Russian Cream with Plum Compote

I’ve come to discover that plums are one of my favorite fruits. I love their tartness, texture and amazing color. A jammy plum compote is an irresistible treat over ice cream or yogurt, a stupor-inducing accompaniment to anything ginger, an incredibly soothing comfort slathered over toast or fresh-from-the-oven scones.

Since I found myself with a bowl of perfectly ripe plums, I wanted to make something creamy and comforting to go along with a beautiful plum compote. I decided to make a Russian Cream.

Creams are one of the basic building blocks of pastry. Pastry Cream is an egg custard thickened with starch and sometimes lightened with a bit of whipped cream or Italian meringue, which makes it a chiboust. Bavarian Cream is typically a crème anglaise custard lightened with whipped cream and set with gelatin so it can be sliced. Mousse is a base of cream, chocolate or fruit that is lightened with whipped cream or egg whites and sometimes set with gelatin. Panna Cotta is a cooked eggless cream also set with gelatin. Russian Cream happens to be a riff on panna cotta. It differs only slightly because it has sour cream as a basic ingredient. However these days we are seeing lots of panna cotta mixed with varying quantities of buttermilk, sour cream or crème fraiche.

The delicious plum compote comes together very quickly and will keep for a couple of days in your refrigerator. The color of it looks stunning over the snow white cream.

As we drift into fall, we still have some lovely end of season fruit to linger over before we go into a long spell of holiday pastries and desserts and all that entails. Spices, nuts, chocolate will soon fill our kitchens along with pears and apples and a host of dried fruits. But for now, there’s still time to enjoy the last of the peaches, nectarines, plums and other gorgeous fresh fruit. Time for a run to market.



Bench notes:
- Make sure your plums are nice and ripe. Cook them gently over low heat to preserve the flavor. Taste for sugar and adjust if necessary. Add enough lemon juice to brighten and balance the fruit.


Russian Cream

1/4 C cold water
1 1/4 t gelatin
1 1/2 C heavy cream
2/3 C sugar
8 oz sour cream
3/4 t vanilla extract
juice of 1/2 lemon, to taste

Plum Compote

6 – 8 large plums
1/4 C sugar, to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon, to taste

gingersnap cookie crumbs

Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling over the cold water and let sit for 5 minutes.

Combine cream and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

Heat the gelatin over a bain marie until it dissolves. Whisk the gelatin into the whipping cream mixture and combine with sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice until smooth. Pour into a bowl or parfait dessert glasses. Cover and chill for about an hour or until it sets up.

Slice each of the plums into 6 pieces. Cook the plums and sugar over low heat until soft and juicy. Remove from heat and add lemon juice to taste. Cool.

Top the Russian Cream with plum compote and garnish with gingersnap cookie crumbs.

Sage Ice Cream

End of summer always brings out the experimental ice cream maker in me. Although all the season’s bright flavors are each wonderful in their own way, I’m always game to try something out of the ordinary when the fresh fruit starts to fade.

Several years ago when we started seeing the application of traditionally savory components in pastry and desserts, there were those who just couldn’t get behind it. Thankfully, times have definitely changed and we now find so many of these desserts on menus all over the world that it’s hard to resist experimentation. And every now and then you find an unusual combination that just seems like a brilliant stroke of innovation. For me, herb ice creams qualify in this way and Sage Ice Cream is definitely one such treasure. You’ve likely heard of or tasted sage honey, so it’s not too far a stretch.

I’ve had this recipe clipped for a long time and just never got around to it. When I saw some really beautiful fresh sage at the market, the memory of wanting to try this ice cream recipe came back to me like a bolt. So here we are.

This is a rich, lovely dessert with a beautiful pastel color. It’s a bit difficult to describe, much as a lot of novel ice cream flavors are. You just have to try it. It’s not too sweet and the herbal note grabs you right away and lingers on your palate as you soon realize how gorgeous the purity of sage really is. I thought long and hard about what I would pair it with, but came up short. I think it really does stand on its own. It’s a terrific and true indulgence.



Bench notes:
- As you’re cooking the base, taste it for the depth of sage flavor and make it strong. Although its appearance and fragrance might strike you as strange at first, once it gets churned, it becomes this amazing experience of soft, pure flavor.
- Never walk away from cream that is heating on the stove. As it reaches the boiling point, it will bubble up and over and make a huge mess.



Sage Ice Cream
adapted from Gourmet, October 2001
Makes 1 quart

2 C heavy cream
2 C half-and-half
1/3 C coarsely chopped fresh sage
4 2" x 1/2" strips lemon zest
9 egg yolks
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 t salt

Slowly and gently heat cream, half-and-half, sage, lemon zest and salt to a full simmer over moderate heat. Do not boil. Remove from heat, cover and steep for about an hour, tasting for strength along the way. When the flavor is good and strong, strain into another clean saucepan and warm it up a bit.

Whisk together yolks and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in some of the warm cream mixture to temper, then whisk egg mixture into remaining cream in saucepan. Cook custard over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until it coats back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Be very careful not to not let the mixture heat too quickly or boil.

Strain the mixture into a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally until it cools down completely. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream maker. Pour into an airtight container, cover the surface with plastic wrap and place in your freezer to firm up.

Lemon Curd Cake

I really love anything with lemon. I always seem to be searching for recipes that will be more lemony than the last. I’m often tempted to try and find ways to punch up the lemon flavor in just about any lemon pastry. The lemonier, the better. Well, I think I may have found the real deal. This Lemon Curd Cake from Emily Luchetti is the mother lode of lemony lemon at its lemoniest.

Emily Luchetti is a famous pastry chef in this region, with good reason. Her recipes are terrific, fairly simple to execute and never fail to please. If you’ve tried her Goat Cheese Cake, you know what I mean.

This cake has ingredients in unusual ratios and a very different method for mixing. It starts with a lemon curd, so that’s where the egg yolks go and where you get the richness. There’s very little butter, plenty of lemon juice and zest. The result is a very tart cake with a dense crumb that stays moist and delicious for days. It’s great all on its own, but especially wonderful with fresh raspberries and a dollop of soft whipped cream. Be prepared for a very tart zing.

Bench notes:
- Use only fresh lemon juice! The Lemon Curd can be made a day ahead, chilled overnight and brought to room temperature before mixing the cake.
- You do need a cake pan with 3” sides to hold all the batter.
- Sift the cake flour before measuring.
- Egg whites will whip to greater volume at room temperature.
- This cake will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
- I actually prefer the cake on the second day after it’s had a chance to mellow a bit.



Lemon Curd Cake
adapted from Four-Star Desserts by Emily Luchetti
Serves 8

Curd
4 egg yolks
2 eggs
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C fresh lemon juice

Cake
2 C sifted cake flour
3/4 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 oz (4 T) butter @ room temperature
3 T fresh lemon juice
2 t lemon zest
6 egg whites @ room temperature
1 1/2 C sugar

In a heatproof bowl whisk together 4 egg yolks and 2 eggs with a 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk in 1/2 cup lemon juice. Place over a double boiler or bain marie of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Cook until the curd thickens, stirring constantly.

Pour the curd into a clean bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a 9” x 3” cake pan with butter, flour and parchment.

Sift cake flour and measure out 2 cups. Then sift cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt together.

Beat together butter, lemon juice and lemon zest until thoroughly combined. Mix in lemon curd. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Whisk the egg whites until frothy. Increase speed and when the egg whites begin to look opaque, slowly sprinkle in the sugar. Whip until the egg whites are shiny and form soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into cake batter.

Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth evenly. Bake until a toothpick comes out fairly clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool completely and turn out onto a cake platter.

Roasted Peaches with Almond Filling

A very simple and quick way to enjoy the glory of summertime peaches is to bake them with a luscious filling. It takes very little time to put together and smells and tastes wonderful.

The filling for this dessert is a simple combination of butter, nuts, cookie crumbs and some spice. Italian Amaretti cookie crumbs are perfect for a nice almond flavor, but you can use your favorite almond cookie if you aren’t able to find those. Pain d’Amande are perfect. I’ve also used gingersnaps and those are really delicious. Pick your favorite nut or spice cookie and get going. Just adjust the sugar level according to the sweetness of your cookie.

Peaches are with us for just a little while longer. Enjoy every last minute of them!



Bench notes:
- Pick the best, plumpest, ripe peaches.
- If you have any Muscat wine left over from the Beaume de Venise Cake, sprinkle some over the peaches before placing in the oven.
- This is a great dessert served with Vanilla or Noyau Ice Cream.
- This filling would also be great with nectarines or pears.




Roasted Peaches with Almond Filling
6 servings

6 ripe peaches

Almond Filling

3 oz butter
1 1/2 T sugar
1 1/2 t flour
1/4 C + 2 T toasted almonds
1/4 C + 2 T cookie crumbs, such as Amaretti, Pain d’Amande or gingersnaps
1/4 t cinnamon

optional: Muscat for sprinkling over the peaches

Place the ingredients for the filling in a food processor and pulse until mixture comes together.

Slice peaches in half and remove pit. If the pit indentation is small, scoop out a bit of peach. Stuff each peach half with the Almond Filling and place in a baking dish. Splash with Muscat and bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes or until peaches are tender.

Panna Cotta with Fig Compote and Orange Granite

I absolutely love the flavor of orange. It probably all started with Creamsicles as a kid, that incredible treat of creamy vanilla ice cream surrounded by orange popsicle. Those were the dreamiest. Or those little tiny cups of vanilla ice cream swirled with orange sorbet that we ate with a little flat wooden spoon. The best!

As I think about those delicious treats, I’ve been wanting to pair orange granite with a simple vanilla panna cotta. And since I had some fresh figs on hand, I thought it would be fun to incorporate a fresh fig compote to the mix. I like the idea of different textures and flavors layered upon one another and this one has several great sensations, from tart to slightly sweet and creamy to slushy iciness. The orange flavor complements the figs perfectly.



Bench notes:
- Fleming flavors her panna cotta with 1 T Framboise. I substituted 1 t vanilla to simplify the flavor profile.
- I might be tempted to add Rosemary Syrup to my Fig Compote another time.


Panna Cotta with Fig Compote and Orange Granite

Fig Compote

1 pint of fresh figs
2 – 3 T water
2 T sugar, to taste
1 t orange zest

Chop the figs and place in a saucepan with the water. Cook on low heat until the figs are soft and juicy, stirring to prevent scorching. Pull off the heat and adjust sweetness. Cool completely.

Spoon fig compote into serving glasses or dishes and set aside.

Crème Fraiche Panna Cotta
adapted from The Last Course by Claudia Fleming
6 servings

1 t powdered gelatin
1 1/2 T water
2 C heavy cream
1 1/2 C crème fraiche
1/3 C sugar
1 t vanilla

Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand a five minutes to bloom.

Warm the cream with the sugar until it dissolves. Remove from heat. Liquify the gelatin over a bain marie and add to the cream, whisking to combine thoroughly. Add in the crème fraiche and whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Pour into tall glasses or parfait glasses, cover with plastic and refrigerate. Chill until firm, about 3 hours.

Orange Granite

2 C orange juice
1/4 C sugar
3 T water

Combine water and sugar and bring to a boil to dissolve. Cool. Combine with juice and pour into a shallow tray or pan. Place in freezer and let set for about an hour until it begins to firm up. Take a fork and slush it up every half hour or so until it is set.

Once the panna cotta has firmed up, top with Orange Granite. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Last Chance Cherries.

I had some end of season cherries this week so I decided I should splurge on a flourless chocolate cake to share with some real chocolate fiends in my circle. Looks like the time has come to say goodbye to cherries for this year and begin the yearning for the next time they will show up in our markets. Sadly, that’s a whole year away but that seems to be what fruit seasons are all about – anticipation and fulfillment, anticipation and fulfillment. I hope you’ve had a chance to do some canning because you will have to make Gateau Basque sometime to tide you through the long winter.

This is a simple recipe that marries chocolate and cherries seamlessly. Use the best chocolate and kirsch you can find and you’ll have an ultra moist super-chocolate full-tilt dessert.


Bench notes:
- This is a very rich cake and will serve a lot of people.
- The cake will keep up to 3 days at room temperature.
- The recipe also includes a Roasted Almond Crème Anglaise for those who really want to go to the far end of the indulgence spectrum.



Chocolate and Fresh Candied Cherry Cake
adapted from Ripe for Dessert by David Lebovitz
Serves 10 - 12

The Cherries

1/2 lb fresh pitted cherries (about 1 1/2 C)
1 C water
1 C sugar

The Cake

12 oz bittersweet
6 oz (12 T) butter
6 eggs, separated
2 T kirsch
3 T sugar

Place the cherries, water and sugar in a 4 quart saucepan. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on medium high heat until the juice is syrupy (the mixture will foam). Be careful not to overcook the cherries or they will become too caramelized. You’ll begin to smell them if you take them too far. Drain the cherries, reserving the syrup. Cool.

Preheat the over to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9” springform pan with butter and a parchment paper circle.

Coarsely chop the cooled cherries.

Chop the chocolate and butter into small pieces and melt them together in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Whisk slowly to combine. Add 1/2 C of the reserved cherry syrup. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks, kirsch and cherries.

Whip the egg whites until they just begin to hold their shape. Slowly add the 3 T of sugar and beat just until they form a soft peak.

Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, scraping the bottom of the bowl and making sure you are cutting through the center as you fold. The batter is ready when there are no white streaks.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. Cool the cake. Run a thin knife around the edges to loosen the cake and transfer onto a serving platter.