Sugar Cube (31 page)

• 1 cup frozen sliced peaches
  
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  cup (about 6 ounces) small- to medium-size frozen strawberries
  
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
  
• 2 heaping tablespoons plain, whole-milk greek yogurt
  
• 1 tablespoon plus 1
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  teaspoons flavorful honey
  
• 2 teaspoons peeled and freshly grated ginger
  

• IN THE BOWL OF A BLENDER
  , combine the peaches, strawberries, orange juice, yogurt, honey, and ginger and purée until smooth. Divide between two glasses and serve.
  

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Frozen fruit means you don’t need to use ice cubes to achieve that slushy thick texture we love about smoothies. Do your best to seek out organic fruit—especially the strawberries, which soak up pesticides like a sponge, and are one of the most heavily sprayed crops.

This ganache recipe is like a little black dress: It goes with just about anything. Use it as a shiny glaze for cakes and cupcakes, or let it set a bit and use it as a frosting or filling. The addition of light corn syrup keeps the chocolate fluid and glossy while it’s warm and gives it a lovely sheen, but it will also set like regular ganache when cool. If you can, splurge on high-quality chocolate such as Valrhona or Felchlin; you’ll taste the difference.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

• 12 ounces chopped good-quality bittersweet chocolate
  
• 14 tablespoons (1
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  sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  
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  teaspoon good sea salt, such as fleur de sel
  
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  cup light corn syrup
  

• IN A MEDIUM METAL BOWL
  , combine the chocolate, butter, salt, and corn syrup. Put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and heat, stirring, until the chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from the heat.
  
• USE AS A GLAZE
  for cakes, or let cool until spreadable and use as a frosting or filling. Ganache can be refrigerated for 1 week. To gently rewarm, heat it in a microwave on 50 percent power or put it over a saucepan of barely simmering water and give it a good whisking.
  

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I salt everything—even when a recipe doesn’t call for it. We all know a little salt goes a long way toward bringing out the flavors in savory ingredients, but it works the same way with sweet stuff, too, like chocolate and caramel.

Aunti Shirley was a very close friend of my mom’s. I still remember her making me ice-cream sundaes when I was a wee thing and topping them with her homemade chocolate sauce. I recently rediscovered just how wonderful it is. It has an intense, almost black hue, with a silky-smooth rather than gloppy texture. The chocolate flavor isn’t overpowering, so it goes with just about everything. I’ve combined Aunti Shirley’s tips with some of my own to make this very versatile topping. Try it on ice cream, of course, and use it to add welcome depth to root beer floats. But you’ll also find that it’s amazing on
Toasted-Coconut Panna Cotta
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MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

• 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
  
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  teaspoon sea salt
  
• 3 tablespoons dutch-process cocoa powder
  
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  cup heavy cream
  
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  cup light corn syrup
  
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
  

• IN A SMALL SAUCEPAN
  , combine the brown sugar, salt, and cocoa powder. Stir in enough heavy cream, a little at a time, to make a paste, and then stir in the remainder. Add the corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, making sure to whisk continuously. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook, whisking continuously, for another 3 to 4 minutes to help cook out the bitter flavor from the cocoa and thicken the sauce. The sauce will be very glossy and take on a very dark hue (almost black).
  
• TO TEST IF THE SAUCE IS THICK ENOUGH
  , place a small dab of sauce on a clean plate and let stand for 1 minute. If the sauce spreads, keep simmering. You should be able to tip the plate without the sauce running.
  
• ONCE DONE
  , remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Serve immediately over ice cream or let cool slightly before using. The sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To reheat, microwave at 50 percent power for about 30 seconds, or warm in a saucepan on low heat.
  

I take my caramel to the razor’s edge between deliciously deep and flat-out burnt. That’s because the darker the color, the more complex and slightly bitter the flavor, and this bitterness pairs very well with desserts. It can help cut the sweetness of something or heighten the flavors. Lighter caramel is sweeter and less complex, but if you like your caramel that way, just cook it to a lighter color than I do. I’ve made this recipe hundreds of times, and I never use a thermometer, and you shouldn’t either. Just trust your senses. Watch it closely, and be sure not to walk away from it because it can burn very fast. This is an easy recipe, but it needs your attention from start to finish, and all your ingredients should be prepped in advance.
MAKES ABOUT 2
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CUPS