Monday, December 23, 2013

A fruitcake recipe for people who dislike fruitcake

A fruitcake recipe for people who dislike fruitcake

The thing about fruitcake is, you have to keep an open mind.
Keep reading. This story has a happy ending.

Mashed persimmons add moisture, color and sweetness to the batter. 
Decorate as you like; green cherry not required

My name is Roxana, and I love fruitcake. I didn’t always love fruitcake but, in time, I learned to love it profoundly. 

If you are among those who dislike fruitcake, I pledge to you to keep an open mind. I believe you when you say you’ve never had one you’ve enjoyed, but I would like to reassure you that, with a few updates and minimal substitutions, the fruitcake of your nightmares could easily become the treat of your dreams.

The fruitcake of my childhood –or Christmas Cake, as it’s also known- was dense and crumbly. The cake batter binding the dehydrated fruits would be completely dried out, so much so that the mere action of attempting to slice it with a knife would make it fall apart. The raisins were so drenched in alcohol they could almost burn your tongue, and the mix of spices was so over the top, I often had to spit out my first morsel of cake while no one was looking. In spite of its deplorable reputation, fruitcake was then, and continues to be, a popular Christmas gift in my family.

My interest in fruitcake grew exponentially a few years later, when I noticed I had an affinity for baking. In my senior year of high school, I decided to make some extra cash selling loaves of fruitcake to my mother and her friends that they could gift each other for Christmas. In preparation, I studied a recipe borrowed from a lady with credentials of having trained as a professional cook in Paris, and made a few adjustments to make the cake more palatable and affordable. I cut back the amounts of rum, spices and dried fruits, and increased the butter, brown sugar and eggs. My first few trials were successful. I liked making it, but more than anything I loved eating it. I sold each loaf for $5 a piece. I can’t remember how I spent my gains, but they must have been good because I continued to sell fruitcakes for another couple of seasons.    

I didn’t bake another fruitcake for years. But once I moved to LA and started to work as a professional baker, I looked back at my recipe and realized that, just as I did before, I needed to make a few adjustments. A “Californication” of my fruitcake was in order. Prunes were replaced by dates, crystallized cherries by dried apricots, and macadamia nuts by almonds and walnuts. I baked a dozen fruitcakes that Christmas and gave them away as gifts. I have never seen a more apathetic reaction in a recipient of a baked good. No one was excited to try it, and most were convinced they wouldn’t like it. The lack of enthusiasm was such, I didn’t bake a single fruitcake for another decade.

A couple of years ago, the time felt right. I read a figgy pudding recipe written by Nancy Silverton -of La Brea Bakery fame and a mentor of mine- in which she added mashed persimmons to add moisture, color and sweetness to the batter. Inspired by this genius modification, I also added dried hachiya persimmons to the mixture of golden raisins, currants and pecans to compliment the fresh ones in the batter. I went for sherry instead of rum, which harmonizes better with the dried fruits. When the cakes came out of the oven I bathed them in a caramel-like sauce spiked with bourbon, instead of in straight up alcohol. I’m very proud of my new and improved fruitcake and I’m glad to share the recipe here hoping someone will make it and learn to love fruitcake as much as I do.

Hot tip: the batter can be baked as a traditional loaves, but it’s best if you bake it in two 6-inch cake pan. You may also use a muffin tin, which will allow you to make multiple mini gifts. Happy holidays!

Fruitcake for people who dislike fruitcake

Makes two 6-inch round fruitcakes or 20 mini fruitcakes

Ingredients

For the Cake Batter:
7 ounces dried hachiya persimmons, stems and seeds removed, diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup currants
1 tablespoon orange zest, minced
1/2 cup sherry
4 ounces unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe hachiya persimmons, stems and seeds removed
1 cup pecans, toasted, chopped

For the Caramel Bourbon Sauce:
4 ounces unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup 
2 tablespoons bourbon

Directions:

Combine all the dried fruits with the orange zest in a non-reactive, medium-sized bowl. Add the sherry and set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Lightly coat the pans of your choice with non-stick spray. If using cake or loaf pans, line each one with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan. 

Let's make the cake batter. In the stand up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the eggs one by one. Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and add in three batches to the butter mixture alternating with the mashed persimmons. Stop the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom of the bowl and mix for another minute. By hand, fold the pecans and dried fruit mix into the cake batter. Distribute the batter evenly into the two cake pans; or alternatively into the individual muffin tins. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes (or 30 minutes for the muffin size cakes).

While cakes are baking, make the caramel bourbon sauce. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the cream, sugar and corn syrup and bring up to a boil stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the bourbon. Set aside in a warmish spot in the kitchen.

Remove the cakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully invert each cake onto a plate, and spoon them generously with the caramel bourbon sauce. Let cool completely and serve. To enjoy later on, wrap the cakes tightly with plastic film, and keep for up to a month in the refrigerator.







Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Easiest Pie Crust You Will Ever Make...yeah, you're welcome!


There is one single question I get asked a lot this time of year. And here's the answer. For all my friends and customers who have asked for our pie dough recipe, here it is. It's a hybrid of many recipes I've used over the years. It's everything you look for in a pie crust: easy to make, flaky, tender, tasty, versatile (yes, works with savory pies too), and it has a great shelf life. Give it a try, love it, and thank me later. And if you still don't feel like making your own, there's still time to order a pie (or two) from our Thanksgiving To Go menu on our website at cookscountyrestaurant.com/Thanksgiving.html

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Roxana

P.S. Follow me and Cooks County on Instagram @roxanajullapat and @cookscounty to see some awesome pics of our lovely pies! 



The Easiest Pie Crust You Will Ever Make

Makes two 9-inch pie shells or one 9-inch double-crusted pie

Ingredients:
8 ounces pastry flour (1 3/4 cups)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 ounces unsalted butter (3/4 cup), cold, cubed into ½-1 inch cubes
6 ounces cream cheese (3/4 cup), cold, cubed into ½-1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons iced water 

Method:
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss the cubed butter and cream cheese into the flour. Use a pastry cutter (or your fingertips) to cut the fat into pieces the size of a dime into the flour. Make a well in the center and pour the iced water. Mix gently with your hands until the mixture resembles a raggedy dough; don’t worry if chunks of butter or cream cheese are still visible. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 48 hours.

Set the oven rack on the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

To make two 9-inch pie shells:
Roll out the pie dough on a floured surface flat enough to cut two rounds between 10 and 11 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Pick one of the rounds by rolling it onto the rolling pin, and lay it on a 9-inch pie pan. Gently press the dough onto the bottom of the pan, leaving a lip on the edge. Trim the excess dough with kitchen scissors just to the border of the pie pan. Crimp the edges together or gently press them with a fork. Repeat with the other round. You may refrigerate or freeze your pie shell at this point. It will bake better if you allow it to chill for at least 20 minutes before blind baking it. Blind baking is a technique in which you line the unbaked pie shell with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights (available in kitchen supply stores) or dried beans before baking it to ensure that it doesn't puff up in the oven. Put the pie shell lined with parchment paper and filled with pie weights on a cookie tray, place in the oven and bake all the way. Depending on oven performance this may take 20 to 30 minutes. When the shell is done, take out of the oven, let cool completely, remove the pie weights and fill as desired. 

To make a 9-inch double-crusted pie:
Roll out the pie dough on a floured surface flat enough to cut two rounds between 10 and 11 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Pick one of the rounds by rolling it onto the rolling pin, and lay it on a 9-inch pie pan. Gently press the dough onto the bottom of the pan, leaving a lip on the edge. Carefully fill the pie pan with the filling of your choice trying to form a mound in the center. Pick the other round of dough just like you did before and lay it on top of the pie. Trim the excess dough with kitchen scissors just to the border of the pie pan. Crimp the edges together or gently press them with a fork. With a pairing knife, cut four 2-inch slits on top of the pie to let steam out while baking. Brush the top with a beaten egg and sprinkle it generously with sugar (optional). Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The pie is ready when the top is a rich, golden brown and the filling starts to bubble. Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least one hour before serving.