Budino al Cioccolato

Chocolate might not be the first flavor that comes to mind when considering Italian desserts. It’s more likely that the phrase “Italian dessert” will bring to mind the light Marsala-flavored custard, Zabaglione, over fresh fruit, or perhaps the espresso kick of tiramisu or the light fruit flavors of a granita. Chocolate tends to be more of an accent rather than a focal point in Italian desserts - a light dusting of bitter cocoa powder as a foil to sweet mascarpone cream or perhaps a drizzle of tempered dark chocolate on crunchy-crumbly hazelnut biscotti.

In Budino al Cioccolato, however, chocolate stands front and center. Italian for pudding Budino al Cioccolato is Italian Chocolate Pudding. Like most desserts, budino can mean different things to different people. Some budinos are akin to French baked custards, like pots de creme. Some are cooked on the stove top. Some recipes have crumbled cookies added as the thickener.

My favorite type of budino is the kind that is like a flourless cake - a thin crisp crust, moist cake and a gooey, almost liquid center. There are budino recipes for everything from vanilla to butterscotch to lemon, but, in a nod to America’s love affair with chocolate, I give you Budino al Cioccolato. (Serves 12)

Ingredients

Vegetable spray for greasing the pan
Individual cupcake liners - the metallic kind are cool
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces best quality bitter-sweet chocolate
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil (for added moistness/tenderness)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt (maybe a bit more, to taste)

How to Prepare at Home

Preheat the oven to 300 degree F. Put the cupcake liners in the greased pan, and preheat the pan, too.

Combine the butter and cream in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Chop 5 ounces of the chocolate and put it in a medium bowl. Cut the remaining 3 ounces into 1/4 ounce chunks and reserve. When the cream mixture comes to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and mix gently to incorporate the ingredients. Let cool. (This is a ganache).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, cocoa powder and cornstarch until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the cooled ganache into the egg mixture and gently mix just until the batter is smooth. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the batter into each mold (about 3/4 of the way up the sides). Tuck a 1/4 ounce chunk of the reserved chocolate into the center of each cupcake.

Bake until the edges are set and the center still looks a little moist, about 40-45 minutes. Cool the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and then unmold them. Dust them with powdered sugar, and serve warm.

I received an email from Suzanne Scara of New Jersey letting me know that her "Bubbe’s Apple Cake was one of the top 5 finalists in the Spreading Smucker’s Traditions Recipe and Essay contest. She wanted me to take a look at her recipe and vote on it. They are picking the grand prize winner on October 1st, 2008. So I thought I would share her recipe here on my Blog and invite you participate in the competititon.

Of course I can’t and wouldn’t ask you to vote for Suzanne’s recipe but have a look at the finalists and see if there are any that inspire you. The web site address is http://www.smuckers.com/promotions/traditions/finalists.asp

Suzanne’s recipe is #5 and called Bubbe’s Apple Cake. I asked Suzanne for a little history on this recipe and how it got its name and here is what she told me,

"Although my sister and I never knew our grandmother, our mother baked this cake from her mother’s recipe, preserving memories and tastes from the past. When possible, she used home-grown apples, from our trees, just as her mother had done.

As we all became busy with school and work, there was less time for baking and tending to apple trees. Consequently, our beloved cake was baked on rare occasions. The recipe was filed away as we made kitchen renovations. And circumstances forced my sister and her family to move out of state (from New Jersey to Pennsylvania). As we got together less, there was a chance we’d be seeing even less of Bubbe’s * special apple cake.

However, the first autumn in her new home, my sister realized she was blessed with a row of apple trees - trees bearing the mellow, golden apples of our childhood (which she happily shares with me). And she and I have become avid home bakers. Now we each have a copy of Bubbe’s apple cake recipe. So, without missing a generation, this homey, old world apple cake continues to nourish and comfort us, on quiet evenings with tea, and at all sorts of family gatherings.

* Bubbe is the Yiddish term of endearment for Grandmother

Bubbe’s Apple Cake (our grandmother’s version of the traditional European-Jewish Apple Cake)

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 medium apples, peeled and cut into thin slices
1/2 cup Smucker’s Red Plum jam
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 large eggs (brought to room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon each of vanilla extract and almond extract
A “shake or two” of cinnamon

Begin by preheating oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Give dry ingredients a stir and set the bowl aside. In another bowl, combine apple slices, Smucker’s Red Plum jam and lemon juice. Mix up so that apples are coated in jam and lemon juice. Set aside.

Beat the eggs well, either with electric beater on medium, or vigorously by hand. Gradually add sugar and beat (about 2 min.), or mix by hand, till mixture is almost fluffy. Add oil and vanilla and almond extracts, and continue to beat and scrape side of bowl till all is combined. Next, mix in the flour mixture (if using electric beater, reduce speed to low). Mix short time more till batter is blended to uniform color and consistency.

Take just half of the batter and spread evenly in the baking pan. Next, cover the layer of batter with the apple and jam mixture. Then spread the remaining half of the batter over the apples. Give a light shake or two of cinnamon over the surface of the cake. Bake on the center rack till golden (approximately one hour).

After removing from oven, let the cake cool. Cut into squares and serve.

My daughters have been showing more of an interest in cooking the last few weeks. My 10 year old prepared these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, with a little help from mom, that were easy to make and delicious.

A lot of parents write asking about culinary schools for their kids and I usually tell them about a few chain schools I’ve come across but then explain that cooking at home in your own kitchen with your children is the best schooling they can get. It’s a great time to teach them an important life skill and have fun at the same time.

Here’s the recipe, but be sure to read the short interview I did with my daughter after she made them. It’s sort of like my Novice2Pro interviews I do with professional chefs but for kids.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1/2-cup butter, let it come to room temperature
6 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons white sugar
1 egg
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
1-cup peanut butter
1/2-teaspoon baking soda
1/2-teaspoon salt
3/4-cup all-purpose flour
3/4-cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to Prepare at Home

Remember, you always want to be around with your kids when you are working with a hot oven, sharp tools or kitchen appliances. This is a great time to teach them about being responsible with kitchen equipment while showing them how these tools are used.

Preheat your oven to 375 F.

The term is “cream” the butter and white & brown sugar which just means to beat the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.

Add the vanilla extract and egg. Mix everything together. Add the peanut butter, baking soda, salt and stir to combine well. Finally add the flour and chocolate chips and mix together.>

Using a greased cookie sheet to bake the cookies, drop small amounts of the cookie dough onto the sheet. Using a fork or spoon, flatten the dough slightly.

Bake the cookies for about 5 minutes until the edges just start to turn brown being careful not to overcook. When the cookies are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

The trick is not eating them before they are cooled. These cookies are delicious and fun to make with your kids.

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