Al Dente

Reader Recipe: Lavender Vanilla Olive Oil Cake With Almonds

Faithful Al Dente reader Scott Cooley from Fort Collins Colorado sent me this recipe after reading about my lavender honey gelato endeavor. Scott's EVOO (cooks' speak for extra-virgin olive oil) cake is based on a Giada DeLaurentiis recipe, which he says is his go-to recipe for dessert, adding it "doesn't fail on me." For serving Scott dusts the cake with powdered sugar and serves with fresh berries or berry compote. We all need a trusty standby that we can rely on in a pinch. Since Scott and I were in culinary school together, I know he is a perfectionist. If he says it's good, I know it's a keeper. File this in your recipe boxes, pronto.

Lavender Vanilla Olive Oil Cake With Almonds

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon culinary lavender, chopped
2/3 cup toasted almonds, coarsely crushed
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ cup EVOO
¼ cup whole milk
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees-F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together. Mix in the almonds and lavender. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Whisk in olive oil slowly. Whisk in milk. Add flour mixture, and incorporate completely.

4. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Recipe credit: Scott Cooley
Image credit: missginsu.com

Do you have a tried and true recipe that's always the hit of the party? E-mail it to me at pomodorista@gmail.com. I'll share the best contributions with our readers.

--StellaCadente*

Follow me on Twitter @pomodorista

Expert Sticky Rice Advice from Pok Pok Chef Andy Ricker

If you've been following along, you know about my misadventures in sticky rice. Turns out chef-owner Andy Ricker of Portland's Pok Pok and Ping restaurants was following along, too, and was kind enough to pass along the following professional advice:

"Hey, just fyi: San Patong is a district where some of the better quality glutinous rice (aka sticky rice or khao niaw in Thai) is grown. you will notice in your photo that there are dozens of different rices for sale. They are different varieties, different ages, different origins. what we get in the USA is always new crop. New rice is softer than old rice, and hence requires less cooking time. The only way to make sticky rice come out well is to actually steam it rather than boil it. Your new set up will do the trick. Make sure to use plenty of water, about 2-3 inches in the pot, and to rinse the rice well after soaking it...then letting it drain before cooking it. Also, try wrapping the whole amount you are cooking in cheesecloth; it will be easier to handle. The closer you are to the shipment date of the new rice, the less time it will need to steam. Try about 17-20 minutes at full tilt steam for a 2 pound batch, turning the rice over once at ten minutes. If it is still uncooked, go another 5 minutes. It should be firm, cooked thru, kernels somewhat separate but clinging to each other, and not mushy. You can hold it in a small insulated cooler or in a plastic bag wrapped in towels to keep it warm and moist. Typically it is eaten at room temperature."

My friend Matthew (the GM at Pok Pok) also chimed in with his two cents after poking his nose around the kitchen:

Zwieback AWOL. Still Looking for the Cheesecake of My Dreams...

I'm looking for the cheesecake of my youth, dense, not creamy, and with absolutely no graham crackers!  Al Dente reader Marcy and I both had high hopes for a circa 1961 Craig Claiborne's Cheesecake recipe that she found the New York Times that she found. It calls for cottage cheese instead of cream cheese and uses zwieback for its razor-thin crust instead of graham crackers.

I had planned to try this recipe, or rather have my husband, the cheesecake enthusiast, try it last week, but finding zwieback, a crisp, twice-baked biscuit, proved impossible. With zwieback AWOL, I needed a substitute, and I spent all last week looking for it. My first thought was biscotti, the twice-baked Italian biscuit, but all the biscotti I came across had strong nutty flavor, which I thought would be overpowering in the cheesecake. I scanned the cookie aisle and finally settled on some crispy Italian ladyfingers. Not the perfect substitute, but I didn't want to wait any longer to try this recipe.

In the end, the results were disappointing. The cheesecake was watery, perhaps the cottage cheese should have been drained. The lemon juice and rind was overpowering. I'm still looking for my ideal recipe. Any suggestions for the cheesecake of my dreams?

Cottage Cheese Cheesecake

Ingredients:
1 6-ounce package zwieback
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 pounds cottage cheese
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sour cream
Rind and juice of one lemon
Strawberry glaze (see below)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 325 degrees F. Roll zwieback into fine crumbs. Grease a nine inch spring form pan and dust the sides with zwieback crumbs. Mix the remaining crumbs with the one quarter cup of sugar and the butter and press onto bottom of the pan. Bake five minutes. Cool.

2. Press the cottage cheese through a fine sieve. Add half the remaining sugar, the flour, salt, egg yolks, sour cream, lemon rind and juice. Whip until thoroughly blended.

3. Beat egg whites until stiff, adding the remaining sugar gradually. Fold into cheese mixture.
Turn the mixture into prepared pan, bake at 325 degrees F about 1-1/2 hours. Cool in pan and glaze as directed.

Strawberry Glaze

Ingredients:
1 quart strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon butter

Directions:
1. Wash and hull berries. Crush enough berries to make one half cup.

2. Boil the crushed berries, sugar, water, and cornstarch two minutes, stirring. Add the butter, strain and cool.

3. Arrange the whole berries over the top of the cheesecake and pour the glaze over the berries. Chill.

--Tracy Schneider

Looking for the Ultimate Cheesecake Recipe

My husband is on a quest for a cheesecake recipe that spirits me away to the New York City delis of my youth. He's tried before, to no avail. This time I fear, if I don't help him along, I'll be eating cheesecake for Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie.

My idea of cheesecake differs from his entirely. First, cheesecake should not have graham crackers, period. Graham crackers are for s'mores. Second, cheese cake should be moist, but not creamy. The texture should be drier, closer to the mouth feel of ricotta than of cream cheese.

I'd be happy with a ricotta cheesecake. (My favorite comes from the Florentine Bakery in Utica, New York where I grew up.) But for an authentic New York Cheesecake, I think we're looking for a recipe that calls for farmer cheese, a dry cottage cheese that I remember eating occasionally as a child. I haven't seen it in years.

As a starting point, my husband tried the Upstate Cheesecake recipe from Baked. But that recipe was as far away from my ideal, as Upstate is from Manhattan. If you have any suggestions, we're all ears!

Upstate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the simple graham crust:
2-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 20 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick unsalted butter, softened

For the cream cheese filling:
40 ounces (five 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Make the simple graham crust:
1. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Put the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a large bowl. Beat, by hand, until well combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and all the way up the sides of the prepared pan. Put in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Make the cream cheese filling:
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Beat on medium speed until just combined, being careful not to overbeat (too much air can cause cheesecakes to crack). Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cream and beat until incorporated.

3. Pour the mixture into the chilled crust and bake for 10 minutes. Open the oven door to let out some heat, and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until the cheesecake is set around the outside, but still slightly wobbly in the center, 45 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the sour cream over the top of the cheesecake. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecake cool completely in the oven (about 1 hour).

4. Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, loosen the sides of the crust from the pan with an offset spatula, then remove the springform sides and serve.

Yield: 1 (8-inch) cake

Baked, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008

--Tracy Schneider

Fall Fruit Free-for-all: Apple Crisp

Every autumn I look forward to taking out my mother's vintage cookbook, Betty Crocker's New Good and Easy Cookbook, to make apple crisp. I should certainly know the recipe by now, but it's comforting to flip through the pages, turn to the stained recipe, and move my finger over the list of ingredients.

There are lots of recipes out there for apple crisp, but to me, this one is perfect. It calls for only a few ingredients ("yes" to oatmeal, "no" to walnuts) and takes just minutes to prepare. I'm looking forward to a season of crumbles, cobblers, slumps and pandowdys too, so feel free to share your favorite fruit recipes with me.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
4 cups sliced, pared and cored baking apples (about 6 medium)
2/3 to 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup Gold Medal Flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup soft butter

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place sliced apples in greased 8" square pan or baking dish, 10 x 6 x 1-1/2", or 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Blend remaining ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Spread over apples.

2. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Serves 6 to 8.

Betty Crocker's New Good and Easy Cookbook, Golden Press, 1962

--Tracy Schneider

Brownie Bake-Off: Maggie's Fudge Brownies

Maggie's Fudge Brownies is a family recipe offered to us by Mary, a reader who was kind enough to share it for this summer's Brownie Bake-off. Most of the brownie recipes I come across call for chocolate, but this one called for cocoa. And it was frosted with a delicious chocolate butter cream.

Clearly this recipe has withstood the test of time, not just the test kitchen. It was easy to follow and quick to make. The brownies came out perfectly, and they were amazing. Mary, your recipe rocks! Thanks for sharing.

Maggie's Fudge Brownies

Frosting

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or shortening
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or to taste
2 tablespoons milk
1-1/3 cups powdered sugar.

Directions:
1. Cream butter and cocoa. Then blend in vanilla and milk. Mix in powdered sugar.

Brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
14 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large saucepan, melt the butter at medium low heat. The add the cocoa and blend well.

2. Add the sugar and keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

3. Blend in the well beaten eggs followed by the vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients and blend well. Add walnuts.

4. Turn into a buttered 13 inch x 9 inch x 2 inch baking pan. Bake for 18 minutes.

5. Frost the brownies as soon as them come out of the oven and then cut them. Let cool before eating or serve with ice cream.

Makes 15 large brownies

--Tracy Schneider

Pub Grub Reader Recipe: Bangers and Mash

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, and thanks to all of you who submitted recipes for our March Reader Recipe contest, featuring great pub food! Our pick for tastiest way to honor the Irish is this recipe from Robin Mish at spice-guy.com. Serve up this classic pub grub tonight with a pint of your finest green beer.

Thanks for this great recipe, Robin! Readers, if you've got loads of great recipes to share, stay tuned to Al Dente for our monthly recipe contests. We'll put out a call for specific genres of recipes each month and post our favorites.

Sláinte!

Bangers and Mash

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon butter, divided
1/4 cup milk, or as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 pound beef sausage
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix
1/2 cup water, or as needed

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Drain potatoes, and mash with 1 teaspoon of butter, and enough milk to reach your desired creaminess. Continue mashing, or beat with an electric mixer, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until heated through. Remove from pan, and set aside. Add remaining teaspoon of butter to the skillet, and fry the onions over medium heat until tender. Mix gravy mix and water as directed on the package, and add to the skillet with the onions. Simmer, stirring constantly, to form a thick gravy.
5. Pour half of the gravy into a square casserole dish so that it coats the bottom. Place sausages in a layer over the gravy (you can butterfly the sausages if you wish). Pour remaining gravy over them, then top with mashed potatoes.
6. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until potatoes are evenly brown.

--KitchenMaus

Reader Recipes Wanted: Send Us Your Best Pub Food Recipe!

A big thanks to everyone who submitted their favorite chocolate recipes in February! We're still obsessing over the winning recipe, Kelly Schmickle's Flourless Chocolate and Red Wine Cake with Chocolate-Rosemary Ganache. Decadent--and unlike any other chocolate cake you've had before!

For March's Reader Recipe, we thought we'd honor Saint Patrick with a call for pub food recipes. Email us your favorite recipe for pub grub no later than this Monday, March 9, and we'll post our favorite one in time to serve alongside your green beer on Saint Patrick's Day. Hearty stew, savory soda bread--you name it, we want to know about it.

--The Amazon Al Dente editors

Reader Recipe: Flourless Chocolate and Red Wine Cake with Chocolate-Rosemary Ganache

A huge thanks to everyone who submitted their favorite chocolate recipe! We're all on a sugar high here at Al Dente after having a taste-off this morning. The troops were divided--ooey-gooey cupcake? Or sophisticated chocolate cake? Arguments were made, more bites were taken, and eventually we came down on the side of the cake recipe, submitted by Kelly Schmickle at barbaricgulp.com. Described by one Al Dente editor as "refreshing," the chocolate-rosemary ganache seemed to give the cake an edge. Another editor noted that the cake was "a lot lighter than [he] expected." We all agreed that while it looked dense, it actually had a more delicate quality. Make no mistake though, this cake has some seriously ultra-chocolatey chocolateness!

Thanks Kelly, for sharing your recipe! Readers--if you're still looking for that decadent dessert to wow your sweetheart with this Valentine's Day, this is the one!

Flourless Chocolate and Red Wine Cake with Chocolate-Rosemary Ganache

For the cake:

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine
8 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Cover bottom and sides with foil and set in roasting pan.
3. Combine chocolate, butter, and wine in a metal bowl over simmering water. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, melt chocolate and butter in microwave at low heat, stirring periodically; stir in wine.) Set aside.
4. Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until frothy and doubled in size, about 5 minutes.
5. Fold one-third of the chocolate into the egg mixture until combined. Repeat with another third, and then the final third.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Add boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the springform.
7. Bake until slightly risen and the edges are set, about 20 to 25 minutes. (Al Dente editors' note: Full cooking time was 40 minutes for us, and the cake rose by half. So, check cake periodically, starting around 25 minutes, until set.)
8. Remove from roasting pan and cool springform on wire rack. When cool, remove cake from springform.

For the ganache:

Ingredients:
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles

Directions:
1. Place chocolate in medium bowl.
2. Warm cream and rosemary in a saucepan on low. Bring to a boil, then strain over chocolate. Cover the bowl and let cream melt chocolate, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir until completely melted and combined, then pour over cake.
4. Chill cake to firm it up before serving. If you prefer a more pudding-like cake, chilling is not necessary.

Readers, if you make this recipe at home, add a comment and let us know how it turned out. Happy Valentine's Day!

--KitchenMaus