Angel Food Cake with Toffee Crunch

Recipe: Angel Food Cake with Toffee Crunch
Page: 272
Date Cooked: September 29, 2012

All of the components of this recipe were "firsts" for me. I had never made angel food cake, toffee, or butter cream icing before. Accordingly, I didn't have much to go off of, other than having tasted these items previously. While I don't want to spoil the ending... the one thing I discovered is I think I will be investing in a candy thermometer.

Ingredients: Cake flour, sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, honey, vanilla extract, sugar, light brown sugar, baking soda, brewed espresso, egg yolks, unsalted butter, and confectioners' sugar

I began by separating the eggs and getting 13 egg whites. I sifted cake flour and sugar in a bowl and set aside.

Sifted cake flour and sugar

With an electric mixer, I whipped the egg whites until foamy. I added the cream of tartar and continued to whip till peaks formed. I then slowly added sugar to the egg whites and continued to whip. Finally, I folded in the flour mixture, salt, honey, and vanilla extract.

Angel food cake batter in the making

I transferred the batter to an angel food cake pan. The cake baked until a skewer inserted near the center came out dry. I inverted the pan and let it cool upside down.

Angel food cake

While the cake cooled, I moved on to the toffee and icing. For the toffee, I combined sugar, brown sugar, and water in a saucepan. I cooked this sugar-water mixture until the sugar dissolved. I continued to cook, without stirring, until the caramel became an amber color. I removed the saucepan from the heat and added baking soda. I poured the toffee onto an oiled baking sheet and let cool.

Making toffee

For the icing, I combined espresso, egg yolks, and sugar in a make-shift double boiler and cooked. I whisked the mixture until it thickened. I then let the espresso mixture cool.

Espresso mixture

Once the espresso mixture cooled, I beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth. I then blended in the espresso mixture.

Blending butter

At this point, I was very close to putting the cake all together. However, my toffee just wouldn't set. After hours in the freezer, I still had a caramel-taffy type texture. Upon further research, I discovered that my "toffee" still had too much water in it and was just not going to set.

I was planning on taking this cake over to a friend's house that night and didn't have time to try making the toffee again. So I decided to assemble the cake with what I had. I ran a knife alongside the cake pan to unmold the cake. Jonathan Waxman instructs to slice the cake into 3 horizontal layers. But out of fear, I decided two horizontal layers would be sufficient.

Two layers of angel food cake

I spread the icing on the bottom layer and drizzled over the caramel/taffy/toffee. I put the top layer on top and repeated. I then using the remaining frosting around the cake. Finally, I dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Angel Food Cake with Toffee Crunch

In spite of not quite getting toffee, I thought the cake was pretty good. The angel food cake was light and delicious. I loved the espresso butter cream frosting. Personally, I'm not a fan of "too sweet" and this frosting was spot on. And even though the toffee ended up as caramel, it was still delicious. Also, Jonathan Waxman instructs putting the cake in the fridge if not serving right away - this is 100 percent spot on. The icing melts quickly.

Overall, what I discovered was the right toffee temperature is just before burning. So now I know. Given that this was my first toffee-making attempt, I would try this recipe again. And hopefully I will actually get some toffee crunch.

Enjoy!

Salmon with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

Recipe: Salmon with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce
Page: 202
Date Cooked: September 20, 2012

The sauce in this recipe is a take on the mother of all sauces, the classic sauce vin blanc, white wine sauce. It's based on a broth of fish bones, white wine, and other aromatics. It is later enriched with cream or butter. Upon some further research, it appears that the sauce vin blanc is commonly served alongside salmon, as seen in this recipe.

Ingredients: Garlic, unsalted butter, Kosher salt, pepper, white onion, fish bones, parsley, bay leaves, dry white wine, heavy cream, green beans, turnip, radishes, radicchio, red bell pepper, salmon fillets, peas, and olive oil

I began by making the sauce. I cut the top of the garlic head, placed it on a sheet of foil, topped it with butter, and seasoned with salt and pepper. I wrapped the foil and baked the garlic until it was soft.

Garlic head before baking

In the meantime, I thinly sliced the onion and rinsed the fish bones in water. I put the onion in a pan with butter and cooked for a few minutes. I then added the fish bones, parsley, and bay leaves; cooking for a little more. I poured in the wine, added black pepper, and let the broth simmer.

Fish bones and white wine broth

I strained the stock into another pan and reduced it down to approximately 1/2 cup of liquid. I squeezed the soft garlic out of the skin and added it to the reduced fish stock. I then stirred in the heavy cream.

Sauce vin blanc

I then proceeded to prep the vegetables. I topped and tailed the green beans; peeled and diced the turnips; trimmed and halved the radishes; cut the radicchio into a julienne; and stemmed, seeded, and cut the red pepper into strips.

Prepping the vegetables

I sprinkled the salmon with salt and pepper. I brushed a baking pan with melted butter, rubbed the salmon with remaining melted butter, and baked the salmon.

Salmon before being baked

While the salmon baked, I blanched all the vegetables in a saucepan of boiling salt water. I drained the vegetables, placed them in a skillet, and set it on the side.

Blanching veggies

When the salmon was done, I set it aside in a warm spot. I reheated the sauce and put the finishing touches on the vegetables. I added olive oil to the vegetables, heated them through, added the radicchio, and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Finishing touches on the vegetables

I placed the salmon on a plate, surrounded it with vegetables, and poured the sauce on top of the salmon. I heated the plate in the oven for an additional two minutes and then served.

Salmon with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

This dish was restaurant quality good. Vegetables cooked to perfection - crisp, tender, and the right amount of seasoning. The salmon was amazing. I don't know if I had ever cooked a better piece of salmon before this. The sauce was really flavorful as well, and added just the right amount of fat to the dish. I would make this again. It was beautiful on the plate and tasted great.

Enjoy!

Apple and Chicken Liver Mouse

Recipe: Apple and Chicken Liver Mousse
Page: 27
Date Cooked: September 16, 2012

When I saw this recipe the first word that came to my mind was "rich." Mousse in general has a rich quality to it, despite its airy texture. Jonathan Waxman's recipe is inspired by an experience he had at a three-star Michelin restaurant in Burgundy. So from the start, I knew the bar was set high.

Chicken livers, sea salt, black pepper, apples, shallots, walnuts, olive oil, bourbon, cognac, heavy cream, and unsalted butter

I coated the livers with sea salt and pepper and set them aside on a plate. I peeled, cored, and diced the apples. I also put the walnuts on a baking sheet to toast lightly in the oven.

1) Chicken livers coated with sea salt and pepper 2) Diced apples 3) Toasting walnuts

I heated olive oil till almost smoking and added the livers, cooking for just a few minutes. Once the chicken livers tuned a mahogany color I removed them from the skillet and put the livers on a plate.

Cooking the chicken livers

I added the apples and shallots to the pan and cooked until the apples got soft. I turned off the heat, poured in the bourbon and cognac. I then stirred in the heavy cream.

1) Cooking apples and shallots 2) Added in bourbon and cognac 3) Stirred in the cream

I combined the livers, the apple mixture, and the toasted walnuts in a blender and pureed through. I then added melted butter along with salt and pepper to taste.

Puree-ing the components of the apple and chicken liver mousse

You can opt to go one step further, and pass the mousse through a fine-mesh sieve to get an even smoother texture. I served the mousse with some white country bread.

Apple and Chicken Liver Mousse

The mousse was a much darker brown that I anticipated and I'm not exactly sure why. But it was delicious. I had to force myself to stop eating it. All the flavors were there - the richness of the butter, heavy cream, bourbon, and cognac...wowsers. The sweetness of the apples worked nicely with those other ingredients. Finally, the meaty/earthy texture of the chicken livers was of course quite prominent. All in all, it was relatively little work for a pretty fancy starter.

Enjoy!

Sweetbread and Celery Root Salad

Recipe: Sweetbread and Celery Root Salad

Page: 89

Date Cooked: September 5, 2012

I've eaten sweetbreads many times, but I had never prepared them myself before this recipe. The introduction to this recipe didn't ease my apprehension about cooking sweetbreads either... "under- or overcooking sweetbreads renders them inedible." But I had to take it as a challenge and on with the recipe I went.

Ingredients: Sweetbreads, white onion, garlic, jalapeno chile, white wine vinegar, bouquet garni (not pictured), salt, black peppercorns, celery root (not pictured), heavy cream, unsalted butter, bacon, olive oil, cabbage, rice wine vinegar, and flat-leaf parsley

I soaked the sweetbreads in cold salted water for a couple hours, changing the water once. 

Sweetbreads soaking in salted water

In the meantime, I thinly sliced onion and garlic. I also cut the jalapeno in half. I placed the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in a pan with white wine vinegar, water, the bouquet garni, salt, and the peppercorns. I brought it all to a simmer and let it simmer.

(1) Sliced white onion (2) Sliced garlic (3) Halved jalapeno

I added the sweetbreads to the court bouillon and simmered until the sweetbreads were just cooked through. I removed the sweetbreads to a colander and ran it under cold water to stop the cooking. I poured the court bouillon into a bowl to cool. Once the court bouillon cooled, I added the sweetbreads, covered the bowl, and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

(1) Simmering court bouillon (2) Sweetbreads in court bouillon (3) Sweetbreads post-simmer

The next day, I strained the sweet breads from the court bouillon, peeled the membranes, and sliced them into rounds.

Sliced sweetbreads

I peeled the celery root, cut it into cubes, and placed them in a saucepan with cold water, and some salt. I cooked the celery root till tender. I drained the celery root and transferred it the food processor. I pureed the celery root with cream, butter, salt, and pepper.

Celery root puree

I sliced the bacon into strips and cooked it in a skillet with some olive oil until the bacon browned. I removed the bacon with a slotted spoon and let it drain on a paper towel. I sliced the cabbage into strips and added the cabbage to the bacon fat  and stirred until the cabbage wilted. I added the champagne vinegar and simmered until the cabbage is tender. I seasoned the cabbage with salt and pepper and kept it warm.

Cooking the bacon

Sauteing cabbage

I heated butter and olive oil in a skillet. I seasoned the sweetbreads with salt and pepper and cooked them in the skillet, sauteing the sweetbreads until browned on each side.

Sauteing the sweetbreads

Then it was on to putting it all together. I spooned the celery root puree into the center of the plate. I topped it with the sauteed sweetbread slices. I then surrounded the puree with the cabbage and sprinkled it with the bacon strips. I topped the salad with some chopped parsley and it was ready to eat.

Sweetbread and Celery Root Salad

Well first things first...cooking sweetbreads, not that hard. Actually it was quite simple. And the salad was delicious. It's pretty hard to compare it to something else. But all the parts worked nicely together. The fat from the sweetbreads and bacon was cut by the cabbage and the parsley. The salad as a whole was a little monochromatic (except for the parsley) but like I said it tasted really good.

Enjoy!

Tuna with Peanut-Chile Sauce

Recipe: Tuna with Peanut-Chile Sauce
Page: 208
Date Cooked: September 2, 2012

The idea of a tuna "roast" was a novel one and I was curious to see what exactly that entailed. Luckily the fish guy at my grocer was able to get me the right kind of piece of tuna. So there may be a bit of advanced planning for this recipe.

Ingredients: Tuna, olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper, jalapeno chile, peanuts, red bell pepper, lime, garlic, unsalted butter, cilantro, plum tomatoes, sherry vinegar, and zucchini

I rubbed the tuna with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then set it aside.

Tuna "loin" with olive oil, salt, and pepper

I roasted the jalapeno on the stove top till blackened and blistered all over. I placed it in a bowl, covered, and let it steam for a bit. I peeled the jalapeno by hand, stemmed, seeded, and diced.

The jalapeno journey

I tossed the peanuts with a little olive oil and water, placed it on a baking sheet, and roasted them in the oven until golden brown.

Roasting peanuts

With a mortar and pestle, I mashed 3/4 of the peanuts with the jalapeno, a garlic clove, and some olive oil. I cut butter into chunks and integrated that into the peanut-chile mixture along with fresh lime juice. Finally, I stirred in the chopped cilantro and diced red bell pepper. I also seasoned the sauce with salt and pepper.

Making the tuna-peanut chile sauce

I diced the tomatoes. I whisked vinegar with salt, pepper, and olive oil. I added the tomatoes and set the bowl aside.

Tomatoes in vinaigrette

I sliced the zucchini into strips. I heated olive oil in a skillet and added the zucchini, seasoning it lightly with salt and pepper. I sauteed the zucchini for a bit and kept it warm.

Sauteeing the zucchini

I placed the tuna on a baking sheet and roasted for a few minutes on each side. I removed the tuna and let it rest.

Resting tuna

Then it was time to plate. I put the zucchini on the plate first and sprinkled it with the tomato vinaigrette and the remaining peanuts. I topped it the a piece of the tuna and some of the peanut-chile sauce. Finally, I garnished it the some cilantro.

Tuna with Peanut-Chile Sauce

So I made one major error... I overcooked the tuna. This itself was devastating since it was such a beautiful piece of fish. However, in spite of this, the dish was delicious. Beautifully balanced with texture right and left. The peanut-chile sauce was great - it was dense but the acidity of the lime brightened it all up. Then the combo of the zucchini with the tomato vinaigrette played so nicely together. And then the crunch of the peanuts. The tuna itself held up so nicely to the other flavors. Like I said, it was wonderful dish. And I loved how it looked on the plate as well. I would make it again, and watch carefully not to overcook the fish.

Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Cream Cheese Sandwich

Recipe: Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Cream Cheese Sandwich
Page: 98
Date Cooked: August 26, 2012

If you had to name a "fancy" sandwich, well then this would be it. Smoked salmon, caviar, cream cheese, and, crème fraîche...oh my! This is not a sandwich for the faint at heart nor anyone attempting to be on a diet.

The moment I saw that this recipe called for caviar, I knew my grad student budget would take a bit of a hit. But all is fair in love and delicious-ness, right? Jonathan Waxman suggests using American hacleback or paddlefish caviar. I opted for bowfin caviar. Bowfin is an American caviar and resembles sturgeon caviar. Also, at $10 per ounce, it was the more affordable option. I just hoped it was a suitable substitute for the recipe.

Ingredients: White sandwich bread, cream cheese, unsalted butter, crème fraîche, chives, bowfin caviar, and smoked salmon

I trimmed the crusts off the bread and then toasted the bread slices lightly.

Toasting bread

While the bread cooled, I moved on to the cream cheese mixture. I mixed together the cream cheese, butter, crème fraîche, and chives.

Cream cheese mixture

And that is all the hard the part. The rest was just putting the sandwich together. I spread the cream cheese mixture on one slice of toast and topped it with caviar. I then put the smoked salmon on the other slice of toast. Finally, I put the halves together and it was ready for consumption.

Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Cream Cheese Sandwich

This sandwich was delicious! Beyond fancy of course, but it was simply pure yummy-ness. What I find almost amusing is that the recipe calls for not just cream cheese or crème fraîche...oh wait you need to add butter in it as well! But all that fat is cut by the smoked salmon and the salty, briny taste of the caviar. And the choice to go with the bowfin caviar worked perfectly, so I was happy about that. I'm not sure what more I can say about this sandwich. It was super fast to put together and tasted amazing. Do I want to make it again? YES! However, I'm not sure my arteries or my bank account would benefit!

Enjoy!