Here’s a shot of one of the chocolate lava cakes I made for my brother-in-law’s birthday party. I think the last time I made these was for the same occasion, two years ago. Gideon has said periodically since then that I should make them again, and my answer has always been, “I’ll make them for Ed’s birthday.” So here they are. I made some changes from the recipe I found online, and this is now a pretty standard recipe anyway. I did find it interesting that, as for a number of recipes, the innovation came about because of a mistake. Its originator, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, apparently pulled a chocolate cake out of the oven too soon and realized that its underbaked warm center was actually an asset. Then he must have developed the individual cakes that are usual today. A full-sized version would be very messy to serve.
Party Food
Another Unusual Cheesecake
I’ve been serving this cheesecake for many years, having gotten the original recipe from the old Gourmet magazine. (I think.) It’s very unusual, with a flavor combination of white chocolate and ginger that’s just delicious. As with any good cheesecake it’s very rich, but that richness means that a little goes a long way. Dividing it up into muffin cups is a great portion control mechanism. If you eat only one you’ll be well within the 25-gram added-sugar limit for one day. The picture, however, is of a leftover portion baked in a small pie plate.
Get the recipe here: “Another Unusual Cheesecake”
Small Cheesecakes with a Great Flavor Combination
A number of years ago I was asked to do the rehearsal dinner for a gluten-intolerant bride. I wanted to make a dessert that she could eat, and I was told that she liked chocolate and pumpkin. Hmmm. I hadn’t ever really thought of that flavor combination, but it sounded pretty good. So I went online to see what ideas were out there, and I came up with a pumpkin-chocolate pie, basically a two-layer cheesecake baked as a pie. It had a crumb crust, which I couldn’t use, so I needed a way to make it easy to slice and eat without one. That’s how I came up with the idea of making it in muffin cups, and I called them “timbales.” Sounded pretty classy, and they were a great hit. Awhile after the dinner we were told that what the bride actually liked was raw pumpkin from the can mixed with chocolate chips! (I could have saved myself a lot of work by just serving a bowlful of that combination.) You’ll note that the picture doesn’t have the muffin liners, and that the timbales look a bit messy. That’s because I discovered at 6:15 AM that I didn’t have any liners. They are definitely easier and neater with the liners. Since I’m not making these gluten-free any more, I’ve added the chocolate-graham-cracker crust.
A Most Unusual Apple Dessert
I first got this recipe from some magazine or other in an article about a dinner planned by Julia Child. When I went online to check the source I found the exact same thing on the Food Network website by some other chef, so I guess it doesn’t belong to any one person. I have changed the assembly to make it easier, as I have very little patience with doing complicated things just for looks. It’s called “Gateau Mont St. Michel” because it’s supposed to be a “mountain” of crepes, apples and almond cream that’s then cut into wedges to serve. But that’s just too much work. So here’s my version, which I have titled:
Apple/Almond Lasagna
There is no question that this recipe is a lot of work. It's definitely a special-occasion dessert and it's also very unusual. I really, really like it, and it's not terribly sweet. My best estimate of the sugar content for a serving of 1/12 of the recipe is 5 teaspoons or 25 grams, which would equal the daily limit of 100 grams of added sugar. The dish can be prepared ahead, and each step can be prepared separately.
Servings 12 at least, so approx. 20 grams of sugar per serving
Ingredients
Crepes:
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup each milk and water
- 1 large egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/8 tsp . salt
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 tablespoons orange liquer, rum, cognac, or orange juice (I just use the orange juice)
Burnt-Almond Cream (that's what the recipe calls this, but really, you don't want to burn the almonds! Just toast them.):
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/3 cups toasted almonds ground with the sugar in a food processor.
- 1 stick butter at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp . almond extract
- 1/2 tsp . vanilla
- 3 tablespoons dark rum optional
- Pinch salt
The apples:
- 12 large apples such as Golden Delicious or Granny Smith I use Granny Smith
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or 1 stick
Instructions
Cooking the crepes:
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Cook crepes using 2-3 batter for each. Since you don' have to worry too much about getting them all the same size or shape you can just make them on your big griddle that you use for regular pancakes. They can be made ahead, stacked together, and put in a plastic bag.
Preparing the Burnt-Almond Cream:
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The original recipe says to use blanched almonds, and it would be easier to see how toasted they are without the skins, but I always end up using the whole natural almonds that I have on hand from Costco. More fiber that way! Toast the almonds spread out on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Watch them carefully and take them out as soon as you start smelling them. Let them cool before you grind them up. Grinding them with the sugar keeps them from turning into almond butter.
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Once you've ground together the almonds and sugar, add the rest of the ingredients and process until well combined. It'll be kind of thick and gloppy.
Preparing the apples:
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Slice the apples and spread them in a buttered jelly-roll or roasting pan. Bake for 20 minutes or so in a 400-degree oven, tossing up several times, until tender. The original recipe says to peel the apples but I don't think that's necessary.
Assembling and baking the gateau:
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Spray a 9x12 glass baking pan with cooking spray and then make layers of crepes, apples and almond cream, starting with crepes and then going from there. You're supposed to end with apples, but it doesn't really matter. This can be completely assembled ahead of time and refrigerated. Try to plan things so that you can take it out of the fridge an hour ahead of time and it won't be icy cold when you put it in the oven. If you do that, then it only needs about half an hour at 350 degrees. Not a bad idea to use your trusty instant-read thermometer to test the middle and make sure it reads 160.
Recipe Notes
It works well to shove this into the oven when you start dinner and let it bake while you're eating, and then you can serve it hot, but warm or room temp is fine, too. I wouldn't serve it cold. Heavy cream poured over it is nice but not necessary.
Two Savory Cheesecakes
You know what they say: The reward for working hard is to be asked to do more work. In this case, though, the work was a pleasure and being asked to do it was a great compliment. A couple from the Chorale, Barb and John Wollan, asked me if I would be willing to do the reception for the small (ha!) recital that they were planning to give. They’d pay me. Oh no, I said. Being paid makes things very complicated. I’m happy to do it. So above you can see the results. I had been assured that the number attending would be 100 at the very most. Well, there were at least 150, so I’m afraid that I spent much of the performance worrying that there wouldn’t be enough food. It ended up fine, though. We even ended up with a whole gallon of leftover cider.