Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens (28 page)

Phil's Fourth of July
Birthday Cobbler

Serves 8 to 10

This festive red, white, and blue dessert can be easily mixed by hand in any CLK.

12 ounces unsalted butter

1 cup halfand-half

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons sea salt

2 eggs

3 tablespoons tapioca flour or cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

3 pints fresh blueberries

2 pounds fresh strawberries, prepped and quartered

Vanilla ice cream, as needed

1
Preheat your oven to 350°. Melt 8 ounces of the butter in the microwave (on full power for about 1 minute), then add the half-and- half to cool it down. Set it aside.

2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ½ cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt. In the center of these dry ingredients, crack the 2 eggs and lightly scramble them. Add the butter and half-and-half mixture into the eggs, and stir until the dough just comes together. Refrigerate.

3
In a large bowl, whisk together 1½ cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt, tapioca, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Melt 4 ounces of butter and add it to the sugar mixture. Toss in the berries and completely coat them with sugar and butter. Evenly spread this on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

4
Drop large dumplings of your refrigerated dough onto the pan of berries. Each dumpling should represent one portion of cobbler, so try to make them even and barely touching. Bake this in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown, and then let it rest 10 minutes.

5
Scoop each cobbler helping into an individual serving bowl and top with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Rum Cheesecake with
Vanilla Espresso Syrup

Serves 10 to 12

If a fabulous cheesecake and a brilliant cup of coffee had a love child, this would be their gourmet story.

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

½ cup quick cooking oats

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 pinches sea salt

6 ounces semisweet chocolate

cup dark rum

1 pound cream cheese, softened

5 ounces ricotta cheese

1¾ cups sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup freshly brewed espresso or very strong coffee

1 vanilla bean, scraped

1
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt until moistened. Press into the bottom of your lined pan, packing it tightly with your fingertips.

2
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and rum in short intervals until completely melted and smooth when stirred. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, ricotta, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, pinch of salt, and vanilla extract until smooth. Then whisk in 1 egg at a time. Slowly add the melted chocolate and rum mixture until just combined. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the springform pan and place in the oven.

3
Bake 45 minutes or until set in the middle. As soon as you take it out of the oven, run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake to release it, and place in the refrigerator to chill.

4
Put your 1-quart saucepot over medium-high heat and stir the espresso, ¾ cup of sugar, and vanilla bean until the sugar is dissolved. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Strain out the vanilla bean by pouring the sauce through your fine strainer and refrigerate. Cut the chilled cheesecake into slices and serve drizzled with the sauce.

Berry Short Cakes with
Vanilla Bean Mousse

Serves 8 to 10

These cakes are actually little cream biscuits because I fold in cream, which is a much easier task for the CLK chef than cutting in cold butter. For a restaurant-worthy presentation, finish this off with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a sprig of mint.

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

¼ cup sugar, plus more for dusting

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 cups heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, scraped

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 pounds fresh berries

1
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Pour in the 1½ cups of heavy cream, and mix until it comes together into a ball of dough. If it is a little too dry to adhere together, add more cream a tablespoon at a time until it is soft but not sticky.

2
Lightly flour your clean and dry counter. Placing the dough on the counter, fold it over to knead it twice, and shape it into a perfect square. Roll out your square (with a rolling pin if you have one, but I use a wine bottle in my CLK) until it is ½-inch thick. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares and then diagonally to make triangles. Place them on a sheet tray, dust them with sugar, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Always eat a fresh biscuit to check for doneness, and because it would be silly not to!

3
Place 1½ cups heavy cream into a large bowl and add the vanilla bean seeds.

Whisk slowly to try to break the seeds apart while adding the powdered sugar. Now whip the cream to stiff peaks and refrigerate.

4
In another large bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese and the vanilla extract. Add half of the whipped cream and fold it together by gently putting your spatula in the center of the bowl and pulling it towards you while you scrape the spatula along the bottom. When the spatula breaks the surface of the batter, turn the bowl about an inch, and start again. Each time you pull up and then drop the spatula back into the center, you will be folding in the whipped cream to the batter. Only do this for about 90 seconds or you will deflate all of your fluffy cream.

5
Place one warm biscuit in the center of the plate. Gently top with a large scoop of mousse, and pile on the berries. Lean another biscuit up against the berries, and top with a small dollop of mousse and a vibrant berry. Serve immediately.

Plum Champagne Granita

Serves 6 to 8

Oh-so-very-sophisticated served in a frozen martini or wine glass, this recipe is also foolproof. You can make it well in advance because it will remain spectacular in your freezer for 2 weeks. Also a beautiful garnish on other desserts, I use it to top the Fig and Lavender Honey Yogurt Pie (p. 230).

1 pound red plums, pitted, chopped

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup water

cup champagne

1
Place the plums, sugar, and water in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a baking dish large enough to accommodate all the puree plus room for adding the champagne. Stir the champagne into the plum puree. Freeze until the puree is icy around the edges, about 1 hour. Using a large fork, stir the icy parts of the puree into the middle of the dish. Continue to freeze for about 2½ hours or until the mixture is frozen, stirring the edges into the center every 30 minutes.

2
Using the fork, scrape the granita into flaky crystals. Wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer along with six wine glasses. Allow the glasses to chill for about an hour or until they have a lovely frost on them. Fill them with the granita, and serve like a fine wine.

Prairie Pound Cake

Serves 10 to 12

A kaleidoscope of flavors, this cake will be a gourmet experience for everyone. Make certain that the butter is at room temperature so the cake whips right up when you mix it by hand.

2 cups fine yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

2 cups sugar

7 eggs

¼ cup whiskey

¼ cup clover honey

1
Preheat the oven to 350°. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium-size bowl and set it aside.

2
In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the cornmeal mixture until just blended.

3
Grease a bundt cake pan or disposable tube pan with butter or cooking spray, and pour in the cake batter. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

4
While the cake is baking, add the whiskey to your 1-quart saucepot and place it over high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and stir in the honey. Simmer for 5 minutes, remove from the heat, and chill.

5
When the cake is finished baking, allow it to cool for 10 minutes before inverting it onto your serving platter. Brush on the whiskey honey glaze (yes, use all of it!), cover the cake with tin foil or plastic wrap, and store it on the counter overnight. This cake is best served the second day because the brushed on glaze has time to sink in and infuse the cake with flavor.

Citrus Peach
Upside-Down Cake

Serves 10 to 12

A stunningly beautiful cake, bake it just once to see what I mean. If you can't find orange blossom honey, substitute any honey you think tastes 1 wonderful or you already have in your crappy little pantry.

3 fresh peaches, halved and pitted (about 1 pound)

2 lemons, zested and juiced

3 limes, zested and juiced

2 tablespoons plus ½ cup orange blossom honey

6 ounces plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch sea salt

¾ cup sugar

4 eggs

Powdered sugar, as needed

Whipped cream, as needed

1
Preheat the oven to 350°. Slice each peach half into four wedges. Place them in your 1-quart stockpot and stir in the lemon juice, lime juice, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Heat this over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the peaches soften slightly and the juices thicken. Set this aside to cool.