Who Wants Seconds?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

When my original plan for the EBBP package going to Zabeena went awry, I took a fall-back position to a tried-and-true theme of all-American favourites, and the cookies you see above were part of that.

When I was growing up, one of the favourite desserts that my mother made on a regular basis were Toll House chocolate chip cookies.  Over the years, as I became more interested in baking and made batch after batch of  my own cookies, I found that I was looking for a bit more texture and chew, which led to the inclusion of oatmeal.

Edited 30 October 2005: I'm sure there are about a thousand versions of these cookies out there, and mine probably isn't so different (or different at all!), but no matter. If you're looking to try a different variation of an old favourite, this ought to do the trick. but this one from Cook's Illustrated is absolutely perfect. If you're looking for the quintessential oatmeal chocolate-chip cookie, this is most definitely it.

Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Yields 18 large cookies

1 1/2 cups FLOUR
1/2 teaspoon SALT
1/2 teaspoon BAKING POWDER
8 ounces (2 sticks) UNSALTED BUTTER, softened
1 cup LIGHT BROWN SUGAR, packed
1 cup GRANULATED SUGAR
2 large EGGS
3 cups OATS
1 1/2 cups CHOCOLATE CHIPS

1. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees, and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, salt and baking powder together in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, by hand or by mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars and beat the mixture until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.

4. Stir dry ingredients into butter-sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or a large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

5. Place dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets by large spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons each), leaving at least 2 inches between.

6. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Slide cookies (on parchment) onto cooling rack. Let cool, and store in airtight container.

A tip from my mum: Place a piece of bread (any type) in with the cookies to prevent them from becoming stale. If they hang around long enough, that is!

Recipe reprinted with kind permission from the The Best Recipe Cookbook, by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine. Selected articles, recipes, books, and subscription information are available online at www.cooksillustrated.com.

Meringue with a Compote of Warm Berries

Ever since I had a lovely Pavlova at a friend's barbeque in June, I've been itching to make my own. Although I realize that they are traditionally made with strawberries (as hers was) or kiwifruit, I was inspired to take a slightly different route by seeing Nigel Slater's version in The Observer magazine of June 12. He topped his traditional meringue and whipped cream with a warm compote of blackcurrants, blueberries and blackberries, and it looked and sounded tasty enough to be worth a try.

Alas, the combination of fruit that I chose- raspberries, blackcurrants and blackberries- was not particularly good. The raspberries, although perfectly sweet, fell apart almost immediately. The blackberries were quite good, but the blackcurrants were not, and added a sour note that dominated.

Other than that, it was fine. The meringue was fine. The whipped cream was (of course) fine. I just don't think  that I'll make this dessert again- I just found it to be  a really 'ho-hum' type of thing. Sometimes you make something, it flops and you think, "Hmmm...next time I'll do ____ and it will be perfect!". This wasn't one of those things for me, so it's onto the next thing.

Meringue with a Compote of Warm Berries
by Nigel Slater

Make the meringue first, let it cool, then fill it with whipped cream before adding the warm fruits at the last minute. Serves 8-10.

5 large EGG WHITES
300g UNREFINED GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR
1 teaspoon WHITE-WINE VINEGAR
1 teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT
2 heaped teaspoons CORN FLOUR
400ml WHIPPING or DOUBLE CREAM

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Lightly oil a non-stick, loose-bottomed 20-21cm cake tin with almond or groundnut oil. Line with baking parchment.

Beat the egg whites until almost stiff, making sure there is no trace of egg yolk present, and they stand in shiny folds. Beat in the sugar in two or three lots. Scatter over the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and fold it gently in with a large metal spoon. Don't over-mix.

Scoop the lot into the cake tin, smooth the top level and put straight into the oven. Immediately turn the heat down to 150C/gas mark 3. Leave the meringue to cook, without opening the door, for a full hour and 10 minutes. If the top gets brown, turn the heat down a little further. It should be a pale honey colour. Turn off the heat and let the meringue cool without opening the door. The marshmallow centre will sink and leave high, crisp sides.

Beat the cream in a cold stainless-steel bowl till it sits in soft folds. Pile in the fruit below in the centre of the meringue.

The Fruit Compote

300g BLACKCURRANTS, BLUEBERRIES or BLACKBERRIES, or a mixture
~2 tablespoons SUGAR, depending on the sweetness of your fruit

Check the fruit over, removing leaves or stems. Put it in a stainless-steel saucepan with the sugar and bring slowly to a boil. You shouldn't need water, but if the fruit looks as if it is starting to stick, add a tablespoon or two. When the fruit starts to burst, remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.

SHF#9: Lemon Curd Tartlets

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Summer afternoon, summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language. -Henry James (1843 - 1916)

Ah, the enduring allure of a garden party! Growing up, it's what I imagined went on regularly in England- with not a moment's thought for the season or the weather, of course. Even as an adult, after living in England for the past three years and having come to the realization that the majority of people here do not have garden parties, it's the idea, the photo in my head if you will, that persists.

In the end, as so often happens with this sort of thing, what I held so dear had nothing much to do with reality anyway; it was an amalgam of 'memories' culled from childhood books, movies watched on Sunday afternoons, and the pages of an aunt's 'Town & Country' magazines. The fact is, I don't even like tea, and the type of delicate finger foods and desserts that would be appropriate have never been favourites either. I like cookouts, and lemonade and ice cream (quintessentially American through and through), and I've even been known to bring an electric fan outside on an extension cord on occasion. Not really garden party material, I'm afraid.

Fortunately, this month's installment of Sugar High Fridays came my rescue.  SHF#9: Tantalizing, Titillating, Tempting Tarts, hosted by A Life In Flow (the brains behind Food Porn Watch), gave me permission to see my garden party made real, if only for my camera. The photo you see above is the personification of what I've always seen in my mind's eye- blowsy roses, bone china, antique linens, and old-fashioned place cards; the addition of lemon tartlets, which I adore, make it perfection in my book.

I made lemon curd for the first time last summer, in anticipation of winning 1st place in our local village fair (a debacle to be recounted in another post), and fell in love with it immediately. I find it strangely addictive, almost sickeningly so, and try not to make it with any frequency. I'm not even sure if I can describe it properly, except to say that it's the only thing other than fudge sauce that can make me stand at the fridge, bowl in hand, and eat it spoonful after glorious spoonful. Used properly, as a filling for miniature tarts, or even spread on shortbread or toast, it really is out of this world. The fact that it comes together in a flash, with hardly any effort, doesn't hurt either.

So, I had my garden party, of sorts, after all. Just outside the frame, I had two sets of sticky, dirty hands waiting not-so-patiently for their own little tartlet (promised at the outset), and a dog who was waiting not-so-patiently for any leftover crumbs, but inside my viewfinder it was a different story. One that could always be recreated at a later date, sans little fingers. Anyone care for a cuppa?

LEMON CURD
by Elinor Klivans (Fine Cooking magazine)

3 oz. (6 tablespoons) UNSALTED BUTTER, softened at room temperature
1 cup SUGAR
2 large EGGS
2 large EGG YOLKS
2/3 cup fresh LEMON JUICE
1 teaspoon grated LEMON ZEST

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about two minutes. Slowly add the eggs and the yolks, and beat for one minute. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth (the curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts). Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about fifteen minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon, and will read 170 degrees Fahrenheit on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil.

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl, and press plastic wrap on the surface of the curd to keep a skin from forming. Chill the curd in the refrigerator; it will thicken as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks, and in the freezer for two months.

Variation:
For lime curd, substitute fresh lime juice and zest for lemon.

PASTRY
by Tessa Kiros (Falling Cloudberries)

2 1/2 ounces (70g) BUTTER, slightly softened
1 ounce (30g) SUGAR
2 1/2 ounces (70g) ALL-PURPOSE (PLAIN) FLOUR
1 ounce (25g) GROUND ALMONDS

Cream together the butter and the sugar with a wooden spoon. Add the flour, ground almonds, and a pinch of salt and mix well, using your hands when it becomes a little stiff, until the pastry comes together. Flatten slightly, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour before using (you can also freeze the pastry at this stage).

Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured work surface and cut out circles of pastry to line about 12 shallow tartlet tins. Line with baking paper, fill with baking beans or weights and blind bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the visible pastry is golden and cooked. Remove the paper and cook for another couple of minutes to dry the bases. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before gently removing from the tartlet tins.

When completely cooled, fill with lemon curd.

IMBB15: English Trifle

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I was so pleased when I learned that the lovely and talented Elise from Simply Recipes would be hosting this month's IMBB event, IMBB15: Has My Blog Jelled?. Although I am not a fan of flavoured gelatin (whereas my husband subscribes to the "there's always room for Jello" school of thought), I do have a special place in my heart for a particular dessert that incorporates it.

We had wonderful neighbours when I was growing up; a young English family moved in next door when I was six years old, and became our favourite people ever in next to no time- still are, matter of fact. We lovingly refer to them as the short branch of our family (we're all over 5'8") and we've shared so many things over the years, from births to weddings, always with the accompanying get-together and communal nosh. One particular recipe that came from them, and was most always on the table at cookouts and summer fetes, was this particular English Trifle. Now, I know that there are just about as many recipes for Trifle as there are British families, and I'm sure they all look the business and are quite tasty, but I do happen to think this one is the one for you. The very best one. The one you should make.

That may sound a bit bold, but I can back it up. You see, you can posh this up or dumb it down (said with much affection, natch) as you see fit...as time and inclination allows...no matter the season. Make your own sponge or pound cake, or pick up a jelly roll at the store- even stale will do. Make the custard yourself, or use a mix from a box (not instant, please). Use fresh fruit in season, or frozen when you can't. Decorate the top with flowers and fresh fruit or, in desperate times, use jimmies or even M&Ms. The only substitution I cannot condone is Cool Whip for real whipped cream- please, just make the real thing. Also, a deep, straight-sided glass bowl is absolutely essential- don't proceed until you have one.

However you end up putting together your Trifle, it's sure to be a smashing success. A hit with kids and adults alike, you'll have a show-stopper on your hands with not much effort put in, all told.

ENGLISH TRIFLE

LADY FINGERS, POUND CAKE or JELLY ROLL, cut into small pieces
1 or 2 glugs SHERRY, optional
1 large or 2 small boxes RASPBERRY or STRAWBERRY FLAVOURED GELATIN
ASSORTED FRUIT: PEARS, PEACHES, RASPBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES, etc.
1 batch VANILLA CUSTARD* or 1 large box VANILLA PUDDING
2 cups HEAVY or WHIPPING CREAM
GARNISH: fresh FLOWERS and FRUIT or CANDY

N.B. I have not included specific amounts for the cake and fruit, because it depends on the size of the bowl you are using. The one I use is large and quite deep, so I use one whole pound cake and about 4 cups of fruit.

1. Arrange the cake on the bottom of the bowl, and pour over the sherry if using.
2. Prepare the flavoured gelatin, pour over the cake (it should just cover it), and chill to set.
3. Cut up the fruit and arrange it in a layer over the cake/gelatin base. If using fresh, reserve some for the garnish.
4. Prepare the custard and cool. Spread it over the fruit layer and chill.
5. About an hour before serving, beat the heavy or whipping cream until it holds a stiff peak and spread it over the custard layer.
6. Arrange your garnish of choice on top of the whipped cream, and present to your adoring fans with a flourish!

Please head on over to Elise's round-up of all the entries- she's done an incredible job of including everyone. There are so many tasty, creative, fantastic entries that you won't know what to try your hand at first!

*recipe will be added to post on Monday.

Twinkie Tort

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"Sharing Twinkies with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly." -M.F.K. Fisher (1908-1992)

Sometimes the simplest and most down-home of desserts are the best. Of course, sometimes they're not- and that's where the creation of Twinkie Tort comes into play. It's so far removed from the traditional dessert that inspired it, that the author thought he'd better leave that extra "e" off the end. After all, what's an "e" amongst friends, especially when we're talking about a dessert made of Twinkies, chocolate chips and Cool Whip? Well, unless you're a stoner, of course- then you could smoke a fat one, eat a big plateful of this, and talk about that "e" for quite awhile, I'd bet.

Let me know what you end up doing, o.k.?*

Twinkie Tort

12 TWINKIES
6 ounces SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS
2 tablespoons WATER
4 EGGS, separated
1 16 ounce tub COOL WHIP

Cut the Twinkies in thirds lengthwise. Melt chips with water, gently over low heat to prevent scorching. Stir egg yolks into chocolate chips one at a time, until smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold chocolate mixture into whites. Fold whipped cream into mixture until blended. In 13 x 9 inch pan, alternate layers of Twinkies and mixture. Chill until firm.

N.B. Imitation chocolate chips are waxy and DO NOT blend smoothly. Adjust chocolate flavour by using more or less whipped cream.

Reprinted from the Al Kaly Shrine Cookbook, Pueblo, Colorado.

*To everyone who might be thinking at this point that this is my "joke" post for April Fools' Day, I'm hurt...I'm really hurt. I'm also totally grossed out (I had to make this crap after all!) and hoping you're having a good laugh...Happy April Fools'!

IMBB13: Black Bottom Cupcakes

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When Maki, of I was just really very hungry., announced that she would be the hostess with the mostess for this month's IMBB?, IMBB13: My Little Cupcake (or Muffin), I realized that I'd be able to make one of our family favourites that's going into the cookbook for my niece, which is always nice when you're trying to multi-task!

These cupcakes are fast to make, loved by adults and kids alike, and are perfect for little ones' birthday parties. I like them a bit larger and with more filling, so I end up with about 16, rather than 24 cupcakes. Of course, you can make them however you like best. You'll also get a slightly larger cupcake with the use of paper liners- again, it's all up to you.

Black Bottom Cupcakes
Makes 16-24 cupcakes


FOR THE FILLING:

1 cup CREAM CHEESE, softened
1 EGG, unbeaten
1/2 cup SUGAR
6 ounces CHOCOLATE CHIPS

FOR THE BATTER:

1 1/2 cups FLOUR
1 cup SUGAR
1/4 cup COCOA
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
1/2 teaspoon SALT
1 cup WATER
1 cup OIL
1 tablespoon VINEGAR
1 teaspoon VANILLA

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter muffin tins (or fill with liners) and set aside.

Beat together the cream cheese, egg and sugar. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla, and beat until well combined.

Depending on the size cupcakes you'd like, fill cups 1/3-1/2 full with batter, and top with 1 generous spoonful of cream cheese mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Lemon Squares

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I am the tenth, and youngest, child in my family. When I got married, the women in my family gave me a gift of a binder filled with their favourite recipes; each one is handwritten on a card, and separated into categories like "Casseroles" and "Cakes/Cookies/Pies". They are of the tried-and-true variety and part of my earliest memories. Deviled eggs at cookouts, Parker House rolls for Thanksgiving, Congo Bars after school, Baked Eggs for Easter brunch...it's impossible to separate the memories from the menus.

Some of the recipes are named for their creators (Boozie's Apple Cake), some are remnants of dinner parties past (English Muffin Appetizers), and some are imbedded in the history of New England (Anadama bread), but all are part of the very fabric of our family life. The binder took up residence on my "favourites" shelf that year (in fact, is was my very first favourite cookbook), and has never sat there for longer than a week without being used.

It's been a part of seven different homes and has crossed a couple of oceans; it started out by teaching two newlyweds how to cook and graduated to keeping a family well-fed. It was made with love, and a little bit of that love has gone into every dish and meal we've made from it ever since.

My oldest brother's only child is getting married in September. She is a wonderful woman, intelligent and talented, and her fiance is a gem as well. He is in the military, and after the wedding they will head for the first of many posts to come. Incredible adventures await, to be sure, but I know from experience that there will be tough times as well. I'm going to put together a cookbook for her to take with her on her journeys, one that has its roots in that binder that I received so many years ago. It will be printed and bound, and will include food photos, family photos and anecdotes in additional to the recipes. My hope is that it will be a warm reminder of the love and thoughts that are with her always- from so many people- across generations, time and distance. If she learns a little bit about cooking and baking along the way, well I guess that's good, too.

Lemon Squares were the first up on my list to make and photograph for the book, which thrilled my husband as they are his all-time favourites. This is my mum's recipe, and a perennial favourite at family get-togethers. The crust is tender and rich, quite similar to shortbread in texture, but holds up well without crumbling. The filling has a vibrant lemon taste with just the right amount of sweetness to balance it. It will be the first entry in the chapter on desserts, to my niece from her Nana.

LEMON SQUARES

CRUST

2 cups FLOUR
1/2 cup sifted CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR
1 cup (2 sticks) BUTTER, frozen


FILLING
4 EGGS, beaten
2 cups SUGAR
1/3 cup LEMON JUICE
2 teaspoons LEMON ZEST
1/4 cup FLOUR
1/2 teaspoon BAKING POWDER

CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR, for dusting

FOR THE CRUST:

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter (using the large holes of a box grater) into the dry mixture. Toss the butter pieces to coat, then rub the pieces between your fingers for a minute, until the flour turns coarse. Pour the mixture into the lined pan and press firmly with your fingers to form an even crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

FOR THE FILLING:

Whisk eggs, sugar, flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir well. Pour mixture into the pan on top of the warm crust.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the filling feels firm when touched lightly. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Grasp the parchment and carefully lift the bars onto a cutting board. Cut into serving size squares or bars, wiping your knife clean between cuts if necessary. Sieve confectioners' sugar over bars and serve.

SHF5: Vanilla Ice Cream with Pomegranate Molasses & Puff Pastry Hearts

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I'd debated with myself endlessly over the past few weeks about what I would enter into Sugar High Fridays 5, kindly hosted by Clement over at a la cuisine!. Initially I was excited about the challenge, and since I hadn't made puff pastry dough in years, I even felt energized at the thought of rolling my sleeves up and tying on my apron.

Fast forward two weeks and two batches of dough later. While things actually went pretty well, I wasn't particularly enamored of the process and not overly thrilled with the results. I decided that ready-made puff pastry would fit the bill nicely, allowing me to concentrate on the rest of the ingredients. I should have known that once I got easy with the dough, I wanted easy with the rest, too.

Pomegranates have been pretty high up there on my favourite new ingredients list lately, and I thought they might feature nicely in a Valentine's Day-themed dessert. It's just the thing to finish a special meal- make ahead components, quick and easy assembly, and colourful presentation. The vanilla ice cream, from Falling Cloudberries, is dead easy to make (no machine required) and very, very rich. The pomegranate molasses was made by reducing the juice with a bit of sugar for the briefest amount of time, and the puff pastry hearts, well... I rolled the dough out, cut the shapes, sprinkled them with a bit of caster sugar, and popped them in the oven for 4 minutes. You could do them in advance as well.

The presentation? Pick one romantic, flower-strewn plate, swirl a spoonful or two of pomegrante molasses in the center, deposit one largish blob of ice cream, garnish with pom pips and chopped pistachios (or other nuts or even chocolate curls, if you'd prefer), place the puffed hearts along the edge (together, of course), and grab two spoons. If you are so inclined, you could make a pseudo-sci fi flower pod from pips and camelia leaves as I did, but experience tells me that you might be robbed of your "gosh, this is all so easy" vibe. It did have a strange beauty to it at the time, though.

I am glad that Clement chose puff pastry as the star ingredient this month; I probably wouldn't ever have revisited puff pastry otherwise. But, I have also been reintroduced to frozen dough, and I'll definitely use that again....thanks Clement!

Paper Chef #3: Mexican Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream & Hot Chocolate

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The first thought I had when I read the final ingredients list over at Tomatilla! was of the Maya Gold chocolate bar from Green & Black's that I used for Pain au Chocolat not too long ago. It has hints of cinnamon and orange and I had been waiting for an opportunity to incorporate it into another recipe.

I pored over my books and the web, and I decided on a dessert that seemed easy and quite posh. HA! Don't ever say that, even to yourself, if you've never tried the recipes(s) before and plan on working under any sort of time constraint. Also falling under that category would be the thought, declared quite boldly (and rather insanely) in your head, "I can make this previously untested, easy yet posh dessert whilst also putting together a roast chicken dinner for my darling loved ones!".

I absentmindedly tried to whip egg whites with vanilla and sugar, instead of vinegar and salt. I completely forgot to incorporate the 1/2 cup of oil that belonged in the batter, which ending up being a bit of a problem. As for the filling instructions, "whip the creme fraiche until it holds a soft peak" was translated by me into, "whisk the creme fraiche for a brief amount of time and pay no attention whatsoever to the end result". This would also prove problematic.

Two and a half hours, eight eggs, three cups of cream fraiche and one expensive bar of chocolate later, I had the saddest, most unpresentable, most inedible dessert I'd ever laid eyes on. Of course, the competition-induced fugue I was under meant that I didn't actually notice how bad things were until I looked through the lens of my camera. Strangely, yet somehow appropriately, I also chose last night to test my new double-stemmed, 1,000 watt halogen light. It banished not only every shadow around the cake but also throughout our end of the neighbourhood, and I finally saw the truth of things. I sat there, smelling like goose fat from the roast potatoes and getting a sunburn on the back of my neck from the lights, and really saw what was in front of me. To say that it was not pretty would be like saying that James Beard was "pleasantly plump". I would not be participating in this month's Paper Chef after all.

Surprisingly enough, I got up this morning and had a change of heart. A little voice kept saying "cut your losses and give it a try again next month", but I refused to listen. O.K., the voice was actually that of my husband and it wasn't so little, but I still didn't want to give in. I'd used up my supply of creme fraiche, Maya Gold chocolate and wheat flour, but it seems like Owen is the forgiving type, so I plowed ahead. I adapted a recipe from epicurious and added a simple cinnamon whipped cream and hot chocolate as accompaniments. It ended up being really easy, not posh in the least, and very, very tasty.

When I looked through the lens this time, with my son by my side eager to press the shutter button, I liked what I saw. When I took a bite, after shoveling one into his gaping mouth and hearing "mmmm", I liked what I tasted. In the end, I had restored some sense of order to my kitchen and come up with an entry that I was pleased with. Now, as for the photo, that's another story...

Mexican Chocolate Cake

2 sticks UNSALTED BUTTER
1/2 cup COCOA POWDER
1/4 cup COFFEE
1/2 cup WATER
2 cups GRANULATED SUGAR
2 LARGE EGGS, lightly beaten
1/2 cup SOUR CREAM or CREME FRAICHE
2 teaspoons VANILLA EXTRACT
2 cups PLAIN FLOUR
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
2 teaspoons CINNAMON
1/2 teaspoon SALT
ZEST of 1 ORANGE, finely grated

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9" cake pan, line bottom with parchment and dust sides with cocoa, knocking out excess.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, then whisk in cocoa. Add the coffee and water, and whisk until smooth, then remove from heat. Whisk in, separately, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl, then sift again into cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined. Stir in orange zest.

Pour batter into cake pan and bake until a cake tester comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 45-55 minutes.

Cool cake in pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then loosen edges with a thin knife and invert onto a plate.

Oven-Roasted Persimmon Cakes

I decided to use the persimmons that I picked up earlier in the week in a dessert created by Marcel Desaulniers, from Baking with Julia. His original recipe called for plums, but I think the persimmons were a fine substitute- just the right size and perfectly ripe.

The batter is quite simple, with buttermilk and a very small amount of orange zest making for a lovely, light flavour. Baked in small custard cups, these not-too-sweet delights would be perfect any time of day. We ended up having them on their own for breakfast; you wouldn't go astray with an addition of ice cream or, as Delsaulniers recommends, chocolate sauce if you wanted to dress them up a bit.

Bon Appetit!