Recipes from Cooking with Doyle Moore on Focus 580

March 6, 2002:  Desserts Associated with Passover

PEPI’S WALNUT CAKE

• 10 eggs, separated

• 1 cup sugar

• 10 oz. walnuts, ground with some of the sugar

• pinch of breadcrumbs

• 2 squares of chocolate, melted

• 2 tsp. vanilla

Beat egg yolks and sugar in food processor until light.  Add vanilla.  Pour into large bowl.  By hand, stir in melted chocolate.  Add ground walnuts and breadcrumbs.  Mixture will be stiff.  Beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold egg whites into the egg/sugar/chocolate/walnut mixture .

Line a nine-inch springform pan with waxed paper.  Bake at 300 degrees for one hour.  Remove from oven gradually.  Cake will fall a bit.

PEPI’S ALMOND CAKE

• 10 separated eggs

• 1 cup sugar

• 10 oz. ground almonds

• a pinch of breadcrumbs

• 1 lemon: rind and juice

• 1 tsp. almond extract

Beat egg yolks, sugar and grated rind in food processor until light.  Add lemon juice.  Add almond extract.  Pour into large bowl.  By hand, stir in almonds and breadcrumbs.  Beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold egg whites into egg/sugar/almond mixture gradually.

Line nine-inch springform pan with waxed paper.  Bake at 300 degrees for one hour.  Remove from oven gradually.  Cake will fall a bit.

FLOURLESS ALMOND TORT

• 2½ cups blanched almonds

• 1½ cups sugar

• 7 eggs

• dash of salt

• ½ tsp. vanilla

• grated peel of one small lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You need a springform pan with a parchment on the bottom.  Butter the pan and parchment.  Combine almonds and sugar.  Grind these finely, but don’t make a paste.  Separate four of the eggs; place yolks in a large mixing bowl.  Add the three remaining whole eggs to the yolks, together with the salt, vanilla and lemon peel.  Beat the yolks until they are light. Next, gradually stir in the almond mixture.  Beat the 4 separated whites until they are stiff.  Gently fold whites into the yolks and pour in prepared pan.  Bake for 45 minutes and watch carefully.  The tort should brown slowly. Cool tort on wire rack; take the forms off of the pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

ALMOND APRICOT MACAROONS

2 tbsp. matzo cake meal (flour)

¾ cup whole blanched almonds

¾ cup matzo cake meal (flour)

¾ cup sugar

½ cup chopped dried apricots

1 tsp. grated orange rind

¼ tsp. almond extract

3 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons matzo cake meal.  Place the almonds in a food processor and grind fine.  Add other ingredients and pulse 3 to 4 times or just until combined.  (Mixture will be sticky.)  Using hands dusted with matzo cake meal, divide dough into 16 portions.  Roll each portion into a ball; pinch tops to a form a pear shape.  Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on a wire rack.  Yield 16 servings.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ CAKE

from The New Basics Cookbook (by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins; Workman Publishing Company, 1989)

Contributed by David Inge

• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (broken into pieces)

• 4 oz semisweet chocolate (broken into pieces)

• 9 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature

• 12 tbsp. sugar

• 3 tbsp. unbleached all purpose flour

• 5 eggs, separated

• pinch of salt

• Chocolate Satin Icing (see below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the bottom of a 9 X 3-inch springform pan.  Cut a round of wax paper to fit.  Butter the waxed paper and dust it with flour.  Set the pan aside.  Place both chocolates in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and stir until melted.  Remove the pan from the heat and use a rubber spatula to scrape the chocolate into a medium-size bowl.  Allow it to cool for three minutes.  Gradually add the butter, stirring well.  Then add 9 tablespoons of the sugar and the flour.  Stir the egg yolks in, one at a time.  Place the egg whites in a bowl and add the salt.  Beat until the whites start to hold their shape.  Add the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, and beat until the whites hold their shape but are not too stiff.  Next, fold the whites into the chocolate mixture cup by cup.  Place mixture in prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes and remove sides of springform pan.

CHOCOLATE SATIN ICING

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter

• 2 oz semisweet chocolate

• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate

• 3 tbsp. heavy or whipping cream

• 2/3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt the butter and both chocolates in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, whisking constantly.  Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the cream.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and whisk until completely smooth.  Spread the icing while it is warm.

BRIE APPETIZER

(from a previous show)

• one whole brie cheese

• brown sugar

• pecans

Cut top rind off the brie, leaving the sides and bottom.  Cover top of cheese with about ½ inch of brown sugar packed down.  Cover top with a layer of pecans.  Bake in 350-degree oven until pecans brown and sugar begins to caramelize – shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes.  Brie will be soft.  Serve on slices of French bread.