The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (306 page)

MAKES 16 BARS

Despite this recipe’s name, we found that most tasters could not tell the difference between bars made with regular supermarket limes (called Persian limes) and true Key limes. Since Persian limes are easier to find and juice, we recommend them. The optional coconut garnish adds textural interest and tames the lime flavor for those who find it too intense. To toast the coconut, spread it out on a rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack at 350 degrees, stirring two or three times, until light golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool. The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 13 by 9-inch baking pan; increase the baking times by a minute or two.

CRUST

FILLING

GARNISH (OPTIONAL)

1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Make foil sling by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so that they are as wide as 8-inch baking pan. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to one another, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.

2. FOR THE CRUST:
Pulse animal crackers in food processor until broken down, about 10 pulses; process crumbs until evenly fine, about 10 seconds (you should have about 1¹⁄
₄
cups crumbs). Add brown sugar and salt; process to combine, 10 to 12 pulses (if large sugar lumps remain, break them apart with your fingers). Drizzle butter over crumbs and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter, about 10 pulses. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

3. FOR THE FILLING:
While the crust cools, in medium bowl, stir the cream cheese, zest, and salt with rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add lime juice and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

4.
Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1¹⁄
₂
hours. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

5.
Remove bars from pan using foil; cut bars into 16 squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if using, and serve. (Bars can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; crust will soften slightly.)

Using three types of citrus (orange, lemon, and lime) gives these bars a slightly more complex, floral flavor.

Substitute 1¹⁄
₂
teaspoons each grated lime zest, lemon zest, and orange zest for lime zest, and use 6 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon orange juice in place of all lime juice.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

We wanted a forgiving fudge recipe that didn’t require ideal conditions for success. We found that a traditional “easy” substitute, condensed milk and a little unsweetened chocolate, gave us a less sugary fudge with great chocolate flavor. Seeking a firmer, lighter texture for our fudge, we found that a little baking soda reacted with the acids in the chocolate to alter the pH, which made the fudge drier and firmer. We reached perfect density when we added 1 cup of nuts.

MAKES ABOUT
2¹⁄
₂
POUNDS

The quality of the chocolate used will affect the flavor and texture of the fudge. We prefer Ghirardelli semisweet and unsweetened chocolate in this recipe. Don’t be tempted to make this fudge without the walnuts; they are crucial to the texture. If you prefer, you can use toasted nuts in this recipe. Make sure to remove the fudge from the double boiler before the chocolate is fully melted. If the chocolate stays in the double boiler too long, there is the possibility of the chocolate separating and producing a greasy fudge. This fudge will change texture and become drier the longer it is stored. If frozen, allow ample time to let it reach room temperature before cutting. This recipe can be easily doubled and prepared in a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

1.
Make foil sling by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so that they are as wide as 13 by 9-inch baking pan (one 13-inch sheet and one 9-inch sheet. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to one another, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil and set aside.

2.
Mix semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, baking soda, and salt in medium heatproof bowl until baking soda is evenly distributed. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Set bowl over 4-quart saucepan containing 2 cups simmering water. Stir until chocolate is almost fully melted and few small pieces remain, 2 to 4 minutes.

3.
Remove bowl from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in walnuts. Transfer fudge to prepared pan and spread in even layer with spatula. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Remove fudge from pan using foil and cut into squares. (Fudge can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.)

Substitute 1 pound 2 ounces peanut butter chips for chocolates in step 2 and omit walnuts.

Substitute 1 cup mini marshmallows, 1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts, and ¹⁄
₂
cup semisweet chocolate chips for walnuts in step 3.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

We discovered a few things that took the risk and guesswork out of our truffle recipe: Butter and corn syrup added to the traditional chocolate and cream made our truffles creamier and more delicate. We did not want to take the time or deal with the hassle of tempering chocolate for the coating used in our truffle recipe, so our coating wasn’t smooth and shiny. We found an easy fix to that by simply rolling the truffles in cocoa, toasted nuts, or grated chocolate.

MAKES 24 TRUFFLES

These truffles are meant to look like the real thing—small, irregular mounds instead of perfectly spherical balls. If you decide to omit the liquor flavoring, reduce chocolate from 9 to 8 ounces. To melt the chocolate in a microwave, heat it at 50 percent power for about 2 minutes; stir the chocolate and continue heating until melted, stirring once every additional minute. The ganache mixture is quite forgiving. If it cools too much in step 1, place the bowl in a larger pan of warm water and stir the mixture until it has softened and warmed up. If this overwarms the mixture, cool it again as directed. The same flexibility applies if you overwhip the ganache by mistake. Simply warm it over the hot water, cool it, and whip it again. One person alone can dip and coat the truffles, but the process is simpler with a second person to roll coated truffles in cocoa and lift them onto a clean pan.

GANACHE

CHOCOLATE AND COCOA COATING

1. FOR THE GANACHE:
Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. Set bowl aside. Bring cream, butter, and corn syrup to simmer (about 160 degrees) in nonreactive pan over low heat. Remove pan from heat, cool for 5 minutes, then whisk into chocolate. Whisk in cognac. Refrigerate mixture until it cools to 80 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes.

2.
Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip mixture at medium speed until thickened to a texture like store-bought canned chocolate frosting, 25 to 30 seconds. Spoon ganache into large pastry bag fitted with ¹⁄
₂
-inch plain tube. Hold bag perpendicular to pan and with tip about ³⁄
₄
inch above work surface, pipe ³⁄
₄
-inch mounds (pulling tube away to the side to avoid leaving points) onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Alternatively, scoop mounds with tiny (less than 1 tablespoon) ice cream scoop or melon baller. Refrigerate mounds until hardened, at least an hour.

3. FOR THE COATING:
Melt chocolate in heatproof bowl over almost-simmering water, then cool to 90 degrees. Arrange chilled truffle mounds, bowl of melted chocolate, and high-sided roasting pan filled with cocoa on work surface. Working one mound at a time, dip palm of one hand about ¹⁄
₄
-inch deep into melted chocolate, pass one truffle mound with other hand to chocolate-covered hand and close hand around mound to coat, re-dipping hand into chocolate every third or fourth mound. Drop coated truffle into cocoa; roll to coat using fork held in now empty clean hand, leaving truffles in cocoa until chocolate coating has set, about 1 minute. Repeat process until all mounds are in pan of cocoa. Gently roll 5 to 6 truffles at a time in medium strainer to remove excess cocoa, then transfer to serving plate or tightly covered container. (Truffles can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

Pulse 1 cup unsalted pistachios, almonds, pecans, or walnuts with 1 tablespoon sugar to a fine powder (about the texture of coarse sand) in food processor, 45 to 60 seconds. Substitute ground nuts for cocoa.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut in even layer on baking sheet; toast until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Substitute toasted coconut for cocoa.