Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook (29 page)

When I was trying to make low-fat desserts, this one emerged as a winner. Now I use whole milk instead of skim, and serve with real whipped cream flavored with vanilla or sweetened with a bit of powdered sugar.

1.
In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, whisk together the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and milk and cook until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and stir until the chips are melted. Stir and reduce the heat to a simmer.

2.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold the vanilla and ½ cup of the chocolate mixture into the egg white mixture.

3.
Bring the water in the bottom of the double boiler back to a boil. Stir the chocolate–egg white mixture into the mixture in the top of the double boiler. Using a handheld mixer or a whisk, beat this mixture for a minute, or until it is well combined. Cover the double boiler and continue to cook over simmering water (watch that the bottom pot does not run out of water) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the soufflé is puffed and set. Serve immediately with whipped topping or whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

To understand why I made these individual, see the explanation in Babsie's Tarts (
here
). There used to be a fabulous bakery on Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, called Schuppes. They made an outstanding bread pudding in loaves that they would slice thickly and serve on small paper doilies. I carried the memory of that bread pudding for many years. So when our youngest son's fifth-grade class was studying the Caribbean, he decided his project would be “Food of the Caribbean.” (You see where this is going.)

He and I did work on various indigenous dishes together, and the only one he liked was the bread pudding. His class at Bethlehem Lutheran School in Denver then put on a Caribbean Festival. I schlepped our son all over Denver looking for a costume to rent for the festival, a search that seemed to take longer than developing the bread pudding recipe. But we finally found one he liked. The morning of the festival, he put on a straw hat and his costume, and balanced the tray of puddings in his lap all the way to school. The puddings were a hit, so I put the recipe into
Prime Cut.

1.
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Butter 12 cups of a nonstick muffin tin.

2.
In a bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs, then beat in the milk and cream. Stir in the nutmeg and vanilla. Thoroughly stir in the bread pieces. The mixture will look like mush. Stir in the raisins.

3.
Using a ⅓-cup measure, ladle out a full scoop of batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a nonstick-coated spoon (so as not to scratch the coating of the muffin tin), quickly stir each cup of half-risen batter to break up the crust on the sides. Return to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the puddings are set and browned.

4.
Quickly unmold the puddings onto a rack and set upright like cupcakes to cool slightly. The puddings can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature.

5.
Make the hard sauce. Chill the mixture until it is easily scooped out. Using a small ice-cream scoop, measure out even scoops of the chilled sauce onto a plate covered with wax paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the scoops until ready to serve the bread puddings.

6.
Top each pudding with a scoop of Hard Sauce. Using a toothpick, insert the stem of a mint sprig into the top of each scoop of Hard Sauce. (This makes them pretty.)

Makes 12 servings

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream, or more as needed

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

¼ teaspoon rum extract

In a bowl, beat together the butter and heavy cream until thoroughly combined. Add the powdered sugar slowly and beat until thoroughly blended. Stir in the rum extract. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little more cream. If making to serve with bread puddings, chill the mixture until it is easily scooped out (see
bread pudding recipe
). The hard sauce can also be thinned with cream and used to frost cookies or cake.

Jim loves the small Italian plums that usually become available in September, so I end up making this tart for the family every fall. The cream topping over the rows of plums makes this dessert look as luscious as it tastes. Because this is a custard, you will need to refrigerate any unused portion. When you do serve it, though, be sure to offer best-quality vanilla or cinnamon ice cream to go with it.

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.

For the crust:

In a food processor combine the butter, flour, sour cream, and salt. Process until the dough pulls into a ball. Gently pat the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the baking dish.

For the filling:

1.
Cover the prepared crust with rows of plum quarters to completely cover the crust in a single layer. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and flour until well blended. Pour this beaten mixture carefully over the rows of plums.

2.
Bake the tart for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set in the middle. (Use a spoon to check the middle of the tart. The custard should be set, not soupy.)

3.
Allow the tart to cool completely on a rack. Cut into rectangles to serve.

Makes 16 servings

I'll never forget when my friend Karen Johnson Kennedy suggested, on about my tenth working trip to the caterer's kitchen, “Let's go graze in the truffle case.” Ha! My fate to make truffles was sealed. The challenging aspect of making truffles is to allow time to let the chocolate cool properly, first before you beat in the butter, then before you scoop it to go into the refrigerator, where it chills overnight before being coated. Be sure to use the best-quality bittersweet chocolate you can afford. (I once accidentally used unsweetened chocolate while making a double batch of this recipe, and had to throw it all away.)

Note:
  
You will need a digital thermometer to make this recipe properly.

For the ganache:

1.
Pour the cream into a heavy 1-quart or larger saucepan. Add the liqueur and vanilla and heat over medium to medium-high heat until the mixture reaches 190˚F. Remove the mixture from the heat, add the chopped chocolate, stir vigorously until the chocolate melts and the mixture is shiny. If all the chocolate does not melt, you can
briefly
return the pan to the burner over low heat, stirring constantly,
just
until the chocolate melts, at which point the pan needs to be immediately removed from the heat. Scrape the ganache into a bowl and allow it to cool at room temperature. (Do not attempt to hasten the cooling in any way.) When the ganache reaches 90˚F, beat in the butter. Allow the ganache to cool until it is firm.

2.
Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, measure out the firm ganache into balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.

3.
Remove the chocolate from the refrigerator and dust your hands with cocoa powder. Roll each mound into a smooth ball, then place it back on the baking sheet. When all the ganache mounds have been rolled, return the baking sheet to the refrigerator.

For the coating:

In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the chocolate with 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter or shortening. Whisk it well until thoroughly combined and melted. Line a baking sheet with foil. Working one at a time, drop a chilled ball of ganache into the coating chocolate, roll it around gently with a fork until it is completely covered, then lift it out of the pan. Scrape off the excess chocolate on the side of the pan, and place the truffle on the foil. Work in this way until all the truffles are coated. If the coating chocolate begins to seize and become recalcitrant, add a bit more clarified butter or shortening to it and stir and melt as before. Work until all the truffles are coated. Allow the coating to set up and cool on the truffles. (This usually takes over an hour.) Serve.

Makes 12 to 15 truffles

This is my favorite cobbler. It is also our family's favorite cobbler . . . if I substitute sliced peaches for the rhubarb. Once, while taste-testing the cobbler on a group of children, they all said they loved it, but then left neat, pyramid-shaped piles of chopped rhubarb on their plates. Lesson learned.

The most important aspect of making this dish is to check that the very center of the topping has cooked through and is cakelike. This will save you the embarrassment of taking the dish out when it only
looks
ready. Then when you plunge a serving spoon into the center of the dish, yellow batter gushes out. To avoid this fate, scoop some of the center when the timer goes off. Bake until it is like
cake.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or 2-quart gratin dish.

For the fruit:

In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the cornstarch. Place the fruit in a large bowl and pour the sugar mixture and vanilla over it. Mix together gently and pour into the prepared pan.

For the topping:

1.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

2.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy and light. Add the sugar gradually, beating until light and smooth. Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined, then mix in the vanilla. With a large wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture just until all the ingredients are well combined.

3.
Using an ice-cream scoop or other large spoon, drop the dough in large, even spoonfuls onto the fruit in the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Test for doneness by spooning up a small section of the middle of the topping. If it is like cake, it is done. If the topping is still liquid yellow, bake until it is like cake. Serve warm with best-quality vanilla ice cream or heavy cream, either poured or whipped.

Makes 6 large or 8 small servings