A Holiday Dessert

We like to eat in the library, and at this time of year we often have a great variety of treats. In that spirit, I offer a recipe for chocolate-pumpkin layer cake, taken from the New York Times. It’s the perfect blend of holiday flavors.

Adapted from John Down, Christopher Norman Chocolates

Time: 1 1/2 hours plus cooling

20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) soft unsalted butter, more for greasing
2 cups flour, more for dusting
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup plain pumpkin purée, canned, frozen or fresh
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
10 ounces unsweetened chocolate, preferably 99 or 100 percent, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin purée. Mixture may look slightly curdled. Stir in flour mixture about half a cup at a time until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.

3. Divide batter into pans and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, run a knife around edges, invert onto racks and peel off paper. Let cakes cool completely.

4. In a large bowl, blend remaining 12 tablespoons butter and confectioners’ sugar together. Blend in chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

5. Place one cake layer, smooth side up, on a platter. Ice top. Place second layer, smooth side down, on top; ice top and sides of cake.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

Cookbooks, anyone?

Last week’s edition of the “New York Times Book Review” included a rundown on recent cookbooks, good for summer. This one caught my eye: “Outstanding in the Field: A Farm to Table Cookbook” by Jim Denevan and Marah Stets. Denevan is a chef who drives around a bus named “Outstanding” in which he takes guests to dinners in fields, vineyards, gardens, etc. The Times characterizes Denevan’s mobile dining as “performance art, meant to reconnect people to the land.” Maybe with Augie’s interest in the environment and sustainable living, we should suggest a learning community that consists of a course in environmental cooking and a course in theatre; dinners could be held by the Slough, on the athletic field, and on the banks of the Mississippi. What should we name the van?

From “The River Cottage Cookbook” by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, we get this nugget of wisdom: “Pigs must have a secure shelter to sleep and rest in, but it doesn’t have to be fancy.” Thank you.

Or how about this from “The Elements of Cooking” by Michael Ruhlman? “Recipes are sheet music.”

“Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook” by Mark Robinson reminded me of my daughter Hannah’s discovery of a tiny Italian restaurant in Tokyo that is run by one man who plays the same Italian tape every night year after year. Hey, at least they had pasta with tomato sauce.

Margi

 

Ginger Cookies

Ginger Cookies (submitted by Vicky Ruklic)

Fresh gingerroot is the secret of these fragrant cookies.–”A Taste of Mexico: Vegetarian Cuisine” by Kippy Nigh

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark sugar
4 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. grated lime or lemon ring
1 tsp. grated orange rind
3 Tbl. yogurt

Combine the two flours, baking soda, and salt. Beat the butter and add the eggs one at a time. Add the sugars and then the flour mixture, combining well after each addition. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, lime rind, orange rind, and yogurt, and stir until well mixed. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Form the dough into teaspoon-sized balls, and arrange on a lightly greased sheet. Back for 10 minutes until the cookies barely begin to brown.  Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Orzo, Spinach, Artichoke Summer Salad

1 c orzo – cooked, drained and rinsed

2 c baby spinach – torn

½ c  (½ jar) sun-dried tomatoes – drained and chopped

3 T chopped red onion

3 T chopped pitted Kalamata olives

½ t freshly ground pepper

¼ t salt

1 6-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts – reserve marinade

¾ c (3 oz) feta cheese – crumbled

 

Combine all ingredients, and toss with most of marinade.  I also added dried cranberries, and then sprinkled toasted sunflower seeds on top. 

–Ruth Ann Hyser

 

Gazpacho (Moosewood Cookbook)

6 servings

4 cups cold tomato juice

1 small, minced onion

2 cups freshly diced tomatoes (we used canned this time of year)

1 cup minced green pepper

1 tsp. honey

1 clove crushed garlic

1 diced cucumber

2 scallions. chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon & 1 lime (we used only lemon but lime would be good)

2 Tbs. wine vinegar

1 tsp. each tarragon (we subbed dill) and basil

dash of ground cumin

1/4 cup freshly-chopped parsley

dash of tabasco sauce

2 Tbs. olive oil

salt & black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours. We chose to puree everything in a blender. Either way, it’s refreshing!