Sweet start to the new year

Happy Friday! At last we are here! If you've been too busy at work to think about the upcoming holiday, I'm here to help. This weekend we celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the delicious start to the new year. The desserts for this holiday tend to get a bad rap, so we need to change the way your guests think at the end of your holiday meal. Here are a few recipes to help your guests say WOW!



Honey Cake
Gourmet Live, August 2011
Kemp Minifie

Ingredients:

For cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup pure honey
• 3/4 cup lukewarm coffee (brewed, or instant dissolved in water)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons packed grated orange zest

For chocolate glaze:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk (not light)
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 4 ounces bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped

For garnish:

• Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional)

Equipment:

• a 10-inch Bundt pan; nonstick baking spray (shake well first; see Cooks’ Notes); cake tester or wooden skewer for testing cake doneness

Directions:

For cake:

1. Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously spray pan, including center tube, with baking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl.
3. Whisk eggs well in another large bowl and whisk in sugar, oil, honey, coffee, and zest until well combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the honey mixture, then stir with the whisk until the batter is smooth.
5. Pour batter into pan (it’s liquid enough to level itself in the pan), and bake in oven until springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
6. Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes.
7. Loosen cake from the pan with a thin rubber spatula, then invert cake onto the rack (see Cooks’ Notes) and cool completely.

For glaze:

1. Bring coconut milk and corn syrup to a simmer in a small heavy pan, stirring until combined.
2. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate. Let chocolate stand 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth.
3. Let glaze stand, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, but still pourable.
4. Transfer cake to a cake plate and slowly pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If desired, let the cake stand at room temperature until glaze is set.
5. Just before serving, sprinkle glaze lightly with flaky sea salt, if using.

Cooks' notes:

• Nonstick baking spray: Normally, I’m not inclined to use nonstick baking sprays, preferring to line the bottoms of greased cake pans with parchment paper, then greasing the paper and flouring the pans to ensure that the cake releases easily from the pans, but the design of a Bundt pan makes that method impossible. While developing this recipe, I had a disaster when the top half of one cake remained in the Bundt pan when I tried to turn the cake out (and I thought I had really played it safe by using a well-oiled nonstick pan, albeit an old one). On my next attempt, I turned to the nonstick baking spray, and since then, it has worked like a charm. 
• Measuring oil and honey: Both should be measured in a liquid measuring cup. The oil is listed first, because if you measure the honey in it afterward, without washing the cup, the honey will slide out easily, with barely any help needed from a rubber spatula. 
• Inverting the cake onto a rack: The best way to do this is to place a rack over the top of the pan, then, holding the rack and pan together, flip the cake pan and rack over so that the cake can slide safely out of the pan onto the rack. 
• Chopping chocolate: The easiest way to chop chocolate is with a long serrated bread knife. Or you can break the chocolate into squares (if you are using a bar) and pulse it in a food processor.

Doughnuts in Cardamom Syrup

Food & Wine, December 2008

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups warm water, plus 1 cup water
• 2 envelopes active dry yeast
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the 1 3/4 cups of warm water with the yeast and let stand for 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the salt. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead lightly until the dough is silky. Oil a medium bowl and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough, then let it rise again for another 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and bake for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water with the lemon juice and cardamom and simmer over moderate heat until reduced by half; strain. Let cool slightly, then stir in the rose water.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil to 325°. Meanwhile, divide the dough into quarters. Cut each quarter into 10 pieces. Using wet hands, shape into balls and poke a hole in the center of each. Carefully add the doughnuts to the hot oil in batches and fry until browned, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels.
4. Dip 1 side of each doughnut in the syrup and sprinkle with the almonds; serve.

MAKE AHEAD The recipe can be made through Step 1; then the doughnut dough can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.


Happy baking!