JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

In the Kitchen

We have worked with amazing pastry chefs, bakers, and chocolatiers over the years and have collected a nice sheaf of recipes along the way. And to our way of thinking, recipes are meant to be shared. So we are opening the vault, as well as searching out some new recipes along the way, to bring you what's baking in some of the top pastry chefs' kitchens. We are starting things off with a few from Dean of Pastry Arts at The French Culinary Institute, Jacques Torres, whose third book came out in November of 2008, A Year in Chocolate: 80 Recipes for Holidays and Special Occasions.

Chocolate Gougère with Gorgonzola and Walnuts
Serves 30

Gougère:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
6 ounces bread flour
6 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 2. Bring 1 cup water, butter, salt, and sugar to boil in a saucepan, stirring to combine. Once butter has melted, stir in flour, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture forms a ball and begins to leave a film on the side of the pan. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until well-combined and dough is smooth after each addition. Place dough into a pastry bag set with a 1 1/2-inch star tip; pipe into rounds on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle dough with cheese. 3. Bake about 25 minutes; remove from oven; reserve.

Gorgonzola filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces bread flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
salt
black pepper, freshly ground
30 walnuts

1. Place butter, flour, and cocoa in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until a smooth paste forms; add milk 1/4 cup at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition; bring to a boil; cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds; stir in cheese; season; cook, stirring, until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth; remove from heat; let cool slightly. 2. Place in pastry bag with round tip; pipe into gourgères; push a walnut inside.

Chocolate Blackout Cake with Ganache Drizzle
Adapted from A Year in Chocolate: 80 Recipes for Holidays and Special Occasions by Jacques Torres
Makes 4 small cakes
To make this cake, you will need four sets of standard round metal dry-measure measuring cups in 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, and 1/4 cup measures quantities.

Cake:
Nonstick cooking spray
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
1/4 cup very hot, strong brewed coffee or 2 tablespoons coffee extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 2/3 cups cake flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Ganache (see recipe below)
1 piece block white chocolate, for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a wire rack on top of the parchment paper; reserve. Line a second rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; reserve. 3. Lightly coat the interior of each cup of each set of measuring cups with nonstick cooking spray; reserve. 4. Combine butter and coffee in a bowl, stirring to melt the butter. Whisk in buttermilk; reserve. 5. Place sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until just combined. With motor running, add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, one ingredient at a time, mixing until combined before adding the next; beat until just combined. Add vanilla; mix well. Add reserved liquids; beat until just combined. Fill each measuring cup about half-full with batter. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until the center of each cake is set (smaller cakes will bake quicker than larger ones), 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully invert onto prepared wire racks. Cool completely. 6. Make 4 stacks of cakes (largest cakes on bottom smallest on top) and place on wire rack. Spread ganache over cakes, using an offset spatula, allowing excess to drip down the sides onto the baking pan. Carefully transfer each cake to a dessert plate. If decorating with white chocolate, run a vegetable peeler over chocolate standing over each cake, allowing curls to fall directly on top.

Ganache:
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream

1. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl; reserve. 2. Scald cream in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat. Do not allow it to boil or it will bubble over the pan. Remove from heat and slowly pour about half of hot cream over chocolate. Let stand until chocolate begins to melt, about 30 seconds. Then beat the mixture, using a wooden spoon. As it starts to smooth out add the remaining cream and continue to beat until the mixture is very smooth and glossy. Let stand at room temperature until cakes are cool. If ganache firms up too much before using, place it in the top half of a double boiler set over simmering water, stirring until softened.

Mudslides
Adapted from A Year in Chocolate: 80 Recipes for Holidays and Special Occasions by Jacques Torres
Makes 20 large cookies

1 pound 60 percent bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
5 large eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 pound 60 percent bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper; reserve. 3. Place chopped bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates in the top half of a double boiler set over simmering water. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from heat; reserve. 4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; reserve. 5. Crack eggs into another bowl; reserve. 6. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment; beat on medium speed until very light and fluffy. Add sugar; beat until combined. Add eggs; beat until just incorporated. Add melted chocolate and beat to combine. Decrease speed to low; add flour mixture a little at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated before adding more. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the finely chopped chocolate and walnuts, using a rubber spatula. 7. Scoop out a heaping tablespoonful of dough; form into a ball and place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing the balls about 1 inch apart. Bake until set around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place cookies on wire rack; cool slightly. Serve warm.