Dessert – Page 15 – Westchester Supper Club

April 11, 2014January 22, 2016 » by Ashley » Theme: Comfort Food

Bourbon Whipped Cream

Bourbon Whipped Cream
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen – Ashley Covelli

2 cups (1 pint) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons premium bourbon (I prefer Maker’s Mark)

Pour cream into a large bowl and whip with a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) on medium-high speed. Once it starts to thicken, slowly add sugar until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and bourbon and whip until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-mix (or you’ll end up with bourbon butter, which actually sounds pretty good… I’ll file that away for future use).

Serve immediately.

Notes:
-If you have a few minutes to spare, chill your bowl in the freezer for a few minutes before you start.
-If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can do this in a large, chilled bowl with a wire whisk – it’s a great arm workout!

April 11, 2014January 22, 2016 » by Ashley » Theme: Comfort Food

Chocolate Whiskey Bundt Cake

Chocolate Whiskey Bundt Cake
Gourmet September 2005

Yield: Makes 12 to 14 servings

Most of the alcohol in this cake cooks off, but a distinct whiskey flavor remains.

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process) plus 3 tablespoons for dusting pan
1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
1/2 cup American whiskey
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Special equipment: a 10-inch bundt pan (3 1/4 inches deep; 3-qt capacity)
Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream
Garnish: confectioners sugar for dusting

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter bundt pan well, then dust with 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, knocking out excess.

Heat coffee, whiskey, butter, and remaining cup cocoa powder in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, whisking, until butter is melted. Remove from heat, then add sugar and whisk until dissolved, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool 5 minutes.

While chocolate mixture cools, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together eggs and vanilla in a small bowl, then whisk into cooled chocolate mixture until combined well. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined (batter will be thin and bubbly). Pour batter into bundt pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

Cool cake completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. Loosen cake from pan using tip of a dinner knife, then invert rack over pan and turn cake out onto rack.

Cooks’ note:
This cake improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead and kept, in a cake keeper or wrapped well in plastic wrap, at cool room temperature. It can be made up to 5 days ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

February 8, 2014July 30, 2014 » by Michael » Theme: Ingredient Grab-Bag

Raspberry Sorbet with Ginger and Mint

Published July 1, 2012. From Cook’s

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

For our raspberry sorbet recipe, we super-chilled the base and used just the right ratio of sugars to water to ensure the finest-textured ice crystals possible. We also bumped up the berries’ natural amount of pectin to give the sorbet stability both in the freezer and out

MAKES 1 QUART

Super-chilling part of the sorbet base before transferring it to the ice cream machine will keep ice crystals to a minimum. If using a canister-style ice cream machine, be sure to freeze the empty canister for at least 24 hours and preferably 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating machines, prechill the canister by running the machine for five to 10 minutes before pouring in the sorbet mixture. Allow the sorbet to sit at room temperature for five minutes to soften before serving. Fresh or frozen berries may be used. If using frozen berries, thaw them before proceeding. Make certain that you use Sure-Jell engineered for low- or no-sugar recipes (packaged in a pink box) and not regular Sure-Jell (in a yellow box).

INGREDIENTS

1cup ginger beer
1teaspoon Sure-Jell for low-sugar recipes(I could only find regular so that’s what I used)
1/8teaspoon salt
20ounces (4 cups) raspberries
1(2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced thin
1/4cup mint leaves
1/2cup sugar
1/4cup light corn syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine ginger beer, Sure-Jell, and salt in medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until Sure-Jell is fully dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and allow mixture to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

2. Process raspberries, ginger, mint, sugar, corn syrup, and ginger beer mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer 1 cup mixture to small bowl and place remaining mixture in large bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap. Place large bowl in refrigerator and small bowl in freezer and cool completely, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. (Small bowl of base will freeze solid.)

3. Remove mixtures from refrigerator and freezer. Scrape frozen base from small bowl into large bowl of base. Stir occasionally until frozen base has fully dissolved. Transfer mixture to ice cream machine and churn until mixture has consistency of thick milkshake and

4. Transfer sorbet to airtight container, pressing firmly to remove any air pockets, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Serve. (Sorbet can be frozen for up to 5 days.

RECIPE TESTING

PROBLEM 1: TOO HARD TO SCOOP

THE TESTS: VARY WATER AND SUGAR AMOUNTS

For sorbet that’s soft enough to scoop, some water should freeze but some should remain liquid and “free” to flow between the ice crystals, providing the sensation of creaminess. Added water and sugar are critical. Water ensures that there’s enough of it in the mix to remain free. Sugar aids the process by getting in the way of the water freezing.

**ROCK SOLID:** Straight fruit puree with no added water or sugar freezes into an impenetrable mass.

**GETTING SOFTER:** A half cup of water plus ¾ cup of sugar creates some free water, and the sorbet starts to soften.

**JUST RIGHT:** One cup of water and nearly 1 cup of sugar and corn syrup produce a creamy, scoopable texture.

RECIPE TESTING

PROBLEM 2: ICY, GRAINY TEXTURE

THE TEST: SPEED UP FREEZE TIME

Big ice crystals turn sorbet grainy. Freezing the base as fast as possible is the antidote. First, it doesn’t give the base time to form large crystals. Second, once small “seed” crystals get started, they trigger a chain reaction, continuously turning more unfrozen water into equally tiny crystals.

**TRADITIONAL SLOW FREEZE:** When the whole base is transferred directly to the ice cream maker, it freezes slowly, giving large, grainy ice crystals time to form.

**FAST FREEZE:** Freezing 1 cup of the base allows it to freeze rapidly, forming small “seed” crystals. When it is combined with the refrigerated remainder, it initiates a chain reaction, causing more small crystals to form immediately.

RECIPE TESTING

PROBLEM 3: CRUMBLY TEXTURE, DULL TASTE

THE TESTS: CALIBRATE CHURN TIMES

Too much churning has a negative effect on the final texture of sorbet: Because the dessert has no fat or protein to stabilize the air bubbles incorporated during churning, longer churning times produce sorbets that are loose, crumbly, and dull-tasting.

**40 MINUTES:** Overchurned sorbet looks promisingly thick but freezes up crumbly and dull-tasting.

**30 MINUTES:** As the churning time is reduced, less air is incorporated, improving the texture of the final product.

**20 MINUTES:** Churning just long enough for the mixture to reach the consistency of a thick milkshake produces dense, flavorful sorbet.

RECIPE TESTING

PROBLEM 4: RAPID MELTING

THE TESTS: TRY STABILIZERS

Sorbet is prone to rapid melting once it is scooped and served. Commercial manufacturers stave off melting by incorporating ingredients like guar gum and locust bean gum that trap some of the free water so it won’t readily leak out at room temperature. Instead of those additives, we tried gelatin and pectin.