Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (3 page)

If directions say to sprinkle with confectioners sugar, place the sugar in a small strainer and shake it over the top of the cake or cookies.

Vanilla Sugar

This is a flavored confectioners sugar frequently used to sprinkle over cakes or cookies. It adds a nice mild flavor and delicious aroma. To make it, fill a covered jar (about 1-quart size) with confectioners sugar. Split a few vanilla beans the long way and bury them in the sugar. Cover tightly and let stand for at least a few days before using. As the sugar is used it may be replaced; the vanilla beans will continue to flavor the sugar for a month or two.

When you make vanilla sugar don’t bother to strain the sugar beforehand. The vanilla beans give off a certain amount of moisture which the sugar absorbs, causing the sugar to become lumpy and making it necessary to strain it just before using.

Confectioners Sugar Designs

Many cakes with plain, smooth icing (or no icing) may be decorated with confectioners sugar. I have tried the popular method of covering a cake with a fancy paper doily, sprinkling with sugar, and then removing the doily, thereby leaving an intricate white design. But I like simpler designs and I would rather make my own. Plain white stripes on a dark cake are more to my taste.

If you are going to make a sugar design and if you have iced the cake and have first lined the edges of the plate with four strips of wax paper (see page 18), leave them there to catch excess sugar. Wait until the icing has set and is not wet or sticky before you sugar the top.

To make plain white stripes, cut strips of wax paper about ½ inch wide and long enough to extend slightly over the edges of the top of the cake for easy removal. Place them parallel about ½ inch apart over the top of the cake. Strain the sugar generously and evenly through a fine strainer held over the cake. Then carefully remove the paper strips by lifting both ends at the same time; do not let the sugar that is on the strips fall back onto the cake or it will mess up the design. Then pull out the strips of paper from under the edges of the cake.

Here’s another design for a round cake. Cut six or eight strips about ¼ or ⅓ inch wide, each one slightly longer than the diameter of the cake. Place one across the top, right across the middle, then another one crossing it at a right angle, again right in the middle to make a cross. Then place two or three across each quarter, dividing the quarters equally (the strips will cross each other in the center and will form a sunburst or fan-like pattern). Remember which one you put on last because you will want to remove that one first. Sprinkle the cake with sugar, and then carefully remove the strips in the reverse order you put them down so that the sugar doesn’t spill. The cake will have a white top with dark lines radiating from the center.

If the cake was not iced, and therefore the plate was not lined with four strips of wax paper, use a pastry brush to dust excess sugar off the plate.

Crystal Sugar

Crystal sugar, also called pearl sugar, or
hagelzucker
in German, is commonly used to sprinkle over European cookies and pastries before baking. It is coarser than granulated sugar.

FLOUR

With only one or two exceptions these recipes call for sifted flour. This means that even if the package is labeled “pre-sifted” you should sift it before measuring. If not, since flour packs down while standing 1 cup unsifted flour is liable to be a few spoonfuls more than 1 cup of just-sifted flour.

If you have one, use a triple sifter (three layers of wire mesh); otherwise sift the flour twice. Sift it onto a piece of wax paper. Make sure that there is no flour left in the sifter, then transfer the sifter to another piece of wax paper. Use a metal measuring
cup and lightly spoon the sifted flour into the cup or lift it on a dough scraper and transfer it to the cup—not shake the cup or pack or press the flour down—and scrape excess off the top with a dough scraper, a metal spatula, or any flat-sided implement. Place the flour in the sifter, add any ingredients to be sifted together with it, and sift onto the second piece of wax paper. Again, make sure there is nothing left in the sifter.

It is not necessary ever to wash a flour sifter (I never do), just shake it out firmly and store it in a plastic bag.

If you don’t have a sifter, flour can be sifted through a fine-meshed strainer.

Some of these recipes call for all-purpose flour, and some for cake flour. Although all-purpose has a higher gluten content than cake flour, for general cake- and cookie-baking they may be substituted one for the other if necessary: 1 cup of sifted all-purpose flour equals 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sifted cake flour—or, in reverse, 1 cup of sifted cake flour equals 1 cup less 2 tablespoons of sifted all-purpose.

In any recipe calling for all purpose flour you may use either bleached or unbleached.

Both the recipes that call for all-purpose flour and those that call for cake flour mean flour only—not the kind that has baking powder and salt already added to it.

EGGS

Size

The size of eggs can be very important in certain recipes (in others it might not make any difference). In cakes without flour, or with very little, if the whites are too large there might be more air beaten in than the other ingredients can support and the cake might fall. On the other hand, in certain gelatin desserts, or in some mousses, if the whites are too small there might not be enough air for the dessert to be as light as it should.

In each recipe where it is necessary, I have indicated the size or choice of sizes that should be used.

To Open Eggs

If directions call for adding whole eggs one at a time, they may all be opened ahead of time into one container and then poured into the other ingredients, approximately one at a time. Do not open eggs directly into the other ingredients—you would not know if a piece of shell had been included.

To Separate Eggs

Eggs separate more safely—there is less chance of the yolk breaking—when they are cold. Therefore, if a recipe calls for separated eggs it is usually the first step I do when organizing the ingredients so that they are cold from the refrigerator.

The safest way to separate eggs is as follows: Place three small cups or bowls in front of you (or use shallow glasses; they generally have a sharper edge and crack the shell more cleanly). One is for the whites and one for the yolks. The third one might not be needed, but if you should break the yolk when opening an egg, just drop the whole thing in the third bowl and save it for some other use.

Tap the side of the egg firmly (but not too hard or you might break the yolk) on the edge of the bowl or glass to crack the shell, with luck, in a rather straight even line. Then, holding the egg in both hands, separate the halves of the shell, letting
some of the white run out into the bowl or glass. Hold the eggs so that the halves each make a cup. Pour the yolk back and forth from one half of the shell to the other, letting all of the white run out. Drop the yolk into the second bowl or glass.

Many professional cooks simply open the egg into the palm of one hand with their fingers slightly separated over a bowl. They let the white run through their open fingers and then slide the yolk into the second bowl.

As each egg is separated the white should be transferred to another container (that is, in addition to the three—it could be another bowl or glass or it might be the mixing bowl you will beat them in), because if you place all of the whites in one container there is a chance that the last egg white might have some yolk in it, which could spoil all of the whites. Generally, a tiny bit of yolk or shell can be removed from egg whites with an empty half shell. Or try a piece of paper towel dipped in cold water.

To Beat Egg Whites

Many of the recipes in this book depend on properly beaten egg whites. After you have learned how, it becomes second nature.

First, the bowl and beaters must be absolutely clean. A little bit of fat (egg yolks are fat) will prevent the whites from incorporating air as they should and from rising properly.

Second, do not overheat or the whites will become dry and you will not be able to fold them into other ingredients without losing the air you have beaten in.

Third, do not beat them ahead of time. They must be folded in immediately after they are beaten. And if it is a cake that you are making, it must then be placed in the oven right away.

You can use an electric mixer, a rotary egg beater, or a wire whisk.

If you use an electric mixer or a rotary beater, be careful not to use a bowl that is too large or the whites will be too shallow to get the full benefit of the beater’s action. If the bowl does not revolve by itself (as they do in electric mixers on a stand), move the mixer or beater around the bowl to beat all the whites evenly. If you use a mixer on a stand, use a rubber spatula frequently to push the whites from the sides of the bowl into the center.

If you use a wire whisk, it should be a large, thin-wired balloon type, at least 4 inches wide at the top. The bowl should be very large to give you plenty of room for making large, circular motions with the whisk. An unlined copper bowl is the best, or you may use glass, china, or stainless steel —but do not beat egg whites in aluminum, which might discolor the whites, or plastic, which is frequently porous and might be greasy from some other use. A copper bowl should be treated each time before using as follows: Put 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt in the bowl and rub thoroughly with half a lemon, squeezing a bit of the juice and mixing it with the salt. Then rinse it with hot water (no soap) and dry. After using a copper bowl, wash it as you would any other, but be sure to treat it before beating egg whites again.

When I beat whites with an electric mixer, if they do not have sugar added to them (sugar makes them more creamy and slightly lessens the chance of overbeating), I always—and I recommend this to everyone—finish the beating with a wire whisk. There is less chance of overbeating and the whisk seems to give the whites a slightly creamy consistency. At this stage you can use a smaller whisk than the one mentioned above—use any one that seems to fit the bowl the whites are in.

People always ask me if I bring egg whites to room temperature before using them. If I do it is a rare occasion. They are usually cold when I use them.

To Freeze Egg Whites or Yolks

Many of these recipes call for yolks and no whites, and a few call for only whites. If you have just a few extra of either left over and do not want to save them for something else, add them to scrambled eggs.

Leftover egg whites may be kept covered in the refrigerator for a few days, or they may be frozen. I freeze them individually (or occasionally 2 or 4 together) in ovenproof glass custard cups. When they are frozen, hold one cup upside down under running hot water until the frozen white can be removed. Wrap each frozen white individually in plastic wrap and return to the freezer. To use, remove the number you want, unwrap and place them in a cup or bowl, and let stand at room temperature to thaw. Or place them in a slightly warm oven, or place the cup or bowl in a larger bowl of warm water.

To freeze yolks, stir them lightly just to mix, and for every yolk stir in ⅓ teaspoon of granulated sugar or ½ teaspoon of honey. Freeze them in a covered jar, labeling so you will know how many and how much sugar or honey, and can then make adjustments in the recipe for the sweetening when you use them. When thawed, stir to mix well—they will not look exactly the same as before they were frozen (not as smooth) but will work in recipes.

NUTS

Nuts (walnuts and pecans more than almonds) can turn rancid rather quickly. Always store all nuts airtight in the freezer or refrigerator. In the refrigerator nuts store satisfactorily for 9 months; in the freezer at zero degrees for 2 years. Bring them to room temperature before using; smell them and taste them before you use them (preferably, as soon as you buy them)—you will know quickly if they are rancid. If you even suspect that they might be, do not use them; they would ruin a recipe.

To Blanch Almonds

(Blanched almonds are skinned almonds.)

Cover them with boiling water—the skin will loosen almost immediately. Spoon out a few nuts at a time. One by one, hold them under cold running water and squeeze the nut between your thumb and forefinger. The nut will pop out and the skin will remain between your fingers. Place the peeled almonds on a towel to dry, then spread them in a single layer in a shallow baking pan and bake in a 200-degree oven for half an hour or so until they are completely dry. Do not let them brown.

If the almonds are to be split, sliced, or slivered, they should remain in the hot water longer so that they soften. Let them stand in the water until the water cools enough for you to touch it. Then, one at a time, remove the skin and immediately, while the nut is still soft, place it on a cutting board and cut with a small, sharp paring knife. Bake to dry as above. Sliced almonds are those that have been cut into very thin slices; slivered almonds are the fatter, oblong, “julienne”-shaped pieces. Don’t expect what you do at home to be as even as the bought ones.