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Chocolate Cake for One or a Ton

Published by Kathy Hunt

I know it’s not a terribly seasonal offering but sometimes you just need a little, or a lot of, chocolate cake. Aren’t brimming with holiday joy? Bake yourself a chocolate cake, frost that beauty and then grab a fork and dig in! Feeling jolly but also a bit freaked out by the crowd coming over for Christmas dinner? Make a chocolate cake for your crew. There is no mood that can’t be improved by sweet, velvety, cocoa-laced cake.

Mmmm…. Chocolate cake! Don’t you feel better already?

As someone who lost loved ones during the holiday season, I understand all too well how dreary this period of traditions and family-focused festivities can seem. I also know how much cheerier you can feel once you’ve created a new holiday ritual and indulged in a decadent, smile-inducing, chocolate treat. After all, scientific studies indicate that cocoa and dark chocolate can improve mood and boost your memory, cognition and immune system. That’s great news! Snowflake Chocolate Cake contains both cocoa and dark chocolate. Think of how fabulous you and your guests will feel after noshing on the following dessert. The best part is, that if you have a need for chocolate cake in May or September, just leave off the candied snowflakes or replace them with flowers, leaves or any decoration that you like. This is your cake. Enjoy it!

SNOWFLAKE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Note that you will need two 8-inch springform pans for this layer cake.
Serves 8 to 10

for the cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream

for the icing:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons hot water, optional
Snowflake sprinkles, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8-inch springform pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat again until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together the cocoa, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. While the mixer is running on low, add the liquids in two installments, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl with each addition. Increase the speed and beat until the ingredients are well combined.

Scrape down the bowl again, add half of the flour mixture and beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the rest of the flour, beating until you have a creamy batter.

Batter in the pan, ready to be baked

Spread equal amounts of batter in each prepared pan. Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. Cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, place the butter and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and or saucepan and melt the two together in either a microwave or saucepan. Stir together until no lumps remain. Cool slightly before pouring the chocolate into a large bowl.

Add the corn syrup, sour cream and confectioner’s sugar to the chocolate. Using an electric mixer, beat the ingredients together until you have a firm frosting. If the frosting seems too stiff, slowly add hot water, beating until you have a smooth, spreadable consistency. If you prefer a looser frosting, you’ll use all the water. Just keep in mind you want the frosting to be creamy but not runny.

Spread the frosting over the top of the first cake. Place the second cake directly on top of the first and frost completely. Sprinkle the optional sugar snowflakes or other decorations over the top, grab a fork and dig in!

What’s on My Cookbook Shelf

Published by Kathy Hunt

author with Japanese translation of her book Herring

Showing off the Japanese translation of “Herring: A Global History”

In keeping with tradition I have another list of best cookbooks and food narratives for the food lovers on your holiday shopping list. Some choices reflect recent travels. Others are influenced by current events. All showcase the diversity of cuisines and cultures around the globe and in the U.S.

The list begins with cookbooks. You’ll find a short review of the standouts, followed by a few honorable mentions. After that it’s all about food writing. For past years’ best cookbooks reviews, check out Kitchen Kat’s Cookbook Reviews.

Best Cookbooks:

Feast: Recipes and Stories from a Canadian Road Trip by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller (Random House, 2017)
Anderson and VanVeller traveled 37,000 kilometers/roughly 23,000 miles across Canada to collect recipes and stories about Canadian cuisine. The result of their journey is Feast. Part cookbook, part travel narrative, it features such Canadian specialties as Spicy Haddock and Snow Crab Cakes (Cape Breton Island), Beaton’s Mac & Cheese (NW Territories), Elk Burgers (Ontario) and Okanagan Cherry Buttermilk Chess Pie (Vancouver). Substitutions for exotic ingredients accompany each dish. This is a great gift for those wanting to expand their culinary offerings or simply learn more about our neighbors to the north.

Smörgasbord by Johanna Kindvall (Ten Speed Press, 2017)
For friends who like to entertain, give Smörgasbord: The Art of Swedish Breads and Savory Treats. This illustrated cookbook shows how Scandinavians spruce up casual parties, picnics or a buffet table with a variety of easy yet tasty dishes. Among the Swedish classics are rustic rye bread, cardamom crisps, fresh cheese, Swedish meatballs and two of my faves, pickled herring and aquavit. Skål!

The Complete Milk Street by Christopher Kimball (Little, Brown and Co., 2018)
With two Milk Street books hitting stores in 2018, I struggled whether to include Milk Street Tuesday Nights, too. Ultimately, I went with the comprehensive The Complete Milk Street, which contains “every recipe from every episode of the popular TV show.” As you’d expect from the co-founder of the esteemed Cook’s Illustrated, Kimball’s book is detailed yet approachable and contains helpful tips and preparation times with every recipe. From simple pasta Cacio e Pepe and Brown Sugar Tart to the more complex Mexican Chicken Soup and Potato-and-Herb Focaccia The Complete Milk Street will be a welcomed gift for both the new and accomplished cook.

Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts by Mark Klebeck and Michael Klebeck (Chronicle, 2011)
Oodles of doughnut cookbooks exist. However, if you’ve ever enjoyed one of Seattle’s famed Top Pot Doughnuts, you’ll know why this is the one to get. Along with learning how to make and ice cake, yeast-raised and gluten-free doughnuts, you will master twists, bismarcks, fritters and baked doughnuts. Sour cream old fashioned and triple coconut cake are among the winners in my household.

My Lisbon by Nuno Mendes (Ten Speed Press, 2018)
Of the titles on this year’s cookbook list, My Lisbon is my favorite. Along with detailed recipes for Caldo Verde (kale soup with sausage and potatoes), Bacalhau com Broa (salt cod in a cornbread crust), Pastéis de Nata (custard tarts) and sundry other Portuguese dishes, Mendes’ book includes essays on Lisbon’s cafe culture, seafood, beach life and more. Sumptuous color and dramatic B&W photos make it a visual feast. You could easily give this to a traveler or admirer of Portugal as to a cook. It’s that beautiful and illuminating of a book. Don’t take my word for it. Check out My Lisbon and see why I’m so smitten with Mendes’ book.

The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes that Make America Great by Leyla Moushabeck (ed) (Interlink, 2018)
Living in a country founded and populated by immigrants, I fell hard for The Immigrant Cookbook. Each dish and accompanying story remind readers that the United States is a melting pot and that its blend of cultures–and cuisines–are what make the country special. Edited by Leyla Moushabeck, this cookbook features over 70 easy-to-follow recipes from first or second generation American chefs. It includes such familiar and new gems as Beef Noodle Soup and Turmeric Shrimp with Curry Leaves. Celebrate the rich diversity of the U.S. and give The Immigrant Cookbook to everyone on your list.

Chefs Eat Melts Too by Darren Purchase (Hardie Grant, 2018)
Know someone who loves grilled cheese, BLTs and other hot sandwiches? Pick up a copy of Chefs Eat Melts Too. Here chef Darren Purchase amps up the hot sandwich menu with such savory repasts as Toasted Baguette with Scrambled Egg and Harissa, Glazed Ham, Mustard, Grilled Pineapple and Cheddar Melt, and Curried Crayfish Roll with Mango Chutney. Sweet sandwiches get equal billing with recipes for White Chocolate and Strawberry Toast, Apple and Blackberry Jaffle and the Explosive Raspberry Melt. It’s a fun, flavorful look at the hot sandwich and how to make this mainstay even more delicious.

Honorable Mention:

Genius Desserts by Food52 – 100 classic dessert recipes from the renowned food blog Food52
Fish Market by Kathy Hunt – It’s the five-year anniversary of the seafood cookbook by yours truly. Fish Market features 48 fish and shellfish plus seafood-friendly sides with selecting, cleaning and cooking tips
Andina by Martin Morales – Classic and contemporary South American recipes from renowned Peruvian chef and restaurant owner Martin Morales
The German Cookbook by Alfons Schuhbeck – A comprehensive collection of recipes (500!) on German cuisine
Season: Big Flavor, Beautiful Food by Nik Sharma – Indian fusion cooking by food blogger Nik Sharma

Favorite food narratives in 2018

Food Writing:

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (Bloomsbury, 2000)
Kitchen Confidential came out the same year that I started graduate journalism school and was the best book of food writing that I’d encounter for many years. Honest, intelligent and acerbic, Bourdain blew open the doors of restaurant kitchens and exposed the wild, funny and outrageous sides of the food industry. Never again will I go to a buffet or order fish on Monday without thinking of him. Kitchen Confidential is a fabulous choice for memoir fans, food lovers, restaurant workers and anyone who enjoys engaging writing. For those who also like to travel or travel vicariously, I will suggest Bourdain’s second nonfiction book, A Cook’s Tour.

More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin (Harper Perennial, 2014)
An accomplished writer and home cook, Laurie Colwin shares the pleasures and pains of cooking in her essay collection More Home Cooking. Through such humorous and helpful pieces as “Desserts That Quiver,” “Jet Lag and How to Feed It” and “The Beet Goes On” she entertains and educates readers about hosting holiday meals, cooking for children and other culinary anxiety inducing events. Most essays contain at least one recipe. All have a plethora of useful tips, making More Home Cooking a lovely book for either the reader or cook.

Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll by Andrew Friedman (Ecco, 2018)
Here Friedman details that magical period in the restaurant industry, from the 1970s through 1980s, where cooking became a respected profession, chefs started achieving rock star status and restaurants became the place to see, be seen and make bold statements about food, politics and cooking. Friedman interviewed over 200 food professionals for Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll and his thoroughness is evident throughout the book. He includes stories about such culinary luminaries as Wolfgang Puck, Tom Colicchio, Alice Waters, Ruth Reichl and Paul Prudhomme. For those who love food, food histories or trailblazers this is their book.

Herring: A Global History by Kathy Hunt (Reaktion, 2017)
Recently translated into Japanese, Herring: A Global History makes it to my holiday list again. Shameless promotion? Of course, but I’m still proud of the research, writing and photography that went into this nonfiction book. Herring looks at the historical, economic, political, cultural and culinary impact of this small, omega-3-rich fish. Filled with historical facts, quirky tales, over 50 color photos and 15 recipes, it’s perfect for the curious reader, food lover and nature or history buff.

Smell Detectives by Melanie A. Kiechle (University of Washington Press, 2017)
I’ve snuck this environmental history book onto the list because what we grow and manufacture greatly impacts the air we breathe. Plus, smell influences taste and whether we like or try a new food. Smell Detectives begins with a 2005 event when the scent of maple syrup wafted over New York City, puzzling residents and officials. From here readers travel back in time, to 19th century urban America and the stockyards, factories, battlefields and settlements that flavored the air and era. Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, Smell Detectives will fascinate a variety of readers.

Let’s Bake Maple Sugar Cookies!

Published by Kathy Hunt

Maple sugar cookies featuring the deadly combo of cats and mice. Those poor mice!

As promised in the previous post, I have the perfect treat in which to feature your homemade maple sugar, maple sugar cookies! Inspired by a recent visit to Montreal, where I spied a wide range of maple-themed sweets and saw that, as rumored, Canadians adore pure maple syrup-infused foods, Canadian Maple Sugar Cookies are a delicious way to bring that sweet, earthy taste to your baking.

For this recipe don’t skimp on the maple sugar or syrup. Stay away from those mass-marketed mixtures of corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and ingredients. Don’t get fooled by tiny bottles of “maple extract” or “maple essence,” either. Thinking that I could punch up a traditional poundcake, I tried one of these flavorings once. Consisting of alcohol, water and “natural flavors,” the so-called extract smelled like soy sauce and tasted nothing like maple. It did not end up in my cake.

cutting mouse-shaped maple sugar cookies

Mouse cookie cutter with a tiny tail that kept falling off. I just told everyone that the cookie cat ate it.

If you own a maple leaf-shaped cutter, you can make your cookies even more “maple-licious” by using that. Since I have a surplus of cat cookie cutters (Go figure!) but nothing remotely resembling a leaf in my kitchen, I opted for a cat-and-mouse theme. You can ice these cookies, dust them with a little confectioner’s sugar or eat them as is.

Cat and mouse maple sugar cookies

CANADIAN MAPLE SUGAR COOKIES
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

for the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup maple sugar (see this post for information)
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the icing:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons milk
Sugar sprinkles, optional, for decoration

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.

Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat the butter until soft, about 1 minute. Add the sugars and beat together until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until well combined. Scrape down the bowl again.

Add half the flour to the wet ingredients and stir or gently beat together. Mix in the remaining flour until combined. Form the dough into two balls — they will be sticky to the touch — and place each on a large piece of cling wrap. Pat them down until you have thin disks. Cover the disks with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes minimum. (Cold dough is easier to roll out and won’t stick to your rolling pin or cookie cutters.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly flour a clean work surface.

Remove one chilled disk from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place it on the lightly floured work surface. After dusting a rolling pin with flour, roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out and place the cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Form the remaining dough scraps into a ball, cover the ball with the plastic wrap and refrigerate it.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are golden in color. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes before removing them from the sheets and placing them on wire cooling racks.

As the cookies are either baking or cooling, remove the already chilled dough disk from the refrigerator and repeat the above steps, rolling out, cutting and baking the dough and forming the scraps into a ball and refrigerating them. Repeat until all of the dough has been used.

Once the cookies have cooled, you can ice the cookies. To make the icing, sift the confectioner’s sugar into a bowl. Add the maple syrup and milk and stir until all of the lumps have dissolved. Using a butter knife or small icing spatula, spread the icing over the cookies. Sprinkle the tops with optional pearl or other decorative sugar. Allow the icing harden before serving or storing.

Canadian Pure Maple Sugar for Maple Sugar Cookies

Published by Kathy Hunt

Maple syrup at Jean-Talon market, Montreal

After a recent trip to Montreal I walked away thinking that Canadians couldn’t get enough of maple. Whether at a market, bakery, cafe or restaurant I saw such treats as maple lollipops, cookies, doughnuts, pies and cakes. At one coffee shop I even added maple sugar to my maple latte. Maple’s popularity and prevalence should surprise no one. Canada produces over 70% of the world’s pure maple syrup. Over 90% comes from the province of Quebec, where Montreal is located.

Maple leaf lollipops

Back at home pure maple sugar and syrup aren’t as easy and inexpensive to obtain. At my local farmer’s market I will pay $9 for five ounces of maple sugar. At my neighborhood grocery store I’ll fork over $12 for eight ounces of this sugar. Online it’s still fairly pricey. Plus, I have to wait for it to be delivered. Since I’ve had a sinus infection and felt unmotivated to grocery shop, I decided to make my own maple sugar and maple sugar cookies. Yeah, I felt too lousy to go out but I didn’t feel too terrible to put syrup in a pan and make sugar. Here’s how I did it.

Maple syrup bubbling away, inching up toward 265/hard ball.

How to make maple sugar

To make maple sugar, I poured 1 cup of pure maple syrup into a heavy bottomed saucepan. I then brought the syrup to a boil over medium high heat. Once the syrup began to bubble, I inserted a candy thermometer inside the saucepan; the syrup had to reach 265 degrees or “hard ball” on the thermometer before I could remove the pan from the heat. As the syrup grew hotter, I stirred it with a wooden spoon to distribute the heat and stop it from sticking to the pan.

Time to take the maple syrup off the burner.

When the candy thermometer read 265/hard ball, I pulled the pan from the burner and continued to stir the bubbling syrup. Within minutes the syrup went from a frothy liquid to granules of sugar. I scraped the sugar from the pan and measured the amount made. Out of 1 cup (16 tablespoons) of maple syrup, only three tablespoons of liquid had evaporated, leaving me with 13 tablespoons or a little over 3/4 cup of maple sugar. Depending on the quality of syrup used, the maple sugar may reduce down to half the original amount of syrup.

Stirred vigorously, the boiled maple syrup turns into sugar.

Since the sugar was rather lumpy, I poured it into the bowl of my food processor and blitzed it until smooth. Total time it took to make maple sugar? Fifteen minutes. That’s a lot less time than it would have taken to go out and buy it.

After being run through the food processor, the maple sugar is much smoother and lighter.

How hard was it to clean the sugar-coated saucepan? Easy peasy. I poured water into the pan, brought the water to a boil and watched all the sugar dissolve. After that I dumped out the sugary water and put the pan in the dishwasher. At this point I could make maple sugar cookies. Or I could take a nap. I chose the latter. Tune in next week for delicious maple sugar cookies. Until then, try a hot cup of coffee or tea sweetened with your own maple sugar.

Grab a Cup of Coffee and Some Rusks!

Published by Kathy Hunt

Almond rusks and coffee in a Charley Harper Fishes Eddy mug

Last month I had a Marcel Proust-madeleine moment where a bite of a baked good—in my case, a rusk—brought back memories of a long ago event. Unlike Proust’s profound experience, where I ate this cookie was far more interesting than the memory itself. Chewing on a nut-flecked rusk while I stared out at four graceful impalas drinking from a water hole in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, I remembered that a decade ago I had written a syndicated article about twice-baked cookies and that that article had included rusks. Yeah, my memory wasn’t nearly as cerebral as Proust’s, either.

Four impala at a watering hole in Kruger National Park

Four impala drinking water while I enjoy coffee and a rusk

Rusks have featured in South African cuisine since the 18th century, when Dutch farmers or boers living in South Africa looked for ways to make bread last longer. By baking loaves of dough twice, they learned that they could remove all the moisture from the loaves. This gave their bread or rusks an almost endless shelf life. In times when food was scarce and shopping for supplies involved traveling long distances over hot, barren landscapes, they provided sustenance. Thanks to their portability and durability, farmers, frontiersmen, soldiers, sailors and everyday citizens all ate rusks.

An assortment of irregularly shaped rusks

Traditional rusks use a scant amount of sugar and no flavorings. Modern recipes, though, include everything from nuts to seeds, dried fruit or chocolate chips. Keep in mind that, if you want your rusks to last longer than a few weeks, don’t include ingredients high in moisture. If you do add dried fruit, chop it finely. If you use chocolate chips, use them sparingly.

Today rusks might be part of breakfast, morning coffee or afternoon snack. No matter when you consume them, one rule remains in place. Due to their hard texture you have to dunk them into coffee or tea before consuming. The same holds true for other twice-baked cookies such as biscotti, paximadia or mandelbrot.

Dunking a rusk into my morning coffee in Kruger National Park

ALMOND RUSKS
Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease two baking sheets.

Lightly toast the almonds in a pan on the stove or in the oven until they are aromatic but not browned. Remove from heat, cool then roughly chop.

Toasting blanched and slivered almonds in a sauté pan

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, sugar and almond extract until the mixture is light-colored and frothy, between 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour the liquid into the flour and stir to combine. Add the nuts and stir to combine.

Rusk dough before it’s divided into loaves.

Either in a bowl or on a clean surface form the dough into a large ball. From this ball make 4 loaves about 2 inches in diameter. Place 2 loaves on each baking sheet, leaving space in between them.

Place the sheets in the oven and bake until golden, about 35 minutes.

Remove the baking sheets and allow the rusks to cool slightly. Using a sharp knife, slice the rusks into 1-inch wide pieces. Either move the sliced cookies to clean, greased baking sheets or leave them where they are, brushing away any excess crumbs. Stand the cookies upright on their bases.

Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes, until the top of the cookies are very firm to the touch and their sides are golden in color.

Remove the cookies from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to one month.

Beet and Apple Salad with Herring

Published by Kathy Hunt

Beet, apple and herring salad on a fish plate

Beets, apple, potatoes and herring. They may not sound like an obvious combo but these four come together in a delicious chilled salad known as sillsallad or, as I call it, beet and apple salad with, or without, herring. (Yes, I’m still preaching the joys of herring. How could I not? It’s an amazing, oily, omega-3 rich fish!)

The perfect dinner companion

In Sweden, the country from which this salad hails, sillsallad often shows up at holiday meals. With its ruby red hues and splashes of pink and green it makes for a festive dinner companion. A versatile dish, it pairs well with a variety of foods, including roast chicken and grilled or baked fish. Beet and apple salad with, or without, herring is also hearty enough to be served as a main course.

Fresh beets from the farmers’ market

It’s beet season!

If you’ve dropped by a farmers’ market recently, you may have noticed the mounds of fresh beets for sale. We’re in the midst of the beet season, making this the perfect time for this salad. If you question whether you’d enjoy herring, you can always omit it and simply bump up the amount of beets and apples. However, I encourage you to first try it with the fish. Its soft texture, savory flavor and nutritional value amp up the enjoyment of this dish.

A teeny bit more about herring

For those unfamiliar with herring and its influence in Europe, here’s a short video about the fish’s impact in Iceland. The country even has an award winning museum named for it, the Herring Era Museum in Siglufjördur.

BEET, APPLE AND HERRING SALAD
Note that traditionally sillsallad includes boiled potatoes, mayonnaise and cream. As I prefer lighter foods, I’ve omitted those ingredients. Hence why I don’t call my dish sillsallad but instead refer to it as “beet, apple and herring salad.”
Serves 4 to 6

1 cup (about ½ pound or 227 grams) pickled herring, drained and diced
3 cups (about 1 3/4 pounds or 794 grams) cooked beets, chilled and diced
1/4 cup (1.3 ounces or 40 grams) diced yellow onion
1 green apple, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) cider vinegar
3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

In a medium serving bowl mix together the herring, beets, onion, and apple. In a separate bowl whisk together the tarragon, cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour it over the salad. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Before serving, mix together the lemon juice and sugar. Drizzle over the salad and serve.

Chilled, No-Bake Rocky Road Pie

Published by Kathy Hunt

Rocky road pie

Every summer I have an intense fling with Haagen Daz’s Rocky Road ice cream. How could I not swoon over gooey marshmallows and toasted almonds swirled into semi-sweet chocolate ice cream? Talk about the perfect balance of taste and texture. This year my love affair came to an abrupt end when local markets replaced my beloved with such new Haagen Daz flavors as Honey Salted Caramel Almond and Midnight Cookies and Cream. These don’t hold a candle to my old flame. Without my standby pint in the freezer, waiting for whenever I crave a cool sweet, I’ve resorted to making chilled, no-bake rocky road pies instead. (You thought I was going to say “my own ice cream,” weren’t you? If you’re looking for an iced dessert, try my entries on mulled apple cider ice cream and queso helado.)

A Depression era creation from the West Coast, the original rocky road ice cream consisted of walnuts, marshmallows and chocolate ice cream. Almonds later replaced the walnuts but otherwise the today’s recipe contains the same ingredients.

Rocky road candy with marshmallows, shredded coconut and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts in Melbourne, Australia

Whether the combination of chocolate, marshmallows and nuts and the name “rocky road” come from America is up for debate. Australians have been eating a candied version of this combo since at least 1853. This was when the first recipe appeared in print.

Australian rocky road features vanilla and cherry or strawberry flavored marshmallows, shredded coconut and chopped walnuts or peanuts mixed into dark or milk chocolate. Sometimes the treat includes glacé cherries. Sometimes not. Poured into a baking pan, the confection is chilled and then cut into rectangular slabs. While traveling in New South Wales and Victoria, I saw trays of rocky road in every candy store and bakeshop, which is more than I can say about America and rocky road ice cream.

A slice of Rocky Road pie

No-bake rocky road pie deviates slightly from both the Australian candy and American ice cream recipe. Here semi-sweet chocolate, marshmallows and almonds are contained within a graham cracker crust. If you want to remain truer to the Australian recipe, replace the graham cracker with a coconut crust.

NO-BAKE ROCKY ROAD PIE
“No-bake” is a bit of a misnomer for you do insert the pie crust into a 350 degree oven for a whopping 5 minutes. That’s it, though. In my mind that makes this pie largely “no-bake.”
Serves 8

for the pie crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 14 sheets, crushed or pulsed in food processor)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the filling:
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels, plus 4 more ounces
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
3/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped

for the topping:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3-1/2 cup mini marshmallows

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Set out a 9-inch pie pan.

Place the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Using a spatula or large spoon, stir the ingredients together until all the crumbs are coated in butter. Spoon the ingredients into the 9-inch pie pan and, using your fingers, pat the crumbs into place around the bottom and sides of the pan. You’ll want the crust to extend to the lip of the pan.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes, until lightly browned and the crust has set. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling, pour 10 ounces of chocolate morsels and cream into a large, glass, heat-proof bowl or double boiler. If you’re using a glass bowl, heat the ingredients in the microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, removing the bowl at 20 second intervals to stir the chocolate and cream together. If using a double boiler on your stove, heat the chocolate and cream over medium-high, stirring constantly until all the chocolate has melted and the ingredients have combined. Remove the bowl or pan from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool.

In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks. Put a tablespoon of melted chocolate in the eggs and whisk together. Repeat until the eggs are warm but not curdled or cooked. Pour the egg mixture into the melted chocolate and stir until well-combined.

marshmallows, chocolate chips and almonds

Lots of marshmallows, chips and almonds in the pie

In a separate bowl toss together the marshmallows, almonds and additional 4 ounces of chocolate. Sprinkle half on the bottom of the pie crust and then pour half of the melted chocolate over top. Sprinkle in the rest of the marshmallows, morsels and nuts. Pour the remaining melted chocolate over this and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour.

Before serving, melt the bittersweet chocolate and cream together in either a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler, stirring until well-combined. Set aside to cool slightly.

Spread the mini marshmallows over the top of the pie. Drizzle the melted bittersweet chocolate over the marshmallows and serve.

Queso helado — Binge-worthy ice cream!

Published by Kathy Hunt

Ever try a new food and think, “Oh, man! I gotta eat this every day!”? That was exactly how I felt after my first spoonful of queso helado. Prior to visiting the South American country Peru, I had never heard of this iced sweet. As soon as I arrived in the UNESCO World Heritage Site and the country’s second largest city, Arequipa, I saw it everywhere. Along with its reputation for art, literature, baroque architecture crafted from volcanic ash and the volcanoes that produced this ash, Arequipa is known as the birthplace of queso helado.

Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city and home to queso helado

In Spanish queso helado means “frozen cheese” but this creamy, cinnamon-spiced ice cream seems more like frozen heaven to me. Its deceptive name comes from its appearance. When scraped rather than scooped from a metal bowl, the slabs of ice cream resemble wedges of cheese. Don’t let looks fool you. It tastes nothing like cheese.

What’s in queso helado?

Unlike traditional ice cream, queso helado contains no cream. Instead it features three types of milk, sweetened condensed, evaporated and whole milk. Dried coconut, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks provide its unique, mildly spiced flavor.

Some versions include egg yolks. These give queso helado a custardy flavor. A few contain cheese curds, allowing the dish to live up to its name “frozen cheese.” Lighter variations omit both ingredients.

My lighter queso helado without egg yolks or cheese

How to make it at home

Whenever I become obsessed with a dish, my first move is to track down the recipe so that I can recreate it at home. Usually, I talk with the local cooks, learning how they make it. After that I look in bookstores for cookbooks and culinary histories about the specific region and recipe. (These bookstore jaunts mean that I either mail back an expensive box of inexpensive books or stuff my coat with books so that my bag doesn’t exceed the airline’s carry-on weight limit. I’m still not sure if this is clever or just pathetic.)

A few references on Peruvian cooking, including a sealed cookbook from Lima

In Peru I had some difficulty tracking down a reliable cookbook. Although the country had lots of well-stocked bookshops, every single book in these shops was sealed in a plastic sleeve. I couldn’t look inside any cookbook to see if it contained a queso helado recipe. Before leaving the country, I took a chance and bought The Arts of Peru — The Cuisine in Lima. Although the book offered fascinating insights into Peruvian cooking, it did not include my new, favorite treat.

Working from notes and Gaston Acuriou’s Peru and Martin Morales’ Andina: The Heart of Peruvian Food cookbooks, I created the following recipe. Because I am not a patient person, I used my ice cream maker to speed up the freezing process. However, you do not need an ice cream maker to whip up this dessert. As long as you’ve got a large, shallow, freezer-proof dish, you’re on your way to enjoying this Peruvian specialty.

QUESO HELADO
Makes 4 cups

16 ounces whole milk
3 1/2- to 4-inch piece of cinnamon (can be 1 whole stick or several smaller ones)
4 whole cloves
1/4 cup dried coconut
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
16 ounces evaporated milk
Cinnamon sugar, optional, for serving

Place the milk, cinnamon, cloves, coconut and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it they begin to boil, reduce the heat to low and allow the ingredients to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the burner, stir in the vanilla extract and allow the liquid to cool to room temperature.

Milk, spices and coconut simmering together

Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the milk and discard the cinnamon, cloves and coconut. Pour the flavored milk into either an ice cream maker or a large, shallow dish. Add the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk and stir until combined. If using an ice cream maker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for making ice cream and then put the mixture into a large, shallow dish.

Serving queso helado from its frozen container

Scooping out queso helado under the watchful eye of an ice cream fan

If putting the liquids directly into the freezer, cover the dish with a lid or cling wrap and place it on a flat surface in your freezer. Allow the queso helado to freeze completely, at least 4 hours. Spoon individual servings into bowls. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over top, if desired, and serve.

Ceviche — It’s fresh and fast!

Published by Kathy Hunt

Ceviche topped with dried seaweed and paired with calamari and corn

The national dish of Peru

I love learning how to make a local speciality the right way. On a recent trip to Peru that specialty was ceviche. Considered the national dish of Peru, ceviche, or cebiche as it’s sometimes spelled, got its start during the Inca Empire. During that time Peruvian cooks along the coast would marinate freshly caught fish in the Andean corn alcohol chicha. After the Spanish conquest of the 16th century they began to incorporate European ingredients into their cooking. This included adding citrus to their seafood.

Mixing the ingredients

Although it began as a coastal dish, ceviche is found throughout Peru. Inland, where rivers and lakes are common, cooks use Peruvian trout (truncha) and prawns (camarones). In the capital Lima sea bass, corvina drum and other semi-firm to firm white-fleshed fish are featured.

Camarones cebiche garnished with corn and cilantro at Chicha in Arequipa, Peru

What does it take to make an outstanding ceviche?

Obviously, in a dish that features raw seafood, you should have very fresh, clean tasting fish. The fish itself should be semi-firm to firm in texture; you don’t want your fish falling apart before the first bite.

You also don’t want rubbery or mushy, overcooked fish. To avoid this, chefs toss the raw fish in lime juice minutes before serving. This may not sound like a very long time to macerate raw food. Keep in mind, though, that fresh, high quality, thinly sliced seafood is used and that marinating times are based upon the thickness and firmness of the fish. Still unconvinced? This Washington Post article does a nice job explaining the use of acids on raw seafood.

Other ingredients

Generally, cooks in Peru use the juice of one lime or lemon per serving. Since Peruvian limes are much larger than in the U.S., I bump up the number to three limes. To balance out the acidity and amp up the flavor, include minced chilis, sliced red onion and herbs. Diced potatoes and nuts are also popular additions.

TROUT CEVICHE
Serves 4

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium red chili, seeded and minced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 pound skinless rainbow trout fillets, very thinly sliced and chilled
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Juice of 12 limes
Handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

Bring a large saucepan filled with salted water to a boil. Add the diced sweet potatoes, reduce the temperature to low and cook the potatoes until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the water from the potatoes and set aside.

Soak the sliced onions in warm water for 5 minutes; this will reduce their potency. Drain and pat the onions dry.

In a large bowl toss together the onions, chili and ginger. Add the trout and salt and then pour the lime juice over the fish. Allow the ingredients to sit for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the diced potatoes. Gently turn over the ingredients, taste and add more salt if needed.

Place equal amounts of ceviche in 4 bowls. Sprinkle cilantro over the top of each and serve immediately

The Annual Cookbook Review: Books to Give, Get and Gobble!

Published by Kathy Hunt

This year’s recommended cookbooks and food writing books

Although I write and buy books and cookbooks, I am always amazed by the tremendous number published every year. Who does cookbooks? Celebrities, celebrity chefs, musicians, athletes, bloggers, restaurants, farmers’ markets . . .. The list goes on and on. With so many new books on store shelves—and seemingly more coming out each week—it’s tough to know which ones will satisfy and which will leave you hungering for something more substantial. To help separate the filets from the hot dogs, the Bordeaux from the Two-Buck-Chuck, it’s the annual cookbook review! Included this year are baking books, a cocktail guide, vegetarian, Italian, German, Mediterranean and English cuisines as well as several food writing books and a graphic novel-like book. Happy shopping, reading and cooking!

The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)
If you want to learn the proper way to mix, bake and decorate a myriad of cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, breads, pastries and candy, reach for The Baking Bible. Perfect for bakers of any skill level, this comprehensive, IACP Award-winning cookbook provides over 100 recipes with helpful, step-by-step instructions, storage tips and color photographs. Here you’ll find out how to create soft, flavorful scones, flaky yet velvety pies and tarts and gorgeous cakes such as the red velvet-with-raspberry glaze cake Red Velvet Rose and the chocolate chiffon cake Chocolate Cuddle Cake. Use Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s invaluable cookbook to master a specific dessert, expand your repertoire or simply become a better baker.

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017)
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mark Bittman‘s exhaustive book on vegetarian cuisine, a revised edition of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian has been released. In it the former New York Times food writer shares over 2,000 tasty vegetarian and/or vegan recipes. Although many have been updated, all still retain the straightforward approach to cooking for which Bittman is known. If you have a vegetarian, vegan or a friend who wants to eat more vegetables on your holiday shopping list, pick up a copy of this tremendous and timeless book.

The Reporter’s Kitchen by Jane Kramer (St. Martin’s Press, 2017)
The Reporter’s Kitchen features some of the best food stories from longtime New Yorker contributor Jane Kramer. Divided into four sections, Kramer’s book offers up chef profiles, including one of an author on this list, Yotam Ottolenghi, and essays on everything from kitchens and loosely structured cookbook reviews to foraging with Danish chef Rene Redzepi of Noma. The Reporter’s Kitchen is an engaging collection of nonfiction writing and a lovely gift for anyone drawn to good writing, cooking and international foods.

The PDT Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan and Chris Gall (Sterling Epicure, 2011)
I’ve given this cocktail recipe book to several friends. This year I finally gave it to myself. If you are or know of a fan of cocktails, both classic and contemporary, you’ll want a copy, too. The bartender at the NYC speakeasy Please Don’t Tell (PDT), Meehan serves up over 300 recipes and sidebars on fascinating beverage facts. Color illustrations from Chris Gall round out this handy book. Whether you want to dazzle friends with Hemingway daiquiris and pharaoh coolers or make yourself a memorable sloe gin fizz or sidecar, The PDT Cocktail Book has the information you need to mix delightful drinks.

Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (Ten Speed Press, 2017)
Look through past years’ cookbook reviews and you’ll see that I’m a fan of Yotam Ottolenghi’s beautiful, creative and consistently good cookbooks. Sweet is fast on its way to becoming yet another favorite. In Sweet Ottolenghi and pastry chef Helen Goh offer over 110 recipes for such to-die-for treats as Apple and Olive Cake with Maple Frosting, Spiced Praline Meringues, Chocolate Banana Ripple Cheesecake and, my new go-to, Apricot and Almond Cake with Cinnamon Topping. They also provide more traditional, but no less tasty, goodies including sesame brittle, rugelach and lemon and poppy seed cake. With vibrant photos, engaging headnotes, clear instructions and a final chapter dedicated to baking tips and ingredients, this makes a great gift for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Food Anatomy by Julia Rothman (Storey Publishing, 2016)
Part of a series by illustrator Julia Rothman, Food Anatomy resembles a graphic novel in appearance and a food encyclopedia in content. Curious about the different types of wheat, millet, pasta, eggs and what they look like? Maybe you’re interested in learning where different cuts of meat are found on a cow, pig or chicken. Perhaps you’re more fascinated by cooking tools and appliances from around the globe. Rothman provides charming visuals and quirky facts that educate readers about these aspects of cooking and more. Food Anatomy is a fun book for anyone intrigued by food and the culinary arts.

Food for All Seasons by Oliver Rowe (Faber & Faber, 2017)
If you or your gift recipient loves reading a lush, well-written account of cooking through the seasons, pick up British chef Oliver Rowe’s book. If you or your gift recipient is a bit of an Anglophile, get Food for All Seasons. If your intended recipient enjoys straightforward yet creative recipes, well, you know, grab a copy of this book. Food for All Seasons can be read as a book, used as a cookbook or serve as a month-by-month guide to what’s in season in the UK and parts of the U.S. Three uses for one book? That’s brilliant! Besides, any cookbook with a recipe for oatmeal-crusted herring with orange zest gets a vote of confidence from herring enthusiast Kathy.

Osteria by Slow Food Editore (Rizzoli, 2017)
This fantastic, weighty tome comes courtesy of Slow Food, the grassroots organization that began in Italy and is dedicated to preserving local food traditions and cultures. In Osteria the group showcases 1,000 regional recipes collected from taverns, or osterie, throughout Italy. Pizzas, crostinis, frittatas, salads, soups, vegetables, pastas, meats, seafood, pastries, breads and desserts all get their due. Whether you’re new to or an old hand at Italian cuisine, you’ll appreciate Osteria‘s range of recipes, techniques, tips and stories of homegrown Italian food.

Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss (Ten Speed Press, 2016)
Whether you’ve scoured the English language shelves of countless German bookstores, searching for a solid German baking book, or you just enjoy a luscious streusel, torte or pfeffernüsse, check out Luisa Weiss’s Classic German Baking. Weiss serves up over 100 recipes for sweet and savory baked goods including such traditional offerings as apple cake (apfelkuchen), flourless poppy seed torte (mohntorte), gingerbread (lebkuchen), springerle, potato strudel and soft pretzels (brezeln.) Those looking to spice up their holiday offerings will especially like Weiss’s final chapter, “Christmas Favorites,” which contains recipes for 24 festive baked goods.

Imbibe by David Wondrich (Perigree, 2015)
Originally released in 2007, Imbibe tells the histories of classic American cocktails and the 19th century saloon owner behind the world’s first bartender’s guide How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant’s Companion, Jerry Thomas. Here readers learn about everything from punches and fizzes to martinis and sazeracs and how Jerry Thomas became “the father of American mixology.” Engaging and educational, Wondrich’s James Beard Award-winning book is the perfect present for history lovers, food fans and anyone interested in American drink culture.

Herring: A Global History by Kathy Hunt (Reaktion, 2017)
I’m proud of the research, writing and effort that went into Herring: A Global History so I’m selfishly putting my book on this year’s list. Part of Reaktion Books’ Edible Series, Herring looks at the historical, economic, political, cultural and culinary impact of this small, omega-3-rich fish. Found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, herring has long been a mainstay of Scandinavian, Eastern European, British, Dutch and Japanese cuisines. In fact, so abundant were herring and the Dutch fishermen who caught them, it’s said that Amsterdam was literally built atop the bones of this fish. Filled with rich history, unusual tales, over 50 color photos and 15 recipes, Herring is ideal for natural and world history buffs, seafood aficionados and those with a passion for global food and culture.

In case none of those suggestions work for you, check out some of the previous years’ cookbook review lists.

2016 Cookbook Review
2015 Cookbook Review
2014 Cookbook Review
2013 Cookbook Review
2012 Cookbook Review – Baking Books
2012 Cookbook Review – Food Writing Books
2012 Cookbook Review – Cookbooks
2011 Cookbook Review – Food Writing Books
2011 Cookbook Review – Cookbooks