Winter Gatherings (14 page)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium celery rib, chopped

½ green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, or use canned low-sodium broth

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

C
ORNMEAL
D
UMPLINGS

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup whole milk

½ cup thawed frozen corn kernels

• 1.
  To prepare the kale, remove the tough stems. Chop the stems into ½-inch-thick pieces. Fill a sink with cold water and add the stems. Wash the stems well. Lift out of the water and set aside in a bowl; do not dry. Fill the sink with fresh water. A few at a time, stack the leaves and cut crosswise into ½-inch-wide strips. Add to the water and wash well. Lift out of the water and transfer to a large colander; do not dry.
  
• 2.
  Cook the bacon and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, leaving the fat in the saucepan.
  
• 3.
  Add the onion, celery, and green pepper to the saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it gives off its fragrance, about 1 minute. Stir in the stems. In batches, add the leaves, letting the first batch wilt before adding another. Stir in the stock, vinegar, and red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the leaves are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  
• 4.
  To make the dumplings, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the milk and stir until combined. Stir in the corn. Drop the batter by heaping teaspoons into the saucepan—you should have 24 small dumplings. Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  
• 5.
  To serve, spoon the kale with its liquid and the dumplings into individual bowls and serve hot. (You can also serve the kale and dumplings with a slotted spoon, and pour the cooking liquid into mugs to sip on the side.)
  

DESSERTS

Homemade Marshmallows

Butterscotch Banana Pudding

Kumquat Upside-Down Cake

Chocolate and Orange Tart

Pear Soufflés “Hélène”

Maple Crèmes Brûlées

Grapefruit Cupcakes

Pear and Crystallized Ginger Gingerbread

Homemade Marshmallows

Makes about 1 pound, 24 large marshmallows

What could be cooler to make at home than marshmallows? They are really very easy to pull off, as long as you have the right tools—a candy thermometer and a heavy-duty standing mixer. Make a batch to put on top of a steaming mug of hot chocolate (Chapter 1), or give them away as holiday gifts.

Vegetable oil for the pan

Confectioners’ sugar for the pan and the work surface

2 envelopes (4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1.
  Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the bottom and the two short sides with a strip of aluminum foil, preferably nonstick, folding the excess foil over the edges to act as handles. Lightly oil the foil. Generously dust the bottom and the sides of the pan with confectioners’ sugar.
  
• 2.
  Pour 1/3 cup water in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Attach the bowl to the mixer and affix the paddle blade.
  
• 3.
  Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and an additional 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the syrup boils, stop stirring and boil, washing down any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water and occasionally swirling the pan by the handle, until the syrup reaches 240°F.
  
• 4.
  With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture. After the syrup has been added, add the salt and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat until the mixture is white, fluffy, and cooled to tepid, 8 to 10 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
  
• 5.
  Rinse a rubber spatula under cold water. Using the wet spatula, immediately spread the mixture in the prepared pan. Let stand until completely set, at least 4 hours. Generously dust a work surface with confectioners’ sugar. Invert and unmold the marshmallow onto the work surface and peel off the foil. Using an oiled knife or pizza wheel, cut into 24 pieces. (The marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)
  

Butterscotch Banana Pudding

Makes 6 servings

Because they are always reliably tasty, bananas are a good fruit to use in winter desserts. I love banana pudding as much as the next guy, if not more. Over the years, I’ve fooled around with the recipe to get away from the plain vanilla version. This is my latest rendition, with the caramel flavor of butterscotch and the spiciness of gingersnaps to perk up the bananas.

B
UTTERSCOTCH
P
UDDING

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, divided

¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (use dark for a deeper molasses flavor)

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup cornstarch

2 cups whole milk

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

1½ cups coarsely crushed gingersnap cookies

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1.
  To make the pudding, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk until the mixture is melted. Whisk in the heavy cream and cook until the mixture comes to a simmer.
  
• 2.
  Sprinkle the cornstarch over the milk and whisk until dissolved. Whisk into the saucepan and cook until it comes to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks together in a heatproof medium bowl. Gradually whisk in about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture, then whisk it back into the saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, until the pudding comes to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low and whisk for another 15 seconds. (Be sure that the pudding comes to a full lavalike boil, or it will thin out as it stands.) Remove from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into small cubes and scatter over the top of the pudding. Cover the pudding with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface. Pierce a few slits in the plastic wrap with the tip of a small knife and let cool.
  
• 3.
  Layer the pudding, bananas, and gingersnaps in 6 dessert bowls or glasses. Cover each with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the pudding and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
  
• 4.
  Whip the cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a chilled medium bowl with a hand-held electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Top each pudding with a dollop of the cream and serve chilled.
  

Kumquat Upside-Down Cake

Makes 10 servings

Upside-down cakes are unabashedly old-fashioned, but they sure make an impressive dessert. As kumquats are an underappreciated fruit that no one seems to know what to do with, this cake has another built-in chance to impress your guests with an unfamiliar ingredient. And with its glistening rounds of orange kumquats, it looks fantastic, too. As it takes guts to unmold the cake out of a heavy cast-iron skillet, substitute a heavy-gauge 10 x 2-inch metal cake pan, if you prefer.

K
UMQUAT
T
OPPING

1 pint kumquats

1 cup packed light brown sugar

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

C
AKE

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at very soft room temperature

½ cup milk

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1.
  Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
  



• 2.
  To make the kumquat topping, cut each kumquat crosswise into thirds, removing the seeds. Stir the brown sugar and butter in a 9-to 10-inch-diameter cast-iron skillet over medium heat until the sugar is melted and bubbling. Add the kumquats and spread them out in the sugar mixture in a single layer.
  
• 3.
  To make the cake, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer set on low speed to moisten. Increase the speed to high and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, for 2 minutes (set a timer to be sure), until smooth and fluffy. Scrape into the skillet and smooth the top.
  
• 4.
  Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly in the center with your finger, about 35 minutes. Let stand in the pan on a wire cake rack for 5 minutes.
  
• 5.
  Run a knife around the inside of the skillet to release the cake. Place a round rimmed serving platter over the pan. Holding the platter and skillet together, quickly invert to unmold the cake. Let stand until warm or cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve.
  

Kumquats

Looking like small, elongated oranges, attached to glossy dark green leaves, kumquats are so attractive that when I first came across them at the market, I used them mainly for garnishing. It was my loss that it took me a while to discover how delicious they can be in cooking.

Kumquats are originally from China, and didn’t really make it to the West until the mid-nineteenth century, and even then, they were appreciated more for their beauty in the garden than in the kitchen. There is quite an argument between botanists whether kumquats belong to their own genus,
Fortunella
, or if they are a member of the
Citrus
family. They are frost-hardy, and thrive in cool areas like the San Francisco Bay Area.