Maida Heatters Chocolate Madeleines Food

MAIDA HEATTER'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE WHOPPER COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 (175C) degrees with rack in the center. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir gently until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Whisk the flour in a small bowl with salt and baking powder.
• Beat the eggs, sugar, espresso and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed until light and lofty, 2 or 3 minutes.
• Drizzle in the melted chocolate on low speed until blended. Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Turn off the mixer and stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
• Use a 1/3-cup measure to scoop the dough into 6 mounds on each of the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Use a small spatula to scrape the dough out - it's a little gooey.
• Bake one sheet at a time for 17 minutes. The tops of the cookies should look dry and shiny. Cool the cookies on the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to a wire rack cool completely.

MAIDA HEATTER'S CHOCOLATE MADELEINES

Steps:

• You will need two special madeleine pans, available in fine kitchen equipment shops, to prepare these cookies.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Lightly brush the cookie indentations of each pan with butter, using a pastry brush. Take care not to leave any unbuttered spots.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, coffee, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• Place the 1/4 pound of butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream thoroughly. Beat in the vanilla, rum or Cognac and granulated sugar. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks and beat thoroughly. The mixture may take on a curdled look, but that is proper. Start beating on low speed while adding the dry ingredients. Beat only long enough to blend.
• Place a rounded teaspoon of the batter into each of the cookie indentations. Do not spread; it will settle itself. Place in the oven and bake about 12 minutes or until madeleines spring back when touched with the fingertips.
• Remove from the oven and invert onto a rack. Arrange them patterned side up on the rack. Using a sieve, dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

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 WALNUT MERINGUES (PASSOVER)

Steps:

• Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using the small bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites with the salt until they form soft peaks. Reduce speed to medium-low and add the sugar by the teaspoonful, blending well after each addition. When about half of the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla extract and lemon juice or cider vinegar, then add the rest of the sugar. Increase speed to high just until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the melted chocolate, folding it in with a spatula as lightly as possible and leaving streaks of white in the batter. Gently fold in the walnuts.
• Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, about 11/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Use your fingers to lift the cookies off the parchment and carefully turn them on their sides to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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 HEATER'S INTENSE FUDGY BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
• Prepare an 8 by 8 by 2 inch (20 x 20 x 5 cm) pan by lining the pan with a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side up.
• Coat pan with room temperature butter, approximately 1 tablespoon (14 grams).
• Can also line across the bottom and up 2 opposite sides with parchment paper.
• In a bowl place the flour, baking powder, and salt and sift or whisk to combine.
• Set aside.
• Chop the chocolate in small pieces (can use a food processor) and set aside.
• In a small bowl beat the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream just to mix; set aside.
• In a medium sized saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter.
• Add the sugar and stir until sugar is partially melted.
• Then add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted.
• Transfer to large mixing bowl.
• Stir in egg mixture, then the sifted dry ingredients.
• If the mixture is not perfectly smooth, beat it briefly with electric mixer (I use a hand mixer).
• Stir in nuts, if using.
• Pour into the baking pan and smooth top.
• Bake for about 50- 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost (but not completely) clean.
• Remove from oven and let stand at room temperature until cool.
• Note: These are best chilled overnight.
• Remove from pan by inverting on a cutting board and then re-inverting it onto a plate.
• Chill brownies completely before cutting.
• These freeze very well.