Orange-Almond Tart

It began with a simple orange-almond tart.

And ends with a pelican.

Or I have it backwards and I start with the pelican.

And end with the tart.

In-between there is an estate sale, bins of memories boxed-up for a later date. There was the sunrise on Lake Superior in Grand Marais.

The view of the lake from the Gunflint Trail.

A peek at Canada.

And at Trail's End - the Boundary Waters. (Complete with a cafe filled with White Sox memorabilia - clearly designed to insult Minnesotans who love their North Shore - the "Norwegian Riviera.")

An estate sale - it's wearing your heart.

And so later we went to a big lake. And I left armed with 20 years of magazines that I was getting rid of - after I went through all the recipes and cut out what I wanted. I started out with saving almost every recipe. And then I whittled. After hours of whittling, I was left with this orange-almond tart. Served with an orange sauce or Marsala whipped cream. I thought it was a good idea.

It was.

It is.

Delicate - almonds and oranges complementing and complimenting each other. More a gateau than the Sicilian Orange Tart I wrote about earlier. A nutty texture - the creaminess is not from within as with the Orange Tart but comes from the sauces it's served with - and it's worth making the sauces. Everyone had both - together - on top of one another. And they're easy. Easy as ... pie. tart. The boys had thirds. The daughter had it again for breakfast (nuts=protein, orange=fruit).

This is a transitional tart. Not too heavy and rich as those that bewitch you in the winter. But not as berry-light as summer gives. Just sweet enough. Just crunchy enough. Just fruity enough to see you through autumn. And just celebratory enough to add to to your Thanksgiving table.

Orange Almond Torte with Orange Sauce and Marsala Whipped Cream
- from Bon Appetit, February 1995
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter - room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks (save the egg whites - you'll need them)
1 cup almonds, toasted, finely ground (I like mine ground - but not to a powder - I like the nuts and crunch)
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon orange peel
1/2 teaspoon coriander (did not get a whiff of that at all in the torte)
Pinch of salt
2 large egg whites

Powdered sugar

Marsala Cream
1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons sweet Marsala

Orange Sauce (makes 1-1/4 cups; good over ice cream, scones, pound cake...)
1 cup orange juice
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Cake:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment. Butter parchment and dust with flour. Beat 1/2 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, then yolks - 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in almonds, flour, orange juice, orange peel, coriander and salt. Scrape down sides of bowl occasionally.

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into batter in 2 additions. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake cake until golden (it will not be rising) and tester inserted in the middle comes out clean - about 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack. If desired, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar when cooled. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Marsala Cream:
Beat whipping cream and sugar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Mix in Marsala.

Orange Sauce:
Whisk juice and cornstarch in bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in sugar, orange peel and orange juice mixture. Whisk until sauce boils and thickens slightly - about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

After the estate sale. my sister and I each took one of my mother's beloved penguins.  I brought home a pelican from my mother's townhome. She loved those big, floppy birds and kept two by the fireplace. I put it on my hearth (The Pelican on the Hearth!) and packed for Grand Marais. Friday was spent travelling and going through recipes in the car. Saturday morning, I got up with the sun and Paul and I walked the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Where we were welcomed by a pelican.

P.S. I have turned on Word Verification for a few days to try and combat the huge growth of Spam I deal with daily.

Cocoa Brownies in the Snow

You want these. I promise. Worth the calories, worth the "points," and an indulgence that is most welcome during the "endless winter of 2011."

For the record, the groundhog knows nothing. Do not listen to groundhogs. While Minnesota just jumped from the 5th snowiest recorded winter to the 3rd snowiest recorded winter, I have no interest in Minnesota breaking the record for snowiest winter ever. 3rd place is respectable. My plays have been in 3rd place and I was fine with that.

As my son house-sits one hour south of here with no way of getting home, I eased my winter worries with brownies. They're five points each and I had two. I enjoyed every second of the dark, moist fudgy interior surrounded by the browned-butter nutty exterior.

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They're from Bon Appetit. The browned butter does indeed add the smallest amount of earthy crunch. The cocoa keeps the center oozing a tad and wrapping you in warm, chocolate velvet. No, they're not Italian. When the view outside my door is pure white, blowing in a schizophrenic array of contrasting directions, I cook and bake. My recipe decisions are made on the basis of, "What ingredients are at hand because I'm not going anywhere." Bon Appetit had nuts in the recipe. It's a daughter thing, but she requested no nuts and I complied. Do you think that the brownies had fewer points?
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Look at the buttery-chew of the top and then the creamy-chocolate softness of the center. I'm telling you, you truly want them. Think of it as a chocolate hug.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter (and Walnuts if desired)
Bon Appetit's February 2011 Cover Recipe

Nonstick spray

1o tablespoons unsalted butter - cut into pieces
1-1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process; I used Scharffen Berger which is an investment but worth the dollars as well as the calories)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs - chilled

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose unbleached flour (I used all-purpose regular)

1 cup walnut pieces (didn't use)

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter Preparation

1. Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line 8x8x2 pan with foil and leave a 2-inch overhang for lifting the brownies out of the pan. Spray with nonstick spray.
3. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking uintil butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan (about five minutes). Stir often.
4. Remove from heat. Immediately add sugar, cocoa, the water, vanilla and salt (so have your ingredients measured and ready to fly). Stir to blend, Let cool five minutes (mixture will still be hot).
5. At eggs one at a time to mixture beating vigorously (so you burn enough calories to eat these) in between each addition.
6. When mixture is thick and shiny add the flour. Stir until blended. Then beat 60 strokes vigorously (remember: you're burning calories).
7. If desired, stir in nuts.
8. Pour into prepared pan.
9. Bake brownies for 25 minutes - until toothpick inserted comes out more or less clean (crumbs may stick to it - that's fine - you want it fudgy).
10. Cool for five minutes, then lift foil out of pan and cool completely on rack. Cut into 16 pieces and serve.

We added a dusting of confectioner's sugar which given our present white circumstances may have been overkill.

3 pounds gone last week. No doubt due to warming weather and ability to go for nice, long walks. Needless to say, that warming trend has abruptly ended. I am down 22 pounds and if I gained a pound by having 2 brownies, it was worth every ounce. My frazzled snow nerves were quieted. Although they will not be silenced until my son makes it home.

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The question posed is what is your favorite kitchen tool for weight loss? I cannot credit a kitchen device for my determination to get fit, I can thank Parmigiano-Reggiano, "caged-free egg whites" and Greek yogurt for helping to make my 2011 journey a flavorful one.

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And baking once a week to stave away any feelings of deprivation.

Moonstruck Chocolate

July 1969 and a cast of odd-person-out, young characters converge on an urban park. It could be Central Park in New York City. It is in decay. Cities are broke. Woodstock is a few weeks away. A trio of young characters - out of sorts with the world - help themselves in unexpected ways. And when Apollo 11 lands on the moon, suddenly all things are possible.
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It's the setting of the play Under a Midsummer Moon. The end of the play is set in stone. Scene 1 has been deleted four times. I've been listening to the original Broadway cast of Hair non-stop. And still know most of the lyrics. (And I remember turning the record player volume to low so my parents wouldn't hear the lyrics. - So wicked.) I usually don't write with the last scene written first. But the muse seems to have dictated this and so I leave my comfort zone.
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I usually don't make vegan cakes (let's see - it's not Italian, I don't bake a lot and vegan eating is a new horizon for me), but allergies begged for this and so I did (with a lot of help from Bon Appetit.) In the midst of my"mindfully eating year," I discovered I could have my cake and eat it, too - as could my very young nephew and niece who cannot have dairy or eggs. And who can resist a chocolate cake in the midst of the winter-that-does-not-end. Chocolate for solace and orange for brightness and light. (I know, I stretched it a bit tying in the moon play with vegan chocolate cake - are you smiling?)


Vegan Chocolate Cake with Orange Frosting from Bon Appetit

Cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour* (I used whole wheat regular flour with good results)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Frosting
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) vegan "butter" (such as Earth Balance) or margarine, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Large pinch of salt
1/4 cup light agave nectar (I used regular agave syrup)
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Preparation
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CAKE
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Sift all purpose flour, sugar, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl. Add 3/4 cup water, oil, juice concentrate, vanilla, and vinegar and whisk to blend. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
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Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack. Carefully cut around pan sides and turn out cake onto serving platter.
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FROSTING
Place chopped bittersweet chocolate in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth. Carefully transfer bowl to work surface. Cool melted chocolate to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.
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Using electric mixer, beat "butter" in large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon juice concentrate, vanilla, and salt; beat until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons juice concentrate; beat until blended. Beat in agave nectar, then chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes. Frost top and sides of cake.
DO AHEAD Cake can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.
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It's a very good chocolate cake - did it "make me see happy stars?" No - but that's usually reserved for cannoli. And the orange-chocolate ganache is worth the bake.
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NON-CALORIC NEWS
(Bear with me: publishers like authors to do PR and I remain very grateful to all my publishers - they are why I can finally stay home and write!)
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Although I have complained bitterly about January, the truth is, it has been very good to me. The Fisherman and His Wife was published by Playscripts.



My very beloved Hanging of the Greens (the cast remains close two years later) will be published by YouthPLAYS. (All photos below from Joan Elwell, Lakeshore Players.)

And In the Village of the Brothers Grimm was recently published by YouthPLAYS.

Meanwhile an update on Harold (who Mister Meatball says is 238 years old in computer years): We were limping along. He was wiped clean (sorry, Harold) but keeps coughing up Microsoft Word which is not good. As most theatres and publishers only accept Word. No Mac - yet. No impulsive decisions. Until the laptop crashes. And yes, of course I have a strong anti-virus program. But it's like the flu shot. My husband got a flu shot. My husband got the flu. I didn't get a flu shot. I didn't get the flu (yet.)

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The endless winter has contrived to keep me inside. The outside does not beckon. But I have figured out exercise even when housebound so that has been a positive. And when January left, so did five more pounds. I am one pound away from having lost 10% of my body weight. And do you know what I do? I go to the grocers and look at all of these 1 pound-butter cartons and imagine them back on my body and my resolve gets stronger. 2011 is shaping up to be a delicious year. When you can have chocolate cake and still lose weight, you know the heavens are smiling. I won't even complain about the snow. Well, maybe in April....

"Someday" is not a Day of the Week

"Tomorrow is the busiest day of the week."
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Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday."
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And so it goes. Or went. I mean - it had to happen, right? There had to come a time when the cover recipe of Bon Appetit would not sing to me. But I was a martyr. I would forge on. And forge on I did. So much so, that my sister and I put the cover dinner on the table on June 17th.
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And for over one month, I have successfully avoided writing about it. I didn't take a pretty picture. I liked all the ingredients separately but when I put them together, I felt as if the Easter Bunny invaded my Christmas town. It didn't fit. So, what would I write about? "Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage" but "shrimp in corn tortillas with salsa verde" don't?
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My daughter hates coconut, I could live my life without ever having cilantro again and my father won't touch pesto - so I chalked it up to - the quirky taste palettes we all have. I only like beets because they're pretty. My husband shudders at the thought of tiramisu for dessert. We are what we eat and what we choose not to eat!
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So, even if I did procrastinate about the monthly entry - we did eat.

A Pinot Grigio was poured and we put out: marcona almonds, carrots and radishes with a lemony herb vegetable dip, white cheddar made by Milton Creamery in Iowa and and a feta-curry chutney torta made locally by Fig and Fromage. Does it go together? Not really. Was there something for all the fussy eaters invited? Absolutely.

The lemony herb dip was from the June 2009 issue of Bon Appetit and couldn't be easier.

LEMONY HERB DIP - makes one cup - flavor increases as it sits - so make-ahead
8 oz container of sour cream or creme fraiche (I combined the sour cream with my leftover creme fraiche - it worked)

2 T chopped fresh chives (I used closer to 5 T)
2 T chopped fresh dill (I used 4 T)
1 T fresh lemon juice (about right - I probably used a tad more)
1-2 bunches of radishes with tops
1-2 punches of baby carrots with tops, peeled

Mix first 4 ingredients in bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let dip stand for 40 minutes at room temperature or cover and chill until ready to serve. (Can be made 1 day ahead)
Serve with radishes and carrots.
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Meanwhile, we were busy in the kitchen making:
SHRIMP AND COTIJA ENCHILADAS WITH SALSA VERDE AND CREMA MEXICANA
Find the recipe and a much better photo by clicking: HERE


And we ended with the easiest mousse in the world:

Black Forest Chocolate Mousse

Find the recipe: HERE


For me - ending any meal with chocolate makes it worthwhile. Having people gathered at my table is always a good thing. My decision to make the cover recipes for Bon Appetit and Tastes of Italia every month still helps me jump out of my little "pasta-cannoli" comfort zone once in a while.
Chacun a son gout. "Each to his (her!) own taste!"