Salted Caramel and Pecan Chocolate Cake

I made this cake for a recent dinner party, and everyone was just about licking the plate. The combination of candied pecans, sticky caramel and rich chocolate cake was irresistible, so make sure not to invite too many people. You'l definitely want to have leftovers! 

The only tricky part to making this cake (in my opinion) is the caramel. Resist the temptation to stir it with a spoon. Just hold the pan by the handle over the burner and keep swirling it until the color turns golden. It takes very little time to go from golden to burnt, so stay close by. Let the caramel cool until it's thick enough to spread on the middle layer of the cake and on top. You can make the candied pecans while the caramel is cooling.

Be prepared to wow your family and friends.

Check out Ciao Chow Linda on Instagram here to find out what’s cooking in my kitchen each day (and more).

Salted Caramel and Pecan Chocolate Cake

from Tamingofthespoon.com

For the cake

• 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

For the toasted salted pecans

• 2 cups pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the caramel sauce

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I use Maldon’s sea salt flakes)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• INSTRUCTIONS

  For the cake

  1. Prep pans. Lightly coat the inside of one 9 by 1-1/2 inch round cake pan with melted butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper; then lightly coat the parchment paper with more melted butter. Set aside.
  2. Prep oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Melt chocolate. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute. Stir. Continue heating the chocolate in 1 minute increments and stirring until mixture is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool until needed.
  4. Prep dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
  5. Cream butter. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until well blended and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
  6. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the butter. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes.
  7. Mix in chocolate. On low speed, mix in the melted chocolate.
  8. Mix in dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture in three additions alternately adding the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until well blended and batter looks smooth.
  9. Pour and bake. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack.

  For the toasted salted pecans

  1. Prep oven and pan. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Prep pecans. In a medium bowl, stir the pecans and melted butter together. Sprinkle the sugar and salt over the nuts, stirring to coat evenly. Scrape the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading them in a single layer.
  3. Bake. Bake pecans for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove nuts from the oven and set aside to cool.

  For the caramel sauce

  1. Heat cream. Put the cream in a small saucepan and warm it over low heat. Adjust the heat to keep the cream warm while you cook the sugar.
  2. Cook sugar. Whisk together sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Using a basting brush dipped in water, brush the sides of the pan down to dissolve any sugar crystals that form. Boil until the mixture turns a dark golden color, tilting the pan slightly to ensure the sugar cooks evenly, about 10 minutes.
  3. Mix together. When sugar turns dark golden in color, slowly (and carefully) pour the hot cream into the caramelized sugar and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt.
  4. Cool. Cool the sauce until it is thick enough to cling to the cake when spread. About 1 1/2 hours.

  To assemble the cake:

  1. Cut layers. Remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a serving plate so that the top is up. Use a long serrated knife to level the top of the cake as necessary. Then cut the cake in half horizontally into two even layers. Carefully slip a round cake board or the removable bottom from a tart pan or springform pan between the layers, lift the top layer off, and set it aside.
  2. Prep bottom layer. Pour 3/4 cup of the cooled caramel sauce over the center of the bottom cake layer and spread it evenly.
  3. Prep top layer. Carefully slide the top layer over the caramel filling, centering it over the bottom layer. Spread another 3/4 cup of caramel sauce over the top layer. Spoon the pecans onto the cake, mounding them toward the center. Drizzle caramel sauce on the pecans. You can drizzle all the remaining sauce on the pecans or you can reserve some of it to drizzle on each slice when you serve the cake.

  ---

  NOTES

• The sugar will splatter and bubble up when the hot cream is added to it. The mixture will calm down as you stir it. You can wear oven mitts during this step if you want to protect your hands.

Milena's Pizza di Verdura (Vegetable Pizza)

 

If you follow this blog, or my Instagram page, you probably know that I'm part of a group of women who meet weekly in each other's homes to chit-chat in Italian. What started out as a simple espresso and dessert gathering has morphed over the years to include lunch as well as something sweet. Milena, who is originally from the Liguria region, has taught cooking classes and frequently makes something from her home region, including this stuffed pizza di verdura. She used escarole, scallions, anchovies and capers in the filling, but you could use any greens you like -- spinach or Swiss chard, for instance. Milena said she has made it with only scallions in the past, which is also delicious. Her family likes to tease her, calling it "garbage pizza" because she'll use any vegetable that's on hand. A few weeks ago, she gave our small group a demonstration of how she puts the dish together and now you can see for yourself how she does it, even though you may live far from central New Jersey, where our group meets each week. 

The dough as well as the filling recipe is below. After spreading the filling over the base, Milena tops it with another layer of dough.

Then she pricks it all over, and smears some olive oil and salt on top.

Here's a video of her placing the anchovies on top of the escarole. For those of you who understand Italian, you don't need a translation. For the rest of you, she explains that the anchovies and capers contain a lot of salt, hence you don't need to add any more. Also, she says that sometimes she add olives, sometimes not, depending on what she has on hand.

After about 45 minutes, it's ready to remove from the oven and eat.

Check out Ciao Chow Linda on Instagram here to find out what’s cooking in my kitchen each day (and more).

Milena's Pizza Di Verdura (Vegetable Pizza)

for the dough:

1/2 cake compressed yeast or 1 package dry yeast

2 cups water

5 1/2 cups bread flour (approximately)

1 tsp. salt

1/8 cup olive oil (optional)

Make sponge:

In a large bowl, soften yeast (.6 oz. of fresh yeast) in 2 cups of body temperature water, using a wire whisk to mix. Note: If using dry yeast, use water at a higher temperature, between 105-115 degrees. Add 2 cups bread flour, mix well with a wire whisk. Cover with a cloth and let the mixture rest in a warm place until bubbly, approximately 10 minutes. At this point, the mixture is called the "sponge."

Stir sponge, add salt, olive oil and additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Mix with a spoon until dough is blended.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the last cup of flour onto wooden board.

Turn out dough onto the floured wooden board and knead, using a bread spatula and adding additional flour as required. When well kneaded, place into a large greased bowl and cover with greased waxed paper and a dish towel. Note: best if large bowl is warmed first, so that dough is not in contact with a cold surface.

Let dough rise in a warm area until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down and shape innto desired forms or divide dough and shape into desired forms.

For the Filling:

3 lbs. mixed green leaf vegetables (Milena used escarole)

5 T. olive oil

1 crushed clove garlic

2 bunches green onions cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 T. capers

10 anchovies

6 black olives, pitted and sliced (optional)

black pepper

olive oil

Directions:

Place vegetables and green onions in a large pan with oil and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes. Add 5 anchovy filets, cook five minutes longer. Remove garlic and let cool. When dough is ready, return it to floured board pound it lightly to deflate it and divide into 2 pieces. Spread out 1 piece over bottom of an oiled 12" baking pan. Place vegetable mixture over dough in pan, on the vegetables sprinkle capers, anchovies and olives.

Cover with other piece of dough. Press edges together and trim excess dough. Prick surface with a fork, brush with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees F. until puffed and golden, about 45 minutes. Serves 6

Coconut Shrimp

 

Having just returned from a dreamy vacation in Hawaii where I ate coconut shrimp a couple of times, I wanted to keep the tropical spirit going a little longer. We may not have swaying palm trees in New Jersey, but we do have great beaches and delicious shrimp, so I recreated the dish at home to bring back some memories from our wonderful trip to our 50th state.

But before I get to the shrimp, just a few thoughts about Hawaii - a state I last visited nearly 25 years ago. I revisited one of the places that holds sad memories for Americans -- the solemn memorial at Pearl Harbor, where so many lost their lives, propelling the U.S. to enter World War II in 1941.

While on Oahu, my husband and I also hiked up the extinct volcano at Diamond Head and got a fabulous view of Honolulu. This photo of Diamond Head's crater was taken from the plane as we were departing.

The island of Maui was next on our itinerary, where one could get used to waking up to this view of swaying palm trees and the Pacific Ocean every morning.

And seeing a huge humpback whale breaching right before our eyes was a huge highlight of the trip.

We spent the last six nights on Kauai, known as the Garden Isle, for its lush growth and dramatic beauty. You have to look no further to see that drama than at Waimea Canyon, known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."

There were lots of other fun adventures too, and plenty of good food and drinks, including an unnamed number of mai tais.

But back to those shrimp. They're quite easy to make, and I have to say, they tasted every bit as delicious as those I ate in Hawaii. I started out with good quality, large, fresh shrimp, wild caught in the U.S. My husband helped with the deveining and butterflying. It's simple to do. Just take a sharp knife and make a slit down the back, but don't slice all the way through. Remove the black vein (the intestinal tract), then rinse the shrimp, and press flat on a paper towel to dry. Continue with the rest of the shrimp and you're ready for the coating.

To coat them, you mix an equal part coconut and panko bread crumbs. First dredge the shrimp in flour, then in beaten egg, and finally the coconut and panko mixture.

Place some oil in a frypan -- just enough to submerge the bottom of the shrimp -- and bring to a sizzle. Then fry the shrimp on one side till golden.

Flip them after a couple of minutes and cook until golden and crunchy on the other side. It doesn't take long.

Serve with lemon or a sweet/sour chili sauce as we ate them in Hawaii. They'd make a great meatless meal for Good Friday or any day really, or as an appetizer that'll wow your friends and family.

Check out Ciao Chow Linda on Instagram here to find out what’s cooking in my kitchen each day (and more).

Coconut Shrimp

printable recipe here

1 lb. large shrimp

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (I used sweetened coconut)

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1 cup flour

oil for frying (peanut, safflower or any non-flavored oil)

sweet chili sauce for dipping (optional - I purchased this)

Remove the shrimp shells but leave on the tail. Devein the shrimp and butterfly them, by making a slit through the backside, but not all the way through. Remove the dark vein (intestinal tract) and discard. Flatten the shrimp, give it a rinse and pat dry on a paper towel.

When all the shrimp are clean, mix the coconut and bread crumbs together. Have three separate bowls ready - one with the flour, one with the beaten egg and one with the panko/coconut mixture. Dredge the shrimp light in the flour, then dip into the beaten egg and then the panko/coconut mixture, making sure the shrimp is well coated.

Heat some oil and test with the end of a wooden spoon (or drop in a piece of bread) to make sure it is sizzling but not too hot. If it's too hot, it will burn the coating and not cook the shrimp all the way through. If it's not hot enough, the shrimp won't brown properly and will be greasy.

Drop the shrimp carefully into the oil and fry until golden on one side (it should take only a couple of minutes) then flip over to cook the other side.

Serve with lemon or a sweet/spicy chili sauce.

Amarena Cream Tart

If you've eaten torta della nonna, this tart may look familiar to you. Torta della nonna is made with two layers of pasta frolla (like a pie crust but enriched with egg), pastry cream in the center and pine nuts on top. Aside from substituting almonds for pine nuts, this tart also features amarena cherries punctuating the cream. Amarena cherries are nothing like the sweet, bright red maraschino cherries you see on ice cream sundaes, but are bitter cherries (amaro means bitter in Italian) that are soaked in a sweet syrup, giving the burgundy colored cherries a complex flavor that's a combo of bitter and sweet.

I always use the delicious amarene made by the Italian company Fabbri, although there are other manufacturers. They are easy to find where I live, (I got these at Costco) but if not, you can find them online. They're great over ice cream or in desserts like this one and they come in a beautiful container too -- a plus in my book. 

They're also wonderful in cocktails. After one of our granddaughters was born, we celebrated one night by concocting a pretty pink drink using gin, tonic water, amarenas and some of the syrup, dubbing it the eponymous "Izabela."

The recipe is the same as torta della nonna, except after placing the pastry cream inside the tart shell, you stud it everywhere with the cherries.

Place the second layer of pastry on top, beat with an egg wash, and sprinkle with slivered almonds. If you prefer, you can use pine nuts instead, as you would for torta della nonna.

Bake till golden brown.

Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve.

It would be perfect for your Easter table.

Check out Ciao Chow Linda on Instagram here to find out what’s cooking in my kitchen each day (and more).

Amarena Cream Tart

printable recipe here

Pastry - pasta frolla

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt

1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 t. vanilla or almond extract
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 or 3 T. ice water, if needed

Place the dry ingredients in a bowl or food processor, add the butter and mix until it looks like coarse sand. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the water) and mix only until it holds together. If it's too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of cold water until the mixture comes together. Do not over mix or your dough will be tough. Bring together into a ball.

Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk
zest of one lemon (if you prefer not to use lemon, scrape the seeds from one vanilla bean into the milk or add 1/4 t. almond extract)
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

Put the lemon zest and the milk into a large, heavy saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl or mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Add the flour and whisk until well combined.

Remove the lemon zest from the saucepan and slowly add the hot milk into the egg mixture, a tiny bit at a time. If you add them too quickly, you'll scramble the eggs. Then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and starts to boil. If it gets lumpy, use a whisk, or even a hand-held stick blender to smooth it out.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, against the surface of the pastry cream, so it doesn't develop a "skin."Cool in refrigerator.

To Assemble:

3 dozen amarena cherries (or more if you like)

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Cut the dough in half and roll out one half into a disk shape. Fit it into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Place the pastry cream over the dough. Place the amarena cherries into the pastry cream.

Roll the second half of the dough into a disk and cover the pastry cream. Brush with a beaten egg that's been mixed with a tablespoon of water. Sprinkle almonds on top and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 35 to 40 minutes until browned on top. 

Note: You will have extra dough after trimming the tart. Don't throw it out. Gather it into a ball and freeze for another use. I like to roll out the leftover dough into a small disk and freeze it that way. Then when I feel like making a one-shell tart quickly, I take it from the freezer, let it thaw, and add some jam, or ricotta mixed with sugar and chocolate chips, bake it and you have a quick dessert.

Pasta alla Gricia

 

Pasta alla gricia is one of those pastas that should be more well known, but is rarely found on menus in Italian restaurants in the U.S. It's one of the iconic pasta dishes in Italy's Lazio region, especially Rome, along with bucatini all'amatriciana (almost like gricia but with tomatoes) or pasta alla carbonara (similar to gricia but with eggs) and cacio e pepe (no guanciale, just pecorino and pepper).  It's a simple dish to put together with only a few ingredients -- guanciale (pork cheek), olive oil, black pepper and pecorino cheese. If you can't find guanciale where you live, do an online search and you're sure to find a source that can mail it to your door. Start out by cutting the guanciale into small batons with some fat and meat on each piece. 

They have a tendency to burn if cooked too quickly, so take your time and slowly cook them until crispy. 

Remove the guanciale pieces and set them aside, but keep the rendered fat in the pan.

Add the boiled pasta (I used calamarata, but rigatoni is the traditional shape used with this dish) and swirl in the rendered fat, adding some of the pasta water. Stir everything quickly to create an emulsified sauce. Remove from the heat and add the grated pecorino cheese, mixing everything together quickly.

Serve with additional pecorino on the side. 

Check out Ciao Chow Linda on Instagram here to find out what’s cooking in my kitchen each day (and more).

Pasta Alla Gricia

1/2 lb. pasta (rigatoni, paccheri or calamarata)

1/2 lb. guanciale, cut into batons

2 tablespoons olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

hot pasta water, as needed

Add the olive oil to a saucepan along with the guanciale. Cook the guanciale batons over low to medium heat until crispy, taking care not to burn them.

Remove the batons and set aside but keep the rendered fat in the pan.

Cook the pasta and drain, keeping some of the pasta water.

Place the pasta into the pan with the rendered fat, and grind the fresh pepper all over the pasta.

Stir the pasta into the rendered fat, along with enough pasta water to make an emulsified sauce.

Put the guanciale batons back into the pan and remove from the heat.

Add the grated pecorino and stir until everything is mixed together and creamy.

Serve with additional pecorino if desired.