BLUEBERRY-MASCARPONE ROULADE, this week’s French Friday with Dorie recipe
When I spotted this week’s FFWD recipe choice, Blueberry-Mascarpone Roulade, I immediately thought of the Tour de France 2012. Stick with me here. Having begun Saturday, June 30th and continuing through Sunday, July 22, the world’s most famous bicycle race covers an astounding distance of 3,497 challenging kilometres (2173 miles). The term roulade originated from the French verb rouler which means to roll. Since I’m a bicycle fanatic, every morning, before going to work, I flip on my television and follow those two-hundred competitive riders as they roll through the French countryside. Go Bradley Wiggins!
This is the batter for the sponge cake, turned out on a jelly roll pan covered with parchment paper.
The batter is spread over the parchment paper. Next time I will be sure to blend the top more evenly.
Understandably, if you’re American, your first thought may be “jelly roll” because a dessert roulade is a sponge cake rolled around a sweet tasting filling. Although we’re most familiar with the Bûche de Noël, this week’s recipe would be a perfect dessert finale for your upcoming Bastille Day party on July 14th.
A traditional Bûche de Noël, made with a Génoise cake and chocolate buttercream, and garnished with powdered sugar, raspberries, and spruce sprigs. Photo by Wikipedia
Et, merci à Dorie, c’est facile.
We’re on a roll —– after cooling, the baked sponge cake is laid on a towel, coated with confectionary sugar, and spread with the prepared filling. Then the cake is rolled about one and a half times, finishing with the seam at the bottom. Refrigerate the wrapped cake.
The roulade is now ready to return to its “towel home” and return to the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Although a roulade can be filled with anything, this one is filled with ‘a mixture of blueberry-speckled sweetened mascarpone and whipped cream’. Because I’d never made a roulade before, I admit to approaching this week’s choice with trepidation. However, my worries were unfounded.
Dorie makes this easy for a first-timer like me. 1) Make the berries. 2) Bake the roulade. 3) Make the filling. 4) Assemble the cake. 5) Refrigerate. She also suggests making a berry coulis to serve with the roulade and this is a great idea. Next time.
If you’re game for making this roulade, stop here for a close version. To see what my colleagues baked this week, roll on over to this finish line.
There have been many challenges this past week or so since my stepfather died, but honestly, the one I feared the most was melding my baking style with my mother’s.
Let me explain.
My mother belongs to an online cooking group called Tuesdays with Dorie. Twice a month, she and approximately 500 other dedicated bakers from around the globe try their hand at creating an assigned recipe. The group is currently working their way through the book Baking with Julia, which was compiled and written by Dorie Greenspan. My mother was a recipe behind, so she suggested that we bake together to help her catch up.
Baking with Julia
Herein lies the challenge:
I am a by-the-seat-of-my-pants baker. I read a few recipes and then make it up as I go. I skip steps, omit or add ingredients, and rarely measure. Much of the time, my end results are good if not great, but occasionally there are some big flops.
My mother, on the other hand, is a by-the-book kind of gal. If she doesn’t have the precise ingredients on hand (may God strike you down if you substitute regular vanilla when it calls for Tahitian Vanilla), she will either run to the store or not make the recipe. She checks accuracy of liquid measurements by squatting to eye level, and she times everything to the second. As she says, “I don’t waver from the exact.”
I knew we were especially doomed when she opened the weighty Baking with Julia to page 315, and announced we were making Hazelnut Biscotti. “My biscotti always turn out awful,” I confessed.
“Mine too,” my mother countered.
Hazelnut Biscotti made by Katrina of BakingwithBoys.com
I would have considered throwing in the dishtowel right there, but I didn’t want to leave my mom in the lurch and I figured that during this biscotti round Julia Childs AND Dorie Greenspan had our backs. With uncharacteristic politeness and restraint, we began to bake. She got out the ingredients while I scanned the recipe.
We decided to make pistachio biscotti as those were the nuts we had on hand. (Thank goodness Greenspan offered them as an alternative in the preface of the recipe or we would have been in the car on our way to the store.)
Our first disagreement was over the merits of splat mats versus parchment paper. My mother had misplaced her silicone splat mats and felt they were too expensive to replace at $7.00 apiece. I couldn’t live without my splat mats and felt they were a more environmentally-friendly alternative to parchment.
“Well,” said my mother as she ripped a length of parchment paper from the roll to prepare the the biscotti baking pan. “Dorie advises the use of parchment.”
“Heaven forbid we should use something else,” I thought but smartly did not verbalize. I was on my best behavior.
Pistachios
My mother measured the 2/3 cup of pistachios on a cookie sheet (no parchment needed for this step) and put them in the oven to toast. We set the timer for ten minutes, and then got into a minor squabble about the necessity of mise en place. I preferred the grab-it-from-the-cabinet-as-you-need-it-and-then-put-it-back method, while my mom quoted Mary Sue Salmon, her first French cooking teacher, who said you always prepare a mise en place before you start cooking. Midway through our discussion and with four minutes to go on the timer, I smelled something burning.
“The nuts!” I yelled as I lunged for the oven. I pulled out the pan only to discovered that the nuts were already overdone. I examined one closely and then retrieved the bag of already shelled pistachios from the pantry.
“Mom,” I said carefully, we were both just barely hanging on this week and I didn’t want this to totally push her over the edge, “Um, these were already toasted.”
We looked at each other and started to laugh.
When we finally pulled it together several minutes later, we got serious about our biscotti. This wasn’t about baking styles anymore, this was about getting something posted. We both realized that we needed to join forces to make this work.
Chopping pistachios
We cleared the counter and started again. I chopped the nuts and my mom finished getting out the ingredients. I even measured the dry ingredients into a separate bowl rather than throwing everything together willy-nilly as usual.
“Where’s the baking soda?” I asked. According to Greenspan, “It’s the baking soda in the dough that gives the biscotti their wonderful open, crunchy texture.”
“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” said my mom, in a near panic. Before I could respond, she had grabbed her keys and flown out the door. “I’m just running over to a neighbor’s,” she called over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
While she was gone, I mixed up the rest of the batter. Earlier that week I’d read a baking hint that suggested always doubling the amount of vanilla you add to a recipe. So I did, hoping that Childs and Greenspan would approve. I couldn’t find the brandy, so I made a mental note to ask my mom when she returned.
Once I added the baking soda to the dry ingredients, I mixed everything together. I was just about to shape the dough onto the cookie sheet when I remembered the brandy.
“Oh man, I forgot the brandy and I’ve already mixed the wet with the dry,” I told my mom.
She retrieved the cognac from the pantry and handed it to me. Forgetting myself for a moment, I failed to measure, and simply chugged some into the batter, probably about three times the suggested two teaspoons. The room filled with the smell of alcohol.
“I hope these turn out,” said my mother as she retreated to the kitchen table where she’d set up camp since her baking soda run. She poured herself some more Fritos, her comfort food of the week. “I don’t want to get kicked out.”
No pressure there.
Batter complete, I began to shape the dough. Greenspan suggests making two chubby logs 12 to 13 inches long. “Chubby logs” was a vague description, so my mom got out a measuring tape and pulled up the food site Vintage Kitchen Notes. Paula, from Argentina, had kindly posted a photo of her biscotti logs before they hit the oven.
Chubby biscotti logs
After much shaping and reshaping, we put the biscotti in the oven for the first and then the second baking. As my previous biscotti attempts had been undercooked, I left the crescent cookies in the full fifteen minutes for the second go-around. For good measure, when the timer dinged, I turned off the oven and left them in another three minutes.
As you might imagine, with all that baking time, the biscotti were a little overdone. “Hard as a rock,” according to my mother. Nonetheless, we filled a special tenth anniversary bowl of my mom and Michael’s with our baking feat and headed over to a friend’s house. Adriana and her parents are originally from Sicily, and we knew they would be hard, yet fair critics.
Anniversary Bowl
I explained to our tasters that the cookies were a little firm. “Be careful not to break a tooth,” my mother helpfully interjected. I suggested they not only dunk them in a drink, but maybe soak them a while.
The verdict: Overcooked by several minutes, but great flavor.
Pistachio Biscotti
I guess my mom and I learned a little something from each other during our baking challenge: Exact is good as long as you are willing to throw in something extra now and then.
(If you are interested in the retro kitchen mixer tshirt I am wearing in the photo above, please visit Caustic Threads located at Etsy.com. Shop owner Erica Voges creates and prints these original designs for an amazingly economical price. Check out her wares and support a small business today!)
Erin, a fellow Coloradoan who blogs on Dinners, Dishes and Desserts is hosting an on-line bake sale to raise funds for the Colorado Disaster Relief fund. All of the proceeds will go to the Colorado Disaster Relief Fund c/o Red Cross to help with fire victims. Devastating wild fires have caused massive destruction in our home state, and you can help by bidding on some marvelous treats starting at 8 AM mountain time this Sunday, July 8. If you’ve never participated in a virtual bake sale before, take the opportunity to peek at this site. It’s fun. I’m already gearing up to bid on the Oatmeal M & M cookies that Liz who blogs on that skinny chick can bake is making.
Pop on over to Dinners, Dishes and Desserts to take a gander at the preview and support this good cause. We thank you.
Agreed, it’s an unusual combo: Mint Chocolate Ice Cream and Seaweed Sablés. Both recipes are by David Lebovitz.
Sometimes Dorie takes us waaaay out on a limb. For example, remember the Sardine Rillettes or the Spiced Squash, Fennel and Pear Soup? Even the Caramel-topped Semolina Cake and Gerard’s Mustard Tart were a stretch for an Iowa girl like me. Luckily, more often than not, the limb doesn’t snap and we end up with a tasty morsel.
This week Dorie decided to take us for a swim. Since water is not my friend, I never even learned to dog-paddle, I’m a bit reluctant to dive right into this recipe choice.
But dive I must……
A first for me, purchasing packages of toasted Nori.
The Japanese call it “nori”. Here in the United States, it’s just plain old seaweed. For this recipe Dorie is suggesting we put 3 tablespoons of seaweed into a sweet, buttery shortbread slice-and-bake cookie. Why would anyone do that?
Because David said so.
According to Dorie, who is a Parisienne part-timer, it’s playful, chic and attention-getting to turn sweet into salty. Choosing unusual add-ins for this very traditional French shortbread cookie is all the rage. Adding olives, cheese, even bacon, I understand. But it was American cookbook author and pastry chef David Lebovitz who suggested seaweed.
The shortbread mixture after the nori has been chopped finely and added. Admittedly, it does look pretty.
The shortbread cookie dough, rolled into one very long log.
The dough, as for all sablés, is simple to make. Butter, salt, confectionary sugar, egg yolk, olive oil and flour. Next, add the 3 tablespoons of finely chopped toasted nori. (I found this at my local Whole Foods.) Roll the dough into logs. Chill or freeze. When you’re ready to bake them off, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each one and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
A tip from COOK’s Illustrated magazine: Prior to freezing slice-and-bake cookies, put the logs into toilet paper or paper towel rolls to get perfectly rounded cookies.
The paper roll trick worked quite well.
Although these sablés are cocktail fare, I first served them with luscious and delicious Mint Chocolate Ice Cream which my granddaughters and I made. What was my rationalization for coupling rich/creamy mint chocolate with salty/savory seaweed? Simple. These are both Lebovitz’s recipes and can hang out together!!!
This little cocktail cookie complements the Lillet. A nice duo.
Next I served these with Lillet, a French aperitif which is a blend of Bordeaux wines and citrus liqueur. The salty cookie blended well with the lovely Lillet.
Although I’m glad I met and baked with toasted chopped nori for the first time ever, these aren’t nibbles I’ll make again. This is a little too playful , chic and attention-getting for me. The mint chocolate ice cream, however, is spectacular.
Popeye’s girlfriend, Olive Oyl, a comic strip character created in 1919 by Elzie Crisler Segar. Credit: distortedframes.onsugar.co
Yes, I just had to do that.
Of course the first thing that popped into my mind when I noticed the FFwithD recipe this week was Popeye the Sailor Man and his girlfriend, Olive Oyl. Created in 1919 (Olive Oyl) and 1929 (Popeye) by cartoon illustrator Elzie Crisler Segar, these two beloved fictitious characters were part of my brother’s and my childhood. Luckily for those of you unfamiliar with Olive Oyl, a new comic book series was just released last month.
Let’s be clear. This week we’re making Olive Oil Ice Cream and Popeye didn’t participate in its selection. We know that because there is no spinach involved in this recipe. None at all.
Mise en Place, everything in place, à la Ben & Jerry’s
Admittedly a skeptic, I’ve already bailed on sardine rillettes (4/12/12) so wasn’t inclined to go rogue again. Honestly, I don’t venture much beyond vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. But after gathering together the ingredients and dusting off Little Darlin’ (my christened name for the ice cream maker), I put together the custard base.
If you’ve ever created ice cream, making the custard is standard. Bring the milk and cream to a boil and pour it into the egg yolk/sugar mixture. Acclimatization is the key technique here. Add salt and then pour the entire mixture back into the pan. Cook until thick to about 180 degrees. There will be a custard coating on the back of your wooden spoon. After removing the pan from the heat, strain the custard.
Stirring the cooking custard or Stirring the custard cooking.
Are you ready for the olive oil? It’s time. Pour olive oil as well as vanilla extract into the strained custard and stir together. I used my Olea Orange Blush Olive Oil to add more flavoring into the mixture. Refrigerate, about an hour.
Doing time in the refrigerator.
Once cooled, it’s showtime for Little Darlin’. Carefully pour the custard into the bowl of the ice cream maker and let it spin (mine took 30 minutes). With this ice cream, after removing it from the maker, it’s nice to let it freeze an hour or two.
Little Darlin’, spinning.
Just from licking the paddle, I knew I was in love. Olive Oil Ice Cream is delicious. Consensus, one and all. I served this ice cream with two different toppings: 1) a drizzle of orange blush oil topped by a pinch of fleur de sel; 2) a topping of Eleven Madison Park’s Granola. I favored the granola but will also try it with toppings such as salted caramel sauce , strawberries with balsamic vinegar as well as plain chocolate sauce.
Olive Oil Ice Cream, topped with orange blush olive oil with salt and topped with Eleven Madison Park’s Granola.
If you don’t own Dorie’s cookbook, Around My French Table, I urge you to buy it. Can’t wait to have this recipe? Try this site. If you want to see how others in our clan did this week, go here.
Packed with cherries, pistachios, and coconut flakes, Eleven Madison Park’s granola provided a sweet and salty topping for the rich ice cream.
A Tart as Cake to Celebrate? She’s Nine. That’s Fine!!! Let’s Party.
This week’s French Friday’s with Dorie recipe coincided with my granddaughter’s ninth birthday. This tart originated with chocolatier Christian Constant who created it for world famous designer Sonia Rykiel, a founding member of Le Club des Croqueurs Chocolat. Now, there is nothing about Clara that doesn’t like chocolate. In addition, she’s a banana-a-day kid. What Christian did for Sonia, Grandma could do for Clara. Pourquoi pas?
Although my daughter (Clara’s mother) holds her tongue over sugar-overload at Grandmother’s house, I do, at times, exert glucose-restraint. I thought the “double” in chocolate might send Melissa over the top, so I used Dorie’s all-purpose tart dough (page 498) for the crust. “It produces,” Dorie says, “a not-too-rich, slightly crisp crust that is as happy holding pastry cream as it is encasing a creamy cheese filling for a quiche.”
Doppio zero flour from Italy’s oldest producer
What took One Him to load into the car took Two Her’s to unload from the car. Ahhhhh, Youth..
To make that crust, I used the “00” Italian flour our baking group (Michelle, Amalia, Adriana, Pina & me ) just purchased from Naples via Settebello’s in Henderson (Nevada). Now Settebello’s is a pizza place not a grocery store but we’d been eyeing those sacks of stacked flour for years. Adriana, our pseudo-business manager, volunteered to negotiate the sale for the doppio zero flour (which she did successfully).
Settebello’s is not your average joint. It’s already taped a Food Network segment to be shown in July and has another TV crew on the books. Settebello’s earned a 91% rating from Zagat and, according to roadfood.com, “the mozzarella is fresh; the flour, San Marzano tomatoes, Parmesan, and prosciutto come from Italy and the other cured meats are hand-crafted by Mario Batali’s dad’s artisan salumi shop in Seattle. The pizzas are cooked directly on the brick floor of the bell-shaped oven, next to a pile of burning wood.”
We wanted that flour.
A warm Nevada day so Adriana can divide the “white treasure” outside, under the pergola.
Probably not the best photo op but that’s some fine lookin’ flour. Honestly, it’s flour.
In their catalogue, King Arthur Flour, which also markets an Italian style-flour, writes, “American flour has a type A personality. It’s full of gluten, ready for action, go go GO! Italian 00 flour, on the other hand, mirrors the warm, laid-back climate of its native land. Its protein is not only lower, but much more mellow. Make pizza or flatbread with this flour; you’ve never worked with such friendly dough! It’s incredibly extensible, practically flowing under your hands as you pat it into shape. And the resulting bread or crust? Light as air, tender, snapping crisp or soft as a cloud… this flour is definitely personality type B.”
I found the dough to be easy to work, really, a pleasure (King Arthur has it right.). The crust baked beautifully, remained filling-firm and was delicious.
After making the crust, I caramelized the bananas. Dorie suggested 1/8-inch-thick-slices but I found them too thin for this process. Next time I make the tart, I will slice to 1/4” or 1/2” thickness.
My favorite tart dough from “Around My French Table”, chilling in the fridge.
Caramelizing the banana pieces which, when I make again, will be 1/4″ to 1/2″ slices rather than the suggested 1/8″.
While the caramelized bananas were cooling, I made the bittersweet ganache using Ghirardelli’s 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. (This is probably not the time to go with Nestle’s.) I arranged the caramelized bananas in an even layer over the bottom of the crust and then carefully poured the ganache over them. Simple.
Just cooling off, waiting for the topping-off party.
During the hour required for refrigeration, I made an apricot jam glaze and cut 1/4” banana slices for the topping. Remember to toss all the cut bananas in a slight bit of lemon juice to prevent blackening. To finish off the tart, I placed the cut bananas in a spiral and then gently spread the light apricot glaze over the top. Since I wanted the tart to be firm and cooled, I popped it back into the fridge.
This tart is rich. Serve slender slices. Although it’s best to enjoy immediately, we found the tart to be delicious on Day 2 and Day 3.
In a word, sublime.
A delicious Single Chocolate & Banana Tart
Although we don’t provide this recipe, we’d love you to buy Dorie’s “Around My French Table,” you might try here. If you’re curious about the double chocolate creations of other FFWD cooks, go to http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/.
