Torta all Alancia (Orange Cake) Recipe

From Grace's Sweet Life by Grace Massa Langlois......

This light, moist, citrusy cake is one of my favorites.  It rises nice and high and it's very easy to make.  I especially enjoy serving it at coffee time.  When I was working, I would get a call from my sister almost every day in the late afternoon and she would ask, "Coffee time?"  My answer was always yes!  We would go to our mother's house, where we were always greeted with the most amazing aroma of freshly percolated coffee, pizzelle, or cakes just like this one.  And we never left empty-handed.  My mother would send us on our way with freshly made sugo di pomodoro (tomato sauce), lasagne, cannelloni, or fresh bread.  I look forward to these types of rituals, not because of all the goodies, but because it's time to catch up and spend quality time with my family.  I believe it's one of the reasons our large family remains so close.


Ingredients:
Cake:
6 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tspn pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbsp superfine sugar, divided
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 tspn cream of tartar

Syrup:
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup superfine sugar
zest of 1 orange in large strips (with no pith attached)
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeded
2 to 3 tbsp Cointreau or other orange liqueur

Preparation:
Cake:

1. Separate the cold eggs.  Place the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in a stand mixer.  Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Very lightly coat with butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch tube pan with feet and removable bottom.
3. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine well.
4. Use a handheld mixer to beat the egg yolks, oil, vanilla, and 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Beat in the orange zest and juice.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating to just combine.
7. In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, beginning at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high.  When the whites are foamy, add the cream of tartar.  At the soft peak stage, add the remaining 2 tbsp sugar.
8. Using a large flexible spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.
10. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack.  Let the cake cool completely in the pan upside down on the rack.
12. While the cake bakes, prepare the orange syrup.

Orange Syrup:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the orange juice, sugar, orange zest, and the vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to low, add the liqueur, and continue to simmer until the syrup reduces  and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a pourable container.  Allow the syrup to cool slightly.

1. Flip the cake over, carefully run a thin knife around the edges of the pan, and turn the cake out onto a serving plate or cake stand.
2. To serve, place the cake on dessert plates and serve with warm orange syrup.

Recipe courtesy of Grace's Sweet Life by Grace Massa Langlois

Italy  [ print this recipe for Torta all Alancia (Orange Cake) ]

Reine De Saba (Chocolate Almond Cake) Recipe

In a slight departure from the usual recipes and reviews posted on the International Recipe Syndicate, today we are featuring a recipe from one of the original, modern culinary masters, Julia Child.  On August 15th of this year, she would have turned 100 years old!!  In celebration of her life, many food bloggers are participating in JC100 as a tribute.  As such, we were asked to submit one of Child's recipes so we chose Reine de Saba (Chocolate Almond Cake).

Not since we made a delicious cup of cafe noir a few years ago, have we attempted such a nostalgic recipe.   While preparing this amazing, creamy chocolate classic, one cannot help but imagine a time before food processors, stand mixers and other modern conveniences that we take for granted today.  Even without these conveniences, Julia Child was able to make traditional French cooking accessible and interesting to a contemporary audience.  In doing so, she has influenced generations of both professional and amateur cooks and lifted the culinary world to new heights. 

Here is Julia's Recipe...

This extremely good chocolate cake is baked so that its center remains slightly underdone; overcooked, the cake loses its special creamy quality. It is covered with a chocolate-butter icing, and decorated with almonds. Because of its creamy center it needs no filling. It can be made by starting out with a beating of egg yolks and sugar, then proceeding with the rest of the ingredients. But because the chocolate and the almonds make a batter so stiff it is difficult to fold in the egg whites, we have chosen another method, that of creaming together the butter and sugar, and then incorporating the remaining items.

The chocolate icing is butter beaten into melted chocolate, and forms a tender coating over the chocolate cake.

Recommended Equipment: 
A round cake pan 8 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches deep.
A 3 quart mixing bowl
A wooden spoon or an electric beater
A rubber spatula
A cake rack

Ingredients:  
For the cake:
4 ounces or squares semi-sweet chocolate melted with 2 tbsp rum or coffee
1/4 pound or 1 stick softened butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/3 cup pulverized almonds
1/4 tspn almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour (scooped and leveled) turned into a sifter

For the icing:
2 ounces or squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 tbsp rum or coffee
5 to 6 tbsp unsalted butter

Preparation: 
For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter and flour the cake pan.
3. Set the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan, cover, and place (off heat) in a larger pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe.  Measure out the rest of the ingredients.
4. Cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture.
















5. Beat in the egg yolks until well blended.
6. Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.
7. With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in the almonds, and almond extract.  Immediately stir in one fourth of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter.  Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one third of the flour and continue folding.  Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour are incorporated.
8. Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to its rim with a rubber spatula.  Bake in middle level of preheated oven for about 25 minutes.  Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2 1/2 to 3 inches around the circumference are set so that a needle plunged into that area comes out clean; the center should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and a needle comes out oily.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack.  Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.

For the icing:

1. Place the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan, cover, and set in a larger pan of almost simmering water.
2. Remove pans from heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so, until perfectly smooth.  Lift chocolate pan out of the hot water, and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time.
3. Then beat over a bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency.  At once spread it over your cake with spatula or knife.

To serve, use the butter icing and press a design of almonds over the icing.

Recipe courtesy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Copyright 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf.  Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

France  [ print this recipe for Reine De Saba (Chocolate Almond Cake) ]

Pavlova Recipe

This favorite dessert of Australia was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova by a chef who wanted to create something "as light and ethereal as the dancer herself."  He achieved his goal with this meringue crust topped with whipped cream and an assortment of fresh fruit.

Ingredients:
Meringue:
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tspn cornstarch
6 large egg whites
1 tspn distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract

Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
1/2 tspn pure almond extract

4 cups mixed fresh fruit, such as blueberries, blackberries, red currants, gooseberries, strawberries and/or raspberries

Preparation:
For the Meringue:

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and trace a 12-inch round on the paper with a pencil.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch.  Stir with a whisk until smooth.  In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they begin to froth and turn opaque.  Decrease mixer speed to low, and add the sugar mixture in 1/2 cup increments, immediately followed by the vinegar.  Continue to beat on high speed for at least 2 minutes, until the whites form stiff peaks.  Increase the mixer speed to high and pour the boiling water into the egg whites all at once.  The egg whites will swell up considerably.  Beat the egg whites until the water is totally incorporated, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the vanilla and continue to beat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the egg whites form stiff, glossy peaks.
3. With a rubber spatula, take some of the meringue and carefully fill in the base of the traced circle.  Continue to add meringue to make a thick cake.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 40 minutes, or until set.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pan on a wire rack.  Gently remove the parchment paper by rolling it out from under the meringue; take care, as the meringue will be very delicate.

For the Whipped Cream:

1. In a deep bowl, beat the cream until it begin to hold its shape.  Add the sugar and the vanilla and almond extract.  Beat until soft peaks form.
2. Carefully spread the whipped cream over the top of the meringue and top with the mixed fresh fruit.  Serve at once, cut into wedges.

The baked meringue can be refrigerated and lightly covered for up to 2 days.

Recipe courtesy of Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free by Karen Morgan

Australia  [ print this recipe for Pavlova ]

Belmont Breeze

Drinks of the Triple Crown
The Belmont Breeze comes from an old colonial recipe that calls for "one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak". It is the signature drink of the Belmont Stakes, the final jewel in the Triple Crown. This drink dates back to 1997 when it was invented by mixologist Dan DeGroff.

The Belmont Breeze received a not so favorable review from the New York Times that said it was like an elegant version of "Trash Can Punch". I tried making it this week and I have to tell you that it's not a bad drink and I would take it any day over a mint julep.

One side note - I found it interesting that it calls for Harvey's Bristol Cream. When I think of this spirit, I think of their cheesy commercials from the early '80s. But actually, Harvey's is a type of Sherry (an Anglicization of the word Jerez, the town in Spain from which this spirit originates).

Ingredients:
1 ½ shots Kentucky Bourbon whiskey:
¾ shot Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry
½ shot Fresh Lemon Juice
1 shot Simple Syrup
1 ½ shot Fresh Orange juice
1 ½ shot Cranberry juice
7-up
club soda

Recommended Equipment:
shaker

Preparation:

1. Shake the Bourbon, Harvey's Bristol Cream, lemon juice, syrup, orange juice, and cranberry juice with ice.
2. Top with half 7UP and half soda.
3. Garnish with fresh strawberry and a lemon slice.

Related Posts:
The Preakness - Black Eyed Susan
Kentucky Derby - Mint Julep

United States New York

Grilled Sausages with Peppers and Onions

Whenever I can't decide what to serve for dinner with friends, I fall back on this reliable sausage and peppers recipe. Everyone loves it, especially me, because it is easy, looks great, and tastes fantastic. If your market carries them, use the light green Cubanelle frying peppers, which have a little more flavor than the standard bell pepper.

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup pure olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
4 Cubanelle (frying) or green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 1-inch strips
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 sweet or hot Italian sausages, pricked with a fork

Preparation:

1. Prepare an outdoor grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat (450 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. To make the peppers and onions:  Place a large flameproof skillet on the cooking grate.  Add the oil and garlic.  Cook, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 6 minutes.  Stir in the peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender, about 10 minutes.  Season the peppers with salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat.
3. Meanwhile, brush the cooking grate clean and lightly oil the grate.  Reduce the grill temperature to medium heat (350 degrees Fahrenheit).  If using a charcoal grill, the coals will have burned down to this temperature.  (If you can hold your hand just above the cooking grate for 3 to 4 seconds, the temperature is correct.)  Grill the sausages, with the lid closed as much as possible, occasionally turning the sausages, until they are browned and show no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the grill.
4. Return the skillet to the grill.  Bury the sausages in the peppers and simmer to marry the flavors, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a platter and serve hot.

 Recipe courtesy of Rao's on the Grill by Frank Pellegrino, Jr.

Italy  [ print this recipe for Grilled Sausages with Peppers and Onions ]