TRANSCRIPT Ep 24
Welcome to The Simmering Chef.
Cooking with a smidgen of anger, a pinch of crass, a dollop of irreverence, a sprinkling of science, and a handful of spice.
Hello and welcome to all my subscribers and listeners, new and old!
Sorry! There's no letter to share this time around. However, if you have a query, please ask in the comments below or send an email to simmeringaway@gmail.com. I read and respond to each and every one. You'll be happy to note that not every letter—or response—makes it on air.
Mornings are chilly these days, and I am sorely tempted to light a fire and sit by it with the dogs snuggled on either side of me, but I am resisting that temptation until it gets below 40. That will happen soon enough.
Autumn is in full swing in this part of the US. My old home in Colorado is experiencing snow, and that thrills me. I wish I was there to trudge through it, breathe in that bracing air, and play, play, play! That's my kind of weather.
Of course, like you, my head is on the coming holiday season. Thanksgiving is two weeks away, and then, BAM! It's December and a slew of celebrations line right up one after the other. Even the most intrepid souls see December and shake a little in their boots or dribble their coffee down their shirts. There's so much going on, my head spins trying to decide what is most important. I suffer from everything-is-important-syndrome and, therefore, freeze in my indecision. What should I do now? I can’t make up my mind and I freeze up. When I do that, I usually have to curl up in bed with a heating pad and take deep breaths to recover. Here's a tip from me. This is the time of year when lists are my saving grace.
My mother taught me how to make lists. In her house, you could run across a list as a bookmarker, under the telephone, in her crossword puzzle book, tucked into her purse, or by her bedside. The lists were for holidays, weekly meals, Christmas presents, general supplies, and any random to-do that crossed her mind. I think she made them not only to stay on task but also to delight when she crossed something out. I'd watch her, and there was something very satisfying to see her take her pen out and authoritatively and definitively scratch a line through a task. Her satisfaction became my satisfaction, and for the rest of my life, I’ve copied her.
Here's another tip: Keep the lists short. It's better to have five lists with a few tasks on each one than one big list. If you are like me and find yourself getting overwhelmed, small bites are always easier to manage. Also, it means I get through a list faster. Faster is good!
As great as lists are, they do not cover the unexpected guest. You know, the person who drops by without calling a head to see you, to have a good chinwag, and would appreciate a little something to nibble on to keep their energy up while the words and drink flow.
For these friends and family who drop by, I always keep a can of decadently good smoked oysters or some really good cheese around. Served with some extra crispy Norwegian crackers*, people are always delighted.
For the sweet tooth, I've been working on a cake loaded with walnuts. It’s that time of year when walnuts are abundant. The original recipe for the "Walnut Sponge Cake with Coffee Buttercream" comes from Nigella Lawson. It's good, and if you follow hers, you will be sitting pretty. But I wanted more walnuts—more, more, more! That meant supercharging the sponge cake with Nocello syrup, using espresso instead of instant coffee in the buttercream, and a toasted walnut praline.
Yes, this recipe has parts, but here's the gig. You can make each part ahead of time. Freeze the cake in small portions. The buttercream, Nocello syrup, and walnut praline can stay in the fridge for a month. When your guest arrives, snag a cake portion from the freezer and let it thaw. When the coffee is ready—and I highly recommend you serve this with the richest, blackest coffee you can make or a healthy pot of beautiful black tea—drizzle some of the syrup over the cake, slather on some of the buttercream, add a generous dollop of the walnut praline, and serve. Your guest will think you are a genius!
My version of the Browned Butter Walnut Sponge Cake with Nocello, Espresso Buttercream, and Toasted Walnut Praline is below. Enjoy it throughly.
As always, fail brilliantly and eat well. Thank you for listening.
This is Janet, The Simmering Chef
Today's podcast is brought to you from the Atelier Rorschach Culinary Studios in beautiful College Park. Music is "Walnut" by Herd of Watts. Content is all my fault. Feel free to complain to the management.
*Oops! That’s Swedish Crispbread in the pantry.
BROWNED BUTTER WALNUT SPONGE CAKE WITH NOCELLO, ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM, AND TOASTED WALNUT PRALINE
BROWNED BUTTER WALNUT SPONGE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
30 g toasted walnut pieces, cooled
57 g caster sugar
56 g brown sugar
113 g browned, unsalted butter (see notes under method)
100g gluten-free or all purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (no need to reconsistute)
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea or Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon milk
NOCELLO SYRUP
INGREDIENTS
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoon Nocello or another black walnut liqueur
ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM
INGREDIENTS
175 g powdered sugar
90 g soft unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoon instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 teaspoon boiling water
Toasted walnut halves for decoration
TOASTED WALNUT PRALINE
INGREDIENTS
200 g toasted, chopped walnut pieces
100 g brown sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea or Kosher salt
50 g milk
50 g cream
125 g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
NOTES
Use a food processor to make this cake.
This recipe can be easily doubled.
This cake can be made in cake pans, but I used loaf pans. Be sure to prep which ever pan you choose with butter and line with parchment paper. I doubled my recipe and used an 8” x 4½” loaf pan. For a smaller loaf, I suggest using a 6” x 3” loaf pan.
Yes, if pecans are your thing you can make this with pecans. If you can find Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur, you’ll really make the cake shine.
To make the browned butter: place 1 cup of butter in a pan and heat over medium heat. As it melts, the solids will separate from the fat and fall to the bottom. You want those bits on the bottom to brown but not burn. Once they turn golden, remove the pan from the heat and cool. Scrape the fat and browned bits into a bowl and cool. Once cool, you can use it in this recipe.
BROWNED BUTTER WALNUT SPONGE CAKE
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of the food processor, add your nuts and sugars. Pulse to pulverize.
Add the butter, flour, espresso, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and eggs to the walnut sugar and process until smooth.
Add the milk to loosen the batter up a bit.
Divide into your prepared pans.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Smaller cake sizes will take less time to bake.
Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.
Cool completely before icing.
Once the cake is completely cool, double-wrap it in plastic before wrapping it in foil, and then freeze it for up to three months.
NOCELLO SYRUP
METHOD
Add the brown sugar, water, and salt to a pan and place over medium-high heat.
Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 2 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
Stir in the Nocello.
Cool the syrup completely before soaking your cake.
Store the syrup in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to one month.
ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM
METHOD
Pulse the powdered sugar in the bowl of the food processor to break up any lumps.
Add the butter and salt and process until smooth.
Add the hot espresso to the buttercream and pulse to incorporate.
Frost the cake while the buttercream is at room temperature.
You can transfer to a covered container and refrigerate it for upto one month. If you do this, best to pull it out of the fridge for an hour or two, then beat it with a hand mixer to make it spreadable.
TOASTED WALNUT PRALINE
METHOD
Add the brown sugar, salt, milk, and cream to a pan and place the pan over medium-high heat.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Stir in the vanilla paste and nuts.
Cool completely. As the praline cools, it will stiffen up.
Once cool, store in a covered container refrigerated for upto one month.
ASSEMBLING THE CAKE
THE FAST METHOD
Using a skewer, poke holes in the top of the cake.
Drizzle the syrup over the cake so it soaks into the holes.
Heat the praline briefly in the microwave to loosen it up.
Dollop the praline and spread it around the top of the cake.
Refrigerate it for 20 minutes before icing the cake.
THE ELEGANT METHOD
Slice the cake in half. Mine always comes out a little lopsided, but then I’m not really a pastry person. Savory is more my gig.
At this point, I put one cake half on the platter I’m using to make life easier.
Drizzle the syrup over both the cut-sides of the cake.
Heat the praline briefly in the microwave to loosen it up.
Dollop the praline onto one half of the cake and spread it around.
Refrigerate it for 20 minutes before icing the cake.
Spread your icing on top of the praline.
Place the other cake half on top of it. (I find the cut-side easier to ice instead of the dome-side.)
Ice the top. If you have praline left over, feel free to make a trench like I did down the center of the buttercream and add more praline to the top. Garnish with the walnut halves.
Once iced, the cake is good for about two days. You don’t have to refrigerate it, but if your house is too warm, the buttercream could get soppy. Always cover well and place it into an air-tight container. More than likely, it will magically disappear quickly.
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