Holiday Almond Cake with Clementine Syrup and a Chocolate Glaze

Last year, right before Christmas, I happened across a recipe that looked so good I made it right away even though my baking list for the holidays was already quite long.  I served it as part of my family's Christmas Eve buffet.  I loved it so much that I made a mental note to make it again for the following Christmas (this year)...and to share the recipe here.

Besides being absolutely delicious, the cake—a clementine scented almond cake, cloaked in a dark chocolate glaze—was everything it was advertised to be:  light in texture...and an excellent keeper.  Under normal circumstances, this last quality wouldn't be a priority....this cake is pretty hard to resist...but at Christmas—when there are so many sweet things to eat—it really is nice to have a cake on hand that slices into beautiful, thin slivers...and also stays moist and flavorful for at least a week.  With its citrus and almond flavors...and its longer shelf life, it really is a perfect holiday cake.

The source of the recipe is the book Jerusalem (by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi)...although I ran across it in an article on Christmas "puddings" at The Guardian.  Anytime I make a cake (or any kind of baked good) from a recipe that has come to me unchanged from another country, I always examine it carefully before attempting it in my kitchen.  Ingredients vary—sometimes quite a bit—from country to country and in baking the difference in the size of an egg, the protein content of the flour, etc., can make the difference between success and failure.  As I examined this recipe, I realized that the ingredient percentages were quite similar to a couple of cakes that are already in my regular repertoire:  Amor Polenta and my pistachio cake. 

Both of these cakes use cake flour, so I used cake flour instead of the British "plain flour" called for in the recipe.  Plain flour is not quite as low protein as cake flour...and plain flour is probably not bleached...but I still felt the cake flour (since it is what I use in the two other cakes) would give a better result than a straight substitution of my normal unbleached, all-purpose flour. 

The only other change I made was to the method.  It is a bit unusual in that the nut flour is creamed into the creamed sugar and butter before adding the eggs, but it is the same way I make the Amor Polenta and the pistachio cake.  Since it works well for these cakes, I was fairly certain it would to the same for this cake too.  And it did.

I realize the holidays are for the most part over...and that many people will be starting their diets tomorrow.   In light of these things, a holiday cake recipe might not be the best post at the moment....   But even if you are starting a diet, the best kind of diet allows you a treat once in a while.  I think this cake would make a pretty satisfying special treat.  Furthermore, clementines will continue to be in season and delicious for another month or so.  During that time I feel confident that there will be many occasions for which this cake would be perfect.  And if not, there's always next Christmas.  It will be here before we know it.

Almond Cake with Clementine Syrup & Chocolate Glaze

100 g. cake flour

1/2 t. salt

200 g. unsalted butter

300 g. granulated sugar

Zest of 4 clementines

Zest of 1 lemon

280 g. fine almond meal, lightly toasted (see notes)

1 t. vanilla

5 large eggs, room temperature

Juice of 4 clementines, strained

Juice of 1 lemon, strained

80 g. sugar

90 g. unsalted butter, diced

150 g. bittersweet chocolate, broken up

1/2 T. (10 g.) honey

1/2 T. brandy

55 to 60 gr. diced candied orange peel

Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter a 9 1/2-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Butter the parchment. Dust the pan with flour and set aside.

Sift the cake flour and salt onto a piece of parchment and set aside.

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and zests and continue to beat until fluffy and white, about 5 minutes on medium-high speed.

Turning the speed down to low, add the vanilla and almond meal. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is again fluffy—another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating briefly again on medium-high speed after each addition until the batter returns to fluffiness and scraping down the sides before each next addition.

Fold in the sifted dry ingredients. Turn into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when it is a deep golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

When the cake is almost done baking, in a small pan bring the citrus juices (you should have about 120ml...don't use any more than this) and another 80 grams of sugar to a boil.  Remove from the heat.

The moment the cake comes out of the oven, run a thin palette knife around the edge and release the sides.  Immediately brush the cake all over with the syrup, continuing until all the syrup is absorbed.  Leave the cake to cool completely. The cake may be served as is, or glazed with a chocolate icing.

To make the icing, melt the butter, chocolate and honey together in the microwave or over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Stir in the brandy.  Pour the icing over the cooled cake, allowing it to dribble naturally down the sides...it may not cover the cake completely.  

Allow the icing to set.  Garnish with diced candied peel, if you like. 

Serve in thin wedges.  (Slice the cake with a thin sharp knife that has been run under hot water and wiped clean...the hot knife will then slice cleanly through the set chocolate glaze.) 

Serves 12.

Note: If you like, you may toast the almond meal.  To toast nut flour, spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350° oven until golden and fragrant—about five minutes. Cool before using. Watch carefully—it will darken and burn quickly.

(Recipe adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi)

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Brandied Apple, Raisin & Date Slab Pie…a modern twist on a traditional favorite

I mentioned in my last post that Mincemeat Pie was the traditional dessert at my family’s Holiday table. My siblings and I grew up eating—and enjoying—this old-world dessert that seems to be a bit of a stretch for the modern American palate. One of my brothers has been on a mission to convert friends and co-workers to the love of mincemeat. He has even gone so far as to learn how to make it so he could take a mincemeat pie as his contribution to his holiday office party. I don’t think he has too many takers, but since the mincemeat I taught him to make is pretty fine, those who can be induced to sample it usually like it.

I think it's wonderful that he tries. A well-made mincemeat pie is delicious.  I don’t know if mincemeat is in danger of anything like extinction, but I almost never hear people talking about it when the discussion turns to classic and favorite holiday foods. So, a few years ago when I was gathering recipes for a holiday baking class, I decided that I wanted to include a mincemeat-style pie…or tart…in the slate of recipes. But since I didn’t want to discourage people from attending the class, I decided I would make a “beginner’s” mincemeat….something that anyone who loves apples, dried fruit and spices would love…and call it something else…. The Brandied Apple, Raisin & Date filling in the pie I’m posting today is the recipe I came up with for that class. 

The brandied apple filling in this pie isn’t really all that different from the mincemeat I make for my family. The mincemeat I grew up eating did in fact include beef suet (I’m pretty sure I have never had mincemeat that actually included chunks of beef), but the mincemeat I make today doesn’t have any. Mince pies—like a lot of foods—have morphed over time. They were originally a savory meat pie that included sugar—along with wine and spirits—as a preserving agent. I think some people still add beef suet…for texture and richness….but I don’t think the pie needs to be any richer. And, I think that the texture I get from the addition of Medjool dates (which dissolve nicely into the filling) is just right. 

I suppose that the main difference between my brandied apple filling and my mincemeat filling is balance of ingredients. Mincemeat has a high proportion of dried fruit. The brandied apple filling has twice the volume of apples as dried fruit. The flavor profile of my apple filling is also different….it is decidedly apple-y (besides apples, I include cider in the mix). Mincemeat has a pronounced orange-citrus flavor, mainly derived from the presence of candied peel. I love the citrus flavor, but unless someone is making their own candied peel, mincemeat that includes it should be avoided. The candied peel commonly available for sale in the States is simply awful (no wonder no one likes fruitcake). 

The final update I gave to my pie was to make a large turnover instead of a traditional pie. My purpose in doing this for my class was twofold. It gave me the opportunity to teach a different style of pie. But more importantly, it provided a way for anyone new to a mincemeat-style filling to taste it in a more palatable filling-to-crust ratio. A traditionally shaped and filled pie has a much greater proportion of filling.

I loved this way of serving the brandied apple filling so much that I have begun to make my mincemeat pies in this same turnover style. The large turnover is versatile and super easy to make—I’m certain you can fill a slab pie with any kind of thick, compote-like, cooked fruit filling that you like. Best of all it is easy to slice neatly in any size your guests prefer….allowing for elegant service to those with lighter appetites…or those who want “just a sliver” so they can sample more than one kind of pie.

Brandied Apple, Raisin & Date Slab Pie

3 cups peeled & diced (1/2-inch) sweet/tart apples—Jonagold, Braeburn or Jonathan

1/2 T. lemon juice

1/2 c. apple cider

1/2 c. golden brown sugar

1/2 c. dark raisins

1/2 c. golden raisins

1/2 c. pitted, chopped Medjool dates

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground cloves

a pinch of mace

1 1/2 T. Brandy

1 recipe Pâte Brisée (see below)

1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water to make egg wash

Turbinado or coarse decorative sugar

Place the first ten ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the apples are tender and the liquid has thickened—about 30 to 45 minutes. Let the apple-raisin mixture cool. Add the brandy. Chill. You should have 2 2/3 to 3 cups filling. The filling is best if made a day or two ahead to allow the flavors to blend.

To build the pie, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up for a moment or two. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle that is about 1/8-inch thick and is at least 12-inches by 15-inches. 

Brush off the excess flour and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Slide the parchment with the pastry off onto the counter and trim the pastry to an 11-inch by 14-inch rectangle. Turn the dough so that the long side runs parallel to the edge of the counter. 

Spread the apple-raisin filling evenly over the bottom half of the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border. 

Brush the border with the egg wash. Fold the top half of the dough over the filling, pressing firmly along the edges to seal. Press around the edge with a fork to secure the seal, being careful not to press so hard that the fork pierces the dough.

Brush the turnover with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Cut 5 equally spaced 2-inch vents in the top of the turnover. 

Slide a baking sheet under the parchment and place on the lowest rack in a pre-heated 400° oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° and continue to bake until the pie is golden brown and fully cooked on the bottom—another 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer the pie to a rack to allow it to cool completely. To serve, cut with a serrated knife. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves 8. 

Pâte Brisée (Short Crust Pastry):

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (200g)

1/2 t. salt

11 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (150g)

1/4 to 1/3 c. ice water

Combine the flour and the salt in a medium-sized bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 1/4 c. ice water over the flour/butter mixture. Using your hands, fluff the mixture until it begins to clump, adding more water if necessary. If, when you squeeze some of the mixture it holds together, the dough is finished. Turn the dough out onto a counter and form into a mound. Using the heel of your hand, gradually push all of the dough away from you in short forward strokes, flattening out the lumps. Continue until all of the dough is flat. Using a bench scraper, scrape the dough off the counter, forming it into a single clump as you do. Form the finished dough into a thick rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

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Brandied Fruit & Almond Pound Cake

One of the many things I learned when I lived in London (while at cooking school) was that the British actually like fruit cake—or Christmas Cake as it is more commonly called there. This surprised me because my experience with fruit cake was not at all favorable. Like most Americans I thought of fruit cake as an annual joke...something one might give as a gag gift. Something else I learned in cooking school was that if I didn't like a food, it was probably because I had never had it prepared properly.  When I discovered that Christmas cake was well-liked in England, I wanted to have the opportunity to taste a properly made cake so that I could find out if I liked it too.

An Australian friend and fellow student shared her recipe with me along with detailed notes on how to prepare it and vary it to suit my available ingredients. The following fall, after I had returned home, I made her cake. My friend had told me that her recipe was a fairly typical one and over the years as I have looked at other recipes for Christmas cake, I have found this to be true. The fruit portion of a British Christmas cake is made up mostly of dried fruits (different kinds of raisins, figs, currants) along with a smaller portion of mixed candied peels and candied cherries. In my experience it was these candied fruits that made up most of the fruit portion of American-style fruit cakes—and the candied fruits used were almost always pretty awful. The candied fruits available in Europe and the British Isles are of a much higher quality. When I made her cake, I sought out imported candied fruits so that all of the ingredients in my cake would be as fine as possible. After making the cake, I dutifully fed it with brandy every week, looking forward to when I would be able to sample my project at Christmas.

I think the fruit cake I made was probably pretty good—certainly better than any fruit cake I had ever had before. I remember that my Dad enjoyed it. But we never did eat all of it (it was a very big cake). Making it gave me an appreciation and respect for fruit cake that I hadn't had before. Today, if I were served a slice of good Christmas cake, I would eat it and enjoy it. But since I didn't grow up with it, it doesn't really seem like "cake" to me. Traditional fruit cakes appear to be mostly fruit (and nuts) with just enough cake to hold the fruit and nuts together. When I eat cake, I really want to eat cake. I love dried fruit, so the idea of a nice cake that contained lots of brandy-spiked dried fruit was very appealing to me. I was a bit disappointed to find that this really isn't what fruit cake, in its traditional form, is.

A few years later I ran across a recipe for "Brandied Currant Tea Bread" in a little book called Tea Breads & Coffee Cakes by Elizabeth Alston. In her description of the recipe, she says "This is what a fruit cake should taste like but never does." Because Elizabeth Alston was raised in England I sat up and took notice. This little cake was excellent—mostly cake, studded with brandy-soaked currants. I particularly liked the fact that the cake was made with white sugar and without spices. This actually makes the cake considerably different from the dark, spice-laden Christmas cakes of Britain. For a while, this recipe was my "fruit cake".

Several years back, Gourmet magazine published a recipe they called "Holiday Fruit-filled Pound Cake"—clearly a euphemism employed to trick fruit cake-wary Americans into trying it. In many ways it was similar to Ms. Alston's tea bread, but instead of using currants alone, it used a mixture of colorful dried fruits, including apricots, cranberries and golden raisins. This cake was good too. Interestingly enough though, it had too much fruit for me—even though it still had much less fruit than a traditional Christmas cake.

I decided to combine the two recipes. My version uses the mixed fruits from the Gourmet recipe—reduced somewhat in quantity. I have also included some homemade candied orange peel in my cake. While reading up on fruit cakes, I discovered that the flavor profile of this adapted cake is actually quite similar to a traditional Scottish fruit cake called a Dundee Cake. Named after the Scottish city of Dundee, it is a light colored fruit cake that is flavored with almonds. Like its British counterparts though, in its traditional form it has a much greater quantity of fruit than I would find acceptable.

When you make this Brandied Fruit & Almond Pound Cake (observe the use of the word "when"), you will notice that there is a total of 1 1/2 cups of dried fruit and candied peel in the recipe. If you prefer less fruit, I have successfully made the cake without the candied orange peel and with as little as 1 cup of dried fruit. If you like more fruit, I think that you could probably increase the total amount of fruit to 2 cups without altering the cake's pound cake-like character too much. Other dried fruits could be added or substituted for those I have used...dried tart cherries, dark raisins and chopped dried figs come to mind.

As far as the actual process of mixing up the cake is concerned, make sure that you don't short cut the creaming process. The butter and sugar should be very fluffy before you begin to add the eggs. And the eggs must be at room temperature—refrigerator-cold eggs can cause the batter to break. Insufficient creaming and/or cold eggs will result in a cake that is damp and heavy (it will still taste good, but I don't think you will like the texture). If you forget to pull your eggs out ahead of time, set them in a bowl and cover them with hot tap water for 5 minutes or so.

This cake should be served in elegant, thin slices rather than thick slabs. Those who want a larger portion (like me) can take a second slice. You should be able to get 12 to 16 slices to serve 8 to 12 people. The cake is a wonderful afternoon treat with a cup of coffee or tea. Because there is more cake than fruit, it doesn't have the keeping qualities of a traditional fruit cake. Both Elizabeth Alston and Gourmet recommend that the cake be eaten within 5 days—although I think it probably lasts longer. How much longer though I really can't say since it never seems to last longer than a week in my house.

Brandied Fruit & Almond Pound Cake

1/3 c. golden raisins
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. currants
1/4 c. diced dried apricots
1/2 c. Cognac or brandy
1 c. plus 2 T. blanched slivered almonds (4 1/2 oz.)—see note
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 t. vanilla
zest of one orange
1/4 c. diced homemade candied orange peel—optional

Place the dried fruits in a bowl and add the brandy. Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. The fruit may be macerated several days ahead. If doing ahead, cover and refrigerate.

Butter an 8 cup (9x5x3-inch) loaf pan and then line the bottom and long sides with a piece of parchment paper, trimming the parchment level with the top of the pan. Butter and flour the parchment. Set aside.

Toast the almonds in a 350° oven until lightly colored and fragrant. Cool to room temperature. Measure out 1/2 cup (2 oz.) and set aside. Grind the remaining 2 1/2 oz. of almonds until powder fine, using a rotary nut grinder or the food processor. If using the food processor, add several tablespoons of the sugar to absorb the oil from the nuts.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and almond flour. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter with the sugar on high speed until very light and fluffy—about 5 minutes.

After 3 minutes, beat in the zest and vanilla and continue to beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl before adding the next one.

Fold in half of the dry ingredients. Fold in the dried fruits along with the brandy.

Fold in the remaining dry ingredients along with the diced orange peel and reserved nuts.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Transfer to a 325° oven and bake until golden brown and springy to the touch—about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. A tooth pick inserted in the center will come out free of crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before wrapping air tight. The cake may be enjoyed freshly made, or it may be kept—well-wrapped—at room temperature for five days. The cake tastes best if made a day ahead. The cake also freezes well.

Note: If you don't have a nut grinder, you may substitute 2 oz. of blanched slivered almonds plus 2 1/2 oz. of purchased almond meal or almond flour for the total amount of almonds given in the recipe.



Brandied Apple & Currant Crumb Tart

I noticed I hadn't posted a Thanksgiving dessert yet this month...a serious omission. At the Thanksgiving meals of my childhood, dessert meant only pie. Recently I have taken to squeezing in the occasional tart. For a few years, I prepared our family's traditional mincemeat as a tart instead of a pie. This is more in keeping with the way I had seen mincemeat served while in England and the mincemeat lovers in my family did not object. Since my family is seriously grounded in their traditions, I'll take this as an indication that even traditionalists who are looking for a new recipe for apple pie this year would enjoy making and serving my Brandied Apple & Currant Crumb Tart for Thanksgiving.

A few years ago when my friend Nancy invited me to her home for Thanksgiving, I made this tart for dessert. It seemed to me that it was very well-received. I liked it so much I wrote down the recipe so I could make it again...and possibly teach it. When I was putting together an Autumn Desserts class a couple of years ago, it was one of the first desserts I thought of.  I was reminded of the tart last week during a day spent cooking with Nancy.  She had asked me to help with a large event she was working on.  We were preparing—among other things—some beautiful little apple streusel tartlets that she had developed. 

The apple filling that I use in the tart that I make is adapted from a recipe in Simply French by Patricia Wells. It is a bit unusual in that the apples are sautéed over high heat before they are put in the tart shell. The high heat encourages the apples to caramelize

and also causes the juices given off by the apples to evaporate (it is important to choose a pan large enough to hold the apples in a snug single layer in order to accomplish both of these things). The resulting filling has a wonderful caramelized apple flavor. And since there isn't an abundance of liquid, a thickener—which can mute the apple flavor—isn't required. The clear apple flavor of the tart filling is accentuated by the addition of a generous amount of Calvados-soaked currants. I love the flavors in this tart...there is something particularly holiday-festive about it.

Because all of the components of the tart—crust, filling and streusel—can be made ahead, it makes a perfect holiday dessert for the cook. The tart itself could probably be made the day before, but once all of the components are made, assembling and baking the tart is very fast and easy. Pies and tarts really do taste best when served the same day they are baked.

The most difficult thing about making the tart—and it's only difficult if you aren't familiar with the technique—is making the clarified butter to sauté the apples. Besides butterfat, butter contains milk solids, whey and water. Whole butter is not used for high heat cooking because the milk solids burn almost immediately when they come into contact with high heat. In order to be able to use butter for sautéing you must get rid of everything but the butterfat. To do this, place the butter in a saucepan—something with a small diameter is best. Melt it over medium heat. When the butter is completely melted, remove it from the heat and skim off the foam that has risen to the surface.

At this point, you can ladle the clear butterfat off of the whey remaining in the bottom of the pan. Or—and this is a bit unorthodox, but it works well for me for small amounts of butter—you can return the butter to medium or medium-low heat. The water will percolate off as the butter continues to heat—you will hear it popping and snapping. When the popping stops, immediately spoon or pour the butterfat off into another container—if you allow the butterfat to continue to sit on the heat, you will get some unwanted browning (possibly burning) of the whey and any remaining milk solids. A stick of butter will produce about 6 tablespoons of clarified butter. For those who are interested in a clear presentation of the classic method for clarifying butter, it is done very well (with great pictures) on David Lebovitz's Blog.

As you look at the pictures in my post today, it will be obvious that I didn't make a 9-inch round tart (as described in the recipe). I made two 4-inch by 13 1/2-inch rectangular tarts. One and one half times the filling and streusel recipes given below will make two rectangular tarts. One recipe of the crust is just enough for two of these rectangular tarts (I mention in a note below the recipe that the crust recipe is more than enough for a nine inch round tart). I really like the look of the tart in its rectangular form. It is a bit unusual, but more importantly, it is much more conducive to creating small portions. And since almost everyone at the Thanksgiving feast usually requests "a sliver of both" when presented with a choice of pies, being able to cut nice looking small portions is a good thing.

Brandied Apple & Currant Crumb Tart

2/3 cup dried currants
2 T. Calvados (or Brandy or cider)
2 to 2 ½ lb. Golden Delicious apples (5 or 6 large), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 T. clarified butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 9-inch sweet tart dough shell, unbaked (recipe below)
1 recipe streusel crumb topping (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest setting. In a small bowl, toss the currants with the Calvados, set aside.

In a sauté pan large enough to hold the apples in a snug single layer, heat the clarified butter over high heat. Add the apples and sauté, tossing frequently, until tender and golden brown—about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over; toss and cook briefly until the apples are glazed. Add the currants and Calvados and toss again (most of the unabsorbed Calvados will boil off immediately). Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. The apples should be moist, but not soupy.

Place the chilled tart shell on a baking sheet. Scrape the fruit into the tart shell, spreading evenly, and top with the streusel—the fruit should be fully covered.


 Bake until the streusel is golden brown and the sides of the tart shell are golden (push up on the bottom of the tart to check this)—about 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool an hour or two before serving. Dredge with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Streusel Crumb Topping:
2/3 c. flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
4 T. cold unsalted butter

Combine flour, sugars, and spices. Add the butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture appears sandy & is homogeneous.

Sweet Tart Dough:
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 T. granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 cake flour

Briefly cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the egg yolk and the vanilla. Add the flours and mix until well combined--it may still be in "clumps". Form the dough into a thick disk. Use immediately, or wrap in plastic and chill or freeze. Let the dough soften before rolling out.

On a lightly floured board (or between 2 sheets of plastic wrap), roll dough out to a thickness of 1/8-inch. Brush off the excess flour and transfer the dough to a greased tart pan. Ease the dough into the pan being careful not to stretch it and pressing it against the sides of the tart pan. Use your hands or the rolling pin to gently cut the dough flush with the upper rim of the tart pan.  Do not worry if the dough breaks or crumbles as you put it into the pan.  The dough patches very easily.

 Note: This amount of dough is enough for 1 ½ 9-inch tarts. I generally make up a double batch and divide it into 3 disks of dough. Freeze the disks that you don’t need.

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More thoughts on the Freezer & the first Broccoli of Spring

It seems strange to be writing another post in May about using my freezer. May should be about the burgeoning bounty of local produce—and it is that, as evidenced by my market purchases from yesterday:

 

But it is also a very strange year. It is cold for May. And it is very wet. Apparently May is the wettest month of the year here in Kansas City, and we already have double the total average rainfall for the month. It really feels like late September. For dinner, a light, fresh dish featuring asparagus or tender root vegetables, doesn't seem appropriate.

In addition, I have had a busy week and am headed into another few busy days. Instead of cooking today, the combination of the cool and misty weather and the lull in life's busyness brought on a long nap. It's kind of a perfect day to be able to pull something delicious out of the freezer and augment it with market produce and pantry staples:

I occasionally teach a class called "The Well-Stocked Pantry". In addition to talking about maintaining pantry staples (pasta, dried beans, spices, aged cheeses, condiments, storage vegetables like carrots, onions & potatoes, etc.), I talk about making your own "frozen dinners" that are frozen in portions that you are likely to use. Lots of home-cooked foods freeze very well—certain pasta sauces, stews, baked goods, vegetable casseroles (like Moussaka), just to name a few. If you make a habit of freezing your own prepared foods, then on nights when you don't have any time (or maybe you're just not in the mood to cook) you can still eat very well.

Tonight I decided to pull a container of chicken meatballs out of the freezer. Meatballs are time-consuming to prepare. Since they freeze well, it makes sense to make a large batch when you make them. On a day like today, to be able to sit down to a meal of homemade meatballs is truly a luxury. All I needed to round out the meal was a starch and a vegetable.

These meatballs are a favorite from an old issue of Food & Wine. They are cooked in a rich tomato sauce and I always like to serve them with a dark green vegetable like Swiss Chard, Spinach, Broccolini or Broccoli (although, they're pretty good with roasted carrots, too). I had picked up both broccoli (the first of the season!) and spinach at the market on Saturday. Spinach takes more effort to prepare (strip the leaves, wash multiple times...). The broccoli only takes a few seconds (just cut into florets and rinse). Since this was a lazy food night, I went for the broccoli. After cutting it up, I blanched it in boiling salted water. Broccoli goes from being firm to overly soft pretty quickly, so I usually start tasting it at about two minutes. It's done when it's cooked the way you like it. Drain it, shake the excess water off and dress it with a drizzle of a fragrant olive oil.

This meatball recipe makes a generous amount of sauce, so for the starch, something simple to go with all the sauce is best—mashed potatoes, buttered couscous or rice, polenta or noodles. I had some Idaho potatoes on hand, so I made mashed potatoes. From start to finish the meal took less than 45 minutes to prepare—and I had time to sit down and work on this post while the potatoes cooked.

My only problem now is I have finished off my last container of frozen chicken meatballs. If we are going to have a cold summer, I may have to make some more....

Chicken & Arugula Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for sautéing the meatballs
3 thin slices pancetta or bacon, (about 2 ounces), chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 oz. arugula (or spinach), stemmed and finely chopped
1 pound ground chicken (dark meat is best)
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese (about 1 ½ ounces)
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large shallots, minced
¼ cup brandy
One 35-ounce can Italian peeled tomatoes with juice, coarsely chopped in a food processor (this is a difficult sized can to find, a 28-oz. can is fine, but you can add half of a 14-oz. can if you like a lot of sauce)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large non-reactive skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderate heat until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the arugula and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, cheese, capers, egg, ¾ teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Add the arugula mixture and beat until well blended. Roll the mixture by teaspoonfuls into ¾ -inch balls.

In a large skillet, heat some more olive oil. Add half of the meatballs in a single layer and cook over moderate heat, turning, until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a large plate. Repeat with the second batch of meatballs, adding more oil if necessary. Discard the fat and wipe out the skillet.

In the same skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the brandy, raise the heat to high and cook until evaporated. Add the tomatoes and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer over low heat until hot through and very tender—15 to 20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

(Recipe adapted from Food & Wine, May 1997)