Chocolate Pear Cake

The first few weeks in my new place of residence, the Monterey Bay, I am becoming acquainted with the new job and the folk it brings along with it, the farmers markets, the yoga schedules, and most importantly the new (to me) oven.

After woefully under cooking a perfect batter of spelt zucchini bread, I optimistically set my sights on a brand new recette: Chocolate Pear Cake. A friend of one of the roomies came over one day, with freshly picked pears from her tree... and that was enough to make her my friend too. I usually lean more toward the apple camp than the pear, but heck... throw in a bit of chocolate and Ill eat mostly anything. So, welcome fall with pears and chocolate. It just seems wrong not to.

I brought it into my new job at the restaurant, trying to gain baker/cook approval. So if you care it is La Bicyclette in Carmel, CA approved. Whatever that means to you.

Chocolate Pear Cake

For this recipe I used some barley flour along with almond meal because I like the soft and nutty crumb that it produces for cakes. But, if you want, you can always substitute the barley for regular or white whole wheat flour. The almond meal is a keeper.... although hazelnut flour would not be a bad call...

4 oz butter, unsalted

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

4 oz dark chocolate

1/4 cup barley flour

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup almond flour or meal

4 TB cocoa powder

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

4 pears, halved and poached (origin: preferably from a neighbors tree)

Poaching:

Don't let this step deter you. C'est tres facil... easy peasy for you non-francophiles. Just bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil along with 1/2 cup of sugar. Throw in your halved pears, potentially having to add more water to cover them and let cook for about 20 minutes on medium heat or a low boil. When finished, they should be tender when pricked with a fork.

Caking:

Set the oven to 350 F. Again, my friendly European counterparts...google the conversion. Butter a 9 or 10 inch round pan. Next, melt the chocolate and set aside. (Note: you can melt the chocolate by bringing one small saucepan with water to a boil and placing a larger bowl on top of the pot with the chocolate. This will ensure that your chocolate wont burn during the melting process) En suite, sift all of your dry ingredients together (flours, salt, baking powder, coco powder). In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together. After a couple minutes and the mixture is nice and fluffy, add in one egg at a time...incorporating each once well before adding the next. Then stir in the melted chocolate mixture. Finalement, go ahead and stir in the flour mixture in two separate parts. Don't over stir... or rather until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and arrange the pears on top of the batter in a nice fashion. Push them down a bit. It should take 30 to 40 minutes depending on your oven. Remember convection bakers, your oven is an overachiever so watch your cakes extra carefully and maybe turn down the temperature a bit. You don't want to over bake this cake... it should be moist.

Serve with some fresh whipped cream and cozy up to the fireplace you may or may not need in this transitional seasonal period. But still... you have to love chocolate, pears, and coziness. You just have to.

Music Pairing

Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs. "New York City's Killing Me"

Hes so fall-y. And I just love his husky voice. Its almost as though he means what hes a sayin. Which sometimes feels like a rare find.

Blueberry Oat Pan-a-cakes

Far from the perfect (looking) pancake. But hell, I think they're charming. The taste, on the other hand, glory god (or whatever they say) is definitely there.

So if you hadn't noticed already I love experimenting with what "normal" people might dub as peculiar ingredients. Teff? Whats that? Ill take it please. Quinoa Flour? Next cake thank you very much. Once you have baked for a while, the white flour/sugar thing becomes a little boring... or at least to me. There are endless amount of kooky concoctions waiting to be found out there... the sweetness of oat flour pairs really nicely with its opponent the sour lemon, buckwheat's nuttiness with strawberry I particularly like, and well, I still have yet to try the quinoa flour.... but I promise to have something for you soon enough. Hanging out in the bookstore yesterday, I came across Good to the Grain by Kimberley Boyce, a great book if you are thinking of expanding your pantry to include more complex flavors when it comes to grains. So many people hastily characterize whole grains as heavy and strange tasting, but when done right they can actually make a more complex and often times lighter and more delicious end result. Et plus, its really fun. Its sort of like experimenting in the science lab.... but you can eat the result without calling poison control.

Anywho, I am always looking for a reason to make something, so this morning I decided to make some pancakes. I originally wanted oatmeal, but then i became bored with my lack of imagination. Plus, its spring, and although I adore oatmeal... please! Lets break out with something new. I still wanted my oats, so I pulsed them in the food processor to make a course oat flour and combined it with some white-whole wheat flour (a milder grain is used to make this flour, but its still 100% whole grain) so I wouldn't loose the flavor of the oats yet still have a partner that is a little more exciting than just your plain white stuff. Blueberries, yogurt, milk, and some other stuff later.... viola! The french would hate me, then love me after when they were caught swiping up the last bit of syrup with their cakes. C'est pas chic but oh so fun.

Blueberry Oat Pan-a-Cakes

inspired by 101 Cookbooks' recette

makes about 9 medium sized pancakes

I have been quite out of pancake practice, so my #1 mistake (in cooking et plus) is always being too impatient. When pouring the dough onto the hot pan, relax a bit until the top bubbles, then flip and let cook until the cake is done entirely through. The more patient... thus only flipping one time (it took me a couple tries to calm down a bit in anticipation) the more fluffy and airy. Happy Flippin.

1 TB ground flax seed

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup roughly ground oats (oat flour works too)

1/8 cup turbinado (cane) sugar*

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 pinches of salt
1/2 cup whole yogurt

3/4 cup reduced fat milk
1 egg

1 TB melted butter (plus more for pan)

Handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen...plus more for topping pancakes)

maple syrup for serving

and if you are feeling really fancy....whipped cream

First prepare the oat flour if you are making the flour from rolled oats. Take a generous 1/4 cup full of rolled oats and pulse them in a food processor until the consistency resembles a slightly clumpy flour. Take the oat flour and mix in with the other dry ingredients... flax seed, white whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda + powder, and saltiness. In a separate bowl mix the yogurt, milk, butter, and egg. Beat together and then mix with the dry ingredients. Finally, stir in the blueberries verrry carefully. Wouldn't want to upset them.

Take a large cast iron or non-stick pan and turn the heat to medium. Place a bit of butter in the pan and when it has melted and seems a little steamy pour your batter onto the pan in whatever size or shape you want. I only know of two: 1) the circle or 2) the three circles combined to make le Mickey Mouse. When the batter starts getting bubbles (remember be patient!) all over the place, wait a bit more and flip. You get just one flip! Cook until both sides are browned but not burned. It might take a couple to get it just right. Enjoy with maple syrup, more blueberries, and if you love colored sprinkles, then that's okay too.

wait for it mr...... a tad longer...

Music Pairing
"At the beach" by the Avett Brothers
Blueberries and Oats make me whistle and smile. Listen and you'll understand.


*note. If you find it, for some strange reason, unnecessary to buy minimally processed sugar, start out swiping "Sugar in the Raw" from your local cafes and restaurants. Many US establishments have them, and once you have collected enough (I would say around 10 or 15 packets) you can start experimenting in this recipe and you will be won over for sure. Its so much better than its bleached distant cousin. Unless you try a souffle. That's for another time. I'm out... a la prochaine.

Le shortcake aux Fraises

Um. I highly doubt this.

Mostly because that involves some sort of censoring/curtailing of actions and/or mouth that I am just really not that in to. I saw this book today while I was just screwing around like I normally do in the mornings, and it inspired this post. I mean, manners are really not fun, and I this was especially prevalent considering the happenings of last night.

I, Stephanie Stein, do love a dinner party. Or so it has been said.

What I do not love, are guests that are obxnious, too loud for their own good, and/or phony.

I knew I was in trouble last night when this incredibly annoying man that I will call by his actual name, Incredibly Annoying Man, arrived at our doorstep with two bottles of wine and a lecture starting immediately with how gracious he is. To continue, Incredibly Annoying Man talked about how wonderful my mom and I were before we could make it past the door mat. He then continued to make "joke" after "joke" about how my mother looks like my sister... and it just never recovered from there. After we talked about I.A.M and his virtues through the rest of dinner I chimed my glass with my fork and ceremoniously re-dubbed him I.A.S.R.M. or rather, Incredibly Annoying and Self-Righteous Man. If there is anything that makes a dinner party go south real quick its a phony. And babies.... but thats a whole different story. But, I managed... because I got to make dessert. And there wasn't anything fake about it. Introduce le strawberry shortcake. And I wouldn't have minded throwing it in this guy's face. And I don't care what that manner book says...that would have been fun.

Recette: le Shortcake aux Fraises

Adapted from Mlle. Martha Stewart

serves 6

3 pints of strawberries

juice of one lemon, preferably picked off/stolen from your neighbor's tree

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1 heaping TB baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 TB cold unsalted butta

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1 TB powdered sugar

1 1/4 cup plus 3 TB heavy cream

1/4 cup milk

Ok, so here we go. Wash off your strawberries and cut off the cute tops and slice them in half. Throw or place them in a bowl with the juice of a lemon... minus the seeds please. They no taste so good. (If unable to steal from your neighbor's tree, you may steal one from the supermarket... but please buy it from the farmer's market) Mix together with a 1/4 cup of your very natural sugar on let sit for about an hour. It should be a little saucy.

Now for ze cake. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. And yes you may bake it and eat it too. In fact, since you baked them you may have double. Anywho, whisk together the flour, baking powder, remaining sugar and salt in a medium size bowl. Cut up the chilled(very important!) butter and add it to the mix. Then take a fork or a pastry cutter and work the butter until the mix resembles a course meal. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup plus 2 TB cream. Add the wet to the dry, slowly, and mix gently with a fork until it is just combined. The goal is to handle the dough as little as possible.

Transfer the goodness to a floured, flat surface of choice and roll out the dough until it is about one inch thick. This is so much fun... flour in your hair, the air, everywhere really... Once you have it all nice and rolled then dip your circular cookie cutter (mostly any moderate size will do) in flour and cut up your lil cakes. Make sure when you press out the cakes that you press, then twist the cutter. This will give the cakes little ripples that will help it aerate and rise.

The oven should be ready by now, and if its not, its broken and you should call someone, so line your baking sheets with parchment and plop the cakes on there. Beat egg yolk and TB of cream together and brush on top of the cakes. They should bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

Have I ever mentioned how much I adore parchment paper? I don't know what it is... maybe the easy, the old-fashiony look, or the diffused light it encourages.... but simply put, it just rocks. I love it so much I'm thinking about wallpapering my room with it.

Right before serving place the remaining cream in a bowl with vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat on high until cream is whipped and makes soft peaks. Serve with cakes and strawberries.

Et viola... le shortcake aux fraises:

Bon Appetit!

Music Pairing: "I Tought I Saw Your Face Today" by She & Him. Even though I sometimes think I am the only person on the planet that can be slightly irked by Zooey Deschanel, there is no arguing she is the cutest thing dans le monde. And you have to have cute music when eating shortcake and drinking tea. I tink it just goes.

A la prochaine.

Tarte aux Fraises with Buckwheat-Oat Crust

O, Easter. One of my favorite holidays I think. First of all it often mandates a Brunch. Second, let's face it, I generally am all in for any sort of holiday that involves an excuse to get a bunch of family and friends to eat together and take an extra day off from the job that, o wait, I don't have.... still, Good Friday is pretty great. Especially if you aren't a churchgoer. Back in France, my ex-roomies are celebrating Paques at their chateau in Brittany, enjoying church and family probably much like typical Americans do, besides a couple minor exceptions. First, they laze around their family house, which en fait is a stone castle whose front yard might parallel the Rodin Museum more than anything . Second, while the kiddies at my parents house are hunting for eggs with Easter baskets, my roomies are probably hunting for a wild boar with their rifles. Gotta love the Frenchies.


Don't forget Passover... where lox and bagels make their Stein household brunch debut each year. Yep, thats about as Jewish as we get.


But, I'm sure we all ate well on Sunday, and while others were praying, I baked a new recette. Upon return to California, my first stop was the nearest co-op to Stockton, in Sacramento. I loaded up on all types of fun new flours and bulk items, including some buckwheat flour. I was baking with the stuff in Paris, using it in scones et plus, trying to take on some of my roomies Breton-ness. (Buckwheat flour is heavily used in galettes, or savory crepes, in the region of Brittany) So, still going through my Frenchie withdrawal I decided to combine the first pickings of California strawberries with a little twist as une petite homage for my favorite ladies back in France.






Tarte aux Fraises with Buckwheat-Oat Crust

So welcome to my first recipe. I don't like to complicate things too much, so if there are any questions for clarification... just holla.

Crust

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
Handful of old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of honey
splash of water

Take all the dry ingredients and mix well in a bowl. Then grab the last 3 ingredients and heat them in a medium skillet over medium heat. Dance around the kitchen while it all melts and begins to simmer. If you are not a dancer, you may insert alcoholic beverage of choice here. For Easter I find selected tracks dubbed "Jesus" on the Mariah Carey Christmas Album very helpful. Mix the wet with the dry and knead until all is incorporated together.

Set the oven to 350 degrees and press your dough onto a 10 inch tart pan. Jab the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork and stick it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.... et viola! We are ready for our custard....



Filling


2 egg yolks
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
cap full of vanilla extract
dash of salt
2 tablespoons of cream
Strawberries and raspberries

Whisk the yolks, sugar, flour, vanilla, et salt in a pan until it is a smooth as you can manage. Puis, heat up the milk in a separate pan until it simmers. Bit by bit whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking continuously over low heat. It should thicken rather fast so it resembles puddin'. Then stir in the cream. Let it cool and then refrigerate for a couple of hours. You may want to potect the mix with plastic wrap directly making contact with it, as to prevent it from forming a film.

Assembly

Scoop custard mixture onto the crust and top with rasberries and strawberries. I cut the strawberries in half, but you can arrange them whole or even cut into smaller pieces. Comme vous voulais! Bon appetit et Joyeuses Paques...