LtDan'sKitchen.com

Monday, January 9, 2012

Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake

I cannot believe my luck that typing in "truffle cake" on the web will result to the actual recipe of the cake I'm trying to recreate. I'm talking about the Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake from Papa Haydn in Portland, Oregon. This cake is what I ordered when I visited my friend Shiela and her family. After dinner, we took off for a heart to heart talk over two slices of cake and two cups of tea as we were won't to do way back then. Jeff, her husband was happy enough to keep an eye on their little baby at home while we poured out our fears and talked about life just like old times.

The truffle cake was good but I always thought, it could be better. Don't get me wrong, the cake was delicious. However, it came sliced probably about 1/4 of an inch so you cannot really savor the cake itself other than the chocolate layers. The cake was covered in dark chocolate ganache which was delicious due to the fact that it was not overly sweet. The recipe I'm using to recreate the cake is from Kimberly Sklar and was apparently born out of a happy accident. I chose this since it closely resembled the one I had in Portland but I have to say, this version is a bit on the sweet side so I'm anticipating a second version at some point that is heavily modified. The cake is good but just too sweet for my liking.

Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake - Adapted*

Cake:

10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp espresso powder
1 cup water
2/3 cup crème fraîche
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

White Chocolate Ganache:
1 lb white chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Dark Chocolate Ganache:
2 2/3 cups plus 4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/4 lb bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tbsp brandy

Milk Chocolate Ganache:
1 lb milk chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp brandy

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 15-by-12-inch jelly roll pans and
    line the bottoms with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, melt 6
    ounces of the chopped chocolate with the butter and vanilla over very
    low heat, stirring gently. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat
    and let cool slightly.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa with the water and bring to a

boil, whisking constantly. Let cool slightly, then whisk the mixture into

the melted chocolate. Whisk in the crème fraîche.

3. In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs, egg yolks and both sugars at

medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the

chocolate mixture.

4. Sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt over the

chocolate mixture and fold into the cake batter with a large spatula until

fully incorporated. Fold the remaining chocolate.

5. Spread the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the lower

and middle third of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the centers

spring back when lightly pressed. Shift the pans halfway through baking.

Let the cakes cool completely in the pans.

6. In a small sauce pan over medium low heat, heat the heavy cream until

small bubbles appear around the edges. Pour over the white chocolate

and butter in a small bowl and stir until the butter and chocolate are

    melted. Add the brandy and set the bowl in a cool place until the
    ganache is firm enough to hold its shape, at least 1 hour. Mix in the
    cocoa powder.

7. In a small sauce pan over medium low heat, heat the heavy cream until

small bubbles appear around the edges. Pour over the milk chocolate

and butter in a small bowl and stir until the butter and chocolate are

melted. Set the bowl in a cool place until the ganache is firm enough to

hold its shape, at least 1 hour.

8. In a small sauce pan over medium low heat, heat the heavy cream until

small bubbles appear around the edges. Pour over the dark chocolate

and butter in a small bowl and stir until the butter and chocolate is

melted. Add the brandy and set the bowl in a cool place until the

ganache is firm enough to hold its shape, at least 1 hour.

9. Cut out a 5-by-11-inch cardboard rectangle. Place a sheet of parchment

or wax paper over each cake and top with a flat cookie sheet or cutting

board. Invert the cakes and remove the pans. Keeping the paper

attached, trim each cake to an even 15-by-11-inch rectangle, then cut

each cake into three 5-by-11-inch rectangles; you will have 6 rectangles.

10. Spoon a small dollop of the milk chocolate ganache onto the cardboard

rectangle and transfer one cake rectangle to it; peel off the paper. This

will be the base. Spread half of the white chocolate ganache on the base

and top with another cake rectangle. Peel off the paper and spread a

fourth of the dark chocolate ganache on the cake and top with another

cake layer, peeling off the parchment. Spread with 1 1/4 cups of the milk

chocolate ganache. Repeat with 2 more layers, peeling the parchment off

the cake rectangles and spreading them with the remaining white

chocolate ganache and dark chocolate ganache.

11. Keep the sides even as you build the cake by smoothing them out with a
    metal cake spatula. Top with the final cake rectangle and peel off the
    parchment. Coat the sides and top of the cake with a smooth layer of
    chocolate frosting. Refrigerate briefly to set the cake and spread with
    the remaining dark chocolate ganache over the cake. Carefully transfer
    the cake (on its cardboard base) to a platter and refrigerate until firm.
    Using a hot knife, cut the cake into slices while cold and let come to
    room temperature before serving.

*Kimberly Sklar Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake

Chicken Galantina ( A Simplified Version)

I have a post on Chicken Galantina that I made two Christmas ago but it was a bit of the fussy kind. I finally made a newer version where not only the cooking process was made simpler, the amount of filling used was also simplified to three main ingredients: pork sausage, ham, and bacon. The end result has a bit of an Italian flair but it was really moist and oh so good. This new version also allows you to make a thick gravy that is equally good as the chicken so I'm hoping you guys give this dish a try.

One prerequisite is that you have to know how to partially debone a chicken. By partial, I mean that the main bones including the thigh bones are removed except for the drumstick and the wing part. The reason for leaving the last two parts intact is more for aesthetics but you can definitely go the whole distance and completely debone the bird. However, I have learned that leaving the drumstick intact allows you to reshape the bird like it was not deboned but rather, just stuffed just like an ordinary roasted chicken. Also, after deboning the chicken, take the bones with the neck and liver and in a large pot, boil in about 5-6 cups of water together with big chunks of carrots, celery and onions to make a broth. Season with salt and pepper.

This is best cooked a bit on the early side especially the filling which improves the taste the longer it sits. The filling needs the time to come together not just in texture but also in flavor. You also need to give the roasted bird time to rest and cool down a bit. This is necessary to ensure that the filling do not fall apart when sliced into serving portions and helps keep the bird moist. Having a warm gravy poured over each serving also adds to the moistness of the chicken.

Chicken Galantina (A Simplified Version)

4-5 lbs chicken, deboned
1/2 lb bacon strips
1 lb pork sausage
1 lb cooked ham, finely minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 large onion, finely diced
2 eggs
1/4 cup sherry or dry wine
1/3 cup diced pistachios
salt and pepper
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1/4 cup olive oil

Gravy:
2 carrots, cut into wedges
4 stalks celery, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 large onion, peeled and cut into eights
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter
low sodium broth

1. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, diced ham, grated carrots, onions,
    eggs and sherry. Season gingerly with salt and pepper. Both the ham and
    sausage are already flavored so go easy on the salt. Let filling sit for
    about 30 minutes.

2. Lay the chicken cut
    side up and season with
    salt and pepper.
    Arrange the bacon until
    every exposed chicken
    meat is covered with
    bacon. Sprinkle with
    half the pistachios. Top
    with about half or two
    thirds of the filling
    mixture and sprinkle
    the rest of the nuts.
    Bring the two ends
    of the chicken together
    and seal using toothpicks or by threading the seams together with a
    kitchen twine. Tie both ends of the drumsticks to make sure they
    stay in place. Set aside the rest of the filling mixture.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a baking pan, layer the carrots, celery sticks
    and onions and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the stuffed
    chicken over them and make sure to tuck the wings under. Brush the
    chicken with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper and the
    Herbes de Provence.

4. Bake uncovered for two hours turning the baking pan several times to
    ensure even roasting. Bring the pan out and spoon the roasted
    vegetables and some of the drippings into a saucepan. Cover the
    chicken with foil loosely and return to the oven. Bake for another 30
    minutes. Check for doneness and the oven thermometer should clock
    175°F as an internal temperature. Let it rest for about 30 minutes.

To make the gravy, cook the roasted vegetables over high heat until caramelized. Add the butter and flour and mix well. Add 2 cups of broth and stir until mixed. Off the heat, mash the vegetable mix over a sieve into a glass bowl. Add more broth if necessary. Return the thick gravy into the saucepan and adjust the flavor with salt and pepper. If too thick, add more broth or water. Keep warm.

To carve the chicken, remove the toothpicks or the twine prior to slicing into serving portions. Cut the drumstick and the wing part first. Breast side up, cut the bird in half and turn each piece sideways before cutting into 1-inch thick slices. Arrange each serving slice neatly into a serving platter. Garnish with parsley and serve the gravy on the side. Rice pilaf and roasted vegetables makes excellent side dishes to this dish.

Note:
The filling is enough to stuff two birds but you can also make meatballs with them. I'll feature a post soon on what to do with the leftover filling mixture that is both economical and delicious.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Lou Malnati's Salad

I was planning to update the Lou Malnati's Italian dressing post I published last week but I decided to write a separate post instead. There are a few things that needed to be discussed so I figured it was worth another post. To start, I did find Burgundy wine without having to buy a jug of this wine and it actually tasted okay. I cannot drink it on the side due to my medication but I can definitely use it on sauces that require a robust red wine. The wine itself has a mild spiciness to it which makes it the perfect wine to create this dressing.

Another thing to note is that the dressing with Burgundy wine actually turns a thick pinkish red emulsion which I did not observe when I used Chardonnay. Also, if you can, use Mexican oregano for the recipe because it has a much stronger flavor and it holds well in such a strongly flavored dressing. the final note on this post is the amount of sugar I used. The dressing I think is okay with 1 tablespoon of white sugar but the salad we ordered at the restaurant was sweet in contrast to the rest of the ingredients. For this dressing, I ended up using 5 tablespoons of sugar. However, I can suggest that you follow the 1 tablespoon of sugar in the original recipe but add more white sugar to the salad until you achieve the desired balance of tartness and sweetness.


Red Wine Vinegar in Olive Oil Copyright 2012 LtDan’sKitchen blogs

I'm still excited actually to try out this salad to my friends here in Montana. It was a hit to my family and their friends in Illinois and it was certainly a hit to me and my friends when we dined at Lou Malnati's so I'm confident that it will continue to impress. And to make sure that you have fun while making this dressing, I suggest that you start by adding the red wine vinegar to the olive oil and you'll see something quite spectacular.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Arancini (Stuffed Rice Balls)

This is a repeat of an old post but this updated version was made adding my own slight modifications to the original recipe from Lidia's blog. The first time I made this appetizer, I used my extra Bolognese sauce for the filling but I finally made my own and I also modified the way the rice is cooked by simplifying the cooking method. The whole process is a bit involved but it is definitely worth the effort to making these stuffed morsels.

Arancini (Stuffed Rice Balls) - Adapted*

Ragu:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb ground beef
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
¼ cup celery, finely diced
¼ cup carrots, grated
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
¼ cup tomato paste
½ tsp hot red pepper, crushed
¼ tsp thyme
½ tsp oregano
1 cup frozen peas

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onion

and cook until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the beef and

season with salt and pepper and cook until the water has evaporated and

the meat and onion begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme

and oregano and mix well.

2. Stir in the carrots and celery and continue cooking until the vegetables are

tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper

and water. Adjust the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about

15 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and continue to cook

uncovered until thick, about 15 minutes.

3. Stir in the peas and cook for one minutes. Remove from heat and cool to

room temperature. Set aside.

Rice:
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups arborio rice, or other short grain rice
4 large eggs
2 cups Pecorino Romano, grated

1. Bring the stock and 2 tablespoons olive oil to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in

the rice, return the water to a boil. Cook the rice uncovered, until the

liquid is almost gone. Decrease the heat to low and cover the pan and

cook for another 15 minutes or until the rice is al dente.

2. Drain the rice and spread out on a tray to cool to room temperature.

When the rice is cool, scrape it back into a mixing bowl and beat in the

eggs and the grated cheese.

To Coat and Fry the Rice Balls:

3 eggs

1-2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs

⅔ cup vegetable oil

⅓ cup olive oil, plus extra for frying

Take a handful of the cooled rice mixture and shape it into a small ball in the palm of your hand. Make a well in the center of the ball and drop in 1 tablespoon of the ragu. Work the rice so that it completely encloses the ragu, and re-form the rice into a smooth ball. Continue with the remaining rice and ragu.

Whisk the 3 eggs in a mixing bowl. Spread the flour on one plate and the bread crumbs on another.

Dredge a few of the rice balls in the flour to coat all sides. Tap off excess flour. Roll the rice balls in the beaten egg to coat, allowing any excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Finally, roll the rice balls in the bread crumbs, pressing lightly to coat evenly with the crumbs.. Remove to a clean baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining rice balls.

Heat the vegetable oil and olive oil into a deep skillet. Test the temperature of the oil by dipping a rice ball in. It should give off a lively but steady sizzle. If nothing happens, the oil isn't hot enough. If the oil around the bread-crumb coating boils and sputters, the oil is too hot. Adjust accordingly.

When the oil comes to temperature, carefully slip about a third of the rice balls into the oil. Fry, turning as necessary with tongs or a slotted spoon, until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove to the paper towel-lined baking sheet, keeping them hot in the oven if you like. Fry the remaining balls. Serve hot or at room temperature.

*Arancini (Stuffed Rice Balls): Lidia's Italy blog

Crushed Pineapple with Butter Spread

Last Christmas, I made the cheese pimiento spread which is a throwback to my childhood back in the Philippines. While working on that post, I remembered another childhood favorite that might make most of you cringe but believe me, it is delicious. Now, this recipe will not win points with your doctor but if you eat it sparingly, I think you'll be fine. It is quite hard to resist it though.

Concocted by my Mom's friend for one of my birthday parties, this became a favorite when my friends came over at the house to hang out. The main ingredients is unsalted butter and it is paired with, get ready for this, crushed pineapple. The two are held together by condensed milk and you end up with a consistency of creamy crumbled butter. One thing that is also important to note is that this spread is perfect with white bread. I don't know why but it just does.

Crushed Pineapple with Butter Spread

1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened

2/3 cup crushed pinapple, drained

1/2 cup condensed milk

1. Grate the butter using the large grate of your box grater. Keep cool. Add

the pineapple and milk and mix well.

2. Allow the spread to rest for at least an hour in the fridge. Mix with a fork

to break the lumps prior to spreading on a piece of white bread.

Fruit Cake -The Conclusion

So here we are finally. After one month of storing my fruit cakes in the storage cabinet under the stairs for a month, it is finally time for its unveiling. I've been diligent in feeding it brandy for the last month every week with no fail. It started right after it came out of the oven when I brushed the scored cake with 1/2 cup of brandy as a starter soak and followed it up with another 1/2 cup the following day after it cooled down. It was a bit dry at that point even with the initial soak but it did start to resemble the moist fruit cake I have grown to love over the next couple of weeks. Prior to storing the cakes in a cool place, I wrapped the cake tin with cling wrap and covered it with foil before wrapping it in a plastic bag. After the second week, I lowered the amount of brandy I used to age the cake to 1/4 cup. The last feeding was done three days ago and I let it age for three more days to allow the alcohol to diffuse into the cake. It was like Christmas all over again when I finally took the first cut into the cake. By then, the cake had become moist and smelled like a great fruitcake should: fruity, aromatic, and heavenly.

I made two 9-inch round fruit cakes and I reckon this will yield enough slices to feed an army. I'm happy though that I have a load of friends who are also eagerly awaiting for a piece of the cake so I'm not too worried about having too many leftovers. With this success though, I think this will now become a yearly thing for me and I'm now eagerly waiting for November or maybe even as early as October to get my fruit cakes ready for Christmas this year. Oh, and they come free as long as you are on my nice list.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Chicken Cantanzaro Style

In an effort to make something stuffed for a pre-New Year's celebration, I decided to give Lidia's stuffed chicken recipe a try. To start, it is a relatively simple recipe and the ingredients she uses are fairly easy to find as well. It also allowed me to flex my deboning skills so it was something I was looking forward to preparing. I'm a bit skeptical about the amount of stuffing since to me, it seems a bit on the sparse side. I'm used to stuffing a bird where it looks like it's ready to pop. However, I'm trusting Lidia on this matter.

Chicken Cantanzaro Style - Adapted*

3-4 lb roasting chicken
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp Italian parsley,
   chopped
3 anchovy, fillets,
   finely chopped
zest and juice of
   1 lemon
½ tsp nutmeg, freshly
   grated
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup capers, drained
   and chopped
½ cup black olives
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
6 - 8 pearl onions, peeled
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2-3 tbsp sugar

To debone the chicken: (verbatim from Lidia's blog)

Remove the giblets and any excess fat from the cavity of the chicken. Do not trim away extra skin, because you will need it to close up the stuffed chicken later, with the chicken breast up, slice along the neck cavity with a tip of the boning knife to find and expose the wishbone (or collarbone); loosen it and pull out. Turn the chicken over and, with a chef's knife, cut forcefully from neck to tail along both sides of the back bone, freeing it from the body (and saving it, plus the other bones and giblets, to make stock, of course). Now, with the bird still on its breast, pull apart the split sides and fold them open like a book. With the boning knife, cut under and detach the ribs from the inside flaps of the torso; cut the breast bone from the meat on both sides of the breast. Turn the chicken over, so the skin side is up, and press down on the now boneless breast to flatten the bird.

I actually went one step further and removed the thigh bone but left the drumstick intact. This added step just made it a lot easier to work with the boning knife when removing the ribs.

1. Combine the bread crumbs with the parsley, anchovies, lemon zest,

    nutmeg, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of capers in a small bowl. Drizzle 3
    tablespoons of the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are
    evenly seasoned and moistened. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Season the chicken all over with the salt and lay it skin side down. Spread

    open and spoon the crumb stuffing into the center and press it flat. Bring
    both ends together in a tight seam, closing the gap where the back bone
    had been. To keep them together, draw the loose skin from one side over
    the other side and pin them in place with toothpicks.

3. In a small roasting pan, lay the chicken breast side up and pour in the
remaining olive oil. Bake uncovered for about 2 hours or until the chicken
is golden brown.

4. Scatter the onions all around the chicken and cover and bake for 20
minutes more. At this point, the onions have become tender and the

chicken has released all its juices.

5. Add the remaining capers and olives and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

6. Pour in the lemon juice and vinegar and bake for 10 to 15 minutes .
Carefully lift out the chicken and slide it onto a cutting board.

7. Spoon out the olives and onions from the roasting pan and caramelize in a
    skillet over high heat. Set aside. Transfer the rest of the sauce into the
    skillet and boil until it thickens. Season with the sugar to neutralize the
    tartness of the red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Remove the toothpicks
    from the chicken and cut it into serving pieces. Scatter the onions and
    olives and pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

*Chicken Cantanzaro-Style: Lidia's Italy blog

Recipes

Monday, January 9, 2012

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012