Bon Appetit Desserts (180 page)

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

1 cup roasted salted peanuts

Butter baking sheet. Cook sugar and ¼ cup water in heavy small saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and boil without stirring until syrup is deep golden brown. Mix in peanuts. Immediately pour mixture onto prepared sheet. Cool completely. Break into 2-inch pieces. Using on/off turns, grind finely in processor.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 months ahead. Cover and refrigerate in airtight container.

Mixed Berry Chocolate-Toffee Bites

Little “puddles” of melted chocolate are topped with fresh berries and tiny pieces of toffee. You can make these sweet bites ahead, keep them refrigerated, and then serve them with coffee after dinner.
Makes about 20

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate or high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped

2 cups mixed berries (such as blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)

2 1.4-ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Skor or Heath), cut into ¼-inch pieces

Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Stir chocolate in small metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted, smooth, and warm to touch. Remove bowl from over water. Spoon melted chocolate by teaspoonfuls onto foil, spacing about 1½ inches apart (do not spread). Top with berries and toffee, making sure toppings touch melted chocolate. Chill until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes. Remove from foil.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 8 hours ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Gianduja Gold Cups

Reminiscent of Baci, the well-known dome-shaped Italian chocolates, these cups also have a rich
gianduja
(chocolate-hazelnut) filling; make sure to use high-quality milk chocolate for the best flavor and texture. The chocolates start with a candy shell that’s made by brushing melted chocolate inside foil candy cups. Once the shells have firmed up in the fridge, they’re filled with the gianduja mixture and covered with a thin layer of melted bittersweet chocolate. If you can’t find foil candy cups, use paper, but double them up to make a sturdier form.
Makes 32

4 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped

1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)

6 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts

18 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

32 1-inch-diameter gold foil candy cups

32 whole hazelnuts, toasted, husked

Stir milk chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water) until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Whisk in chocolate-hazelnut spread and chopped nuts.

Stir bittersweet chocolate in another medium metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water) until melted and smooth and candy thermometer registers 110°F (chocolate will feel warm). Remove bowl from over water. Using 1-inch-wide pastry brush, coat insides of candy cups with just enough chocolate to cover. Rewarm chocolate as needed to maintain temperature. Place cups on baking sheet. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 15 minutes.

Spoon enough hazelnut mixture into center of each chocolate cup to fill to within ⅛ inch of top (about 1 heaping teaspoonful in each cup). Refrigerate until filling sets, about 15 minutes.

Rewarm remaining melted bittersweet chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water to 110°F. Spoon enough chocolate over filling to cover and to fill cups completely. Immediately top each with 1 hazelnut. Refrigerate cups until firm, about 20 minutes.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Refrigerate in single layer in airtight container. Let stand 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Love the sound of the Oranges with Pomegranate Molasses and Honey (page 436) but you can’t get your hands on a bottle of pomegranate molasses? All ready to make The Ultimate Valentine Cake (page 156)—except for the heart-shaped cake ring? Here are a variety of online and mail-order retail sources that can supply all your dessert-making needs.

Broadway Panhandler
: This New York-based shop is a good source for a wide assortment of baking supplies, including essentials (heat-resistant spatulas), as well as items you didn’t know you needed (like
kugelhopf
pans). Shop by brand or by specific need, such as Bundt pans or cookie cutters.
866-266-5927 /
broadwaypanhandler.com

Chefs
: Professional-quality gear, from oven mitts to angel food cake pans. The bakeware section of the Web site is organized by category (baking and pastry tools, cake and Bundt pans), which makes shopping very easy.
800-338-3232 /
chefscatalog.com

Cooking.com
: This site offers multiple listings for virtually every piece of baking equipment you might need. Most items also include a customer rating, so you can see what other folks think of the products before you decide to make any purchases.
800-663-8810 /
cooking.com

Cooking Enthusiast
: This store initially specialized in knives but has since broadened its offerings to include baking equipment (pie plates, springform pans, candy thermometers, etc.).
800-792-6650 /
cookingenthusiast.com

Kitchen Universe
: Heavy-duty baking sheets, Silpat baking mats, KitchenAid stand mixers, and more—much more. Find exactly what you need by browsing specific bakeware subcategories, or search by brand or price range.
877-517-1966 /
kitchenu.com

Ateco
: This shop, which specializes in decorating tools (pastry bags, decorating tubes, etc.), also offers a wide selection of molds and forms, rolling pins, and pastry brushes.
800-645-7170 / atecousa.net

Beryl’s Cake Decorating & Pastry Supplies
: Cupcake fans will love Beryl’s. The store offers nearly 175 different cupcake papers and several cupcake stands to show off your handiwork. Beryl’s is also a great source for pastry bag tips (such as basketweave and petal) and sugary decorations (such as chocolate “pebbles” and the little multicolored balls called dragées) in every shape, size, and color.
800-488-2749 /
beryls.com

Cincinnati Cake & Candy Supplies
: This store’s incredible assortment of baking supplies includes nearly 500 different cookie cutters and more than 100 varieties of sprinkles.
800-304-4536 /
cincicakeandcandy.com

Fancy Flours
: If you need to decorate a dessert, this is the place for you. Choose from more than 700 different cookie cutters, 50 oils and extracts, and 500 sugar-based decorations, as well as chocolate transfers and culinary stencils.
406-587-0118 /
fancyflours.com

Jane’s Cakes & Chocolates
: This Montrose, California, shop is a good source for cake pans, decorating tips, candymaking equipment, and edible gold dust.
818-957-2511 (no Web site; only in-store or mail-order purchases)

Wilton
: The place to go for cake decorating supplies, Wilton offers an assortment of pastry bags and decorating tips, as well as cake pans of every kind.
800-794-5866 /
wilton.com

Microplane
: Once you use one of Microplane’s graters, you won’t be able to use anything else. These sturdy, super-sharp tools make quick work of citrus zest, whole nutmeg, and even carrots (for Carrot Cake with Buttermilk Glaze and Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting on page 67, for example).
866-968-6665, ext. 1 /
us.microplane.com

Oxo
: The gadget experts. Products include sturdy silicone spatulas, great mixing bowls, and our favorite cherry pitter (it works on olives, too).
800-545-4411 /
oxo.com

Zeroll
: Ice-cream enthusiasts will want to check out the array of scoops from Zeroll. The sturdy aluminum alloy scoops have a heat-conductive fluid sealed in the handle, which makes dishing up frozen desserts a breeze.
800-872-5000, ext. 17 /
zeroll.com

ChefShop.com
: Browse this site’s baking ingredients category to find candied fruits, dried fruits, extracts, nuts, and chocolates.
800-596-0885 /
chefshop.com

Dean & Deluca
: This New York-based specialty store is known for its first-rate ingredients. The store carries a nice assortment of honeys and is a good place to buy culinary lavender—among many other delectable things.
800-221-7714 /
deandeluca.com

igourmet.com
: Shop for baking staples like extracts, baking chocolate, and vanilla beans.
877-446-8763 /
igourmet.com

Chocosphere
: One-stop shopping for all things chocolate (baking chocolate, chocolate sprinkles, cocoa powder). This store carries products from nearly 50 chocolate makers from around the globe, including
Bon Appétit
test kitchen favorites Valrhona and Callebaut.
877-992-4626 /
chocosphere.com

Lindt
: A Swiss chocolate that’s great for baking. Lindt makes an especially good white chocolate. Buy products from Lindt’s online store or type in your zip code to find a nearby store that carries Lindt chocolate.
877-695-4638 /
lindtusa.com

Scharffen Berger
: Some supermarkets carry this high-quality chocolate brand, but for cooks who can’t find Scharffen Berger in their market, the company’s Web site offers online ordering for all of its products, including basics like baking chocolate and cocoa powder.
866-972-6879 /
scharffenberger.com

King Arthur Flour
: This Vermont-based company is obsessed with baking. It’s known for high-quality flours, but King Arthur is also a great source for cookie cutters, baking pans, and baking advice.
800-827-6836 /
kingarthurflour.com

American Almond Products Company, Inc
: An excellent source for almond paste. If you use a lot of marzipan or whole or sliced nuts, the company also sells those, but only in large quantities (5 pounds or more for nuts, 8 pounds or more for marzipan).
800-825-6663 /
americanalmond.com

Bella Viva Orchards
: This Central Valley, California-based company sells a variety of dried fruits, from prunes to Pluots. They even have diced dried fruit that’s all ready to mix into your favorite recipe.
800-552-8218 /
bellaviva.com

Friske Orchards
: This orchard in northern Michigan is a good source for hard-to-come-by frozen sour cherries (called “tart cherries” on the site).
888-968-3554 /
apples-cherries.com

Melissa’s
: Shop at Melissa’s for dried fruits and nuts, as well as a huge selection of hard-to-find fresh fruits.
800-588-0151 /
melissas.com