Almond Torte

This is a great dessert and I have pretty much convinced myself that is is really more of a vitamin than a dessert.  It has very little white flour, instead uses ground almonds.  It is made with 6 eggs,  4 ounces of dark chocolate, a little cream, only a cup of sugar, and a little raspberry jam for fun.  I think it is more like a PowerBar.  OK, that is just rationalization, but I love this recipe none the less.  It's out of one of the more random cookbooks that I own:  The Sopranos Family Cookbook.  Yep, everybody's favorite mob family. Tony and Carmella have chapter and so do Artie Bucco and Paulie Gualtieri.  If you've never watched the show before, the characters like to eat.  A LOT.  They aren't small people, so go figure, they made a cookbook.

Anyway, some notes on this recipe.  The leavening agent for the cake is the egg whites.  It is a little difficult to incorporate the whites into the almond mixture all at once without deflating the whites.  I would recommend just adding a scoop or two of the egg whites to the almond mixture and combining.  Don't worry about being gentle with it,  all you want to do is lighten up the almond mix.  Then, once it is combined, add the remaining egg whites and fold in.  Here is a good link on how to fold egg whites into a thinker base, although, it is at the 17 minute point in the video, so unless you want to learn how to make a full souffle, fast forward to 17:00.  But all that being said.  Folding will help you keep the cake light.

Also, I'm sure you could use any sort of jam for the filling.  I'm sure strawberry would be good, or even apricot.  Just make sure, whatever you buy, that it is seedless.  I haven't done this yet, but I bet a little bit of Chambord would be delicious in the frosting.  Now I'm just brainstorming.  Have fun with it!

Almond Torte
Serves 8
Printable recipe

2 c blanched almonds
1 c sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 c seedless raspberry jam
4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c heavy cream
Sliced or slivered almonds for decoration

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Butter 2 9-inch layer cake pans.  Line the pans with circles of parchment paper.  Butter the paper and sprinkle the pans with flour.  Tap out excess.

In a food processor or blender, combine the almonds and 1/4 c of the sugar.  Grind the nuts very fine.  Blend in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until thick and light.  Beat in the remaining 3/4 c sugar and the extracts.  Stir in the almond mixture.

In a clean bowl with clean beaters, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add one big scoop of egg whites to the almond/egg yolk mixture.  Stir in to lighten up the mixture (no need to be gentle here, just mix it in).  Then gently fold the remaining whites into the almond mixture with a rubber spatula.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched int he center.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Unmold the cakes and carefully peel off the paper.  Turn the cakes right side up and let cool completely.

Place 4 strips of wax or parchment paper around the edge of a cake plate.  Place one cake layer upside down on the plate.  Spread the jam evenly over the top.

 Place the second cake layer right side up on the first layer.

 

Break up the chocolate in to small pieces.  In a small heatproof bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate with the heavy cream.

Stir until smooth.  Let the glaze cool slightly.

Pour the glaze onto the top of the cake.  Smooth the top with a metal spatula, allowing some of the chocolate to run down the sides of the cake.

 Then smooth the chocolate over the sides.  Decorate with slivered/sliced almonds (I like to put them around the sides of the cake--it covers up the rough edges I tend to create).  Let set briefly, then remove the paper strips.  Chill briefly to set the chocolate.

Spiced Nuts

So after my nut butter post, I found myself with plenty of nuts left over and wondering what to do with them all.  I looked through my cookbook library, and found an old favorite that I couldn't believe I had forgotten about.  Now I love the mixed nuts you can get in the can at the store, don't get me wrong. But this is a big step-up from those.  The cayenne gives it a little heat, and the rosemary gives it a little freshness.  The brown sugar balances it all out.  It makes a quick and easy party snack...I've even given away small jars as gifts.

Some recipe notes: The more types of nuts you use, the better; I only used 3 types this time, and I wish I had included more (but that's what I had on hand, and didn't feel like making the trip to the store).  If you can't find unsalted nuts, salted are fine, just omit the salt in the recipe or this will be waaaaaaaayyyyy too salty.  These are awesome served warm, but that isn't necessary, they are pretty dang good at room temperature, too.

The Union Square Café Bar Nuts
from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson
for printable recipe click here

18 ounces assorted unsalted nuts, including peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and whole, unpeeled almonds (about 2 1/4 c)
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F

Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet.  Toast in the oven till they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt, and melted butter.

Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts in the spiced butter and serve warm.

Asian Noodle Salad with Cashew Butter--My first Daring Cooks' Challenge

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

I just joined the Daring Kitchen (see the link to the left) recently and this is my first experience with their challenges.  Basically what they do is a monthly challenge recipe that all members have to make and then blog about if they are bloggers.  It isn't a competition, but more like a way to experiment with new dishes/ideas that are a little bit out of the ordinary, things that most people wouldn't think to make on a daily basis and share experiences.  It's a monthly challenge, so be on the lookout on the 14th of each month for my monthly challenge post (I do realize I'm a day late, I misread the directions).

The first key ingredient in nut butters (aside from the nuts themselves) is a really good blender or a food processor to grind the nuts up to a spreadable consistency (Thanks to my neighbor Marie for the use of her--I don't have a good one, yet).  They'll turn grainy and pasty first, but then will eventually (after 2-4 minutes) smooth out to a creamy consistency.  I like my butters a little more chunky, so that's just a matter of blending for a shorter amount of time.

Some other things to keep in mind:

• You may need to add a little oil as well, but do so in small (1 tsp) increments so you don't end up with an oily mess.  You can use the corresponding oil, or something with neutral flavor like canola oil.
• Nut butters can be made out of any nut, raw or roasted, salted or unsalted.  If you do use salted, make sure you account for it in your recipe, you don't want to have yourself a salt bomb instead of a creamy sauce.
• You can roast the nuts yourself for 10 minutes in a 350F oven.  Just lay them out on a baking sheet in a single layer.
• You'll get half the yield of butter as volume of nuts. So 1 cup of nuts will make 1/2 c of butter
• I could go on and on, but click here for even more information on nut butters.

For this dish, you can customize it by adding your own favorite vegetables like shredded cabbage, bean sprouts or slivered carrots (I left out the cucumber mainly because I forgot to buy it at the store).  You can also omit or substitute the shrimp with the protein of your choice.  I used packaged, roasted and salted cashews, and that worked well.

Asian Noodle Salad with Cashew Dressing
Click here for a printable recipe 

Yield: 4 servings


Cashew Butter:
1 cup (240 ml) cashews*
Cashew Dressing:
½ inch (1 cm) slice of fresh ginger, chopped
8 cloves garlic, more or less to taste, chopped
½ cup (120 ml) cashew butter
¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
3 Tablespoons (45 ml) sugar
3 Tablespoons (45 ml) vinegar
3 Tablespoons (45 ml) toasted sesame oil
¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon (75 ml) water
Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Noodle Salad:
1/2 pound (225 g) linguine or thin rice noodles
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1/2 pound (225 g) small or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large red bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into thin strips
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) sliced green onions
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) chopped cashews (optional garnish)
Lime wedges (optional)

1. Make cashew butter: Grind cashews in food processor for about 2 minutes until smooth. (*Or start with ½ cup (120 ml) prepared cashew butter.)
2. Prepare cashew dressing: Combine ginger, garlic, cashew butter, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and water in food processor or blender. Process/blend until smooth. Be sure to process long enough to puree the ginger and garlic. The dressing should be pourable, about the same thickness as cream. Adjust consistency – thinner or thicker -- to your liking by adding more water or cashew butter. Taste and add your favorite hot sauce if desired. (If the cashew butter was unsalted, you may want to add salt to taste.) Makes about 1 ½ cups (360 ml) dressing. Store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator.
3. Prepare noodles according to package instructions in salted water. Rinse and drain noodles. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add shrimp to the pan and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes or until opaque throughout. Alternately, cook shrimp in boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes or until done.
5. Slice basil into thin ribbons. Combine noodles, bell pepper, cucumber, onions, and basil in a large bowl. Add about ½ cup (120 ml) cashew dressing; toss gently to coat. Add more cashew dressing as desired, using as much or as little as you’d like. Scatter shrimp on top. Squeeze fresh lime juice over salad or serve with lime wedges. Sprinkle with chopped cashews if desired.