Sugar Cube (15 page)

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Shopping for cornmeal can get pretty confusing. It comes in several grinds (fine, medium, and coarse) as well as several colors (white, yellow, and blue) and names (grits, polenta, etc.). I prefer finely ground cornmeal for pretty much all of my desserts—it has plenty of texture without being intrusive. Choose stone-ground cornmeal if you can, since it contains the germ, which makes it more nutritious. But the germ can also turn rancid, so store the cornmeal in the freezer, where it’ll keep for up to two years.

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Whenever a recipe calls for orange zest, try to use tangerines or tangelos. They’re much brighter in color and their flavor really pops.

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When using strong herbs like rosemary or lavender, use a light hand. You want a pleasing, subtle flavor, not something that overwhelms you like potpourri. You don’t want your cookies to taste like soap.

The French have these awesome little almond teacakes, called
financiers
, that are soft and moist inside and almost candied on the edges. It’s that sweet, light crunch as you bite into them that makes them so good. As I was coming up with my own version I couldn’t help but turn to hazelnuts because they’re such an iconic flavor here in the Pacific Northwest. Plus, they have more flavor than almonds, which means they can stand up to a few more nontraditional additions like cacao nibs and a drizzle of slightly bitter buckwheat honey. These make great ice-cream sandwiches with the
Roasted-Banana Ice Cream
.
MAKES 48 LITTLE CAKES

• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  vanilla bean
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cups toasted hazelnuts (see tip in
  bing cherry breakfast clafoutis
  )
  
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  teaspoons sea salt
  
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  
• 8 to 9 large egg whites, at room temperature
  
• ¹
  /
  ₃
  cup (1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  ounces) roughly chopped cacao nibs
  

• ¹
  /
  ₄
  vanilla bean
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup water
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup granulated sugar
  
• Buckwheat honey for drizzling (optional)
  

• PREHEAT THE OVEN
  to 350° F. Butter the cups of a whoopie pie pan (the indentations should be 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep).
  
• SPLIT THE PIECE OF VANILLA BEAN
  lengthwise and scrape the seeds with the back of a knife. Add to a small sauté pan along with the pod and the butter and cook over medium heat until the butter darkens to a nutty brown and the solids drop to the bottom of the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean pod (it won’t be worth saving). Give the butter a good whisk to disperse the little browned bits and vanilla seeds into the liquid before pouring 1
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cups of it into a measuring cup. (Those little bits have lots of flavor, so you want to include them.) If you have any extra butter, refrigerate it for another use.
  
• IN THE BOWL OF A FOOD PROCESSOR
  , combine the toasted hazelnuts and the flour and process until the hazelnuts are finely ground, like almond flour (
  see Twisted Toll House
  ). Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt and confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and whisk to combine. Add the egg whites and browned butter and whisk again until combined. Stir in the nibs.
  
• FILL EACH OF THE INDENTATIONS
  of the whoopie pie pan with 3 tablespoons of batter. Bake until golden, the sides look caramelized, and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 18 to 20 minutes.
  
• TO MAKE THE VANILLA SYRUP:
  Split the piece of vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds with the back of a knife. Add to a saucepan along with the pod, the water, and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Let boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
  
• BRUSH THE SYRUP
  liberally over the still-warm Hazelnibbies. Serve warm, drizzled with buckwheat honey (if using). You can store any leftovers in an airtight container for several days.
  

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You can buy high-quality, Oregon-grown, roasted, salted hazelnuts from producers like Freddy Guys online. These Oregon nuts have the most incredible flavor and are well worth getting!

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Finely grinding nuts in a food processor is tricky because they want to turn into nut butter. The key is to pulse the nuts with flour. The oils are absorbed by the flour, which keeps the nuts from turning into a paste.

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You only need 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (10 ounces) of browned butter, but because water in the butter evaporates during the process, you need to start with a little extra. It takes around 1
¹
/
₂
cups (3 sticks) of solid butter to yield 10 ounces of browned butter.

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Traditionally
financiers
are made in a canoe-shaped mold, but I prefer using the shallow indentations of a whoopie pie pan, which you can find at cookware stores like Sur La Table. If you don’t want to buy another piece of bakeware, you can substitute a muffin pan (add cupcake liners), but because the cups in a muffin pan are narrower, you’ll end up making narrower Hazelnibbies. Use 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter per indentation. The baking time might vary, so keep an eye on them.

My friend Kristen Murray, an amazing pastry chef in Portland who has worked in some of the top kitchens in the country, shared this delicious recipe, which has been in her family for generations. Rhubarb happens to be one of my most favorite things, and this pie, enriched with eggs and topped with fluffy meringue, achieves the perfect balance of sweet and tart. “It was my Great-Grandmother Nora’s recipe,” says Kristen. “When my grandmother passed, my mom and I brought home one of her favorite recipe boxes. Inside I found many treasured recipes for foods I loved eating, smelling, and helping to make as a child. This recipe was typed on blond card stock worn with time and use in Nana’s kitchen. The word ‘Mother’ is in the right-hand corner, as Nana always liked to identify the person who gave her the recipe. I miss these beautiful Norwegian women, but making their recipes always makes me feel closer to them.”
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  -inch cubes
  
• 2
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  tablespoons ice water
  
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  

• 4 cups cut rhubarb (peel any tough skin and slice into
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  -inch-wide pieces)
  
• 6 large egg yolks (whites reserved for meringue)
  
• 2 cups granulated sugar
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoon salt
  

• 6 large egg whites
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup granulated sugar
  
• 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar