Tyler Florence's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Cointreau Carrots

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This is not exactly Tyler's recipe. I like the cake, but his cream cheese frosting was more cream cheese than I can handle. The only reason I make carrot cakes is because my mother really likes them. And I actually don't like cream cheese frosting. But for those who would like to know what Tyler's cake is like, here's the link. I'm making this for my mother's 90th birthday cake.

1 1/2 cups finely minced carrots (7 ounces)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (3 ounces)
2 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour, (12 ounces)

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
A pinch of kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup molasses
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a jelly roll pan and line with parchment. Set aside.
Take the carrots and chop into large pieces, then mince in a food processor until you have a fine texture. Drain pineapple and finely chop walnuts. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl add flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices together. In a separate bowl mix buttermilk, molasses, eggs, vegetable oil and dark brown sugar together.
Now combine wet and dry ingredients together to make a batter then fold in the carrots, pineapple and walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cake is set and springs back when gently pressed in the middle. Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool on a rack while you prepare the frosting and cointreau carrots (recipes below). Once the cake has cooled, cut into three rectangles by cutting the cake lengthwise twice. Stack the cake up into three tiers with cream cheese frosting in between each layer. Frost the outside of the entire finished cake - smoothing off the edges and corners (an offset spatula works well). Top with Cointreau carrot rounds and drizzle a little of the syrup on top as well.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Using a kitchen mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until blended and you have a smooth, light texture. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and powdered sugar and beat until combined. Continue to beat until smooth and glossy - about 7 minutes.

Cointreau Carrots:

1 medium carrot
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Cointreau
pinch of salt

Slice carrot up into rounds. Add carrot, butter, sugar, cointreau and salt to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce until syrupy - about 5 minutes.

Now when it came time to make the cake for the birthday I found I needed more than expected, and so I decided to go with making three bundt cakes. So this batter went very nicely into a large bundt pan, and I made the cream cheese icing, and this is what I got.

Note to self: Don't grease a bundt pan with olive oil, use shortening!

Molly's Egg Cream

For years I have wondered what an egg cream was. I first heard about egg creams on Sesame Street. It was made at Mr Hooper's Store. But for the longest time the recipe had eluded me. Then just the other day daughter #2 was reading a Jewish Deli cookbook and low and behold there was the recipe. Well it turns out that I have been making "egg creams" for years. The thing is, I called it my Italian soda.

a nice big glass, half-filled with crushed ice

1 - 2 tablespoon chocolate syrup, like Monin or Torani or Da Vinci (or any flavor you like, I like chocolate!)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup Pellegrino or Perrier or soda water

Put the ice into the glass. Add the chocolate syrup (or any flavor of syrup you like, there's a whole passel of them). Then add the milk and give it a good stir. Finally add the soda water and give it a gentle stir. Add a straw and you're good to go.

Chantilly Chocolate Tart

This is a really yummy tart, and when I make it everyone eats it right up and I hardly get any. I think I should also make a little one and hide it, just for myself.

crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbls butter
1 1/2 Tbls shortening
2 Tbls iced water

In a sturdy mixing bowl or in a food processor combine the flour and salt.
Cut in the butter and shortening until it looks like coarse cornmeal,
Blend in the ice water thuroughly but not to the point of looking doughy. It should still look like flour.
If using the food processor, dump the mixture into a bowl.
Smush the dough to for a solid mass.
Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten to a disc, and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll out the dough and place in a 8 or 9 inch tart dish.
Tuck in the extra bits, leaving a bit sticking up above the dish, and crimp.
The reason for leaving the dough a bit above the dish is because when you blind bake the shell it will shrink a bit.
Bake for about 13-15 minutes, till gently browned.
Let cool.

Filling:
50 grams of bittersweet chocolate (this is not an exact science, a little more or a little less is okay)
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornflour
pinch of salt
1 2/3 cups milk, any kind you like (rich milk is nice)
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan (copper is great) combine the sugar, cornflour, and salt and give it a good stir to combine.
Chop up the chocolate and add to pan.
Stir in the milk and cook on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring all the while, as you don't want the milk to be stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat and use a bit of the mixture to temper the egg yolks.
Return to heat and quickly stir in the yolks and bring back to a boil. This should take no time at all.
Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla and pour into the prebaked tart shell.

Instead of vanilla one could stir in a bit of brandy or cointreau or ......
Let cool down a bit, and then chill in fridge. You can cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper if you like.

To serve:

Whip up 1 cup whipping cream and 1 Tbls sugar until a lovely stiffness, but not butter.
Stir in a little vanilla, and then spread cream over the cooled tart.

Lemon Lime Tart

I came up with this one for Riley's birthday, and it has been a really big hit. It is so so easy to make.




1 disc of pastry, about 6 ounces
7 inch (18 cm) tart pan, or whatever you have that will work, as this is not a large tart. I have these wonderful British fluted loose bottomed metal tart pans that I think are made by a company called Master Class.

2 eggs
2/3 sugar
pinch of salt
3 Tbl cream
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced

1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbls sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out the pastry thinly on waxed paper, and place carefully into the tart pan.
Combine eggs, sugar, cream, juices, and zests, mixing well, and pour into the shell.
Bake for about 22 minutes.
Cool.

Mix the cream and sugar and whip with electric mixer until stiff. Add the vanilla.
Put the whipped cream onto the cooled lemon tart.
The whipped cream is optional. Instead you could leave plain or dust with icing sugar.

I made two for Easter dinner, and when dinner was over I was able to perfectly combine the left-overs. The one with whipped cream was the most popular.

Shrimp Dip

Riley LOVES shrimp dip. Today I made him some for the Super Bowl Party we had at Heidi's house with Christian. It really turned out pretty darn good, so I making note of it.

8 ounces cream cheese, sort of room temperature
6 ounces of baby shrimp, fresh not canned
2 Tbls milk
1 tsp Sunny Paris (a herb mix from Penzeys consisting of shallots, chives, green peppercorns, dill weed, basil, tarragon, chervil and bay leaf), if you can't get this, improvise.
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Tabasco green pepper sauce, or more if you like
juice of 1/2 lemon

Put the cream cheese into a medium mixing bowl, and whip with electric mixer until well mixed.
Add the milk and beat it in.
Add the shrimp and beat until smooth. At first you think they won't break down, but they do.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Serve with anything you like to dip into it.

Austrian Bangers and Mash

This is traditionally an English meal. But I learned to make it from my first husband, who was 100% German in his ancestry. The differences are slight, but key. But then, my Germanic heritage is Austrian, so I'll go with that.

sausages, like banger or bratwurst, or any fat sausage you like that does need to be cooked.
mashed potatoes
corn
sauerkraut
good mustards
butter

Preheat oven to about 350 degrees.
To cook the sausages I put a big piece of tin foil into a baking dish big enough to hold the sausages into. Put in the sausages and add about a 1/2 cup of water and seal up the tin foil gently and put in oven. After about 15 or 20 minutes check on the sausages and maybe turn them. At this point you probably don't need to seal them back up again, as you want them to brown. The reason for the tin foil is to prevent the dish from becoming very hard to clean. The sausages should cook for maybe 25-30 minutes. I confess, I've never given the time any thought. You just want cooked sausages.

In the mean time, peel and boil your potatoes. I like to use one medium potato per sausage. I'm assuming most people know how to boil potatoes. When they're done and ready to mash, you want them to be a nice smooth mashed potato. Add butter and hot milk and salt and pepper as desired.

Right towards the end, maybe just before mashing the potatoes, cook up the corn.
Serve it all with the good mustards (I always put on at least two kinds), sauerkraut, and butter. Actually, put a nice dollop of butter onto the corn in it's serving dish.

It's the corn and sauerkraut, and possibly German mustard that makes this a German meal. The English would serve it with peas.

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

These are really yummy. My daughter Sarah first came up with them. I'm sure you can use other 'chips' if you want. And of course, you don't have to use cinnamon, any other spice or no spice. What you want to keep is the ratio of butter/flour/oats/eggs to remain the same.

6 oz butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour, 6 ounces

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick-cooking or regular rolled oats, uncooked

1 3/4 cups Butterscotch Chips, that's about 11 oz.

1/2 cup chopped nuts, (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar in large bowl until well blended.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips; mix well.

Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

I use a scoop to ensure that I have even cookies and cooking.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

About 4 dozen cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin Buns

1 Tbls yeast
1 Tbl sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water

12 oz unbleached white flour
6 oz whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbls sugar

1 1/4 cup milk
2 oz butter
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup oatmeal
2-4 Tbls sugar

extra water to get dough just right

Put the yeast and sugar into a small bowl, add the lukewarm water, and let sit for about 10 minutes to gat all bubbly. If it doesn't bubble up, you need new yeast.

In a Kitchenaid bowl put the flours and salt and sugar.
In a saucepan put the milk, butter, oatmeal, and raisins and put over medium heat until it starts to bubble just a bit. Turn off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes, stirring to make sure the butter melts. Pour into the flour bowl and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon. Then add the yeast mixture. Put about 1/2 cup of lukewarm water into the yeast bowl to be used for adding to the dough to get it just the right consistency.

Put the Kitchenaid bowl into the mixer. Put in the dough hook, and start mixing. Add water or flour as needed, to get the mixture to be well mix and moist, but not gooey and sticking to the bowl. Just sticking a little bit to the bowl. Mix it for maybe five minutes. Then put a big handful of flour onto the bread board (or counter, if you don't have a big bread board). Spread the flour around somewhat and dump the dough onto the flour. Knead for just a bit, to get the dough into a nice ball. rinse out the Kitchenaid bowl and the put the ball of dough into the bowl, cover with a damp towel and let sit for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto the bread board, knead just a little bit, then cut the dough into about 16 pieces. Form each piece of dough into a ball, and place the balls of dough onto a parchment covered baking sheet. Cover with the damp towel and let sit for about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 370 degrees, and bake the rolls for about 15 minutes. Now since all ovens are different, keep an eye on the rolls. They want to be golden brown, not dark brown. They will be nice and soft because of the milk and butter. Let cool for about 5 to 10 minutes before eating.

4th of July Organic Brownies

9 ounces of organic semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 ounces of organic butter - 1 stick

3/4 cup organic sugar

2 ounces organic white flour

a pinch of salt

scant 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 organic free-range eggs

scant 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

3 tablespoons brandy

4 ounces of organic walnuts, well chopped

Preheat oven to 367 degrees.

Grease a 9x9 baking pan, and put into a big piece of parchment paper.

Put the chocolate chips and butter into a porcelain dish and zap for about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir go mix well, making sure the chips are reasonably melted.

Stir in the sugar.

Then stir in the flour.

Then stir in the eggs, one at a time.

Add the vanilla and brandy.

Add walnuts.

Pour into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

Spring Onion Vinaigrette

This came about one day while making vinaigrette and realizing I had a bunch of spring onions in need of being used.

1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 green onion, chopped up a bit
1 clove garlic, cut in half

Put everything into the blender, and put on full wack until everything is liquid.
Put into a small pitcher with a ladle, and Bob's you uncle.
I might have added a pinch of Italian herbs, but I'm not sure.

L'Opera

Adapted from Dalloyau from Paris Sweets: Great Desserts from the City's Best Pastry Shops by Dorie Greenspan (Broadway Books, 2002). Copyright © 2002 by Dorie Greenspan.



This is the recipe I use for making l'opera, and I think it is fabulous, and I would recommend Dorie's book for any one. It's not only for cooking, it's a good read, and fun to look at. I first bought the book because I thought it was soo cute. The following words are from Dorie's book. No point in messing with what really works. I found the words on the Splendid Table site. But the above picture is of a cake made by me.

It is hard to say exactly who invented the Opera Cake. Some sources claim there was a type of Opera Cake sold in Paris as long ago as 1890, and some think the Parisian specialty was created closer to 1950. But the point about which there is no controversy is the only important point: The greatest Opera Cake is made at Dalloyau. There, executive pastry chef Pascal Niau makes a cake as sleek and smooth as an opera stage and as gloriously delicious as La Boheme is affectingly beautiful.

The classic Opera Cake is a work in six acts. There are three thin layers of almond cake, each soaked in a potent coffee syrup; a layer of espresso-flavored buttercream; one layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache; and a topping of chocolate glaze. Traditionally, the cake is decorated with its name written in glaze across the top and finished with a piece of shimmering gold leaf. It is obviously a rich cake, but it is surprisingly not a filling cake, and I'm convinced this is because Maestro Niau has orchestrated the cake's elements so perfectly.

A note on size: This recipe makes a square Opera Cake that is a festive - and impressive - 10 inches (25 cm) on a side. If this is more cake than you need, don't cut down the recipe - you won't be successful with some of the cake's components, particularly the buttercream, if you reduce the quantities. Instead, make the full cake, cut it into smaller size cakes and stock them in your freezer.

Makes about 20 servings

The cake:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds
2 1/4 cups (225 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
1/2 cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled briefly
The coffee syrup:

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons (7 grams) instant espresso or coffee

The coffee buttercream:

2 tablespoons (10 grams) instant espresso or coffee
2 tablespoons (15 grams) boiling water
1 cup (100 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams) water
Pulp of 1/4 vanilla bean
1 large whole egg
1 large egg yolk
1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

The chocolate ganache:

8 ounces (240 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 grams) whole milk
1/4 cup (30 grams) heavy cream
4 tablespoons (2 ounces; 60 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

The chocolate glaze:

5 ounces (150 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 stick (115 grams) unsalted butter

1. To make the cake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line two 12 1/2-x15 1/2-inch (31-x-39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter. (This is in addition to the quantity in the ingredient list.)

2. Working in a clean dry mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the whites into another bowl.

3. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the almonds, confectioners' sugar and whole eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and beat on low speed only until it disappears. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture, then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

4. Bake the cakes for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. Put the pans on a heatproof counter, cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the cakes over and unmold. Carefully peel away the parchment, turn the parchment over and use it to cover the exposed sides of the cakes. Let the cakes come to room temperature between the parchment or wax paper sheets. (The cakes can be made up to 1 day ahead, wrapped and kept at room temperature.)

5. To make the syrup: Stir everything together in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Cool. (The syrup can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

6. To make the buttercream: Make a coffee extract by dissolving the instant espresso in the boiling water; set aside.

7. Bring the sugar, water and vanilla bean pulp to a boil in a small saucepan; stir just until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook without stirring until the syrup reaches 255 degrees F (124 degrees C), as measured on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Pull the pan from the heat.

8. While the sugar is heating, put the egg and the yolk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the eggs are pale and foamy. When the sugar is at temperature, reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly pour in the syrup. Inevitably, some syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl - don't try to stir the spatters into the eggs. Raise the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the eggs are thick, satiny and room temperature, about 5 minutes.

9. Working with a rubber spatula, beat the butter until it is soft and creamy but not oily. With the mixer on medium speed, steadily add the butter in 2-tablespoon (30-gram) chunks. When all the butter has been added, raise the speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thickened and satiny. Beat in the coffee extract. Chill the buttercream, stirring frequently, until it is firm enough to be spread and stay where it is spread when topped with a layer of cake, about 20 minutes. (The buttercream can be packed airtight and refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 1 month; before using, bring it to room temperature, then beat to smooth it.)

10. To make the ganache: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and keep it close at hand. Bring the milk and cream to a full boil, pour it over the chocolate, wait 1 minute, then stir gently until the ganache is smooth and glossy.

11. Beat the butter until it is smooth and creamy, then stir it into the ganache in 2 to 3 additions. Refrigerate the ganache, stirring every 5 minutes, until it thickens and is spreadable, about 20 minutes. (The ganache can be packed airtight and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 1 month; bring to room temperature before using.)

12. To assemble the cake: Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Working with one sheet of cake at a time, trim the cake so that you have two pieces: one 10-x-10-inches (25-x-25-cm) square and one 10-x-5-inches (25-x-12.5-cm) rectangle. Place one square of cake on the parchment and moisten the layer with coffee syrup. Spread about three-quarters of the coffee buttercream evenly over the cake. (If the buttercream is soft, put the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes before proceeding.) Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square; moisten with syrup. Spread the ganache over the surface, top with the last cake layer, moisten, then chill the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Cover the top of the cake with a thin layer of coffee buttercream. (This is to smooth the top and ready it for the glaze - so go easy.) Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or for up to 6 hours; it should be cold when you pour over the glaze. If you're in a hurry, pop the cake into the freezer for about 20 minutes, then continue.

13. To glaze the cake: Bring the butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and clarify the butter by spooning off the top foam and pouring the clear yellow butter into a small bowl; discard the milky residue. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over—not touching—simmering water, then stir in the clarified butter. Lift the chilled cake off the parchment-lined pan and place it on a rack. Put the rack over the parchment-lined pan and pour over the glaze, using a long offset spatula to help smooth it evenly across the top. Slide the cake into the refrigerator to set the glaze and chill the cake, which should be served slightly chilled. At serving time, use a long thin knife, dipped in hot water and wiped dry, to carefully trim the sides of the cake so that the drips of glaze are removed and the layers revealed.

Keeping: Each element of the cake can be made ahead, as can the assembled cake. The cake can be kept in the refrigerator, away from foods with strong odors, for 1 day, or you can freeze the cake, wrap it airtight once it is frozen, and keep it frozen for 1 month; defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

An American in Paris: I rarely play around with this classic, but when I do, it's to add a little crunch to the mix by pressing toasted sliced almonds onto both the buttercream and the ganache.

For more details on how I made this cake look here and here.

ELEPHANT TOMATO ORANGE SOUP

I absolutely adore this soup. Ever since I've been so sick this winter, this has been one of the few things that always tastes so good. Who knows, maybe when I totally get back my senses of taste and smell this might not be as good, but I don't think so.

It comes from Elephants Deli down town on the same block as Banana Republic, and right next to the Fox theatre.

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) (less could be good, maybe)
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

In a saucepan, melt butter; add onion and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Puree in a food processor or blender; strain through a sieve or food mill.  Return to saucepan and stir in orange juice. At this point, the soup can be refrigerated until ready to serve.

At serving time, add the whipping cream if wanted and heat gently, stirring constantly, bringing to a simmer and adjust seasonings if necessary. Extra cream maybe drizzled on top of the soup immediately before serving for decorative effect.