PEACH MELBA MY WAY

Brown Butter Pound Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramelized Peaches & Chocolate Almond Ganache

My dad bought us an ice cream maker when I was in grade school. I have only vague memories of us sitting on the driveway in front of the house, churning ice cream. I don’t remember much about the ice cream itself; there may have been vanilla and peach, maybe strawberry. But I do remember the chocolate ice cream that came out of that maker. The flavor haunts me to this day, and, like a Pavlovian reflex, just pulling up the memory makes my mouth water. Maybe it was the rock salt that we had to pack around the central canister, but the chocolate ice cream, light and icy, had a salty undertone that I simply loved! I had always been a kid intrigued by unusual flavors and flavor combinations, eating peanut butter and bologna sandwiches, for example, so the hint of salt in the chocolate ice cream was the best thing that I’ve ever tasted!


JP and I went to Florida for six months after Clem was born and stayed with my mom. A bumpy ride it was; newly marrieds with new baby staying with family is rarely a very pretty sight, but we made some wonderful culinary discoveries – Paul Prudhomme and Cajun cuisine, for one – and brought back some wonderful kitchen tools. We had splurged, as poor as we were, on a small Donvier ice cream maker. We absolutely fell in love with this baby! The small silver canister sits in the freezer until you are ready to make your ice cream. Then pop the canister into the plastic container, screw on the lid and churn. By hand. We loved having dinner guests over, serving them a spicy Shrimp Creole or spicy breaded veal cutlet à la Prudhomme then whipping out our small hand-crank ice cream maker filled with coffee or chocolate cream and watching jaws drop or curiosity splash across astonished faces. We would all take turns gleefully grinding the handle, passing the Donvier around the table until the ice cream was ready to serve. On top of homemade cake, of course, in chocolate or lemon or a good old fashioned quatre-quarts.


Which brings me to this month’s Daring Baker challenge. Now, this month has been more than hectic here in Crazy Junction. After a lazy month in Florida, we have been having a hard time catching up and getting back into the swing of things. I had only posted twice on my blog and once on Huffington Post during those four weeks away so the fingers were itching to clatter across the keyboard, yet the brain seems to still be on vacation or shrunken dramatically from the Florida heat and hours upon hours of mindless TV. I have so many pages open on my computer screen, bits and pieces of stories, thoughts and ideas waiting to be filled in as I root around in the closets and drawers looking high and low for my blogging mojo. And August is a slow month at the office so JP takes just a tad longer with me at lunch and is home earlier in the evening, dashing from room to room, teasing me to follow him, making me laugh with his silly jokes, imitations and antics. “Come away from the computer,” he booms as his expression goes from smirk to iron eye. So his playtime becomes mine and two or five more posts get sidelined again. But August is such a wonderful time; the apartment is comfortable, the peaches and plums are out in abundance at the market, our favorite pizzeria is open for business and the streets are practically empty. Heaven!

For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa of 17 and Baking was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make Brown Butter Pound Cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop. The challenge comprised many parts and many options. I made the Brown Butter Pound Cake, a recipe from Gourmet, and Vanilla Ice Cream, a recipe adopted from David’s book. I used my own recipe for Chocolate Ganache using Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate with Grilled Almonds and a splash of Amaretto. Since we are at the height of peach season and since I love them so and because I felt that this dessert needed something fruity to offset the vanilla cake and ice cream and offer a wonderful contrast to the dark chocolate drizzle, I caramelized peaches and raspberries in a dot of butter, a dusting of brown sugar and yet another splash of Amaretto. And I came up with an elegant, layered treat, smooth and creamy, cool and fruity. I also created my take on the Peach Melba: chunks of the Brown Butter Cake topped with a smooth, creamy scoop of perfect vanilla ice cream, topped with the caramelized peaches and raspberries then drizzled with the chocolate ganache and finished off with slivered almonds. Divine! Sweet and creamy, wonderfully fruity and all brought together in the loving embrace of a smooth, warm chocolate sauce.


I will also be sending my Peach Melba to Elissa for Sugar High Fridays, of course!

What does Comfort Food mean to you? My latest article on Huffington Post Food analyzes the whys and the hows. And offers you the recipe of one comfort food that I turn to in times of trouble and woe.

PEACH MELBA MY WAY – or -

BROWN BUTTER CAKE & VANILLA ICE CREAM TOPPED WITH CARAMELIZED PEACHES & RASPBERRIES & CHOCOLATE ALMOND GANACHE

Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup (165 g) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise OR 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (500 ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
5 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams. Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean with a paring knife and add to the milk, along with the bean pod. Cover, remove from heat, and let infuse for an hour. (If you do not have a vanilla bean, simply heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams, then let cool to room temperature.)

Set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2 litre) bowl inside a large bowl partially filled with water and ice. Put a strainer on top of the smaller bowl and pour in the cream. (I did not have an ice bath)

In another bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks together. Reheat the milk in the medium saucepan until warmed, and then gradually pour ¼ cup warmed milk into the yolks, constantly whisking to keep the eggs from scrambling. Once the yolks are warmed, scrape the yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan of warmed milk and cook over low heat. Stir constantly and scrape the bottom with a spatula until the mixture thickens into a custard which thinly coats the back of the spatula.

Strain the custard into the heavy cream and stir the mixture until cooled. Add the vanilla extract (1 tsp if you are using a vanilla bean; 3 teaspoons if you are not using a vanilla bean) and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.

Once the mixture was cool enough, I poured it into a large plastic container and placed it in the freezer overnight.

Brown Butter Pound Cake
19 Tbs (275 g) unsalted (sweet) butter
2 cups (200 g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup (110 g) packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the center. Butter, line with parchment and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan or an equivalent round pan.

Place the butter in a 10-inch (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) The butter will sizzle loudly for quite some time and it will begin turning brown when the sizzling stops. Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.

Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until combined and then the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture to the batter, blending on low speed until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 - 30 minutes.

Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right side up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

2.6 oz (75 g) good quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt Excellence semi-sweet with Grilled Almonds)
¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
2 tsps (10 g) unsalted butter
1 Tbs Amaretto

Coarsely chop the chocolate and place in a small heatproof bowl. Bring the butter and cream just to the boil to scald in a small saucepan. Pour the hot liquid over the chocolate and gently stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is combined and smooth. Continue to give the ganache an occasional, hearty stir with the spatula as it cools to room temperature and thickens a bit. You do not want this too warm or the ice cream will melt to quickly and you want it just thick enough that it stays on top of your dessert and doesn’t simply run off and puddle on the plate, bringing fruit and ice cream with it!

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CHOCOLATE PETITS POTS

COMFORT ME WITH SOMETHING SMOOTH AND SWEET


There are days we find ourselves curled up on the sofa under a mountain of blankets cradling a bowl or a plate of something warm and homey, something that comforts, an escape from the big bad world. How often do we step outside, close the door on our safe, familiar haven, step out onto the sidewalk, into the street and feel less and less confident that things will go as planned, not so sure that the world we walk into today is the same one we closed our eyes on last night? We turn off the news, fold up the newspaper and look for something safe, something familiar to grasp onto, yet there are days we only feel the circling sharks of a troubled world closing in, these shaky, uncertain times nipping at our heels and all we want to do is go back inside, run to our warm, cozy corner and have someone bring us something good, something comforting to eat.


Comfort Food is all the rage these days: everyone is cooking it, everyone is eating it, everyone, it seems, is talking about it. More and more, we yearn to be comforted, crave the safety and coziness of childhood when we could crawl onto the sofa and snuggle up against dad, feel his strong, protective arms around us. We long for the days when we could wander into the kitchen sure to find something bubbling on the stove, sending out fragrant clouds of steam, plates of cookies on the table tempting small hands, layers of cake inviting us to pull up a chair and forget all about the woes of the world, the teasing boys, the bad grades, the teacher’s iron eye, the coming of adolescence.


We have finally grown up yet the troubles, the worries that haunt us have grown as well. We may not have mom and dad to turn to for a hug and reassuring words but we do have the food, food made with all the love of a trouble-free world, the smooth serenity of the happiest times of our childhood, food savored and enjoyed with all the ease of a pair of old slippers and a warm dog, the contentment of eating hot popcorn in front of an old movie, our favorite flavors with a dash of nostalgia thrown into the pot and simmered over a flame like a warm embrace, a kiss on the forehead, something toasty, a taste of home.

Heaven knows, as do my family and friends, that I often turn to food for a multitude of reasons and rarely out of simple hunger. I eat to celebrate something large or small, to reward myself for a job well done, to ease tension and stress and, yes, in the search for security-blanket contentment and peace of mind. This is my own personal foible, true, but there is indeed something so consoling about food. Comfort food does play a crucial role in all of our lives and it is something different to each of us. It could be savory or sweet, pop’s special cornbread or mom’s beef stew, grandma’s apple strudel or a bowl of steaming, healing chicken soup. Or it could be something creamy, full of chocolaty goodness, or even sizzling sausages or s’mores straight off the Girl Scout campfire or that ice cold bottle of Yoo Hoo clunking down then slipping out of the soda machine during Summer Rec, cooling down a Florida boiling afternoon. Whatever it is, it usually reminds us of the simpler days, brings us back to our well-worn childhood, days on the beach or evenings in front of the television, summer vacations at grandma’s house or the cabin in the woods.


The food that warms me brings back visions of dad in the kitchen whizzing cake batter in his standing mixer, pouring still-liquid pudding over marble sheet cakes with the concentration of the engineer he was, mesmerizing me as he pushes mounds of dough off onto cookie sheets and the magic of his perfect cream puffs. It is also the aroma of bubbling pots of oatmeal on the stove on those cold, cold Florida December mornings or the scent of cinnamon as it is dusted over melting butter on warm slices of toast. Tender, warm cherry Pop Tarts or my sister’s Chicken & Mushroom Casserole, boxed brownies warm from the oven or huge, gooey slices of mom’s banana cream pie all calm and soothe, pulling me back to a simpler time of Barbies and books, burning sidewalks under bare feet, hopscotch and 60’s tv.


My dad kept the countertop laden with sweet treats, sheet cakes, cupcakes and Bundts, the fridge stuffed with creamy, fruity delights. Bags of Mary Janes and Jolly Ranchers, Tootsie Rolls and Strawberry Whips strewn across the window ledge free for the taking, bowls of jewel-like prune and apricot compote, sweet and tangy, cartons of ice cream and frozen whipped topping, our evening after-dinner fare, were part and parcel of my Florida girlhood. And pudding. Chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, creamy and rich, it may have come from a box but he made it with all the heartfelt love of a dad. Filling for his over-sized homemade cream puffs or simply by the bowlful and always topped with whipped cream – canned or, more often than not, non-dairy whipped topping – dad’s pudding was something that I could rely on in times of sadness or joy, each luscious mouthful washing away one more evil thought, one more worry.

As simple and quick as boxed, these little Chocolate Petits Pots – rich, creamy, full-bodied and delectable, are the perfect adult version of my childhood pleasure. Scoop up the tiniest spoonful and taste the incredible, full chocolate flavor, a touch of cardamom suffusing the pudding with an exotic warmth not known in my youth. This is truly something I turn to in times of trouble when I need to forget my worries, snuggle up in cozy thoughts, a luxurious treat when I simply want to nestle down in the comforting warmth of my memories.


I am sending these Petits Pots to Sugar High Friday, hosted this month by Kate of A Merrier World. Kate has chosen the theme Sweet Comforts for SHF #61. Sugar High Friday is a monthly dessert event created by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess.


CHOCOLATE PETITS POTS
Cooked rather than baked, this delicate, full-flavored custard is versatile, simple and both homey and elegant.

2 cups (500 ml) milk or half milk and half cream *
6 ½ oz (200 g) semisweet dessert chocolate (54%) **
6 egg yolks, beaten just until blended ***
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp vanilla or ½ a vanilla bean, split


* I used half low-fat 2% milk and half heavy whipping cream
** You can use anywhere from 6 ½ to 8 oz chocolate, bittersweet, semisweet or sweet/milk. You can also add up to 2 Tbs sugar, to be cooked with the milk/cream and chocolate, depending on your taste and choice of chocolate.
*** Save those egg whites for macarons

Prepare 6 small dessert glasses, verrines or tea or demi-tasse cups. Place the yolks in a large pyrex mixing bowl.

Grate or finely chop the chocolate and place it in a small saucepan with the milk/cream and the vanilla bean if using. Cooking over very low heat, scald the mixture (bring it just up to the boil), stirring to make sure the chocolate is completely melted and combined and does not burn.


Gradually whisk the scalded milk/chocolate mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Whisk until well blended. Stir in the ground cardamom and the vanilla extract if using.


Lift out the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds out of the pod and stir the seeds back into the custard. Pour the custard into the desserts glasses or cups. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm.


Serve with plenty of very lightly sweetened whipped cream.

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Sugar High Friday #37 - The Beta Carotene Harvest

I have only been doing this blog for a short time and every day I seem to find something else that I would really like to add or do. Last week I stumble across a challenge called Sugar High Fridays. I have found that I really love participating in these challenges and they certainly are challenging me! If it weren't for these to challenge me and test what I can do I would probably have a pretty boring blog!



This month's Sugar High Friday was so much fun for me because I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it! You see, every month a different blog gets to host the challenge and this months challenge is hosted by an incredibly creative and funny blog called Definitely not Martha. The theme was The Beta Carotene Harvest. Now most of the things that I cook and bake my children don't like so they will taste them but not eat them. I think by now I have given away so much food to the teachers at my girl's school that they no longer bring lunch to school but count on me to feed them!!! All joking aside I knew what I would do for this one because my kids love pumpkin bread and muffins!



I made "Not your Granny's Pumpkin Muffins" - The kids and T. helped with the name!

I made them so that they were full of the rich fall spices. Even the smell to these was amazing. It lingered in my house way longer than I expected. I wish that I could make a candle that had the scent that these muffins had - and yep...the teachers loved it as well!




The recipe ended up being really long so it is in the link above or click here !

These would make a great addition to a buffet table for Thanksgiving or as a hostess gift for the host of the dinner!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
http://www.nofearentertaining.com/

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