Eating Green Tea

This recipe couldn't be simpler to make--and the flavor couldn't be more complex to taste.

Take your favorite shortbread recipe (or use the one below) and add two tablespoons of green tea powder. (If you can't find Chinese green tea powder, which I couldn't, just take two tablespoons of regular green tea leaves and grind them in your spice grinder into a powder.)

The result is a delicate cookie, in texture, color, and flavor, a subtle combination of sweet and umami, the least know of the five basic flavors (in addition to sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) which is often associated with foods like shellfish, seaweed, cabbage, mushrooms, and Asian cuisine in general.

The recipe I used suggested rolling the dough thin and cutting it into leaves like these. Not having a leaf-shaped cookie cutter, I did thin moon shapes, and then larger and thicker heart shapes, and I found both sizes and thicknesses delicious.

Green Tea Shortbread
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons Chinese green-tea powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Sift flour, tea powder, and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar; continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add flour mixture; combine on low, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
Place a piece of parchment on a clean surface; dust with flour. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness; chill in refrigerator or freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Cut chilled dough with 2-inch leaf cutters. Using a wide spatula, transfer to baking sheets. Chill until firm. Gather scraps together, re-roll, chill, and cut shapes. Bake until firm and barely starting to color, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool completely on wire rack; store in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 weeks.

Rhubarb's Here!

I adore rhubarb.

Of course, I didn't know what it was for many years, and when I share my penchant for rhubarb with people, they often say, "Oh, yeah, I've heard of that.  What is it exactly?"

What it is exactly is an ancient vegetable that dates back to China. It was brought to the Northeastern U.S. in the early 1800s. Here in New York, we usually see it for about a month, beginning in late April. It looks like a long stalk of celery, ranging in color from pink to deep beet red, and has a unique slightly tart and fruity flavor.

Most often it's paired pleasantly with strawberries for a delicious sweet and sour combo. However, a couple of years ago, I had a residency at the Yaddo artists' colony where I was served the most delicious rhubarb pie--no strawberries, no nothing. Just tart rhubarb, with a rich pie crust. I decided to see if I could replicate that pie.

For my crust, I experimented with a pie dough my brother's been recommending to me, from America's Test Kitchen, which uses cold vodka rather than ice water. The vodka makes the dough easy to roll out, but then cooks out of the crust as it bakes, making it flaky and delicious.

For the filling, I used Mark Bittman's strawberry-rhubarb crisp recipe, though I omitted the strawberries. I thought about bumping up the sugar, but decided against it because I wanted extra tartness.

The result was a rich pie wit a deep savory fruit flavor, almost like a peach, except less sweet. In fact, I thought it wasn't quite sweet enough. Next time, I'm going to add a heaping quarter cup of sugar as well as decrease the lemon juice I used to see if I can get the taste just right. On the other hand, if you make it the way I did and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the warm pie, I think the sweet-to-tart ratio is perfect!

Foolproof Vodka Pie Crust
(from America's Test Kitchens)
Makes 1 9-inch double-crust pie

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp table salt
2 tbsp sugar
12 tbsp cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4 slices
1/2 cup COLD vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor to combine, then add butter and shortening and process until dough resembles cottage cheese curds and there's no uncoated flour. Add the rest of the flour to incorporate and then empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture, then with a rubber spatula, fold the mixture together until dough is tacky and sticks together.  Divide dough into two balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk.  Wrap and chill at least 45 minutes.

Rhubarb Pie Filling
(adapted from Mark Bittman)

2 lbs rhubarb, cut into small dice

3/4-1 cup white sugar (depending how tart you want your pie)

3 tbsp quick cooking tapioca

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1 tablespoon zest (about 1 lemon)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter cut into small cubes

Combine all ingredients except butter in a large bowl and let sit for 15 minutes to let the flavors combine.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and set a half-sheet pan lined with tin foil inside to warm up.  Roll out first half of pie crust and line 9-inch glass pie plate.  If you like, you can brush the dough with egg whites to help seal the bottom crust so it's not too soggy. Mound the filling inside the crust and dot with tiny cubes of butter. (This will add flavor and help to thicken the filling.)

Roll out a top crust, either as a lattice or as a regular round crust. Attach to top of pie and crimp with a fork around edges to seal. If using a regular top, cut vents to allow steam to escape.

Place filled pie on sheet pan and bake about 20 minutes, until crust starts to turn golden brown. Lower oven to 350 and continue baking another 40 minutes, until crust is a deep golden brown and juices are bubbling vigorously. (You'll be glad you've put the pie on a pan to catch the runoff!)

Let the pie cool at least an hour so the filling has time to thicken.  Great with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

Ultimate Lemon Bars

Though I'm a lemon lover, I'm not a lemon bar person. Generally I find the custard too sweet and cloying, aided and abetted by a mushy, sugary shortbread crust that tips the scales in the battle of tart versus sweet too far to the sweet side for my taste.

Then I tried these lemon bars with a brown butter shortbread crust. Now I'm a believer.

The extra step of browning the butter gives the crust an added depth of nutty flavor. I suspect it may even help keeping the crust firm, so that it can stand up to the lemony custard that gets added on top.

You might be tempted to use Meyer lemons in these, which I've never liked. To me they taste more like oranges than lemons, which perhaps explains why they were considered garbage years ago.  

Stick with the real thing. You'll be handsomely rewarded.

Lemon Bars with a Brown Butter Shortbread Crust

(via Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

For the Crust

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Pinch of salt

For the Filling

6 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 small lemon, finely grated

For Serving

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; line baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 3-inch overhang on all sides.

Make the crust: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until barely browned in color. Remove pan from heat and pour butter into the bowl of an electric mixer, leaving any burned sediment behind. Transfer butter to refrigerator until solidified. When solidified, remove from refrigerator and let soften slightly.


Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until butter is smooth. Sift flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt into bowl; mix on low speed until combined.

Transfer dough to prepared pan and press evenly into bottom of the pan using the back of a measuring cup; it should be about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to refrigerator; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Transfer baking pan to oven and bake until crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. If crust appears to be browning unevenly, rotate pan.

Make the filling: Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and sugar. Add lemon juice and zest; whisk to dissolve granulated sugar. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk until well combined.

When the crust is golden brown, pull out oven rack and evenly pour filling mixture directly over hot crust (if crust has finished baking before filling has been made, return crust to oven for a few minutes so that it is hot). If air bubbles appear on the surface, remove them using a kitchen torch held 4 to 5 inches from the surface, moving in a slow even motion. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake until center is set, 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove baking pan from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Let lemon bars cool completely before covering and transferring to refrigerator until chilled.

Using a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry, cut lemon bars into twenty-four 2-inch squares and dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving, if desired.

Lemon bars will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Pignoli Cookies--Nut a Mistake

The words "dessert" and "pine nuts" might not seem to go naturally together, but for Italian-American bakeries, pignoli cookies ("pignoli" is Italian for pine nuts) have been a longtime staple.

There are two tricks to making these. The first is to find almond paste, which is similar to marzipan, only much less sweet. One of my cooking instructors insists on using almond paste that comes in a can, like Solo, rather than from a tube, which he calls wax. My local grocery store occasionally carries it (and when they do, I stock up). You can also get it at cooking stores, Italian food stores, or online at Amazon.

After you mix the ingredients, a combination of the paste, granulated and confectioners' sugar, egg whites, vanilla, a bit of flour, and some salt, you end up with a super soft, sticky dough, so sticky in fact, that I worried I'd made a mistake the first time I made these. Here's where the second trick comes in. You need to scoop up tablespoon-sized balls of dough, and then press them into a bowl of pine nuts, so that the entire surface is covered in nuts, then transfer to a baking sheet. I ended up with a great deal of dough on my hands and in the bowl of pine nuts, even when I tried using "dampened fingers" as my recipe suggested. Next time, I may try flouring my hands or coating them in powdered sugar.

That's really it. You bake the cookies at 350 for about 12 minutes, until they're just just starting to turn golden brown on the edges. Don't let them go too much further, as you want a soft, tender cookie, with a strong almond flavor. The texture and sweetness is contrasts nicely with the slightly bitter crunch of the pine nuts.

Pignoli Cookies
(from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)

Yield:  18 cookies

7 ounces almond paste
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
2 large egg whites
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup pine nuts

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat almond paste and sugars, the add egg whites, vanilla, and finally the flour and salt, until a smooth paste forms. Dough will be sticky!

With floured or dampened hands (your call) scoop out balls of dough, 1 tbsp each, and dip into a bowl of pine nuts. Try to cover the surface evenly with pine nuts.  Place on baking sheets (pine nut-side up) 2 inches apart. Fill in any bare spots with remaining pine nuts.

Bake until cookies and nuts have just started to turn golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to wire rack to cool completely. Use a metal spatula to loosen the cookies CAREFULLY from the parchment. With a fine sieve, dust cookies with powdered sugar. Cookies can be kept in airtight container for up to 4 days, or frozen for 3 months.

Passover Dessert--Hold the Sponge Cake

photo by Anthony Palatta

With Passover comes the perennial dilemma of how to make desserts that A) have no flour or any other bread products and B) taste good.

There's no need to panic, or to resort to sponge cake. Here are a few options:

1.  Try a flourless chocolate cake or flourless cookie like these easy and delicious almendrados (pictures), which used ground up almonds instead of flour.

2.  Make a fruit cobbler, topped with a kosher for passover cake meal based crumble, mixed with butter (or margarine) and sugar.

3.  Make a lemon curd or lime curd (you can substitute margarine for butter). Whip up non-dairy whipped cream topping and fold the curd into the whipped cream to make a lemon or lime mousse. Serve with fruit. Or use as a topping for store-bought kosher for passover pound cake or--gasp--sponge cake.

4. Chocolate bark.  Melt some chocolate in a baking pan, drop nuts or dried fruit, and let it cool, then break into shards. 

5. Vegetarian or dairy-based meal?  Creme brulee!

A Dessert for Coffee Lovers

If you crossed a cappuccino with a cupcake, this is what you'd end up with:  a dense, fluffy cake scented with espresso, topped with a foamy marshmallow frosting.

Did I mention there are chocolate chips in the batter?

The recipe is one of the variations on a basic vanilla cake recipe in Everyday Food this month. After you follow the directions, add 2 tablespoons of hot water to 3 tablespoons of espresso grounds, mix, and then add to the batter, along with 5 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped into chip-sized shards.

The recipe says you end up with 24 cupcakes, but I got 40.

Once cooled, the cupcakes get topped with a basic whipped egg white frosting, to which I added a half teaspoon of vanilla for extra flavor. You can pipe it onto the cupcakes or spread it in a smooth puddle, like the foam on a cappuccino. Shave some chocolate on top for decoration, and you're done!

Chocolate Cappuccino Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 tablespoons of hot water

3 tablespoons of instant espresso powder

5 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped, plus more for grating

Frosting

3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 36 standard cupcake tins with paper liners. 

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla and espresso mixed with water. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined, then fold in chocolate.

Divide batter between cupcake tins. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out just clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, about 17 minutes. Loosen any cupcakes sticking to the pan, and then invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.

To make frosting, in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not overbeat), about 3 minutes; reduce speed to low, add vanilla extract, and beat just until whites form medium-stiff glossy peaks. Frost cupcakes, then grate some chocolate on top.

Classic Birthday Cake

Remember when you were a kid, and at your birthday party, your mom would bring out some fluffy yellow cake, rich and buttery, slathered in soft, delicate frosting and sprinkled with confetti sprinkles?

This is that cake.

I found the recipe in the dessert cookbook published by the bakery Amy's Bread, which sells slices of this incredibly luscious cake paired with a rich, thick frosting so sugary it practically burns the roof of your mouth. I was a bit daunted by the complicated recipe (which calls for "poured fondant"), so I went for a simple swiss buttercream that's delicious but very light, maybe even a bit too light for some.

For me, it's all good.

photo by Anthony Palatta

The recipe, titled "Simply Delicious Yellow Cake," lists its ingredients by volume as well as grams and ounces for those of you with a kitchen scale.  For convenience, I'm listing them by volume, but you can find the other measurements on p. 169 of the book, which is well worth the investment.

Simply Delicious Yellow Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups and 3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 3/4 cups and 2 teaspoons sugar
5 eggs

Frosting of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 x 2 cake pans with baking spray that contains both oil and flour, then line the bottoms with rounds of baking parchment and lightly spray the parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk them gently for even distribution. In a separate bowl combine the milk and vanilla.

Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until it is light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs gradually, mixing well after each addition, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl often.

Reduce the mixing speed to LOW and add the flour mixture to the butter in 3 parts, alternating with 2 parts of the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until it is evenly incorporated. This is a thick, fluffy batter, resembling whipped cream. There should not be any lumps or dry pockets of flour remaining. If the batter has a curdled appearance it has not been mixed enough. Increase the speed to medium and mix for another minute or until it is thick and fluffy.

Divide the batter equally between the 2 prepared cake pans. The pans should be about 2/3 full. Smooth the batter so it fills the pans evenly. Place the pans on the center rack in the preheated oven. Bake them for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is almost ready to pull away from the side of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate the layers carefully from front to back after 20 minutes for even baking.

Cool the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack that has been sprayed with cooking spray and lift off the pans. To prevent cracking, carefully right each layer so the top side is up and the parchment-lined bottom is down. Cool them on the rack completely. Before frosting, be sure to remove the parchment from the bottom of each layer.

To assemble the cake, place one layer, top side down, on a flat serving plate. Cut several 4-inch-wide strips of parchment or waxed paper to slide under the edge of the laer to keep the plate clean. Using a thin metal spatula, spread the top of this cake round with 1/2-inch thick layer of frosting, leaving a 1/4-inch unfrosted border around the edge. Place the second layer top side up on the first, aligning the layers evenly. Spread a generous layer of frosting around the sides of the cake, rotating the plate as you work so you're not reaching around the cake to frost the other side. Try not to let any loose crumbs get caught in the frosting. Let the frosting extend about 1/4 inch above the top of the cake.

Starting in the center of the cake, cover the top with a generous layer of frosting, taking it all the way to the edge and merging it with the frosting on the sides. Try to use a forward-moving, circular motion, not a back-and-forth motion to avoid lifting the top skin of the cake. Rotate the plate as necessary. Use the spatula or a spoon to make decorative swirls. Slide the pieces of paper out from under the edge of the cake and discard them. Store the cake at room temperature, preferably under a cake dome, for up to 3 days.