Blood Orange Madeira Bundt Cake with Grand Marnier

I came across some blood oranges and thought to use them for a dessert, and I used them in a Madeira cake recipe with some modifications. 

Ingredients:

• 10 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra (melted) for greasing 
• 1 tbsp corn syrup
• 3-4 small blood oranges 
• 1 medium  orange (enough to yield 2-3 tbsp of juice)
• 3 tbsp of Greek yogurt 
• 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier
• 3 brown eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar (normal recipe calls for 3/4 cups but I prefer less sugar)
• 1 1/2  cup of flour (I used cake flour, but white flour will do also)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt

Directions:Preheat the oven to 325F.Soak the oranges in water, unless using organic oranges, which can be rinsed.Remove the rind from 2 oranges (one yellow and one blood orange),  and set aside.Peel the blood oranges and cut off as much of the pith as possible (since that is the bitter part of the orange). Slice the oranges into even, relatively thin (less than 1/4 inch thick) slices.Grease a standard (ring) bundt cake pan by brushing the butter inside the pan, including the creases.Spoon the syrup into the bottom.Arrange overlapping slices of the blood oranges over the syrup all around the bottom of the pan.With a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture curdling.Sift the flour along  with the baking powder and salt and gently fold in, alternating with the yogurt.Mix in the orange juice and Grand Marnier, and fold in the orange rind.Spoon the mixture into the pan and smooth the surface.Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until firm and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.Cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Invert the cake on wire rack  and cool completely.Slice and serve with honey drizzle,  a Grand Marnier sauce, or simply as is. Can be refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days, and served slightly warmed. 

Sweet Potato Spelt Rum Bundt Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Ganache

I had several sweet potatoes in my pantry that were yearning to be cooked, and I went back and forth in my head as to whether to bake a pie, or a cheesecake. I eventually settled on a bundt-cake, since it was more amenable to vegan alternatives, and also baking a cake would require  less effort than a cheesecake, as with the latter I would have had to prepare the cookie crust in addition to the batter.  

First, a few notes:

Most recipes with sweet potatoes, as with most fall ingredients, have added cinnamon, or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg as default spices. But you will not see any cinnamon in most of my dessert recipes,  because in my opinion it is so overpowering, that you mostly taste the cinnamon and not the main flavor after which the recipe is named, whether pumpkin,  sweet potato, or apples.

In the US, cinnamon is so widely used as a default ingredient to accompany certain fillings, that people are probably so used to it that they don’t realize that it actually covers, rather than enhance, the main flavor. Many may disagree with me on this, and perhaps, in part because cinnamon evokes childhood memories, from the first gingerbread, to s’mores around a campfire, to grandma’s homemade apple pie. But to me, it is so pervasive, that I like to escape from it, and I do so in my kitchen.  

So this sweet potato recipe is sans powdered spices, but it has freshly grated ginger instead,  although you can substitute or add the other spices as dictated by your taste buds.    

If you cannot do without cinnamon or nutmeg, I would recommend at least  using real cinnamon sticks and pulverize them in a mortar and pestle, and use real nutmeg and grate it on the spot. I would stay away from store-bought powdered spices, as most of them have a stale undertone.  

For this recipe, I used mostly spelt flour, since I was low on all-purpose flour and I wanted to bake my cake right then, without needing another grocery trip.  Using spelt flour  increases the nutritional value of this dessert, as it is rich in minerals, such as copper, iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus, and also dietary fiber. But by all means, you can opt for an all white all-purpose flour cake.

I am also listing vegan alternatives in the ingredients, for an equally amazing vegan cake option.

Here I used the creaming method of mixing the mashed potatoes and oil with the sugar, and then adding the eggs.  I am certain that the egg foaming method, in which the eggs are beaten with the sugar first, will yield an equally awesome cake.  I just went with what I felt most comfortable with, but I may try the foaming method next time, just to see which one I prefer.

Lastly, I use about half the sugar of most recipes, which call for 2 cups, whereas I use 1 cup. You can probably go somewhere in between, but 2 cups is way too much sugar in my opinion.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup of sifted spelt flour

½ cup of sifted all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of wheat germ

1 tablespoon baking powder (or 1 tsp each of baking powder and baking soda)

1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups of mashed, sweet potatoes

3 eggs

⅔  cup of dark rum

½  room temperature water (for a vegan option) or milk

¾  cups of brown sugar

¼ cup of granulated sugar

¾  cup vegetable oil (for a vegan option) or melted unsalted butter, or ½ oil ½ butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries

For the chocolate ganache:

About 4.4  ounces of dark chocolate (I used 10 squares of Trader Joes’ "Pound Plus Imported from Belgium dark chocolate")

1 tablespoon of corn syrup or agave nectar

about 4 tablespoons of sour cream

water or milk as needed, to dilute the ganache

Special equipment: bundt pan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 10-cup bundt pan with melted butter or oil spray. I recommend brushing the oil or butter in every nook and cranny of the bundt pan with a kitchen brush.  Covering every area of the bundt pan will ensure that parts of your cake will not stick to the pan when you flip it over after baking. Also, before flouring the pan, make sure that all the extra grease has dripped off of it, otherwise you will end up with little puddles of grease at the bottom of the pan, which will result in flattened peaks. Once the pan is evenly coated with the oil or butter, then add some flour and ensure it coats the whole pan. Remove excess flour by flipping the pan over the sink and tapping it gently. Now the pan is ready for the batter.

In a bowl, whisk together the flours, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt. Set the mixture aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the the sweet potatoes, the oil (or melted butter) and sugar using an electric mixer, until smooth. Mix in the  rum, grated ginger,  and water (or milk). Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Do not overmix. Beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended. Again, do not overmix. Fold in the dried fruit.  Transfer batter to the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes and invert onto a serving platter or cake stand.

While the cake is cooling, make the ganache:

Melt the chocolate and milk, or water,  in a saucepan on low heat directly on the stove  or double boiler. While whisking constantly, add the syrup and the sour cream and continue whisking until well incorporated. If it’s very runny, let it sit for a minute or so to thicken, if it’s too dense, add more milk or water and whisk again until incorporated. Drizzle over the cake.

For a vegan alternative, omit the sour cream and use vegan chocolate. I do not have experience with vegan sour cream so I am not sure how it would fare being heated.

Lastly, instead of chocolate ganache, one can drizzle with a rum glaze, which can be made with vegan butter.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (or vegan butter)

2 to 3 tablespoons dark rum

2 cups confectioners' sugar

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan with the rum. Remove from the heat and whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Summer Zucchini and Blueberries bread

With amazing taste, texture and fragrance, as well as being healthy, this bread will have you come back for more and more. And it is simple to make. This is a variation of the classic zucchini bread. It has more whole grain, less sugar, and added blueberries, which not only compliment the overall flavor with their tartness, but they add more antioxidants to this delicious bread. Instead of cinnamon, which I believe makes every cake/bread taste the same, as, in my opinion, instead of bringing out the flavor of the main ingredient it masks it, I add lemon zest, which adds to the fragrance and freshness. 

Ingredients

2 cups for shredded zucchini (from about 4 medium zucchini)

3/4 cup of fresh blueberries

1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour (sifted)

1/2 of whole wheat flour

1 cup of raw sugar (or your preferred ratio of granulated sugar and brown sugar)

2 eggs

1/4 cup of vegetable oil + 2 tbsp  of melted butter

1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (optional)

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

the zest of one organic lemon

a few tablespoons of sunflower seeds (optional)

a few tablespoons of pistachios

a pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat oven at 325F

In a medium bowl, with a handheld mixer at high speed, or a tabletop mixer, mix the eggs, sugar, oil/butter, until smooth (about a minute or so).  Add the flours, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and mix at lower speed until fully incorporated. You will have a very thick mixture, which is needed to offset the wetness of the zucchini that you are about to incorporate. Fold in the zucchini with a spatula until evenly incorporated, then fold in the sunflower seeds, pistachios and lemon zest. 

Pour the evenly mixed batter in a plum cake mold which has been buttered and floured (unless it is guaranteed non-stick).

Bake at 325F in the middle rack  for about 1 hour, or until golden brown and/or if you run a toothpick through the cake it comes out dry.

Cooking time may vary depending on the oven, so it is good to check your bread about 1/2 way.

Once ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing and serving.

It tastes great accompanied with a dollop of  plan FAGE or Siggi's yogurt and some honey drizzle.

Enjoy

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Chronicle of a Cookbook

Three  years ago, when I asked my friend Stefanie whether she might be  interested in doing the photography for my cookbook, I could have not anticipated what we may getting ourselves into. I had not had a chance to thoroughly research this culinary endeavor,  other than a semi-abstract idea of what I envisioned the book to be, namely, a collection of original  recipes, beautiful photography,  and some of my father’s paintings of individual ingredients. Over the course of the last three years, I spent countless of days and nights forming ideas in my head about what the direction and focus of the book should be, as well as researching and developing innovative recipes that were exciting visually, texturally and with flavor combinations that complemented one another, all while reconciling my “Tuscan” background  with my  exposure to cuisines from around the world, from which I draw heavily.  

Even though we may have not known it at the time, we later realized that no culinary feat was insurmountable, and so our cookbook adventure began, not with an ensemble of chefs, sous-chefs, food preps, photographers, and food stylists, but rather, just Stefanie and I. The photographer, armed with her camera, a great sense of style and styling skills, professionalism, dedication, and a calmness that counteracted my intensity; and I, the accidental chef, with my creativity, imagination, perfectionism, cooking skills, and an obsessive passion for food; a mad scientist in the kitchen.  

We strived for a food presentation that,  even though artistic, was  an honest representation of each recipe. No unrealistic tricks,  like undercooking, or using fake food. Every dish that was photographed was prepared with the intention of being consumed afterward, in part, not to be wasteful, and secondly, to ensure that the dishes that would be published were not only pleasing to the eyes, but also to the palate, so that we truly believed in each and every recipe. Having said that, with each shoot we learned new and useful styling techniques, which improved our presentation with each dish.  Even though all the dishes have been finally photographed, I feel like I could keep going, as I find great excitement in creating new dishes and presenting them beautifully.

But let me not get ahead of myself...

So what is this cookbook about?

The book's main focus is the use of fresh, locally available ingredients, with special emphasis on flavors, colors and new flavor combinations, drawing mainly from Italian, Indian and Japanese cuisines, culminating in complex, yet harmonious, dishes that are beautifully photographed, with almost an ethereal feel, which in my opinion is a signature of the photography of my partner in crime, Stefanie.

This cookbook is a true collaboration between the artist photographer and the artist cook, both having contributed to its development and execution. This book represents us, our vision, our passion, our complementing styles. From enticing starters to seductive desserts, this gem will be a pleasure to venture into.

Here is a little taste of what the reader will be treated to...

And for kicks, I thought it would be fun to share two contrasting images from one of our many on location shoots. After a ten-hour marathon, making several dishes, and using countless pots, pans, plates, while constantly running the dishwasher, after several suspenseful moments, as we strove for plating perfection, under the pressure of the clock, as I still had to play mom to my three children, it is curious to see the contrast between the neatness and calm in front of the camera, compared with the intensity of the kitchen.

A true labor of culinary love.

Tiramisu' in a ramekin

This version of tiramisu' is with amaretti instead of ladyfingers, which convey a more complex flavor and texture. Plus the round shape of the amaretti is a perfect fit for ramekins. The dose below is for 6 servings, so you will need 6 ramekins.  

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
4 tbsp granulated sugar (or caster sugar, preferably)
8 oz of good mascarpone (either a true Italian brand (not just italian sounding) or the fresh mascarpone from Whole Foods
14 amaretti
1 pinch of salt
about 1 tbsp of dark rum (optional but recommended)
good quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
unsweetened powdered chocolate for dusting
freshly made espresso (unsweetened)-enough to soak the amaretti

Directions:

Using a mixer (either a hand mixer or stand mixer) at high speed, make a sabayon with the egg yolks and sugar and until they form a thick cream

fold in the mascarpone and mix at low speed until smooth and no lumps  (this may take a few minutes but do not increase the speed because the cream will separate)

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites (to which you have added a pinch of salt) until they form soft peaks (note, you won't be using all of the egg whites, probably just half of the yield)

Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone cream and mix in with a spatula until well incorporated.

mix in the rum

chop the chocolate for layering and shred some for dusting on top along with the powdered chocolate (I chopped the chocolate on a cutting board with a kitchen knife, and shredded some with the small hole shredder side of a grater )

Soak the amaretti in the espresso, then  place them  at the bottom of the ramekins (one amaretto per ramekin)
spoon one layer of the mascarpone cream
sprinkle with the chopped chocolate
place another espresso soaked amaretto on top
spoon another layer of mascarpone cream
dust with the shredded chocolate and powdered chocolate
place the ramekin on a tray and cover with clear wrap
refrigerate for a few hours

Serve and enjoy :o)

Fruit Tart (crostata di frutta)

Shortcrust recipes are plentiful, so I am not attempting to reinvent the wheel, but I thought you might find my tips useful.

When making a fruit tart, you can choose from slightly different shortcrust  (fastafrolla)  recipes.  Most American shortcrust recipes use cold water as the binder, whereas the Italian version uses egg yolks, which gives the crust more of a yellow color.  I have also seen recipes with a combination of the two (some water and one egg yolk). If following a sweet shortcrust recipe, I recommend using no more than 1 tablespoon of sugar, otherwise the tart will end up being too sweet.I also prefer to add lemon zest to the dough, which confers an extra level of flavor that complements the fruit topping. For the filling, I either use homemade egg custard (crema pasticcera), or a combination of egg custard and fresh whipped cream (whipped cream, powdered sugar), combined together at a ratio of about 2:1. If your cream is too runny, you can also add a bit of gelatin to it to thicken it. Then top your cream creatively with your favorite fruit, and finish off with gelatin or powdered sugar if you wish.You will be sure to impress your guests. Enjoy!