Gifts from the kitchen
Delicious treats make for a more personal, thoughtful present
Brown Butter Madeleines
Madeleines feel very French and make for a charming edible gift. If you want to make sure the delicate cakes pop out easily, there are silicon madeleine pans on the market now. From Food Gift Love by Maggie Battista (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). ½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan ½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder
¼ tsp (1 mL) fine sea salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) almond extract
1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla extract
Confectioners’sugar, for dusting In a saucepan, over medium-heat, melt the butter until it just reaches the browning point. The moment it turns golden brown, about 3 minutes after it first melts, remove it from the heat. Pay attention during this part as there’s a fine line between golden brown butter and brown butter. Some pans hold onto heat for a while, so feel free to pour the brown butter into a clean bowl to cool. In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, add eggs, sugar and both extracts. Whisk vigorously about 5 minutes until pale yellow, thick and about double in volume. Remove bowl from the mixer. Fold in dry ingredients and melted butter until the flour streaks have disappeared. You can bake them at the point but if you let the batter sit, covered, in the fridge 1 to 2 hours or overnight, it will be lighter. Position rack in centre of oven. Preheat to 350 F. Lightly butter madeleine pan and dust with flour. Divide batter evenly in the pan. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and toothpick comes out batter free. Pop them out of pan onto cooling rack. Wrap into gift box or bag once the cakes have cooled.
Panforte
The recipe makes four small panfortes but it can be made into one large one (8-inch pan) but you’ll have to increase baking time to 1 hour and cut the panforte into wedges before wrapping. They are best wrapped in cellophane and it will keep for up to two months when wrapped or stored in an airtight container. From Handmade Gifts from The Kitchen by Alison Walker (Appetite by Random House). 1 cup (250 mL) each, pistachios and hazelnuts Vegetable oil, for greasing
3 2⁄3 cup (910 L) candied peel
½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon ¼ tsp (1 mL) each, of ground allspice, nutmeg, coriander, white pepper
½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour ¼ cup (60 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
½ cup (125 mL) liquid honey
Confectioners’sugar for dusting Preheat oven to 350 F. Have a couple of dessert spoons and a cup of hot water handy. Spread nuts onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven,
cool, then roughly chop. Lower temperature to 300 F. Grease and line the bases of four 4-inch springform cake pans with parchment paper. Put peel, spices, flour, and cocoa into a large bowl along with the nuts. Stir to combine. Keep warm while you make the sugar syrup. Heat the sugar and honey gently in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved. Then bring to a boil and cook until it reaches 250 F (hard ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Working quickly, stir the sugar syrup into the flour mixture. Wet a couple of dessert spoons and use them to transfer the mixture into the cake pans. Press down firmly. Be patient — the mixture is sticky. Bake the panforte in oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Slide a knife around edges to loosen. Remove from the pans, peel away the parchment, and dredge the tops with confectioners’ sugar.
Montelimar Nougat
This French-style nougat originated in Provence in Montelimar. This recipe is from À La Mere De Famille by Julien Merceron (Chronicle Books), a cookbook of confections from a Paris confection shop that goes back to 1761. ½ cup (125 mL) plus 2 tbsp (30 mL) honey 1 1⁄3 cups (330 mL) plus 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar 1 tbsp (15 mL) light corn syrup 3 tbsp (45 mL) water 1 egg white 1 ½ cups (375 mL) unblanched almonds, toasted ¼ cup (60 mL) pistachios Line a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, warm the honey over medium-high heat until it registers 255 F on a candy thermometer. In a separate medium saucepan, combine the 11⁄3 cups (330 mL) sugar, corn syrup and water and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture registers 285 F, swirling occasionally. Meanwhile, in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg white and remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar on low speed with the whisk attachment until foamy. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the warm honey, followed by the hot sugar syrup. Continue beating on low speed for 5 minutes more, until the mixture is lukewarm. Meanwhile, heat the almonds and pistachios in a medium frying pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warm to the touch. To check if the nougat is ready, scoop up a small amount with a spoon and dip it into cold water; it should form a firm ball. Add the warm nuts to the nougat and fold in with a spatula until well combined. Spoon the nougat into the prepared loaf pan, cover, and allow to cool overnight at room temperature. The next day, remove the nougat from the pan and, with a serrated knife, cut it lengthwise into 6 slices. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap to protect it from humidity. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes 6 slices.