The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit.” Julia Child
Inspired by a recent PBS donor drive special featuring old clips of Ms. Child pursuing her passion, I googled a recipe for Reine de Saba, a little chocolate almond cake from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Butter, separated eggs, semisweet chocolate, flour, ground almonds. Didn't seem that complicated. Except when I tried to purchase ground almonds in the bulk food section of a natural foods market. OK, I would need to break out the Cuisinart.
Breaking down the recipe in steps, I would need to melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Add a tablespoon of coffee or brandy. I went with the coffee. Whip egg whites till stiff with a dash of salt and tablespoon of sugar. I would need to transfer the egg whites to another bowl. Note to self: Must extra Mixmaster bowls if I am going to pursue this French cooking thing. Wash and dry Mixmaster bowl. Change to paddle attachment. Cream unsalted butter and sugar. Add egg yolks. Blend. Add in chocolate mixture. Sift pastry flour. Alternate between folding in egg whites and pastry flour. Add in some almond extract. Fold into buttered and floured round cake pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool.
Remove from oven. Looking good. In the meantime, I prepared the frosting by melting more semisweet chocolate and then whipping in six or so tablespoons of butter. Second note to self: Buy hand mixer. Julia says to whip chocolate/butter mixture over ice. Oh, well. Talk kids out of eating icing directly from bowl. Spread over cake and decorate with almonds. Impressive looking. At least until this morning, when I realize I forgot to remove the cake from the pan. Now, my cake is frosted upside down.
Gives new meaning to Upside Down Cake.
Ms. Child was one of a kind. She peppered her cooking shows with bon mots, including "Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." She once commented, "The only time to eat diet food is when you are waiting for your steak to cook." When asked to name her favorite wine, she responded, "Gin."
Perhaps I should take my cue from Julia's playbook. If I had tossed a few Tanqueray & Tonics during my baking attempt, I might have remembered to remove cake from pan before icing. Or maybe not!
No comments:
Post a Comment