once your chicken has been prepared, you will steam it. Alton uses a nifty setup with a 6-quart saucepan and an ingenious threaded-rod-and-collapsible-steamer-basket assembly to steam your chicken all at once. Myself, I do not own a suitable saucepan, nor do I have the time or money at the moment to make a cool tiered steamer basket. I used the steamer insert on my ricemaker, which now functions almost exclusively as a steamer. It fits about 6 chicken wing pieces without stacking or touching, so I did mine in four shifts, defrosting one batch as the prior batch was steaming. The wings need to be steamed for 10 minutes.
Once your chicken has steamed, remove it carefully with tongs. Pat it dry, and place it onto a rack above a paper-towel covered baking sheet. I skipped the rack, and it still worked out ok. Cool your wings for at least an hour in your fridge.
After cooling, replace the paper towel with parchment paper. Argh, I know, parchment paper, but once you have it, you'll be able to make all those other annoying recipes with parchment paper. :) The directions are unclear whether or not you are supposed to leave the chicken on the rack to cook or cook it directly on the parchment paper. I recommend greasing your parchment paper if you do the latter, as I did.
Preheat your oven to 425 F. Once it's hot, insert your half-cooked chicken wings. Cook for 20 minutes; turn, and cook for another 20.
While your wings are cooking, you will want to make some sauce for them. My sauce of last night was tasty, but had absolutely no sticking power. Feel free to use Alton's sauce (see recipe link), or make your own. The best part is that you can customize the flavor, in my opinion!
When the wings are done, take them off the baking sheet with your tongs and into a large bowl. While they are still hot, toss them with your sauce. Eat them while they're still warm. Mmm, crispy.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Grilled Chicken with Edamame Skordalia
This is a fantastic, fresh-tasting recipe I found in Bon Appetit. It isn't marked 'low carb' (surprisingly few recipes are, despite the fact that they are, nutritionally, great for this lifestyle), but the nutritional analysis on the site says it's 15.15 g of carbohydrates a serving and 6.21 of that is fiber. If you use net carbs, that comes to 8.94 g of carbs in a delicious, fresh-tasting, and relatively easy to prepare meal. I was so thrilled that I discovered that the gas grills in our soon-to-be-x-apartment-complex do indeed work.
I was out of olive oil when I made this recipe, so I subbed peanut oil. I'm sure it would be as tasty or tastier with the original ingredient. I also used boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts, because I'm on a budget and I think they taste better! This cuts down a little on grill time.
Grilled Chicken with Edamame Skordalia
Bon Appetit August 2008
Serves 4
I was out of olive oil when I made this recipe, so I subbed peanut oil. I'm sure it would be as tasty or tastier with the original ingredient. I also used boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts, because I'm on a budget and I think they taste better! This cuts down a little on grill time.
Grilled Chicken with Edamame Skordalia
Bon Appetit August 2008
Serves 4
1 16-ounce bag frozen shelled edamame (soybeans)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
3 garlic cloves, peeled
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Cook frozen edamame in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid for skordalia.
Meanwhile, combine basil, 1/3 cup oil, and garlic in processor; blend until basil and garlic are finely chopped. Transfer 2 tablespoons basil oil to small bowl and reserve.
Add edamame, 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid, Parmesan, and lemon juice to remaining basil oil in processor; puree until mixture is almost smooth, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set skordalia aside.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill with oil. Brush chicken breasts on both sides with reserved basil oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until chicken is just cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Slice chicken breasts crosswise.
Spoon warm or room-temperature skordalia onto 4 plates. Top with chicken.
Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories (kcal) 651.33; %Calories from Fat 44.7; Fat (g) 32.32; Saturated Fat (g) 5.84; Cholesterol (mg) 152.08; Carbohydrates (g) 15.15; Dietary Fiber (g) 6.21; Total Sugars (g) 0.22; Net Carbs (g) 8.94; Protein (g) 69.70 (nutritional analysis provided by Bon Appètit)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Quick Radish Chowder
Somewhere, in my search for low carb goodness, I read a post that said radishes lose their bite when you boil them, and that you could use them in place of potatoes. I am here to tell you that it is true! They have a mouthfeel just like boiled potatoes, and readily take on the taste of the broth or sauce around them. They have a faint earthy taste, but I've had potatoes that had the same flavor. In my opinion, they far exceed turnips, rutabagas, jicama, and cauliflower as a potato stand-in.
To test out the radish theory, I whipped up this chowder for lunch. It's got fantastic flavor, and definitely has the taste and feel of a great comfort food. I bet it would be tasty with cheese on top as well, but I was too lazy (and hungry) to fuss with the grater.
Quick Radish Chowder
1 cup water
8 radishes (more or less to taste), cut into bite-size chunks
½ onion, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
3 slices bacon
1 teaspoon dashi (Japanese fish stock)
1 bay leaf
3 peppercorns
½ to 1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1 fillet of white fish (I used frozen flounder, partially thawed), chopped into bite size pieces
½ can condensed milk, or about ½ cup cream
Pour clam juice into medium saucepan, and place on burner turned to high heat. Add radishes. Allow radishes to boil until clam juice is reduced by half. Add water, dashi, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Reduce heat to medium. In a separate pan, cook bacon until just starting to crisp. Remove bacon to a paper-towel-covered plate to cool. Add celery and onion to pan full of bacon grease. Sauté until both vegetables are soft and onion is translucent. Scoop mixture into pot. Once radishes are slightly soft when poked, add chopped fish and Lawry’s. When radishes are entirely tender (like cooked potatoes), add milk or cream, stir, and serve.
All of these ingredients and their amounts are quite mutable. In fact, I'm mostly guessing at how much of each went into the chowder--it's very much to taste. Experiment, and enjoy!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Three Citrus Mojo
Hello all! Sorry it's been so long--I had a temporary job for a while that was from 4am-12:30pm, and that was crazy. I haven't been cooking a lot of new things, and the things I've been trying have been pretty meh.
However, I do have a tasty sauce/relish that all have agreed is absolutely amazing. It's from Brigit Binns' The Low-Carb Gourmet again. I can't wait to try more recipes from this book, but for now, it needs to go back to the library. I think I'll be purchasing it in the near future.
The mojo was originally served over grilled, cumin-marinated pork tenderloin and bacon skewers, but I think it could be used over just about anything. If you find the red onions too strong for you, try Vidalia or even shallots.
Three Citrus Mojo (serves 4)
Grated zest of half an orange
Grated zest of half a lime
Grated zest of half a lemon
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
3 gloves garlic, minced or pressed
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl. Allow to combine at least 1 hour—can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours. Return to room temperature before serving.
However, I do have a tasty sauce/relish that all have agreed is absolutely amazing. It's from Brigit Binns' The Low-Carb Gourmet again. I can't wait to try more recipes from this book, but for now, it needs to go back to the library. I think I'll be purchasing it in the near future.
The mojo was originally served over grilled, cumin-marinated pork tenderloin and bacon skewers, but I think it could be used over just about anything. If you find the red onions too strong for you, try Vidalia or even shallots.
Three Citrus Mojo (serves 4)
Grated zest of half an orange
Grated zest of half a lime
Grated zest of half a lemon
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
3 gloves garlic, minced or pressed
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl. Allow to combine at least 1 hour—can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours. Return to room temperature before serving.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Breakfast Stroganoff
This is a recipe I threw together on Saturday morning—relief from eggs! I discovered that I actually love green tomatoes during my experimentations last week. The fried recipe did not work out so well, but they tasted great even though their coating fell off. I’m looking forward to using them cooked and fresh in a lot of dishes.
Breakfast Stroganoff
½ to 1 lb ground beef (I used ¾ lb, I think, but that’s an awkward measurement)
Half an onion, sliced then roughly chopped
8 oz sour cream, more or less to taste
1 green tomato, sliced into thin strips
½ packet Goya Sazón seasoning
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, or your favorite seasoning blend
½ lb white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons port, sack, sherry, or dry white wine in a pinch
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add onions, and sauté five minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for another five minutes. Add ground beef to the middle of the pan, pushing other ingredients to the side. Break it up with whatever you’re using to stir (you are stirring, aren’t you?). Add alcohol. Cook until meat is brown with almost no trace of pink. Add seasonings and green tomato. Cook five minutes. Take off heat, stir in sour cream, and serve.
I love this because the green tomatoes add acidity and actually work well texturally for the noodles you will not be eating. It’s not ‘real’ stroganoff, but it’s nearly as delicious, and great for a change of pace for breakfast. I suppose you could have it for lunch or dinner too!
Breakfast Stroganoff
½ to 1 lb ground beef (I used ¾ lb, I think, but that’s an awkward measurement)
Half an onion, sliced then roughly chopped
8 oz sour cream, more or less to taste
1 green tomato, sliced into thin strips
½ packet Goya Sazón seasoning
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, or your favorite seasoning blend
½ lb white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons port, sack, sherry, or dry white wine in a pinch
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add onions, and sauté five minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for another five minutes. Add ground beef to the middle of the pan, pushing other ingredients to the side. Break it up with whatever you’re using to stir (you are stirring, aren’t you?). Add alcohol. Cook until meat is brown with almost no trace of pink. Add seasonings and green tomato. Cook five minutes. Take off heat, stir in sour cream, and serve.
I love this because the green tomatoes add acidity and actually work well texturally for the noodles you will not be eating. It’s not ‘real’ stroganoff, but it’s nearly as delicious, and great for a change of pace for breakfast. I suppose you could have it for lunch or dinner too!
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce
So I mentioned a cookbook a while ago, and just realized I hadn't gotten around to posting any of the recipes that we enjoyed yet. With that said, enjoy this lovely chocolate cake. We've made it three or four times now, and it's definitely a favorite. It's also a lot simpler than it looks.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce
Serves 8
Original recipe from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Brigit Binns
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, in small pieces (I recommend Ghiradelli chocolate chips—they’re less expensive then the bars, and require less prep work)
½ cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 8 chunks (for American butter, that’s a stick of butter cut along the tablespoon lines—very handy)
4 large eggs, chilled
Special Equipment:
8 or 9 inch round cake pan (see notes)
Parchment paper.
Double boiler or metal mixing bowl
Roasting or baking pan large enough to fit your cake pan in flat
Electric mixer, hand mixer, or a whisk and a lot of energy
Place oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 325 F. Grease an 8 (also works in a 9, but makes a much thinner cake) inch cake pan with butter. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper (do not use waxed paper. Seriously.) Fill a small saucepan or a kettle with water, and put it on a back burner. This will be boiling water for the bain-maire, a water bath that will keep your cake moist and cooking evenly in the oven.
You will also need the bottom of your double boiler or another saucepan over which you can set a metal mixing bowl, half full of simmering water.
Melt the chocolate using the top of the double boiler or your metal mixing bowl. Make sure the water doesn’t cover the bottom of your melting vessel. Avoid getting water in your chocolate. Stir your chocolate until it’s smoothly melted. Add the butter and stir until the mixture is homogenous. Remove from heat.
Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat at high speed until doubled in volume. With electric mixers, this takes about five minutes. Do NOT do this step ahead to save time. We found the chocolate mixture needs at least five minutes to cool. It negatively influences the texture of the cake if you add the eggs while the chocolate is too hot.
Fold the egg in by thirds, mixing each time until just combined.
Scoop the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Place the cake in your roasting pan. Put the roasting pan on the rack with the rack at full extension. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up your cake pan. (or until your cake pan starts bobbing *cough*) Bake for 25-28 minutes. It will not look done, but don’t cook it longer than this. If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read 150 F. The edges will be slightly dry and bubbled-looking, but the middle will still look batter-ish. Do not be deceived! This cake declines rapidly when left in the oven longer than 28 minutes. It still tastes good, but the texture, again, will be wrong.
Now is when you find your creative solution to not burning your fingers whilst taking the cake pan out of the bain-maire and putting it onto a rack. I recommend two pairs of tongs, two forks, or anything else that keeps you and your moisture-wicking oven mitts away from the boiling water. You can also use a turkey baster to bring the water to a less perilous level. Once you have accomplished the placement of your cake onto the cooling rack, leave it there until it’s room temperature.
Cover and refrigerate your cake for as long as you can. Let it come to room temperature before serving. When you are ready to serve it, invert the cake onto waxed or parchment paper, peel off the parchment from the bottom, and invert again onto its intended serving platter.
Raspberry Sauce
8 oz raspberries (you may use frozen, but at least a carton of fresh is nice for garnish)
2 tablespoons Splenda (or a packet of stevia, or sweetener of your choice)
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand Marnier
Special equipment
A blender
A fine mesh sieve (tea strainers work well)
Puree your raspberries, making sure to leave some berries for garnish. Add sweetener, lemon juice, and Cointreau. Then pour your lovely sauce through the sieve to de-seed it. It’s worth it, I promise! This is best accomplished by pressure from a spoon or a pestle, which gets as much pulp through the screen as possible. The raspberry seeds left over are tasty—try them before you throw them away.
Slice your cake onto plates, drizzle with raspberry sauce, and garnish with fresh raspberries and leftover chocolate chips.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce
Serves 8
Original recipe from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Brigit Binns
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, in small pieces (I recommend Ghiradelli chocolate chips—they’re less expensive then the bars, and require less prep work)
½ cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 8 chunks (for American butter, that’s a stick of butter cut along the tablespoon lines—very handy)
4 large eggs, chilled
Special Equipment:
8 or 9 inch round cake pan (see notes)
Parchment paper.
Double boiler or metal mixing bowl
Roasting or baking pan large enough to fit your cake pan in flat
Electric mixer, hand mixer, or a whisk and a lot of energy
Place oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 325 F. Grease an 8 (also works in a 9, but makes a much thinner cake) inch cake pan with butter. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper (do not use waxed paper. Seriously.) Fill a small saucepan or a kettle with water, and put it on a back burner. This will be boiling water for the bain-maire, a water bath that will keep your cake moist and cooking evenly in the oven.
You will also need the bottom of your double boiler or another saucepan over which you can set a metal mixing bowl, half full of simmering water.
Melt the chocolate using the top of the double boiler or your metal mixing bowl. Make sure the water doesn’t cover the bottom of your melting vessel. Avoid getting water in your chocolate. Stir your chocolate until it’s smoothly melted. Add the butter and stir until the mixture is homogenous. Remove from heat.
Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat at high speed until doubled in volume. With electric mixers, this takes about five minutes. Do NOT do this step ahead to save time. We found the chocolate mixture needs at least five minutes to cool. It negatively influences the texture of the cake if you add the eggs while the chocolate is too hot.
Fold the egg in by thirds, mixing each time until just combined.
Scoop the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Place the cake in your roasting pan. Put the roasting pan on the rack with the rack at full extension. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up your cake pan. (or until your cake pan starts bobbing *cough*) Bake for 25-28 minutes. It will not look done, but don’t cook it longer than this. If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read 150 F. The edges will be slightly dry and bubbled-looking, but the middle will still look batter-ish. Do not be deceived! This cake declines rapidly when left in the oven longer than 28 minutes. It still tastes good, but the texture, again, will be wrong.
Now is when you find your creative solution to not burning your fingers whilst taking the cake pan out of the bain-maire and putting it onto a rack. I recommend two pairs of tongs, two forks, or anything else that keeps you and your moisture-wicking oven mitts away from the boiling water. You can also use a turkey baster to bring the water to a less perilous level. Once you have accomplished the placement of your cake onto the cooling rack, leave it there until it’s room temperature.
Cover and refrigerate your cake for as long as you can. Let it come to room temperature before serving. When you are ready to serve it, invert the cake onto waxed or parchment paper, peel off the parchment from the bottom, and invert again onto its intended serving platter.
Raspberry Sauce
8 oz raspberries (you may use frozen, but at least a carton of fresh is nice for garnish)
2 tablespoons Splenda (or a packet of stevia, or sweetener of your choice)
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand Marnier
Special equipment
A blender
A fine mesh sieve (tea strainers work well)
Puree your raspberries, making sure to leave some berries for garnish. Add sweetener, lemon juice, and Cointreau. Then pour your lovely sauce through the sieve to de-seed it. It’s worth it, I promise! This is best accomplished by pressure from a spoon or a pestle, which gets as much pulp through the screen as possible. The raspberry seeds left over are tasty—try them before you throw them away.
Slice your cake onto plates, drizzle with raspberry sauce, and garnish with fresh raspberries and leftover chocolate chips.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)