Authors: Kir Jensen
Sugar Cube (20 page)
When a friend of mine had a birthday at the height of strawberry season, I knew shortcake was in order. But I also knew that setting a dinky little plate in front of her just wouldn’t have the same ta-da! effect as a big layer cake. What to do? Make a honkin’ shortcake, that’s what. I cut it in half, filled it with saucy balsamic berries and crème fraîche whipped cream, and made a bright basil syrup to pass at the table.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
shortcake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1
/
2
teaspoon sea salt - 1
/
2
teaspon cream of tartar - 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1
/
2
teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon - 1
/
2
cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter cut into
1
/
2
-inch cubes - 1 large egg
- 1
/
3
cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing - Superfine sugar or vanilla sugar for sprinkling
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1
/
8
teaspoon sea salt - 2
/
3
cup light corn syrup - Juice of
1
/
2
lemon
- 2 pints fresh, ripe strawberries, hulled and halved (save a whole strawberry for topping the cake)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar or good honey
- 1 to 2 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
- 1
/
2
cup
DIY Crème Fraîche - 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 1
/
4
cup packed dark brown sugar - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
- TO MAKE THE SHORTCAKE:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, brown sugar, and cinnamon and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until pea-size pieces are formed. - IN A SMALL BOWL
, stir the egg into the cream until thoroughly incorporated. While pulsing, drizzle the mixture through the feed tube of the food processor. Continue to pulse until the dough starts to form a ball around the blade. (The dough should hold together when squeezed between your thumb and index finger. If you need a tad more liquid, add an extra tablespoon of cream. But be careful: You can add more, but you can’t it take away. Alternatively, you can mix the dough in a bowl by hand, cutting in the butter with a pastry blender, or mixing in the butter on low speed with a stand mixer.) - TURN THE DOUGH OUT
onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently several times until it feels smooth and cohesive. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. With your hands or a rolling pin, form the dough into a
1
/
2
-inch-thick, 8-inch disk. (Make sure the disk is at least
1
/
2
to
3
/
4
inch thick, or the dough will spread too thin while baking, making it difficult to cut in half once cooled.) Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes. - BRUSH THE TOP
with cream and sprinkle liberally with superfine sugar. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back halfway through. Let cool completely before filling. - TO MAKE THE BASIL SYRUP:
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine the basil, salt, corn syrup, and lemon juice and purée until smooth. Strain the purée through a fine-mesh sieve and chill until ready to use. - TO PREPARE THE STRAWBERRIES:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar and toss until evenly coated. Allow to macerate at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. - TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the crème fraîche, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla until medium-stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use. - PLACE THE COOLED SHORTCAKE
on a level surface and use a serrated knife to gently cut the shortcake in half horizontally. (You can cut more evenly if you gently rotate the shortcake as you cut through it. Place your hand on top of the cake to help steady it as you go. Be careful, though, as the cake is fragile.) - CAREFULLY TRANSFER
the bottom half of the shortcake to a large, flat serving plate. Spoon the macerated strawberries and their juices evenly on top, leaving a
1
/
4
-inch rim. Spoon all but
1
/
4
cup of the cold crème fraîche filling on top and spread it evenly over the berries. Carefully place the top half of the shortcake on top of the filling (don’t worry if some of the edges crumble—this is a rustic dessert). - DUST THE TOP
with confectioners’ sugar. Spoon the remaining
1
/
4
cup crème fraîche filling in one large dollop on top of the cake and plop the reserved strawberry into it. To serve, cut the cake into eight slices, wiping the knife clean with each cut. Serve with the basil syrup on the side. (This stuff is strong, so a little goes a long way.)
•
If you have a tart pan with a removable bottom, you can use the thin metal bottom as a tool to transfer the shortcake layers without damaging them. The layers slide on and off easily.
•
You can make the cake a few hours in advance and refrigerate it, but be sure to leave it out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
•
If there’s any basil syrup left, store it in an airtight container and use it for a cocktail, like a watermelon-basil margarita!
•
If you don’t want to make basil syrup, you can boil down the strawberry juices until they form a thick syrup that you can drizzle over the shortcake when serving. To make sure you have enough strawberry goodness in the middle of the cake, make a double batch of the strawberries, or spread
1
/
4
to
1
/
2
cup of strawberry preserves in the middle of the shortcake.
•
If you have it on hand, you can swap out
1
/
4
cup of regular flour for almond flour to get an even more tender texture.
The Ultimate Brownie
Ultimate Brownie
These brownies are one of my most popular treats, and that’s no surprise, considering they’re mostly chocolate, butter, and sugar with just enough flour to hold them together. To make them extra fudgy, I use dark brown sugar and slightly underbake them, before I slather them with chocolate ganache. I like to serve them with fruity olive oil and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Another can’t-go-wrong choice? A drizzle of salted caramel, of course. No matter how you serve them, they are, in short, edible sin.
MAKES 14 BROWNIES
brownies
- 1
1
/
3
cups unbleached all-purposed flour - 3
/
4
cup dutch-process cocoa powder - 1
/
2
teaspoon sea salt - 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1
1
/
2
cups granulated sugar - 1
1
/
2
cups packed brown sugar - 2 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1
/
2
cup french-press or strong brewed coffee - 1
/
2
cup granulated sugar - 1
/
2
recipe
Sexy Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache - Fruity or grassy extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
- Flaky sea salt, such as Fleur de sel or Maldon, for sprinkling
- TO MAKE THE BROWNIES:
Line 14 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a medium bowl. - IN A STAND MIXER
fitted with a paddle attachment or in a medium bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on mediumhigh until the sugars are well incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the crème fraîche and vanilla, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the sifted dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Use a spatula to give the batter a few good folds to make sure everything is incorporated. - DIVIDE THE BATTER
equally among the muffin cups. Bake on the middle rack until the edges are puffed and set and the center looks slightly undercooked (but not raw), 20 to 25 minutes. - TO MAKE THE COFFEE SYRUP:
In a small saucepan, combine the coffee and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 1 to 2 minutes to concentrate the flavors. - WHILE THE BROWNIES ARE STILL HOT
, brush them with the coffee syrup. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. - AS THEY COOL
, the brownies will fall a bit in the middle, which makes the perfect vessel for a dollop of the ganache (about 1 tablespoon). The brownies are at their best when they’re still warm and the chocolate is ooey-gooey. - BEFORE SERVING:
Drizzle each brownie with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel.
