I wanted to treat you to more of Chef Robert Reynolds. I was reading his web site and came across this paragraph where he was discussing preparing an elegant but simple fish dish. He served it with three garnishes but each garnish added only one flavor.

He said, “The first garnish is a simple sauté of onions, cooked without browning until they are soft and sweet. They are garnished with lemon rind that has been blanched and then cut into threads. The slivers of lemon rind disappear into the onion compote; you don’t see them, but are surprised to discover the little burst of lemon they offer when you bite into them.”

These are the morsels of information I want to learn more about. What a simple technique described so well you can almost taste it. Can you imagine attending his cooking school, Chefs Studio, and getting 8 weeks of this kind of knowledge? I do.

I also wanted to share with you Chef Reynolds’ first cooking video, giving you a glimpse of who he is and how he works. It is berry season at the time and he is making a Genoise Cake covered with strawberries that have been mixed with honey, marmalade, red wine and heavy cream.

Genoise cake is basically a sponge cake except the egg yolks and whites are NOT beaten separately. It’s of Italian decent and gets its name from the city of Genoa. Instead of using any kind of leavening agent, it gets its volume from the air suspended in the batter while mixing.

Here’s Chef Reynolds’ version of Strawberry Shortcake. To view the video, click here or on the image.

Genoise

6 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
tiny pinch of salt
1 cup flour, twice sifted
Butter for the cake pan

2 pints of strawberries
2 or 3 tablespoons excellent quality honey or, 2 or 3 tablespoons sugar
1 or 2 tablespoons orange marmalade (optional)
1-1/2 to 2 cups red wine, or real fruit juice
1-cup excellent quality heavy cream, whipped to soft peak, sweetened with sugar if desired

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Hilary contacted me and asked about helping her find a dense, extremely chocolaty and fudgey, chocolate layer cake. So I contacted Chef Terrell Garrett and he sent me this recipe that calls, The Absolute, Ultimate, Deep, Dark and Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake.

With a name like that, who can resist? It’s not a layer cake as requested by Hilary, but I think you will enjoy it like it is.

Chef Garrett say’s “This cake is every chocolate lover’s dream and not your typical cake.  It is almost a flour-less chocolate cake and very dense.”

Chocolate Fudge Cake
Yield: 12 very rich and dense servings.

Ingredients:

l pound dark chocolate or 2 2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon hot water

How to Make Chocolate Fudge Cake at Home

In a saucepan set over low heat, or in a microwave, melt together the chocolate and butter, stirring till smooth.  Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, then add the flour, sugar and hot water, stirring till smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites till stiff but not dry.  Fold them into the chocolate mixture.  Spoon the batter into a greased 8-inch round cake pan, which you’ve lined with parchment paper.  Bake the cake in a preheated 425 degrees F oven for 15 minutes (cake won’t look done in the center). Remove the cake from the oven, leaving it in the cake pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Remove the cake from the pan, place it on a plate and serve topped with sweetened whipped cream.

What do you do with overripe bananas?

Some of you may throw them out, but my wife makes the best banana bread I’ve ever tasted. Topped with a little butter or cream cheese and you have a great breakfast or afternoon snack. Add a little ice cream and you have banana bread alamode for dessert.

Couldn’t be easier. Usually at least one of the girls volunteers to help. Best of all, we can pack a slice or two for the girls to take to school for snack time.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening or try substituting vegetable oil
3 ripe bananas
1-teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1-cup sugar
2 cups flour
Butter for greasing the loaf pan
chocolate chips, walnuts (optional)
 

How to Make Banana Bread at Home

Start by preheating you oven to 350F.

Combine the ingredients together in a mixing bowl (I use a cuisinart) in the order listed above. Mix by hand (or by cuisinart) until it forms a thoroughly blended batter.

Transfer the batter into a greased loaf or bread pan.

Bake until done, usually about one hour. A good way to tell if the bread is done is to stick it with a toothpick. If nothing sticks to the toothpick, it is done.

Simple and delicious.