Ruhlman's Twenty (29 page)
Authors: Michael Ruhlman
7
/You can use a tube pan or a springform and a pint glass.
8
/The cake is golden when finished baking.
9
/Cool the cake upside down.
10
/For the toffee, cook the butter and sugar together.
11
/Pour onto parchment/baking paper when caramel in color.
12
/Some butterfat may render out.
13
/Coarsely break, then chop the toffee into bits.
14
/Frost all around with the whipped cream and toffee mixture.
15
/Garnish with chopped toffee and chocolate.
To make the cake in advance, hold the baked cake at room temperature. Make the whipped cream and hold in the fridge. When ready to serve, combine the toffee with the whipped cream and ice the cake as directed.
/MAKES ABOUT
31/2 CUPS/840 MILLILITERS
SORBET
Sugar is the key in a sorbet, not only to balance the intense acidity, but also to keep the sorbet pliable. Use too much water relative to the sugar, and the sorbet will be nearly as hard as a block of ice. I also add a little alcohol for textural reasons. My dad was a gin drinker so that’s why it’s here, but you can use vodka if you must.
1 cup/200 grams sugar
½ cup/120 milliliters lime juice (about 4 limes)
½ cup/120 milliliters lemon juice (2 or 3 lemons)
1/3 cup/75 milliliters gin (optional)
Combine the sugar and 2 cups/450 milliliters water in a medium saucepan over high heat, bring to a simmer, and cook just long enough for all the sugar to dissolve. Add the lime and lemon juices and the gin (if using). Refrigerate the mixture until completely chilled, then freeze in an ice-cream maker. Transfer to a container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
MAKES
FIFTY TO SIXTY
¼-INCH-/5-MILLIMETER-WIDE STRIPS
I like candied orange peel because it makes use of something we normally throw away, and also because it tastes so good. You can coat the strips of peel in decorative sugar or dip them in melted chocolate. I like some bite and chewiness to the strips, so after I blanch them, I cut off a layer of pith. For very fine peels, remove all the pith.
2 oranges
1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
Decorative sugar or melted chocolate
Working from one end of each orange to the other, make four or five cuts through the peel just to the flesh. Remove the peel and reserve the flesh for another use. Cut the peel into strips about ¼ inch/6 millimeters wide, or as you wish.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the peels for 60 seconds. Remove them with a strainer and run under cold water. To reduce the bitterness of the pith, you can blanch the peels again and rinse them one or two more times.
Put the peels, the granulated sugar, and 1 cup/240 milliliters water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook the peels, stirring once or twice, until the peels are cooked and saturated with the syrup, about 1 hour. Spread the peels on a rack and allow them to dry overnight.
Roll the peels in decorative sugar or dip them in melted chocolate. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
1
/The peels are simmered in a 1:1 water-to-sugar syrup.
2
/Dry for 8 hours or overnight.