Madeleines

The last time Y. was in the city he bought me a madeleine pan, which made it my turn to take a stab at baking the fabled cookie. Or is it a cake? Either way it is a good idea to get one's first attempt at madeleines out of the way. I was pleased enough with my maiden madeleine voyage. Although they sadly did not form the coveted hump on their backs and two batches stuck badly to the molds, the ones that survived were orangey and buttery and delicious.

It might have something to do with the diminutive size of my apartment and the similarly tiny dimensions of my oven, but my baked goods seem to be getting smaller and smaller. Noticing this trend, Y. got me a madeleine pan that produces very tiny cakes. I'm not sure if this could have had an effect on the forming of bumps (or not) on my cakes, but it did cross my mind as a possibility. Or maybe in trying so hard not to incorporate too much air into my batter, I didn't incorporate enough. Who knows? I'm sure, however, that it was not the fault of the recipe and when I next attempt it I will learn more.

Madeleines

The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts way

• 125 g sugar
• 110 g flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• zest of one orange
• 2 large eggs, room temp.
• 110 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

• Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the zest. With a whisk, mix in the eggs until just incorporated, being careful not to add too much air to the batter. Stir in the melted butter. Cover the batter and refrigerate for one hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease and flour your madeleine molds.
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip and pipe a dollop of pastry into each mold. Do not overfill the molds.
• Bake for about 7 minutes. The cooking time will vary according to how big or small your molds are. Cakes should spring back in the center when lightly touched. Carefully remove madeleines from molds and allow to cool on wire racks.

Enjoy the first one warm out of the oven.

Aren't you proud? I managed to write about madeleines without once mentioning Proust. Oh, dear, I blew it...

Orange Torte

Here I go again with the oranges and chocolate. It's a good combo, what can I say? I was drawn to this torte in particular because the entire orange is used: peel, seeds and all. Cool, no?

This recipe is for a 9-inch torte, but my new cake stand won't accommodate a cake that big (and I prefer smaller cakes anyway) so I used two smallish blood oranges and halved all the other ingredients. I should have poured all the batter (or most of it) into one 6-inch pan, but, having divided it between two pans, saved the cake (I hope) by going double decker. Then there's the issue of the almonds. I should have blanched and ground my own almonds, but I was lazy and bought almond meal so what should be a lovely cake the color of sunshine is marred by the unwelcome presence of skins. But nevermind.

Orange Torte

adapted from Aaron Maree

• 3 oranges
• 6 eggs, separated
• 180 g sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 280 g ground almonds
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• 250 g apricot jam
• 60 ml water
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
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• 1/2 recipe basic ganache

• Place oranges in a pot, cover with water, and boil them for an hour and a half. While still hot, place oranges in a blender or food processor and blend to a pulp. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan (or a combination of smaller pans) and line the bottom(s) with parchment. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and half the sugar until yolks are pale and have reached the ribbon stage. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
• Wash your bowl and whisk attachment, then beat egg whites to stiff peaks, adding the remaining sugar in spoonfuls just before it reaches this stage. Add the ground almonds and baking powder and beat until well combined.
• Fold yolk mixture into the orange pulp, then fold in the egg white mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cake is pulling away from the edges of the pan and springs back when lightly touched.
• Cool on wire racks in the pan.
• For the glaze: Combine jam, water, and lemon juice in a pan. Stir until thoroughly blended. Boil 10-15 minutes then force through a fine strainer.
• Once cake is completely cool, turn it out and peel the parchment off the bottom. Coat with warm apricot glaze and place on serving dish. Allow glaze to cool then cover cake with warm ganache. Allow ganache to set then decorate as you wish--not at all, dusted with cocoa, adorned with chocolate curls or chocolate dipped orange segments...

Serve with coffee or, as it's New Year's Eve, with champagne.

It's not at all amazing, but amazingly frustrating, that some weeks you can do no wrong and others it's one semi-success (that is, flop) after the other. Wishing you more successes than failures in 2010 and the good nature to accept both gracefully. Happy new year.

Orange Meringues with Chocolate Ganache

I never think to make meringues. That is, I never think to make meringues unless I've made custard first and have a bowlful of leftover whites staring at me with their big doe eyes daring me to pour them down the drain. But aren't these gorgeous? Wouldn't you love to part the tissue paper and find these inside? They're worth separating eggs for, friends, and making custard with the leftover yolks.

Martha wanted these made with peppermint extract and red food coloring, but I had in my cupboard orange extract and orange food coloring. Orange and chocolate are two flavors I think go together very well and are just as seasonally appropriate as peppermint and chocolate, so I thought the substitution a fair one.

Orange Meringues with Chocolate Ganache

adapted from Martha Stewart

• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. orange extract
• orange food coloring
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• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 oz. dark chocolate

• Preheat oven to 175°F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicon mats and set aside. Fit a pastry bag with a small star tip and set aside.
• Put egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place bowl over simmering water and stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm. Fit bowl onto base of electric mixer and, with whisk attachment, beat mixture until whites are shiny and hold stiff peaks, mixing in orange extract just before they have reached this stage.
• Paint 3 stripes of food coloring on the inside of the pastry bag. Place stiff egg whites in pastry bag and pipe as many small meringues as you can. Bake for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until crisp and dry, but not brown. Allow to cool completely(this doesn't take long).
• For the ganache: cut the chocolate into small pieces and then grind into even smaller pieces in a food processor. Bring cream just to the simmer over medium heat. Add cream to food processor and process until ganache is smooth, 20 seconds or so. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool until it is pipeable.
• To assemble: Fit a pastry bag with a small round tip and put ganache in bag. Pipe some ganache on the bottom of one meringue and sandwich it with another, repeat. Place finished meringues on wire racks. Allow ganache to set about 30 minutes. Will keep in airtight containers at room temperature for about 2 days.

Enjoy alongside your next espresso. Wrap in tissue and give away.

Indeed, it was more than fair; it was meant to be. The orange is sweet and high and the bitterness of the dark chocolate brings it back down to earth. This is mimicked by the contrasting textures: the airy lightness of the meringue is countered and complimented by the richness of the ganache. Although the meringue melts almost instantly--disappears well before you've finished the ganache--the orange flavor lingers and mingles with the chocolate, giving your entire mouth something to think about.

I kept the meringues small for several reasons. Mainly I think they're prettier that way. Just as importantly, they're twice as big when two are stuck together and I wanted the finished product to be able to be popped in the mouth and enjoyed in one bite. At this size they're small enough to fit on the saucer of an espresso cup--a nice presentation and an excellent accompaniment. You also get more this way, which can only be a good thing.