National Post (National Edition)
AFTER THE BIG MEAL, THE SWEET MAGIC REALLY BEGINS.
PASTRY CHEF STELLA PARKS OFFERS UP ANGELIC DESSERTS FOR AFTER THE BIG MEAL
The key to creating an irresistible collection of holiday desserts is bringing different tastes and texture to the table, award-winning pastry chef and author Stella Parks says.
She recommends serving these pillowy vanilla cookies with something crisp and buttery, such as a pecan sandie. Or a soft and chewy oatmeal sandwich cookie, aromatic with ginger and cinnamon.
“It’s a fun one to have for the holidays. You can dye the frosting any colour you want and you can use whatever cool holiday sprinkles you have on hand,” Parks says.
For a showstopper of a dessert, she recommends her effortless angel’s food cake. Perfectly airy, the brown sugar cinnamon variation brings a cosy and wintry flavour profile.
To garnish, Parks suggests highlighting seasonal fruits. Apple compote, poached cranberries or fresh figs would all make excellent accompaniments.
“Angel’s food cake is so light. It’s a great finish to a heavier holiday pull-out-all-the-stops kind of meal,” she says.
EFFORTLESS ANGEL’S FOOD CAKE
Makes: one 10-inch (25-cm) cake; 10 to 12 servings | Active time: 30 minutes | Downtime: 2 hours to cool
❚ 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 oz) bleached cake flour, such as Swans Down (see note)
❚ 2 cups (15 oz) egg whites (from a dozen large eggs), straight from the fridge ❚ 2 cups (15 oz) sugar ❚ 1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla extract ❚ 2 tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
❚ 1/4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
Get ready:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F (177C). Have ready an aluminum tube pan with a removable bottom, roughly 10 inches (25 cm) across and 4 inches (10 cm) deep. Nonstick pans will not work. If the pan doesn’t have stilts, set out a bottle with a slender neck that will fit into the mouth of the tube.
2. Sift flour (if using a cup measure, spoon into the cup and level with a knife before sifting).
Make the cake:
3. Combine egg whites, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on low speed to moisten, about one minute, then increase to medium-low (four on a KitchenAid) and whip for three minutes; the whites will look very dense, and dark from the vanilla. Add the lemon juice and salt, increase speed to medium (six on a KitchenAid), and whip for three minutes; the meringue will be light but thin, not foamy. Increase to medium-high (eight on a KitchenAid), and continue whipping until the wires leave a distinct vortex pattern in the thick, glossy meringue, another three minutes or so, depending on the freshness of the whites. To check the meringue, detach the whisk; when whipped to very soft peaks, the meringue will run off the wires but retain enough body to pile up on itself in a soft mound.
4. Sprinkle cake flour over the meringue and stir gently with a flexible spatula to disperse. Switch to a folding motion and work from the bottom up, cutting through the middle, until no pockets of flour remain. Pour the batter into the pan; if you notice a small patch of unmixed flour as you pour, incorporate it into the surrounding batter with a gentle wiggle of your spatula. The pan should be about two-thirds full.
5. Bake until the cake has risen well above the rim of the pan, with a firm, golden blond crust, about 45 minutes (206F/97C). Immediately invert the pan on its stilts, or over the neck of the bottle, and cool upside down until no trace of warmth remains, at least two hours.
Serve:
6. Turn the cooled cake right side up and loosen the outer edges with a metal spatula. Lift the centre tube to remove the cake, then loosen it from the bottom too. Invert onto a serving plate; the cake will slide right off the tube. With a chef’s knife or serrated bread knife, cut into 10 or 12 servings with a gentle sawing motion, applying very little downward pressure. Angel’s food is mostly air, so the big slices will be less filling than they look.
Wrapped tightly in plastic, leftovers will keep for up to a week at room temperature. You can also drop thin slices of angel’s food into a toaster to crisp like a campfire marshmallow.
Note: The unique behaviour of bleached cake flour is vital to this recipe’s success; unbleached cake flour will cause the angel’s food cake to collapse.
MIX IT UP!
Brown Sugar Cinnamon: A cosy flavour to end a heavy holiday meal. Sift the cake flour with four teaspoons ground cinnamon, and replace the sugar with an equal amount of light brown sugar (dark will not work as well).
HOMEMADE LOFTHOUSE-STYLE COOKIES
Makes: 28 3-inch (8-cm) cookies | Active time: 20 minutes | Downtime:20minutes
For the Frosting:
❚ 31/2 cups (10 oz) powdered sugar
❚ 1/4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
❚ Shy 1/3 cup (2 1/2 oz) whipping cream, cold ❚ 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract ❚ For the Cookies: ❚ 1 cup (2 sticks | 8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces; firm but pliable — about 60°F (16C) ❚ 1 cup (7 oz) sugar ❚ 2 tsp baking powder ❚ 11/4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
❚ 2 large egg whites (1/4 cup | 2 oz) ❚ 2 tbsp (1 oz) whipping cream ❚ 1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla extract ❚ 2 2/3 cup (11 oz) bleached cake flour, such as Swans Down
❚ Sprinkles or quins of your choice, for decorating
Make the frosting:
1. Combine powdered sugar, salt, cream, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low to moisten, increase to medium, then beat until airy and smooth, about three minutes. Transfer to a zip-top bag, scraping the bowl as cleanly as you can. Wipe any excess frosting from the bowl and beater with a paper towel.
Make the cookies:
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position, preheat to 350F (177C), and line two aluminum baking sheets with parchment. Combine butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the prepared bowl. Mix on low with the paddle attachment, then increase to medium and beat until creamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk egg whites, cream, and vanilla together in a glass measuring cup; add to butter in four or five additions and beat until smooth. Scrape bowl and beater with a flexible spatula, then resume on low. Sprinkle in cake flour, mixing to form a soft dough. Fold once or twice from the bottom up to ensure it’s well mixed, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch (13-mm) plain tip.
4. Pipe 12 1¼-ounce portions onto each baking sheet, leaving 2½ inches (6 cm) between them. Bake until puffed and pale gold around the edges, about 15 minutes, and cool until no trace of warmth remains, at least 20 minutes. Snip off a corner of the frosting bag; working two or three at a time, squeeze a tablespoon of frosting over each cookie and spread into an even layer with a knife. Top with sprinkles, if you like, and devour immediately. Wrapped in plastic, leftovers will keep three days at room temperature. Postmedia News Recipes excerpted from BraveTart by Stella Parks. With permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.