Quatre-quarts Cake – French Pound Cake with Chocolate

Pound Cake has become an American classic, although it is originally from Europe. It’s the first dessert I was served when I was invited to a home dinner here in America. I still remember it was served with vanilla ice cream, then whipped cream and strawberries. I thought dessert is most important in America. Since then I have eaten it countless times and in countless variations. It can be jazzed up with dried fruits, nuts, blueberries, coffee, cocoa... just about anything.

I have made pound cake both at home and for work. I often mix a small mashed/chopped banana into the batter, which makes the cake moist (but you’ll need to bake it about 10 minutes longer) and creates a great aroma in the kitchen.  However, people still ask me why it’s called “pound cake” and what is the recipe.  I found out a long time ago, because, well, you know, I am a cook... I needed to know.

Quatre-quarts means  “four fourths” or “four quarters” in French. It has four main ingredients – egg, butter, sugar and flour – in about equal amounts, originally a pound each (which makes a very large cake). That is why it’s called pound cake, which makes sense!  Using this recipe, the cake comes out soft and light, because powdered sugar is used instead of granulated sugar. It is simple but delicious, and is the perfect cake for spring!

Quatre-quarts au beurre salé et au chocolat – Pound cake with salted butter and 

chocolate chips

Recipe adapted from Cuisine et Vins, Février – Mars 2011, N°138

Makes 8-10 servings

1 loaf pan (1 ¼ quarts-5 cups)

Ingredients:

4 oz (110 g) dark chocolate chips

4 large eggs

7 oz (200 g) salted butter at room temperature, preferably French style + 1 tablespoon for the pan

7 oz (200 g) powder/confectioners’ sugar

7 oz (200 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1.       Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease the pan with 1 tablespoon butter and dust with flour. In a medium-size mixing bowl or stand mixer at medium speed, cream the butter  then slowly add the powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time until well mixed.

2.       In a small bowl, mix the flour and the baking powder then sift them together into another bowl or onto baking/wax paper. Using a whisk or rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the batter,  1/3 of the flour mixture at a time until just combined; do not over mix.

3.       Pour  the batter into the pan. Then spread the chocolate chips over the batter. Using your wet fingers or rubber spatula or spoon,  push the chocolate chips into the batter. Bake in center of the oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

4.       Cool/rest the pan on a wire rack at least 10-15 minutes before unmolding the cake. This cake is best served warm. Top with whipped heavy cream and fresh berries if you wish.

For more fun chocolate information (and mouth-watering photos), go to

http://www.gourmetnotes.com/uploads/Chocolate_final.pdf

White Chocolate Custard – Use up those egg yolks!

Well, I assume that you have read my last post “Simple Chocolate Mousse“ ...maybe have already tried making it, and are wondering about those three leftover  fresh egg yolks. Hopefully you did not throw them away.  Many people are concerned about egg yolks because of the  fat and cholesterol.  Egg white is a good protein source, but it is the yolk that makes everything tasty!  In addition, the fat from the yolk is not very high (4.5 g per large yolk), and the cholesterol from food is not really a big issue (it isn’t the same as blood cholesterol ... our body makes that in response to too much saturated fat – not dietary cholesterol – plus  other health factors). Crème brûlee, crème caramel, crème anglaise, crème pâtissière (pastry cream), and even pasta alla carbonara all require egg yolks. You cannot make them without yolk.

Anyway, this is another “chocolate” dessert that I guarantee you will adore.

Note that white chocolate is not technically chocolate (it contains no cocoa solids, from which chocolate’s color and most of the flavor come). It is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and usually vanilla. It is important that melt white chocolate always very slowly over low heat to keep it from scorching and clumping.

White Chocolate Custard with Fresh Berries

Makes 4 servings

4 six-once ramekins or custard cups (about 3.5-inch diameter and 2-inch high)

Ingredients:

1  cup (250 ml) milk or half-and-half

4 oz (115g) white chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup (50g) sugar

3 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons Kirsh (clear cherry brandy) or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh blueberries or raspberries for topping

1.       Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the half-and-half then add white chocolate and sugar. Stir gently until the white chocolate is melted, then remove from heat.

2.       In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Gradually add the warm half-and-half mixture, stirring gently with a whisk. Add the Kirsh or the vanilla extract.

3.       Place the 4 ramekins in a baking pan that is at least 2 inches high, and pour the custard into the ramekins. Add warm water to the baking pan so that the water reaches halfway up the outside of the ramekins (creating a water bath). Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the custard jiggles slightly when nudged.

4.       Remove the custards from the water bath and cool on a wire rack.

Serve custards in the ramekins at room temperature or chilled, topped with fresh berries.

For more fun chocolate information (and mouth-watering photos), go to

http://www.gourmetnotes.com/uploads/Chocolate_final.pdf

This is my current photo at San Francisco International  Chocolate Salon in March 2014. I was invited as a judge. I had a lot of fun.

SIMPLE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE - light for spring

The beauty of spring has come again to the Bay Area. We have been having a record-breaking drought in California since last year, with an unheard-of dry, brown winter. Finally, a few days of rain over the past two weeks brought us the bright green and other signs of spring.  So many different birds are coming to my small backyard, and the squirrels are chasing each other with lightning speed, almost flying from lawn to tree branches and to the garden fence in seconds. It makes my neighbor’s cat speechless. I guess I am not the only one feeling recharged.

I have been gone many months from this blog, and I missed writing the posts, but I was so busy working for a new, challenging job I started last summer. I just did not have any free time until recently.  Anyway, I am back, just like this nice spring came back to my garden. The past couple of months I have thought of quite a few topics for this blog – about wine,  chocolate, seasonal tarts, seafood, local fruits and vegetables, and simple light food for spring.  Here is my first one... for the chocolate lovers.

The recipe and anecdote come from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé , a world-famous French pastry chef, with the great dessert writer Dorie Greenspan. It is very important when making this mousse to use  good quality chocolate and very fresh eggs.

Mousse as it’s meant to be: Whisper-light in texture, exclamatory in taste. The main ingredients are bittersweet chocolate, lightened by whipped egg whites, enriched by an egg yolk, and sweetened by just the tiniest bit of sugar. Milk is the unexpected but just-right ingredient in this recipe. Because it is lighter than cream, it brings smoothness to the mousse without adding richness or masking the flavor of the chocolate.

I think of this mousse as a base recipe, one I can play around with and change at whim. Often I’ll add another flavor just before serving, topping the mousse with chocolate shavings, Caramelized Rice Krispies, thin slices of banana – raw or sautéed, whole raspberries or raspberry coulis, toasted nuts, or chopped fresh mint. Sometimes I’ll add a different flavor to the mousse while I’m making it, infusing the milk with grated orange zest, a spoonful of instant coffee, a little ground cinnamon, or a pinch of cardamom. PH

SIMPLE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE - LIGHT FOR SPRING

Makes 4-5 servings.

Ingredients:

6 oz (170 g) bittersweet chocolate (52% or more cacao), finely chopped

1/3 cup (30 g) whole milk

1 large very fresh egg yolk

4 large very fresh egg whites

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1. Place the chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl. Bring the milk to a boil, then pour it over the chocolate. Using a small whisk, gently blend the hot milk into the chocolate. Add the egg yolk and whisk it into the chocolate, again working gently; stop when the yolk is incorporated.
2.  In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed just until they hold soft peaks. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar. Continue to beat the whites until they are firm but still glossy. Scoop one-third of the whites out onto the chocolate mixture. Working with a whisk, beat the whites into the chocolate to lighten the mixture. Now, with either the whisk or a large flexible rubber spatula, delicately but thoroughly fold the rest of the beaten whites into the chocolate.
3.  Turn the mousse out into a large serving bowl – clear glass is very nice for this dessert – or into individual glass cups, and refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably 3-4 hours, to set. The mousse can be kept (refrigerated) for a couple days.

Note: I used Guittard’s Semisweet Chocolate Wafers 61% cacao for making the mousse shown in the photos. It worked perfectly and my tasters loved it. I could have used the 72% cacao (Bittersweet), but 61% is best for a wider range of palates. E. Guittard Chocolate is a San Francisco-area company and has been making good quality chocolate since 1868. Their couverture chocolate wafers (these are not chocolate chips) come in a convenient one-pound box. No chopping required -- it's ready to go. These make me want to keep making more chocolate desserts!

French Malbec from Cahors, Perfect Summer Red!

Once upon a time in America, red wine was called Burgundy and white wine was called Chablis. They came in huge bottles (often one-gallon jugs) and they were cheap. We all loved them for their price and size, including me. It was a truly American invention. Then all of a sudden Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay came on the scene as the latest sensations, just like Michael Jackson’s big hit album “Thriller” around the same time in the early 1980^s. We all welcomed them and they became King and Queen of wines in America… and Napa Valley became famous with only a few dozen wineries (currently more than 200). In the '90^s, the wine craze continued, and Americans found new tastes in red wine (Merlot) and white (Sauvignon Blanc). We became more sophisticated about wines, and many wine snobs were born. In the new millennium, Sparkling wine/Champagne and Pinot Noir were added to our repertory and California became one of the major wine regions of the world.

In recent years, wine merchants in America have been pushing red wine from Argentina, especially Malbec. I remember the first time I tasted Argentine Malbec in the late 1990^s I was invited by a small group of wineries from there, but thought the wines inky, uninteresting and lacking in market value, even though they were pretty cheap. In the past couple of years I have been offered quite a few new Malbecs from Argentina, and have noticed a definite improvement in quality, but prices are higher… way too high in some instances.

Cahors is a small wine region located in the southwest of France. Their dominant red wine is Malbec. In fact, this is the birthplace of Malbec. Cahors is not well known in America but has a great reputation in Europe, and if you’re lucky you may find them very reasonably priced here (in the $15 - $25 range). When I had a grand winery tour in Bordeaux in 2002, my French friend introduced me to the wine and I immediately fell in love with it.

It is a pretty bold/big wine, but with a sophisticated, silky… just plain delicious …taste. It is perfectly suited for this time of year paired with grilled meat, poultry and vegetables. Last week I served Cahors Malbec with grilled salmon and our guests loved it. Try finding some and discover this wine for yourself!

 

 

 

Note: I purchased these wines (above photos) from my local wine shop K&L Wine Merchants;

http://www.klwines.com

My old journal has a note that I enjoyed the 1998 Chateau Lamartine Malbec very much when I was in Cahors in 2002. My old friend Valerie Aigron, who let me stay at her place in Bordeaux, introduced me to Cahors Malbec, and Maryanne Iff, who invited me to stay at her place in Montauban near Cahors, also provided great hospitality. French people are always nice to me. Merci!

Strawberry Cake with Cream -- Italian style

It is always a joy to go to the farmers market. Not just because the veggies, fruit and flowers are always local and the best of the season, with a freshness, color and smell you do not get at the supermarket. As a professional chef, I have purchased produce from some of the best purveyors in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have an extensive list of quality products from local, national and international suppliers all the time. But for me, finding great produce at the farmers market, where I can feel the open air, see and smell the seasonal products... that is priceless.

Strawberries are in high in season now, and their sweet smell, luscious looks and good prices are everywhere, but nothing is better than getting them at the farmers market. They are fresher and cheaper and brought out by small farmers only a day or two after they are harvested. And there is no white flesh or hole inside. They smell and taste like strawberries!

When I was a child, strawberry season was very short and expensive, but my whole family loved it. I remember my grandmother often made me simple, fresh strawberry juice with a little sugar and whole milk. And my sisters loved making something similar to this cake, which we called Strawberry Shortcake. So when I saw this cake in the magazine (La Cucina Italiana), memories of the smell and taste returned, and I thought, I have to make it!

Strawberry Cake with Cream (trionfo di fragole)

Recipe adapted from  La Cucina Italiana (June 2012 issue)

Makes 1 (8 or 9-inch) layer cake

For cake

1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pans

2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for dusting pans

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs, kept at room temperature for 30 minutes

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ cup whole milk

For filling

5 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ cup limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 pound strawberries, preferably small ones, trimmed

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Mint leaves for garnish

Making the cake:

Heat the oven to 350° F with rack in middle. Lightly grease 2 (8 or 9-inch) cake pans with butter and dust with flour. Into a medium bowl shift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined, then beat in the vanilla. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk in four batches. Beat until just combined.

Divide batter between cake pans, spreading evenly with a spatula. Bake until cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans and testers inserted into centers come out clean -- about 20 to 25 minutes (tops of cakes will be pale in color). Cool 5 minutes in pan on wire rack, then invert onto rack and cool completely.

Making filling:

In a small saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons sugar, limoncello and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat, whisking, just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. With tops of cakes facing up and avoiding the outer ½-inch border, poke both cakes all over with tines of fork. Brush with syrup.

Slice half of strawberries. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the cream and remaining 2 ½ tablespoons sugar to stiff peaks. Cover one cake with ½ of the cream, leaving a 1-inch border.

Arrange sliced strawberries on top. Top with second cake layer. Cover with remaining cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with whole berries, then dust with confectioners’ sugar. Garnish with small mint leaves.