Saturday, July 30, 2011

Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt-Leave Your Link

This recipe belonged to a neighbor of Renato's mother-Annette, a lovely French woman from Marseilles, France.  But Renato's mother baked it so ofter it became Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt !

Ingredients3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
freshly grated zest of 2 oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10 inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; alternatively, butter it well, dust it with four and knock out the excess flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks until they are pale and light; slowly pour in the sugar until it is completely incorporated. Add the yogurt and olive oil and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the orange zest and vanilla, and mix until just incorporated.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two parts, beating after each addition or until just combined (this will take about 10 seconds). Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 5 seconds.

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Scoop 1 cup of the egg whites into the batter. use a rubber spatula to gently fold them in. After about 30 seconds of folding, add the remaining egg whites and gently fold until they are almost completely combined. Do not rush the folding process.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 - 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, or until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan (I sometimes use and offset spatula for this) and turn it onto the rack. Just before serving, dust the cake with the confectioner's sugar. The cake can be stored at room temperature, covered tightly for about 3 days

BAKED NOTES
When making this cake, try to use a really good fruity olive oil-something like Paesano extra-virgin olive oil, to bring out the citrusy tones in the cake. The simple dusting of sugar is all this cakes needs instead of a glaze.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Peaches and Dream Pie-Leave Your Link

Hi Everyone !  Thanks for setting up the Facebook Page-I didn't expect to be away from blogging for so long but you all know how complicated life can be.   I apologize for missing the July 3rd Blackberry Pie Leave Your Link-I'll blame it on the bronchitis and icky icky virus !  Health is good now,still on my personal blog break but will continue to post the leave your link here for my favorite Baked Bakers !

Sunday's Pie is Peaches and Dream based on the Matt's revision of a recipe that had been floating around Florida in his early years !

Ingredients
1 ball Classic Pie Dough (page 58 yields enough for 2 single crust 9" pies or one double crust)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour,sugar and salt together.  In  a measuring cup,stir 3/4 cup water with several ice cubes until it is very cold

Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss them in the flour mixture to coat.  Put the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the butter pieces are the size of hazelnuts.

Pulsing in 4 second bursts, slowly drizzle the ice water into the food processor through the feed tube.

As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, stop adding water.  Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it in half.   Flatten each piece into a disk and wrap each disk first in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 1 hour.  (The dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3months.  Thaw it in the refrigerator before proceeding with your recipe).

For the Peaches and Dream Filling
10 canned peach halves, or about 2 1/2 cups fresh diced,peeled peaches
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

For the Pie Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter,cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Make the Crust
Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour.  Roll the dough ball out into a 12 inch round.  Transfer the dough to a pie dish and carefully work it into place, folding any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go.  Cover the crust in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Make the Peaches and Dream Filling
Arrange the peach halves cut side up on the bottom of the pie shell or spread the diced fresh peaches in the pie shell.  In a medium bowl,whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and honey until they just come together.  Sprinkle the mixture with the salt, brown sugar, and flour, and whisk until just combined. Pour the mixture over the peaches.

Make the Pie Topping
Place the sugar, flour, and butter in a bowl. Use your hand to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mix looks like coarse sand.  Assemble the pie.  Sprinkle the pie topping across the filling, and bake for 45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly (place a sheet pan on the oven rack directly below the pie to catch any filling that bubbles over ).  Let the pie cool overnight before serving.

BAKED NOTESAt least 90 percent of the peaches and cream recipes that crossed Matt and Renato's path specified the use of canned peaches.  Perhaps they were written in an era when fresh peaches were difficult to locate, or perhaps the sugar content of a canned peach was an added plus, but they tested fresh peaches in place of their canned counterparts in several recipes without any problems.

So support your local farmer and but fresh !


PS If I missed adding you to the blog roll send me a reminder and I will take care of it-again thanks to all of you for your patience and support and the fabulous job you all do !