Maida Heatter Recipes

MAIDA HEATTER'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TORTE

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate. Dust it with bread crumbs or cocoa powder. Set aside.
• Place the chopped chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over water over low heat. Bring it to a low simmer. Meanwhile, in a cup or small bowl, dissolve the coffee in the 1/4 cup boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover and cook over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Let cool slightly. (Alternatively, place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover with a plate or kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Vigorously whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave in 15-second bursts, whisking between, until smooth and fully melted.)
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the yolks at high speed until they are pale, thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat at high speed for 5 minutes more until very thick. Reduce speed to low, and add the vanilla and cooled chocolate, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Wash the whisk attachment and mixing bowl.
• In the mixing bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry. Gradually, in two or three small additions, gently fold half the egg whites into the chocolate, then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whites just until no whites show. Handling as little as possible, gently reserve about 4 cups of the mousse in a separate medium bowl; cover and refrigerate.
• Transfer the rest of the mousse into the pie plate; it will barely reach the top. Gently level and bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, then leave it in the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. (The mousse will rise during baking and then, while cooling, it will sink in the middle, leaving a high rim.) Wash the mixing bowl and whisk attachment and place in the refrigerator or freezer to chill.
• When the baked mousse is completely cool, remove reserved mousse from refrigerator. Handling as little as possible, transfer the chilled mousse to the center of the baked mousse. Mound it slightly higher in the center, but be careful to handle as little as possible or it will lose the air beaten into it. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.
• Make the whipped cream: In the chilled mixing bowl with the chilled whisk attachment, whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla on high speed until it holds a defined shape. Spread over the unbaked part of the mousse, excluding the rim; refrigerate. (Another way of applying the whipped cream: Use a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tube and pipe a lattice pattern over the top of the pie and a border around the edge.) Coarsely grate some semisweet chocolate over the top before serving, if desired. The torte is best eaten the day it's made, but it's not bad the next day.

MAIDA HEATTER'S 86-PROOF CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Adjust rack one-third up from bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and dust the inside of a 9-inch bundt pan (called a minibundt pan), or any other fancy tube pan with a 10-cup capacity, with fine dry breadcrumbs. Invert the pan over a piece of paper and tap lightly to shake out excess crumbs. Set aside.
• Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on low heat. Cover and cook only until melted; then remove the top of the double boiler and set it aside, uncovered, to cool slightly. (You can also melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, just keep a close eye on it.)
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
• In a two-cup measuring cup dissolve the coffee in a little boiling water. Add cold water to the 1 1/2 cup line. Add the bourbon. Set aside.
• Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat to mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Add the chocolate and beat until smooth.
• Then, on low speed, alternately add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions with the liquids in two additions, adding the liquids very gradually to avoid splashing and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Be sure to beat until smooth after each addition, especially after the last. It will be a thin mixture.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Rotate the pan a bit briskly, first in one direction, then in the other, to level the top. In a minibundt pan the batter will almost reach the top of the pan, but it will not run over and you will have a beautifully high cake.
• Bake for one hour and 10 to 15 minutes. Test by inserting a cake tester in the middle of the cake and bake only until the tester comes out clean and dry.
• Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then cover with a rack and invert. Remove the pan, sprinkle the cake with a little optional bourbon, and leave the cake upside down on a rack to cool. Before serving, if you wish, sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar through a fine strainer.

PALM BEACH BROWNIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Set the oven and prepare the pan. Adjust the rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with foil. Grease the foil with the 1 tablespoon of butter. The easiest way to do this is to add the butter to the foil-lined pan and place it in the hot oven for a minute or so. Then use a pastry brush -- or the butter wrapper -- to make sure the butter evenly coats the bottom and sides of the foil.
• Melt the chocolate and butter. Melt the chocolate and 8 ounces of butter together in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat -- or in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted. Stir to mix, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Finish the batter. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs with the vanilla, salt, espresso, and sugar at high speed for 10 minutes. On low speed, add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat only until mixed. Then add the flour and again beat only until mixed. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.
• Bake. Bake for about 35 minutes, reversing the pan front to back as necessary during the baking to ensure it bakes evenly. Cover loosely with foil for about the last half of the baking time to prevent over-browning. At the end of 35 minutes, the brownies will have a thick, crisp crust on top, but if you insert a toothpick into the middle, it will come out wet and covered with chocolate. And that's exactly what you want. They're done!
• Cool. Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool for at least a few hours. If you can, refrigerate them them overnight before cutting. A serrated knife will cut them easily.

CHOCOLATE CHIP AND ALMOND BISCOTTI (MAIDA HEATTER)

Steps:

• First toast the almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan in a 350°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan a few times, until the almonds are lightly colored and have a delicious smell of toasted almonds when you open the oven door. Set aside to cool.
• Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 375°F If possible, use cookie sheets without raised edges; otherwise use any sheets upside down. Line the sheets with baking parchment or aluminum foil, shiny side up, and set aside.
• Sift together into a large bowl (preferably one with flared rather than straight sides) the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the sugar and stir to mix.
• Place about 1/2 cup of these dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Add about 1/2 cup of the toasted almonds and process for about 30 seconds, until the nuts are fine and powdery.
• Add the processed mixture to the sifted ingredients in the large bowl. Add the remaining toasted almonds and the chocolate morsels; stir to mix.
• In a small bowl beat the eggs with the vanilla and whiskey or brandy, just to mix. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened (Use a large rubber spatula). Be patient.
• Place a length of baking parchment or wax paper on the counter next to the sink. Turn the dough out onto the parchment or wax paper. Wet your hands with cold water-do not dry them-and press the dough into a round mound.
• With a long, heavy, sharp knife cut the dough into equal quarters. Continue to wet your hands as you form each piece of dough into a strip about 9 inches long, 2 to 2-1/2 inches wide, and about 1/2 inch high (you will press, not roll, the dough into shape). The ends of the strips should be rounded rather than squared.
• Place two strips crosswise on each of the lined sheets. Bake for 25 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking.
• Remove the sheets from the oven and slide the parchment or foil off the sheets. With a wide metal spatula transfer the baked strips to a large cutting board and let them cool for 20 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F With a serrated bread knife, carefully cut on a sharp angle into slices about 1/2 inches wide. This is tricky. Cut slowly with a sawing motion.
• Place the slices, cut side down, on the two unlined sheets. Bake the two sheets, turning the slices upside down and reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the biscotti). Turn the oven heat off, open the oven door, and let the biscotti cool in the oven. When cool, store in an airtight container.

MAIDA HEATTER'S PANFORTE CIOCCOLATO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the almonds in a shallow cake pan and bake them in the center of the oven, stirring once or twice, for 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
• Move a rack to the lower third of the oven and lower the temperature to 325 degrees. Cut a round of parchment to fit the bottom of a nine-inch springform pan, two or three inches deep. Cut a strip (or two shorter strips) about an inch and a half wide to go around the sides of the pan. Butter the sides and bottom of the pan. First put the strip (or strips) around the sides of the pan, just touching the bottom and covering only part of the way up on the sides. Then put the round in the bottom of the pan. Butter the papers on the bottom and the sides, dust all over with fine dry bread crumbs, invert over paper to shake out excess crumbs and set the pan aside.
• Put all the candied fruits in a large mixing bowl. Sift together over the fruit the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, allspice, white pepper and espresso or coffee powder. With your hands, mix the fruits with the dry ingredients, thoroughly separating and coating the pieces. Add the almonds and hazelnuts and mix again. Set aside.
• Put the honey and sugar in a saucepan with a six-cup capacity over moderate heat. Stir with a wooden spatula until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Then insert a candy thermometer in the pan and let the mixture boil without stirring until the thermometer registers 248 degrees (stiff-ball stage); the mixture will reach this temperature soon after it comes to a boil.
• Now you must work very quickly before the hot syrup cools and hardens. Pour the syrup onto the fruit mixture, stir with a heavy wooden spatula to mix, and -- without waiting -- transfer the mixture to the prepared pan (there will be just barely enough syrup to moisten the dry ingredients).
• Immediately cover with a piece of plastic wrap and press down on the top with your hands to press the mixture into an even layer. Then use a can or a small saucepan or any round and flat piece of equipment to press down very firmly on the top to form a compact layer. Quickly remove the plastic wrap.
• Bake for 40 minutes. (You will not know by looking or testing that the cake is done; it will become firm as it cools.) Do not overbake.
• Set aside to cool. When the cake is completely cool and firm, remove the sides of the pan and the paper strip (or strips) on the sides. Cover the cake with a rack and turn upside down. Remove the bottom of the pan and the paper lining on the bottom.
• Place the cake upside down on a length of wax paper. Through a fine strainer, generously sprinkle on confectioner's sugar, forming a thick coating. Then carefully turn the cake right side up and sprinkle sugar on that side also. There should be a generous amount of sugar on both sides.
• Wrap the cake in airtight plastic wrap and let it stand at room temperature for days, if you wish, or a week or two (or freeze).
• To cut into portions, unwrap the room-temperature cake, re-sugar if necessary and, using a long, sharp, heavy knife, cut straight down across the top, then cut each half into eight wedges.

MAIDA HEATTER'S RUGELACH (WALNUT HORNS)

Steps:

• Prepare the pastry the night before you are ready to cook.
• To make the pastry, put the butter, cream cheese and salt into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium, then high speed, until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Then beat on low speed while gradually adding the flour. If the dough starts to overly coat the beaters, scrape the dough off the beaters and continue adding flour, stirring it in with the hands until thoroughly and evenly blended. The dough will be extremely sticky.
• Scrape the dough off the hands and fingers. Rinse, wash and dry the hands. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board. Flour the hands and gather the dough into a short sausage shape. Cut this into three pieces of equal size. Flatten each piece slightly and wrap each piece in clear plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil and set aside.
• Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the filling and set aside.
• Place one ball of dough on a floured pastry cloth. Hammer the dough firmly to soften it slightly. Do not let it become warm. Quickly roll out the dough, turning it occasionally, with a floured rolling pin into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Don't worry about a slighly uneven edge.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with a tablespoon of the melted butter. Sprinkle the dough all over with one-third of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Sprinkle with one-third of the currants or raisins and one-third of the walnuts. Roll the rolling pin lightly over the top to press the filling slightly into the dough.
• Using a long, sharp knife, cut the circle into 12 pie-shaped wedges. Roll each wedge jellyroll fashion, rolling from the outside toward the point. Do not be dismayed if some of the filling falls out. Place each roll, point side down, about one inch apart on one foil-covered cookie sheet. Repeat with a second ball of dough and then a third, filling and rolling each as indicated.
• For the glaze, beat the egg yolk with the water. Brush the top of each walnut horn lightly and evenly with the mixture.
• Place each sheet on a rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Preferably at mid-point during the baking, you should reverse the sheets top to bottom and front to back, to insure even browning. When the horns are cooked, remove them with a metal spatula and transfer them to racks to cool.