02/03/2013

A bakers banquet - FT.com

September 7, 2012 8:18 pm

A bakers banquet
By Rose Carrarini

The fruits, berries and other bounties of autumn are magnificent for cooking. Rose Carrarinis recipes make the most of her favourite season

Nina Mangalanay agam

utumn is the time of year when I am most comfortable with baking. Although I look forward to spring and summer produce, the autumn fruits and vegetables really come into their own for cooking. Apples and pears, blackberries, plums and figs are perfect, as well as the first chestnuts and walnuts. And lets not forget that pumpkins and squashes are in their prime, too. All these wonderful fruits and vegetables are such a joy to use. Tending my own potager or kitchen garden at our house in Normandy is now my main concern. We are surrounded by apples there, but we have to import the Bramleys, Coxs and russets we use at Rose Bakery back in Paris, so we are trying to grow them on our land. The French may think this is crazy and shake their heads in dismay, but for me these apples, with their particular flavours and textures, cannot be substituted in France. I know we should all be using locally grown produce as much as possible and we do but until my own English apple trees bear fruit, I will have to continue my fruit shipment to get that perfect flavour. At least pears and plums are both abundant and delicious here, comparing very favourably with those in England. Whenever we bake with fruit, we take selection very seriously: choosing for flavour and
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juices, whether they are too soft or hard, ripe or green, sour or sweet. This is a hugely important decision because it also determines how much sugar to use and how long to cook no matter what the recipe says. If an apple is too dry, and this can happen when it is cooked, you can add plums or blackberries to give some juice. However, if you are using Bramleys the best cooking apples by far you have no need to worry. They cook beautifully, breaking down into a gorgeous pure of perfect sourness. A skilful balancing act is required to ensure that baking with fruit is really successful. Just as seasoning a dish of food gets the best flavour, so we add just the right amount of sugar, citrus zest, vanilla, spices and so on. And if you need an apple to keep its shape, for a tatin or tart for example, you should choose an apple that does not break down. In France, we use the golden apples for that, even though the flavour is not too exciting. With figs, we have a different set of decisions to make. The variations in ripeness in one tray of figs is vast, from soft and juicy to dry and tasteless. The best ones for baking lie somewhere in between. This instinct for choosing the right fruit is so important. The figs should be almost soft, smell right, and look ready, not for eating raw, but for baking. Plums are tricky because they give out so much juice as they cook. We use them in tarts and poach them in a sugar syrup for compotes. They are wonderful in pies, of course, but you need to add some flour to the sugar to soak up the juices. As for autumn vegetables, these are brilliantly reliable, especially pumpkins and squashes. But even they have their differences in sweetness and flavour roasting or steaming is the best way to preserve those flavours as they cook. The other day, I cooked for all the artisan workers who built our house in Normandy, and their wives. It was a thank you for three years of hard work. I ended the meal with a simple apple crumble, served with a warm crme anglaise. A silence descended, a Babettes Feast moment of complete happiness. That is something to contemplate, as autumn fruits come to your kitchen. ....................................................................... Caramel cake with roasted gs for about 10 people Pre-heat the oven to 180C and butter and line a round 23 cm tin 200g caster sugar
Nina Mangalanay agam

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125ml milk 125ml cream 200g butter 100g caster sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla essence 250g sifted plain flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder about 20 fresh figs 1/2 cup caster sugar juice of 1 or 2 lemons First make the caramel by heating the 200g portion of sugar slowly in a saucepan until it turns a deep golden colour. Do not stir just let it get golden on its own. When it reaches this colour, remove immediately from the heat and carefully whisk in the milk and cream. It might rise up violently, so protect your hands. Put this aside to cool slightly. Beat the butter and 100g portion of sugar together for a few minutes, then add the caramel. Beat the eggs in well, one at a time, and continue beating until the mixture thickens a little. Add the vanilla. Fold in the flour and baking powder carefully. If lumps of flour occur, just use a whisk for a few minutes to get rid of them, then continue folding in the flour. Pour into the tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a knife comes out dry. Turn out of the tin and cool. Meanwhile cut the tips off your figs and cut them in half. Place in a baking dish. Sprinkle over about 1/2 cup caster sugar and the juice of one or two lemons (depending on how juicy the figs are). Bake at 180C until they are slightly caramelised, but there remains some juice, about 15
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minutes. Serve with the cake. ....................................................................... Apple kringle This method is inspired by a Danish recipe and is slightly easier to make than my real favourite, apple strudel. The dough is more like a brioche and the simple roll enclosing the spiced apples is especially good for breakfasts.
Nina Mangalanay agam

The filling can be changed to whatever you prefer or have to hand cranberries and orange, pear and almonds, raisins and spiced butter, and so on. But whatever filling you choose, make sure that there is enough of it and that it is quite intense, otherwise the flavour will be eaten up by the brioche. Delicious warm or cold. for about 8-10 people Dough 15g fresh yeast (or dry equivalent) 180ml slightly warm milk 3 small eggs beaten 2 tbs sugar 500g unbleached flour 180g soft butter 1 tsp salt In a bowl, mix the yeast with the warm milk. Add the beaten eggs and sugar, and half the flour. Mix well by hand or in a mixer. Slowly add the soft butter with the rest of the flour and the salt until you get a soft, smooth dough. If it is too sticky, add some more flour. Knead well for about 10 minutes then place in a greased bowl and cover. Let this rise until it
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almost doubles in size (about one hour), then chill it in the fridge for an hour (or overnight), so that it will be easier to roll out. Filling 100g soft butter 100g sugar 1/2 to 1 small egg 1 tsp almond essence 100g ground almonds 2 apples, finely diced 1-2 tsp cinnamon 50g sugar handful currants (optional) 1 egg for egg-glaze 2 tbs demerara sugar Beat the butter and sugar together well, add the egg and almond essence. Fold in the ground almonds. Put aside. Finely dice the apples and toss in the cinnamon and sugar, and add the currants if using. Put this aside too. When the dough is ready, roll out a rectangle about 23cm wide, and long enough for your baking tray. Smear the butter-almond mix over the centre, 7cm wide. Sprinkle the chopped apples and currants over this. Fold over one-half of the dough and egg-glaze the edge so that the other half of the dough will attach well to this. Turn the whole roll over so the seam is underneath and place on a lined baking tray. You may find that you have enough dough to make another small one. This you can do, and put it in the freezer for another day. Egg-glaze the top and sprinkle with a little demerara sugar. Then let this rest for about 20 minutes. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180C and bake for about 35 minutes or until it is a golden colour. .......................................................................
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Pear & elderflower jelly for about 3-4 people depending on size of mould This is the ultimate refreshing dessert for autumn. I have used agar-agar, which is made from seaweed and gives a more solid setting than gelatine, but you can use gelatine if you wish. 1 cup sugar 2 cups water
Nina Mangalanay agam

3 pears, peeled and cut in half, and cored 2-3 tbs elderflower cordial 2 tbs agar-agar flakes (I use Clear-spring; you can substitute gelatine or agar-agar powder, follow packet for 400ml liquid) First bring the syrup of sugar and water to the boil in a saucepan, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Add the pears and poach gently until soft for about half an hour. Take the pears out carefully and cool, keeping the syrup. When they are cold enough to handle, slice them into thin slices. Put aside. In a saucepan, put 200ml of the syrup and add 200ml of extra water. Taste this for sweetness. If it is too sweet, add more water until you are happy with it. Then add about 2-3 tbs elderflower cordial to taste. Add two very heaped tbs of agar-agar and, without stirring, bring this all to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes until the agar-agar has melted. Take off the heat and stir. Slightly oil the moulds and place the slices of pear in them. Pour over the agar-agar jelly and set this in the fridge. It does set quite quickly so you can eat them in about an hour. These jellies would be nice served with extra pears and some crme frache. ....................................................................... Vegetable torte A torte or torta comes from the Spanish or Italian savoury or sweet cake. It can have pastry, as in this recipe, or simply be a baked vegetable cake
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kept together with eggs and cheese. The sweet versions are often made with nuts or grains. for about 8 people Butter a 23cm round cake tin Pastry 400g plain flour 200g cold unsalted butter 1 tsp salt pinch nutmeg 1/2 cup cold water In a bowl work the flour and butter together until it resembles breadcrumbs, Add the seasoning. Slowly add water and bring together to form a firm dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for about an hour. Filling 500g frozen spinach, cooked and squeezed dry (300g) roasted pumpkin cut into pieces 3/4 cup cooked barley 2 leeks cut and softened in oil or butter 1 cup (250g) ricotta cheese 1 cup (100g) grated parmesan 3 eggs grated nutmeg salt and pepper 1/4 cup cream Mix all the above together lightly, keeping the pumpkin and spinach colours. Put aside.
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Nina Mangalanay agam

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A bakers banquet - FT.com

When the pastry is ready, divide into a two-third and a one-third piece. On a floured surface roll the larger piece into a circle that will fit the cake tin base and sides with about 1cm overlap on top; place in tin. Roll the smaller piece into a circle, the size of the top of the tin. Egg-glaze the pastry base and prick a few holes with a fork. Pour in the filling and smoothe over the top. Fold in the extra 1 cm of pastry. Egg-glaze this edge, and place the circle of pastry on top, pressing down carefully to seal. Cut a hole on top to let out steam. Finally, eggglaze this top well. Place in a 180C oven and bake until the pastry is firm and golden, about one hour. Take out and cool slightly. ....................................................................... Blackberry slice Autumn is blackberry time and most often we combine them with apples in our crumbles. This slice is another delicious way to use them and shows them off beautifully. The combination of sour and sweet is perfect. for about 8-10 people Butter a rectangular tin about 21cm by 30 cm Pastry 200g flour (I use 100g plain flour and 100g wholemeal flour) 1/2 tsp salt pinch cinnamon 100g cold unsalted butter 1/4 cup cold water egg (optional ) In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add the water and the half egg (you might not need all the water) until you can form a dough. Wrap this and chill in the fridge for about an hour. When ready, roll out to fit exactly into the tin without stretching the dough. It will bake better if there is a little extra dough that just starts to go up the sides. This will stop too
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Nina Mangalanay agam

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A bakers banquet - FT.com

much shrinkage. Chill this again for about 30 minutes. Prick all over with a fork and place a piece of tin foil with some weight over the top. Bake blind in the oven for about 30 minutes until golden and dry. Take out and cool. Filling 300g soft butter 280g caster sugar 2 eggs plus 1 yolk 1 tsp almond essence or vanilla grated zest of 1 lemon 350g ground almonds 50g flour 3-4 tbs red fruit jam blackberries (as many as you like) 3-4 tbs apricot jam (optional) juice of 1 lemon (optional) Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat them in well. Add the flavourings and zest of lemon. Fold in the ground almonds and flour. When the base is cool, spread the red fruit jam on top. Then spread the almond mix over this, about 1-2cm thick. Put the blackberries in the almond mix, as many as you like, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170C, for about 40 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Take out and cool. When ready to eat, melt about 3-4 tbs apricot jam with the juice of 1 lemon in a saucepan and heat until syrupy. Brush this on to give a nice shiny top. This is not necessary if you would prefer a more natural finish. Cut into squares.

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