Table of contents for Sep/Oct 2017 in Bake from Scratch

IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, the arrival of each new season comes with a list of items you can’t wait to bake, and the pages of this issue are going to make fall’s list even longer. Did you know that cardamom is the new cinnamon? Once you read what Malika Ameen has to say about it on page 27, you’ll be reinventing all of your baked goods with this standout spice that we can’t get enough of. I don’t know about you, but I’m always inspired to bake new things after traveling to a new destination. Or maybe it’s the other way around, and baking new recipes inspires us to travel to new places. Probably both. Last September, I was lucky enough to be in Taipei during the Chinese celebration of…

THE LAST COURSE: THE DESSERTS OF GRAMERCY TAVERN (Random House, 2001) by Claudia Fleming “Hands down the most influential cookbook I’ve ever owned. And I own two copies: one copy that’s literally falling apart I keep in the kitchen, and another in mint condition on my shelf at home. This cookbook is a masterpiece from ingredient combinations to photography. It was ahead of its time.” NANCY SILVERTON’S PASTRIES FROM THE LA BREA BAKERY (Villard, 2000) by Nancy Silverton “This book has taught so many people how to make savory breakfast pastries, shortbread, hot chocolate, and marshmallows. The approach to technique and method in this cookbook is so simple and accurate. There is nothing else like it.” THE LIDDABIT SWEETS CANDY COOKBOOK (Workman Publishing Company, 2012) by Liz Gutman and Jen…

Eau de vie (literally translated as “water of life”) is a category of spirits in which fruit flavors are distilled to capture their purest, essential flavor. High in alcohol and low in sugar, these clear brandies have been enjoyed as post-dinner digestifs in Europe for centuries, and are now becoming more popular Stateside. Traditionally served in chilled, neat pours, eau de vie is prized by some bartenders as a cocktail component, beloved for its ability to bring intense, rich flavor without all the sugar of a liqueur. Here are some delicious, and incredibly varied, options on the market right now. CATOCTIN CREEK PEAROUSIA PEAR BRANDY This pear brandy, made from Fabbioli Cellars’ pear wine, is lightly aged in oak barrels, lending it smoothness and warm vanilla notes that provide an…

1 Make cardamom sugar to keep on hand in the kitchen. Add 2 teaspoons (4 grams) ground cardamom to 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, and use it wherever you might want sugar with extra kick. It’s especially great in your favorite shortbread recipe. 2 Infuse whole bruised cardamom pods into milk or cream as the base for custard desserts. Use 2 to 3 pods per cup of liquid; bring the liquid and bruised pods to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, and remove from heat to let the pods infuse for 10 minutes. Finish with a few drops of rosewater to taste (optional), and a pinch of sea salt. (To bruise a cardamom pod, place a few pods, 3 to 4 at a time, on…

MCINTOSH APPLESAUCE Makes 3 cups One of the most well-known varieties of apples, McIntosh are exceptionally juicy with a mellow sweet-tart flavor. This versatile sauce works in a wide range of recipes and blends beautifully with spices without being overpowering. 2 pounds (900 grams) McIntosh apples, unpeeled, cored and chopped 1 cup (240 grams) apple brandy ½ cup (110 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons (30 grams) fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon (12 grams) fruit pectin* 1 teaspoon (6 grams) vanilla bean paste 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground allspice 6 to 7 cinnamon sticks (20 grams) 1. In a large stockpot, bring all ingredients to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer until apples are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool to…

PUMPKIN CAKE ROLL WITH ORANGE BLOSSOM CRÈME FRAÎCHE AND PISTACHIOS Makes 1 (15-inch) cake roll A popular flavor in Moroccan, Persian, and Indian cuisine, orange blossom water’s perfume-like quality pairs well with the mild flavor of pumpkin and salty pistachios. The crème fraîche has a lighter texture than the standard cream cheese icing and acts as the perfect fluffy filling for this rolled cake. 3 large eggs (150 grams), room temperature 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar ⅔ cup (162 grams) pumpkin purée 1 tablespoon (21 grams) maple syrup 1 teaspoon (5 grams) orange blossom water ¾ cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder 1 teaspoon (3 grams) freshly grated orange zest ¼ teaspoon sea salt Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting Orange Blossom Crème Fraîche Filling (recipe…

If you haven’t been hanging around your local Chinatown or visiting Asia during the Mid-Autumn Festival, chances are that mooncakes have slipped under your radar. Classic mooncakes are round, like the moon, and filled with rich, solid centers encased in a thin layer of dough. The most striking characteristic of these delicacies is, by far, their stunning appearance that comes from the detailed molds in which they are shaped. Traditional designs include Chinese characters that denote the bakery that made them or the flavor that lies encased within the dough. Other designs include flowers and animals, and more recently, they’ve been showing up with Minions and Hello Kitty embossed on the tops as bakeries try to make this classic Chinese treat appeal to a younger clientele. Some classic mooncake fillings…

MALIKA AMEEN Malika Ameen is the author of Sweet Sugar, Sultry Spice: Exotic Flavors to Wake Up Your Baking, the definitive guide to spice. Early in her career, Malika served as head pastry chef at L.A.’s famed Chateau Marmont, where she fed Hollywood’s A-listers her popular cardamom snowballs and sticky toffee pudding. In 2007, Malika moved home to Chicago and opened the well-reviewed Aigre Doux. Still based in Chicago with her three children, she is currently a culinary consultant and caterer. Favorite pie to bake in the fall: “Apple. It is the ultimate all-American comfort food. Apples marry well with a plethora of spices, and work well in sweet and savory dishes.” LINNEA COVINGTON Denver, New York City, food, babies, travel, agriculture, and chefs—these are the main topics Linnea Covington…

When baker Shannah Primiano moved to Park City, Utah, from Florida, she suddenly found herself baking at high altitude—7,000 feet to be exact. Quite the adjustment! The Waldorf Astoria head pastry chef played around with ingredients, temperatures, and liquids, and now churns out some of the best cakes, pastries, and desserts around. Changing a recipe to adjust for high altitude starts at 3,500 feet above sea level, and the higher up you go, the more you have to alter. It can be tedious and challenging, but Shannah assures us that with a little patience and experimenting, those beloved recipes will taste just as good on top of a mountain as they do by the beach. Why does high altitude affect baking? The boiling point and air pressure are different at…

How to choose: Choosing the best cardamom is all about using your sense of smell. The aroma should have a sharp gingery/minty smell that opens up your sinuses. Pods should be whole, and not split, and vibrant green is best. There is also yellow cardamom, whose color is a result of pods fully ripened on the vine. It is floral and fruity with a sweet/tart finish. Green cardamom can sometimes taste a little astringent, but yellow cardamom often doesn’t—it’s a matter of personal taste. Larger pods are the highest grades and best to buy. Avoid white cardamom, which has been treated with bleach. When buying ground cardamom, the ground seeds should be a dark grayish-black color, not brown. If they are light, this is an indication that the outer pod/husk…

HONEY CASHEW BUNDT CAKE Makes 1 (8-cup) Bundt cake This ring-shaped delight is crowned with a warm cashew and honey caramel baked into the top like a traditional upside-down cake. For the ultimate decadent and gooey experience, serve this cake warm, before the caramel completely sets. ¾ cup (150 grams) plus ⅔ cup (133 grams) granulated sugar, divided ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter ¼ cup (85 grams) honey 1 cup (113 grams) cashew halves 3 large eggs (150 grams) ½ cup (112 grams) extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup (120 grams) whole milk ½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) almond extract 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons (7.5 grams) baking powder ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray…

Lamingtons are the quintessential Australian cake, and when I tried my first one, I freaked out. Mind blown. Composed of three-inch cuboids of sponge cake coated in chocolate sauce, liberally rolled in desiccated coconut, and often layered with sweet raspberry jam or cream, these gorgeous little cakes are insanely irresistible. In Australia, they’re just as popular or perhaps even more well-known than Twinkies are in America—and rightfully so. An accidental last-minute dinner party trick in the late 1800s for the Governor of Queensland resulted in a frenzy that swept the nation, and today, Lamingtons are so integral in Aussie culture that there is even a widely-celebrated National Lamington Day, which I can’t wait to celebrate every July 21 for the rest of my life. Since I have a crazy sweet…

People don’t give pears enough love. (There, we said it.) Their window of peak deliciousness is narrow, but when you come across a perfectly ripe, juicy pear, there’s little to rival its honeyed fragrance and acidic streak of brightness. As with most ingredients, we enjoy teasing out the nuanced flavors of pears in both desserts and cocktails, and embracing them in their fresh, baked, and distilled forms. As the weather starts to cool, we like to bust out our Bundt pans and whip up cakes that can be served as easily for breakfast as dessert. Invite your friends over for a weekend afternoon, slice into this rich, buttery, perfectly moist cake, and skip the tea in favor of a refreshing and herbaceous gin cocktail. PERFECT PEAR Makes 1 serving This…

For me, the sweet scent of green cardamom evokes love. It is the smell of home, and a reminder of my mother’s loving embrace. Faintly honeyed, floral, and citrusy with an aftertaste that is warm, slightly peppery, and resinous. It is everything you long for in a spice—well rounded and complex, bold, but not overwhelming. The fruit of an herb, “true” cardamom is native to India and a relative of the ginger family; it is graded by color and size. The deeper the green and the larger the pod, the higher the grade. The fruit is harvested when it is about three-fourths ripe, when its flavor and texture are optimal. (If left to ripen more, the pods split open, and the intensity of flavor dissipates.) After the pod is picked,…

BANANA-SESAME CAKE WITH TAHINI-CREAM CHEESE SWIRL FROSTING Makes 12 to 16 servings The bitterness of tahini is suited to sweet, tropical flavors like the banana in this sheet cake. Exceptionally moist, this cake will keep in the refrigerator without drying out for one week. 2½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour ¼ cup (36 grams) toasted sesame seeds 1½ teaspoons (7.5 grams) baking soda 1½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) kosher salt, divided 2 cups (440 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar 1 cup (224 grams) toasted sesame oil ⅔ cup (160 grams) whole buttermilk, room temperature 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract, divided 4 large eggs (200 grams) 2 cups (454 grams) mashed banana (from about 6 very ripe bananas) 1 (8-ounce) package (225 grams) cream cheese, softened ½ cup (113 grams)…

APRICOT SWEET BUNS  Makes 12 Once a precious commodity traded on the Silk Road, jewel-hued dried apricots offer a chance to enjoy the delicately tart fruit after their notoriously short season has come and gone. We use dried apricots as the sweet golden filling of our almond-flecked sweet buns and top them off with a sticky drizzle of Brown Sugar Glaze. 1 cup (240 grams) warm whole milk (105°F/40°C to 110°F/43°C), divided 2¼ teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar ⅓ cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, melted ¼ cup (60 grams) sour cream 1 large egg (50 grams) 1½ teaspoons (6 grams) almond extract 4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour, divided 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt Apricot-Almond Filling (recipe follows) Brown Sugar Glaze (recipe…

Born in upstate New York to a Jewish-Italian household, Shannon Sarna is a product of the American melting pot, a child of Christmas and Hanukkah, of rainbow cookies and rugelach. Her first experiences with Jewish cuisine weren’t born out of baking with her Bubbe. Instead, it began with Beard on Bread, a beloved reference book Shannon inherited when her mother passed away. Within these pages, she discovered a beginner’s recipe for challah, a Sabbath staple that in Shannon’s home was always store-bought. Her initial loaf was less than dazzling, and it would take years for her to perfect the recipe, but the baking hooks were in. As she mastered the hallmarks of the Jewish repertoire, Shannon found the freedom to bring her own multicultural influences to the kitchen, infusing her…