So I got this neat new recipe book “Baking with Julia” which is a collection of recipes based on Julia Child’s PBS series and written with the help of various “hip” pastry chefs. The book is phenomenal since it explains the basics of every recipe and any/all problems that may arise while making each particular baked good. There’s pictures for almost every item (which for anyone trying a dish out for the first time could be a life saver) and there’s a very wide range of pastries to be baked.
Tonight I was craving lots of chocolate so I decided to make the flourless chocolate cake in the book: “BOCA NEGRA”. The direct translation is “black mouth” which apparently is what you’re supposed to get once eating this cake due to the high amounts of chocolate in it. It basically breaks down to using a fair amount of quality bittersweet chocolate, some sugar, eggs, burbon and butter. All great ingredients and therefore the quality of the cake should be no suprise. And to make things even simpler, the whole thing can be made in the food processor and therefore only takes about 10 min for prep before it gets thrown in the oven. I was pleasantly suprised when the final product turned out almost identical to that in the book, not a fussy/overly attractive cake but one that definitely satisfies any sweet tooth.
Also decided to get a little fancy and made a raspberry whipped cream to go with the cake. Figured a little tarty taste from the raspberry would go well with the cake…. Well, we’ll just say that the whipped cream was a slight fail… the idea was good but there’s no way to get a very strong raspberry taste without de-pouffing (new word) the whipped cream… a raspberry coulis (although lost in appearance with the cake) will definitely compliment the chocolate goodness even more.
Finally, I wanted to see which candied citrus would hold up best… I know, I know, waaay too random but i was very curious. Tried clementines, limes and lemons and came up with a sure winner. Clementines held up best in colour and in sweetness! In case you’re wondering how I made them all…. I made a simple syrup (sugar and water) and dipped all the sliced fruits in it then placed them on a parchment lined cookie tray. Covered them with another piece of parchment and another tray (for weight) and baked them for 1 hour @ 225 (low low heat). Then I removed the weight and top parchment and cooked them for about another 20-30 minutes flipping them once in a while. You have to be careful cause the syrup covering them can burn very easily if the temp is too high.
Judging by this first recipe tried, I’d say the book is definitely a must have! I’ll keep you posted as I work my way through all the recipes… I think bread is next
