Bon Appetit Desserts (48 page)

These little meringue cookies make the perfect embellishment to any
bûche de Noël.
Here, powdered sugar and egg white form the glue that sticks the meringue caps and stems together, but melted dark chocolate could also be used. Don’t worry if your caps and stems aren’t uniform; they’ll only look more natural. A tap of sifted cocoa powder just before serving creates mushroom freckles.
Makes about 15

¼ cup egg whites (about 2 large), room temperature

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 tablespoon powdered sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon egg white (paste)

Natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 150°F. Line baking sheet with parchment. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl 1 minute to blend. Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in small bowl. Add to egg whites in 3 additions, beating 20 seconds after each. Continue beating until meringue is stiff and glossy. Transfer mixture to pastry bag fitted with ½-inch plain tip. Pipe about fifteen ½- to 1-inch domed rounds on prepared sheet for mushroom caps. Smooth top of each with damp finger. Pipe about fifteen ½- to 1-inch peaked mounds on prepared sheets for stems. Bake until meringues are dry and beginning to color, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Let cool completely.

Using small knife, cut small hole in bottom of each mushroom cap. Dip peaked end of stem in sugar paste and push into hole in mushroom cap. Repeat with remaining stems and caps.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Dust mushrooms with cocoa before serving.

Chocolate Fruitcake

Natural foods stores and Middle Eastern markets are both good places to find the dried fruits called for in this recipe.
16 servings

1½ cups diced stemmed dried Calimyrna figs

1 cup diced pitted prunes

1 cup diced dried peaches

1 cup diced pitted dates

¼ cup spiced rum or dark rum

¼ cup fresh orange juice

3 tablespoons minced orange peel (orange part only)

3 cups sifted unbleached all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)

¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon salt

2 cups (packed) dark brown sugar

3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), coarsely chopped

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 large eggs

1 cup purchased mincemeat with brandy and rum

2½ cups large walnut pieces, toasted

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons spiced rum or dark rum

3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Orange peel strips

CAKE
: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Generously butter 12- to 15-cup Bundt pan. Dust pan with cocoa; tap out excess. Combine figs, prunes, dried peaches, dates, rum, orange juice, and orange peel in large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into medium bowl. Finely grind sugar and chocolate in processor.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in another large bowl until fluffy. Beat in sugar-chocolate mixture in 3 additions (mixture will be grainy). Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Using rubber spatula, mix in ⅓ of dry ingredients. Mix in half of mincemeat. Mix in half of remaining dry ingredients, then remaining mincemeat. Add remaining dry ingredients and walnuts to dried fruit mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Add to batter and blend well. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, covering cake loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 1½ hours. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes. Turn pan over onto rack. Let stand 3 minutes; gently lift off pan. Cool cake completely.

GLAZES
: Stir corn syrup and rum in small bowl to blend. Place cake on plate. Brush all of rum glaze over cake. Double-wrap in foil and store at room temperature at least 2 days.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made up to 3 months ahead. Store in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool 15 minutes. Drizzle chocolate glaze decoratively over top of cake. Garnish with strips of orange peel and serve.

Gingerbread Christmas Pudding with Orange Hard Sauce

English Christmas “pudding” is really a dense, moist spiced cake that’s steamed on the stove rather than baked in the oven. Pudding molds are available at cookware stores. Some molds come with a lid that can be used in place of the foil covering.
8 to 10 servings

1½ cups powdered sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons brandy

1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1¼ cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¾ cup sugar

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 large eggs

½ cup orange marmalade

¼ cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel

HARD SAUCE
: Combine all ingredients in small bowl; stir to blend well.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

PUDDING
: Coat inside and center tube of 6- to 8-cup pudding mold or Bundt pan with nonstick spray, then coat generously with butter. Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cloves into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then marmalade, molasses, and orange peel. Beat in flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared mold. Cover mold tightly with buttered foil, buttered side down.

Place steamer rack in large pot. Place pudding mold on rack. Fill pot with enough water to come halfway up sides of mold. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover pot and steam pudding until tester inserted near center comes out clean, adding more boiling water as needed to maintain water level, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Using oven mitts as aid, remove mold from pot. Uncover and let stand 10 minutes. Cut around top center and sides of pudding to loosen. Turn pudding out onto rack and cool 20 minutes.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Return pudding to mold; cover and chill. Resteam, covered, 45 minutes to heat through, then turn out of mold.

Transfer pudding to platter. Cut pudding into wedges; serve with sauce.

Steamed Cranberry-Marmalade Pudding with Grand Marnier Hard Sauce Rosettes

This traditional English dessert—in which the pudding is really a moist, rich cake—gets its texture from being baked in a covered container surrounded by a water bath. The traditional mold used to make steamed pudding looks like a Bundt pan with a lid. If you don’t have one, just use a loaf pan covered tightly with foil.
8 servings

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

¼ cup Sherry

½ cup orange marmalade

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

¾ cup sugar, divided

½ cup water

½ cup fresh cranberries

Grand Marnier Hard Sauce Rosettes (see recipe)

PUDDING
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 1-quart pudding mold or loaf pan. Sift flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in half of dry ingredients, then Sherry, then remaining dry ingredients. Fold in marmalade. Gently fold in chopped cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared mold; smooth top. Top pudding mold with cover or cover tightly with large sheet of buttered foil, buttered side down. Place pudding in Dutch oven or large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of mold. Bake until small knife inserted near center of pudding comes out clean, about 2½ hours. Remove from water. Cool 10 minutes.

Cut around edge of pan to loosen pudding. Turn out onto plate.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 4 days ahead. Cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic; chill. Reheat before serving: Remove plastic; wrap pudding in foil. Reheat in 350°F oven until heated through, about 45 minutes.

CANDIED CRANBERRIES
: Line small baking sheet with waxed paper. Bring ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to boil in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Continue boiling until thermometer registers 238°F, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cranberries. Let stand until cranberries are tender but still retain shape, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, carefully transfer cranberries to prepared baking sheet. Let stand until almost dry, about 20 minutes.