CHEF IN RESIDENCE, ROSE LEVY BERANBAUM
 We are honored to have Rose Levy Beranbaum as one of our two holiday chefs. She brings an unusual roster of skills to her present day occupation as a writer of baking "bibles." At the age of 10 she danced in the second performance of George Balanchine's "Nutcracker Suite" at City Center. She attended the prestigious Music and Art High School as a music student, but also gained admittance as an art student. On her way to attaining a Bachelor of Science and Master's degree in Food Studies from New York University, she also studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, worked during the day as a medical secretary, and graduated from NYU as class valedictorian.
Rose has written for most of the major food magazines and newspapers, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, and wrote a column for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate for seven years. She is currently a contributing editor to Food Arts Magazine, with an article on vanilla in the November 2003 issue.
Rose is author of eight books including, The Cake Bible, (now in its 30th printing), 1988 winner of the IACP/Seagram Book of the Year and the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) Showcase Award; Rose's Christmas Cookies, 1990 winner of the James Beard Best Book in the Dessert and Baking Category; and The Pie and Pastry Bible, published in 1998, which received many kudos including a nomination for the James Beard Award in the Dessert and Baking category, Food & Wine Books "Best of the Best" and Coffee & Cuisine Magazine's "Best Cookbook" award. The Pie and Pastry Bible also hit #1 on the L.A. Times and San Francisco Chronicle hot lists and #3 on Amazon.com non-fiction books. Her most recent book, The Bread Bible, Oct. 27, 2003, WW Norton, has been voted one of the top 10 books of 2003 by Food and Wine Magazine. Publishers Weekly, September 15, 2003 says,
"As in her seminal The Cake Bible, which won an IACP prize, Beranbaum doesn't just offer recipes here; she dissects them, explains how they work, then puts them back together again with a number of variations. The front matter to what Beranbaum terms her "bread biography" contains perhaps the best explanation anywhere for how yeast works...Every time Beranbaum seems to go overboard with too much information, she steps back from the brink...Beranbaum could have a second career as a scientist, but luckily for home bakers she seems intent on creating a library of seminal cookbooks instead."
Rose's website, which includes a "Q & A" covering many of the questions we all have regarding baking, is: www.roselevyberanbaum.com
Rose says about vanilla, "I have never in my adult life been out of vanilla. I adore the haunting floral flavor when it is in the forefront of a dessert such as vanilla ice cream or pastry cream, but I also value how it rounds out the rough, slightly metallic edges of passion fruit, and accentuates the flavor of chocolate."
One of Rose's signature ways of assisting us in baking is to use charts. We tried to include them with her recipes, but our software couldn't accommodate them. For ounces or grams (instead of American standard recipe form), please check her website: www.roselevyberanbaum.com
Fresh Apple Upside Down Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F
Baking time is 35 to 40 minutes
Serves 6
This cake was inspired by the height of the apple season, Fall of 1991. It is reminiscent of Tart Tatin with cake instead of pastry (one could call it Gâteau Tatin!). The caramelized apples and walnuts topping a velvety tender butter cake is a fabulous combination. I brought it, hot from the oven, to my cousin Marion's house in Westchester for dinner, along with a special treat: Glensfoot cream, which is high in butterfat and not ultra pasteurized. She whipped it in a copper bowl, right at the table, perfuming it with Jack Daniel's bourbon, and spooned a little onto the top of each portion of cake. It was perfect to temper the sweetness of the cake. We all loved it. This is truly a dessert made in heaven.
Ingredients:
1 pound apples (approx. 2 large), peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/3 cup finely packed light brown sugar, divided use
2/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup heavy cream, whipped with
1 tablespoon good-quality Bourbon (optional)
One 8-inch cake pan (or 9-inch tart tatin pan)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place a baking sheet on an oven rack in lower third of oven.
Instructions:
To Make Fruit Topping:
In a medium bowl, toss together the apples, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes.
Toast the walnuts in the 350°F oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown. When cool, chop them coarsely and set them aside.
Use 1 tablespoon of the butter for the topping to butter the cake pan.
In a small heavy saucepan, preferably non-stick, melt the remaining butter for the topping. Add the remaining brown sugar and any liquid that has drained from the apples. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly, and simmer for about 3 minutes or until thickly bubbling and deep amber. Pour this mixture into the prepared cake pan. Place the apple slices, overlapping, onto the bottom of the pan. Arrange slices around the sides of the pan as well. Set aside.
To Make Cake Batter:
In a medium bowl, lightly combine the yolks, about 1/4 of the sour cream and the vanilla. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add butter and the remaining sour cream. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium (high speed if using hand mixer) and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop cake's structure. Scrape down the sides.
Gradually add egg mixture to batter in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate ingredients and strengthen structure. Scrape down the sides. Scrape the batter into the fruit-lined bottom, smoothing evenly with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and the wire cake tester inserted in center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. (Test carefully as the cake may appear done to the eye and still be underdone inside.) Run a small metal spatula around the sides and invert at once onto a serving plate. Leave the pan in place for 1 or 2 minutes before lifting it. If any apple slices have stuck to the skillet, simply use a small spatula to place them back on the cake. Scatter the toasted nuts on top of the cake.
Store: Airtight: 1 day at room temperature, 3 days refrigerated, 2 months frozen.
Serve: Warm or room temperature. If warm, serve the optional whipped cream on the side instead of on top of the apples.
Understanding: Unlike a pineapple upside-down cake, it is better not to use a cast iron pan as it turns the apples a somewhat gray-green hue.
St. Honoré Pastry Cream
(adapted from The Pie and Pastry Bible)
I much prefer this Chiboust cream to the classic pastry cream. Created by pastry chef Chiboust (see LaRousse Gastronomique) the pastry cream is lightened and enhanced by the addition of whipped cream. The Grand Marnier mingles magnificently with the vanilla, perfuming the cream and also by its volatility, lending to the illusion of lightness. The gelatin makes it possible to pipe magisterial festoons and to slice it impeccably.
Makes 5½ cups.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Madagascar vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 Tahitian vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1-1/2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Instructions:
Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Place the sugar and the vanilla beans into a mixing bowl. With your fingers, scrape the vanilla seeds into the sugar, rubbing it into the sugar.
In a medium-size heavy saucepan, scald the milk and scraped vanilla pods. Keep it hot.
Add the yolks to the sugar mixture and, with the whisk attachment, beat until well mixed. Add the cornstarch and gelatin and beat until well blended. Gradually beat in the hot milk, leaving the vanilla pod behind. Drop the pod into the cream and return it to the refrigerator until ready to whip it.
Return the yolk mixture to the saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk, reaching well into the bottom edges of the pan. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil it will become very thick. Reduce the heat and simmer for one minute, stirring constantly with the whisk.
Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the vanilla extract and Grand Marnier and pour the mixture into a bowl. Press a piece of greased plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Allow it to cool at room temperature or refrigerated. (You may speed cooling by placing the bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes, but to prevent stiffening around the sides, use a glass or plastic bowl and stir gently 2 or 3 times.)
When the pastry cream is cool, set it aside briefly at room temperature while whipping the cream.
Remove the vanilla pod. Rinse and dry it and save it for another use. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form when the beater is lifted, and using a large whisk or rubber spatula, fold it into the cooled pastry cream. Use it at once or cover and chill for up to three days.
Variation: Praliné
Add 1/2 cup praline paste after beating the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Beat it for several minutes until it is well-incorporated. Replace the Grand Marnier with Frangelico or Cognac.
Pointers for Success:
- If time does not allow chilling the completed pastry cream and you are planning to serve the dessert immediately, increase the gelatin to 1 1/2 envelopes (1 tablespoon plus a scant 1/2 teaspoon).
- The completed pastry cream is most easy to pipe either immediately after completion or after 30 minutes of chilling, while it is still very smooth and soft and the gelatin has not yet had a chance to set completely. If it has been held longer and is no longer smooth and soft enough to pipe, it can be softened by placing it briefly over a pot of hot water, folding it gently with a large whisk or rubber spatula. Care must be taken, however, not to overheat the mixture, as the whipped cream will lose some of its aeration if warmed. Alternatively, if you are planning to make the pastry cream ahead, wait until shortly before using it to add the whipped cream. Soften the pastry cream over the hot water and be sure it is not warm before adding the whipped cream.
Store: Refrigerated 3 days.
Understanding: Cornstarch protects the yolks from curdling when boiled. The mixture must be boiled to activate the cornstarch’s thickening ability.
This recipe is similar to classic pastry cream but instead of 2 cups of half and half, it uses 1 1/2 cups of milk, and instead of 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons, because the 2 teaspoons of gelatin which aerate it, also thicken it enough to accommodate the 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, whipped to add further lightness.
Pure Passion Ice Cream
(Adapted from The Pie and Pastry Bible)
This is my favorite ice cream. My version involves making a passion curd and then stirring in heavy cream, milk and vanilla--as simple as that. The vanilla magically rounds off any slightly metallic astringency usually associated with passion fruit. Fresh passion pulp is difficult to purée, requiring a food mill or strainer. Commercial frozen purée is easier to work with and my preferred choice.
This ice cream is glorious served with peach pie or simply with slices of banana and a sprinkling of macadamia nuts.
Makes 3 to 4 cups (depending on the ice cream maker)
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
14 tablespoons sugar (divided use)
2/3 cup passion fruit (6 to 7 fruits) or puree
4 tablespoons butter, softened or cut into pieces
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
3/4 Tahitian vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped into cream
5 teaspoons passion fruit liqueur or 1 tablespoon vodka (optional)
Have ready near the range a strainer, suspended over a medium bowl.
Instructions:
In a heavy non-reactive saucepan, with a wooden spoon, beat the yolks and 11 tablespoons of the sugar until well blended. Stir in the passion purée, butter and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and resembling hollandaise sauce, which thickly coats a wooden spoon but is still liquid enough to pour. The mixture will change from translucent to opaque and begin to take on a yellow color on the back of a wooden spoon. It must not be allowed to boil or it will curdle. Whenever steam appears, remove the pan briefly from the heat, stirring constantly, to keep the mixture from boiling.
When the mixture has thickened, (an accurate thermometer will read 180°F) pour it at once into the strainer. Press it with the back of a spoon until only a coarse residue remains. Discard the residue (or consider it the cook's dividend!). Whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar into the cold heavy cream and milk until dissolved, and whisk this mixture into the curd. Cover it tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until well-chilled.
Stir in the optional passion fruit liqueur or vodka. Remove the vanilla pod and freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker. Allow the ice cream to ripen for at least 2 hours in the freezer before serving. If it has been held longer and is very hard, allow it to sit refrigerated or at room temperature until softened and creamy.
Store: Ice cream has the best texture within 3 days of freezing, but with the liqueur it will maintain its texture for up to a week.
Sauce: If desired, the ice cream can be garnished with a passion fruit sauce. Leaving in the little black seeds offers a flavor clue as well as an exotic decoration. For a half cup, in a small saucepan, stir together the pulp from 4 passion fruit (about 1/3 cup), 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Allow it to cool to room temperature and spoon a few teaspoons around the base of the ice cream.
Pointers For Success:
- For the best flavor, choose passion fruit that are very wrinkled. They will not have a smell.
- To prevent curdling from the acidity of the fruit, be sure to mix the sugar with the yolks before adding the passion purée.
- Do not add more than the recommended amount of liqueur or ice cream will not freeze.
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