Thanksgiving Overload (And Devil’s Food Cake)

November 30, 2011 //
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As the occasion called for, this Thanksgiving was one indulgence after another. Gumbo, dark chocolate devil’s food cake, pecan tart, cornbread stuffing, Misty Knoll turkey, pear-pistacchio pie, mince pie, curry butternut squash soup. See what I mean?

When we arrived in Vermont on Thursday more than a dusting of snow remained. The photo above is a view from my dad and Bonnie’s back porch out toward the pond.

Each year there is mild debate about which stuffing we will make: my dad’s thymey-sagey breadcrumb with apple and sausage stuffing or my stepmom’s cornbread with cranberry stuffing. I like both but suppose I have a slight preference for the latter since I adore cornbread, and this year that is in fact what we had.

A twenty-one-pound bird from Misty Knoll Farms in Vermont managed to feed the twenty guests we had over for our Thanksgiving dinner, held on Saturday and not Thursday. (Thursday is for traveling and gumbo!)

Bonnie’s sister-in-law is known for her pies and this year she outdid herself by making four: an apple, pumpkin, pear-pistachio, and mince, my grandmother’s favorite.

My sister Hope’s birthday falls on the 28th of November (like John Stewart’s) and so each year we celebrate around Thanksgiving and I usually make a birthday cake. Since chocolate is kind of her thing and dairy is not so much her thing, it usually ends up being some chocolatey dairy-free concoction. This year I was interested in trying David Lebovitz‘s Devil’s Food Cake; while not dairy-free per se, it seemed easy enough to substitute Earth Balance for the butter and soy milk or Lactaid for the milk.

In the end the cake was a hit but I encountered a few stumbling blocks along the way. For instance, the recipe called for lining the bottoms of the cake pans with parchment paper, but I had none. So I greased and floured them well instead. But when it came time to wiggle the baked cakes out of the pans to cool they put up a good fight and the cakes started to come apart. In general I found the cake to be crumbly and wondered if this was just the lack of parchment or the Earth Balance perhaps? And finally, while I love dark chocolate, I found the overall cake and ganache frosting too be a little too dark, a result of using only 70% bittersweet cocoa bars. The cake’s darkness was fine, but next time, I’d mix the bittersweet with some lighter semi-sweet chocolate bars for the ganache frosting. Not that I heard any complaints from the birthday girl.

Devil’s Food Cake
Adapted from David Lebovitz

For the cake:
9 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp
1/2 c strong coffee (or water)
1/2 c whole or low-fat milk (soy also works)

For the ganache frosting:
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
5 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 c water (or cream)
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1. Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F.

2. Butter two 9″ x 2″ cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

3. Sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

4. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and incorporate.

5. Mix together the coffee and milk. Fold half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then add the coffee and milk. Fold in the other half of the dry ingredients to combine, but do not over mix.

6. Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

7. To make the frosting, melt the chopped chocolate with the water (or cream) in a double boiler. Remove the bowl from the pot of water.

8. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk them into the chocolate until completely melted and the ganache is smooth. Cool until spreadable, which may take up to an hour at room temp or a quick cooling (5-10 mins) in the fridge.

Frost the top of one layer of the cake and then place the other cake on top. Frost the tops and sides of the cake and serve the same day.

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Categories Chocolate, Coco, Desserts, Entertaining, Fall, Holidays, Vermont

Jalapeño Spoonbread, Two Ways

November 19, 2011 //
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I had a craving this week brought on by subliminal messaging. Wednesday morning I was reading the Times‘s Dining section and recall seeing more than one recipe involving cornmeal. I suppose it’s that time of year—for cornbread stuffing, creamy polenta, cornmeal cookies. By 4 pm I was at the greenmarket in Union Square with a serious hankering. I swung by the Cayuga Pure Organics stand and bought a bag of fine cornmeal (not its coarser cousin, polenta—no offense polenta).

My plan was to make jalapeño spoonbread using Martha Rose Shulman’s recipe from her Recipes for Health column. Spoonbread is an airy, soufflé-like cornbread that turns golden brown and rises during baking. I find it’s moister than cornbread, and the leftovers make for one mean breakfast the next morning.

In the end I couldn’t find a jalapeño or an ear of corn (or frozen corn for that matter) so I made some adjustments. I substituted cayenne for the jalapeño, and did away with the corn kernels all together.

By the time I got baking it was nearing 10 pm, and since I decided to beat the egg whites by hand, it was close to midnight when I finally pulled the puffy, fragrant cornmeal soufflé from the oven. No matter, still airy and warm I cut into the spoonbread and helped myself to a midnight snack.

The next morning, I reheated a slice in a skillet with a little butter and served it drizzled with maple syrup for a scrumptious breakfast.

The story doesn’t end there. I tried the recipe again yesterday with my friend Amy while on a lunch break (the perks of being a freelancer and working from home). But the two spoonbreads couldn’t have been more different. Whereas the first night the cornbread browned and puffed up just like it was supposed to, yesterday is remained yellow without browning and never quite reached soufflé heights, and I know why.

You know how when beating egg whites you’re supposed to make sure there’s nothing else in the bowl? No trace of anything that could prevent the whites from reaching their stiff peaks? I goofed and left about 1 tsp of milk in the bowl ergo the egg whites never full aerated. Nonetheless, yesterday’s batch was spoonable and yummy, just with less of the french-toast-like consistency of the first batch. More like regular cornbread, less dense though.

You can probably tell which photo of the finished product is from which experiment.

Jalapeño Spoonbread
Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman, The New York Times

1 c water
2 c milk (whole or 2%)
3/4 tsp salt
1 c (130 g) cornmeal
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
Kernels from 1 ear of corn of 3/4 c frozen corn (optional)
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
1/2 c (2 oz) Gruyère cheese, grated (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and butter a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet or baking dish.

2. Combine the water, milk, and salt in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. Slowly add the cornmeal in a stream while whisking constantly. Turn the heat to low and continue to whisk for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.

3. One at a time, stir in the egg yolks, then add the cheese and corn kernels, if using, and the jalapeños.

4. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Stir in 1/4 of the egg whites into the cornmeal mixture, then gently fold in the remaining 3/4. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and place in the oven. Bake for thirty minutes until the spoonbread puffs and begins to brown. Serve at once.

Should you achieve soufflé greatness it is a satisfying but fleeting accomplishment. Dig into the spoonbread while still warm and puffy, because it will deflate before you can reach for seconds. Chill leftovers and serve the next day reheated in a skillet with a bit of butter (and maple syrup if you’re so inclined).

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Categories Breakfast, Cheese, Cornmeal, Eggs, Farmer's Market

Two Months and Counting

November 18, 2011 //
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Yesterday marked two months since the beginning of the Occupy movement here in New York City. Beginning at 7 am protestors took to the New York Stock Exchange, which was barricaded in all directions by the NYPD in riot gear and some mounted on horses. I heard the opening bell was delayed a few minutes since workers had trouble getting past all the crowds. The protests took place around the city all day and at 3 pm reached Union Square with 5,000 to 10,000 students and workers taking up the entire square and then 5th Avenue.

At 5 pm union workers, students, parents, grandparents, and children arrived in Foley Square for a rally and then a march across the Brooklyn Bridge. The NYPD estimated 32,500 people participated; I had never been in a larger rally. I marched with a group called Build the Occupation who had made word signs for the event — like refrigerator magnets, each sign carried a different word that could be jumbled together with other signs to make sayings like “We Believe,” “= Opportunity,” “Good People.” (The photo directly below is from my friend Amy, barkowphoto.com)

A crafty protestor figured out how to project words onto the eyesore Verizon building at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge which brought lots of cheers and honking from cars and marchers.

This is Union Square late yesterday afternoon.


And in the morning, near the Stock Exchange, and Zuccotti Park.

I found myself in awe all day that so many people care about changing the system so it works fairly for everyone. People have been waiting for this moment for years and seem grateful to finally be able to speak out about it. One of my favorite signs of the evening said, “Let’s Be Clear, This Is A Class War.”

Promise to get back to a food post soon!

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Categories Fall, Protests
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