Whew! What a strange, but good, weekend. Thomas got back about 2 am last night and had to go to work at 7 am. I miss him more now than when he was gone because I know he's just 15 minutes away! Eden and I are going to take him some lunch as an excuse to see him.
Eden had a fantastic time at her Mamere's while I spent some R & R in Ft Worth. Cyndi organized a little get together at their place Saturday night so I got to hang out with Michelle and Brian and Miriam and Aaron. My friends are so cute- they all have these major, wonderful life changes and they're so humble about them (ahem, meaning quiet) it's hard to keep up! Buying houses, graduating from med school, starting med school, finding new-good jobs in this economy, moving to Kansas, etc etc. You all know who you are and what great things you're doing- CONGRATS!!
We had fantastic vegetable curry, goat cheese stuffed figs, and hummas. I wrote down the recipe for the curry but I think I threw it away. Cyndi- I need it again- it was so good!! After dinner we spent literally hours playing Catch Phrase- what a fun game. Definitely need to get this one. I got back late Sunday but was too wound up to sleep so I made a couple desserts. With Eden I don't normally have enough hands or time to make a complex dessert. The evening was spent meticulously make a Tiramisu Cake (this was goooood!) and Chocolate Ganache Rasberry Tart while watching part of Numbers Season 1. It was so relaxing! As fun as all of that was I'm pretty excited to have Thomas and Eden both home and very much looking forward to some low key family time.
Here's the menu for the week:
Tuesday- Grilled Orange Soy glazed Salmon and Asparagus with Saffron Rice
Wednesday- Szechuan Pork (menu in side bar)
Thursday- Citrus Tabbouleh & Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt Dipping Sauce (menus in side bar)
Friday- Herbed Black Bean Salad (menu in side bar) and Grilled Chicken
Saturday- Steak with Thyme Potatos and Corn
Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Tart (from Bon Apetit)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons water
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kahlú a, other coffee flavored liqueur, or strong coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups fresh raspberries (three 6-ounce containers)
- 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
Using on/off turns, mix flour, butter, and sugar in processor until coarse meal forms.
Mix egg yolks, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water in small bowl. Add to processor; mix until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Fit dough into pan; trim overhang. Freeze 20 minutes.
Bake crust until golden, 25 minutes; cool.
Meanwhile, bring cream just to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in liqueur and vanilla. Cool ganache 15 minutes.
Transfer cooled crust to platter. Spoon chocolate ganache into crust and smooth top. Arrange raspberries atop chocolate. Stir raspberry jam and 1 1/2 teaspoons water in small saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Brush warm glaze over berries. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
Tiramisu Cake
Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
For the cake layers:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
For the espresso extract:
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
For the espresso syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (I used brandy)
For the filling and frosting:
1 8-ounce container mascarpone
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (I used brandy)
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about 1/2 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
Chocolate-covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional)
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Getting ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9×2 inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess, and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.
To make the cake:
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them, and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right-side up.
To make the extract:
Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.
To make the syrup:
Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.
To make the filling and frosting:
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.
Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.
To assemble the cake:
If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right-side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer - user about 1 1/4 cups - and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.
For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone filling. Taste the frosting as you go to decide how much extract you want to add. If the frosting looks as if it might be a little too soft to spread over the cake, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.
With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. If you want to decorate the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans, press them into the filling, making concentric circles of beans or just putting some beans in the center of the cake.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or for up to 1 day) before serving - the elements need time to meld.
Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa.
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