Pistachio Grand Marnier Cake Food

PISTACHIO POPOVER CREMES BRULEES WITH GRAND MARNIER SYRUP

Steps:

• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add pod and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Remove from heat, then steep, covered, 20 minutes.
• Discard pod.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour through a fine sieve into glass loaf pan. Cover pan with foil and bake custard in a hot water bath until set but with center still slightly wobbly, about 1 hour.
• Remove foil and cool custard in pan on a rack, then chill, covered, until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into juice in cleaned 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add pod and sugar. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, then discard pod and stir in Grand Marnier. Cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Chop enough pistachios to measure 2 tablespoons. Pulse remaining nuts with regular granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine. Add milk, butter, and eggs and blend until just combined. Pour batter into well-buttered popover cups, filling them two-thirds full.
• Bake in lower third of oven until popovers are puffed and well browned, about 40 minutes. Cut a 1/2-inch slit in top of each popover and bake 10 minutes more. Immediately turn popovers out onto rack to cool.
• Cut off tops of cooled popovers and arrange in a baking dish. Brush tops with some syrup and heat in oven until warm, about 3 minutes.
• While tops are heating, fill bottoms of popovers with custard. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon superfine sugar evenly over each custard, then move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth just over sugar until sugar is melted and caramelized.
• Transfer popovers with tops to plates and spoon some syrup around each. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

PISTACHIO-GRAND MARNIER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Oil 12 cup bundt pan.
• Combine all cake ingredients in large bowl.
• Beat (with mixer) for 3 minutes.
• Spoon into pan.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
• Cool 15 minutes!
• Remove from pan.
• Cool, then dust with powdered sugar.

GRAND MARNIER CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES WITH PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Chop the chocolate and put in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream, butter and salt to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat; pour over the chocolate and let sit until completely melted, about 10 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula or whisk until smooth. (If necessary, microwave in 20-second intervals until the chocolate melts.)
• Whisk in the vanilla extract and the Grand Marnier. Stir until the ganache is smooth and shiny. Pour into a shallow baking dish and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Roll tablespoonfuls of the ganache into 18 to 24 balls, then roll in chopped pistachios. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. (To make these in advance, roll into balls but do not coat; cover and freeze up to 2 weeks. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before uncovering, then roll in coating.)

LITTLE PISTACHIO CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease a 12-hole silicone muffin or friand mould, then dust with a little flour, and tip out the excess (a metal tray will work too, but line with muffin cases, as the mixture may stick). Put the pistachios in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped but not greasy. Add the remaining cake ingredients and blend again into a creamy mixture. Use 2 spoons to fill each hole of your tray 2/3 full, place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 15 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the mould for 10 mins, then run a knife around the edge of each cake and turn out onto a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, make the icing. Using an electric hand whisk, blend 3 tbsp of the cream cheese with the butter until smooth, then add the remaining cream cheese and icing sugar. Whizz again until creamy, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle, and chill until ready to use.
• When the cakes are cool, pipe spikes of icing on top of each one, then sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Can be made ahead - store the un-iced cakes in a sealed container for up to 3 days and chill the icing for 2 days.

GOLDEN GRAND MARNIER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips and a few spoons of Grand Marnier until chips are moistened and shiny. Add the 1 ½ teaspoon flour and toss until evenly coated.
• In a medium bowl, lightly combine the eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, and vanilla.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and orange zest and mix on low speed a moment to blend. Add the butter and remaining ¾ cup sour cream. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium high speed for 1 ½ minutes to aerate and develop structure. Scrape down sides. Gradually add egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients. Scrape down the sides, and fold in the chocolate chips.
• Scrape the batter into a well buttered bundt pan. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until the cake tests done with a toothpick.
• Shortly before the cake is done, prepare the syrup: Heat the sugar, orange juice, and Grand Marnier until the sugar is dissolved. DO NOT BOIL. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, place the pan on a rack, poke the top all over with a wire tester, and brush on ½ the syrup. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Brush with the remaining syrup and cool completely before wrapping airtight.
• This cake can be made several days ahead and refrigerated, wrapped well. I like to glaze it with a Chocolate Cream Ganache before serving.

GRAND MARNIER CAKE

Steps:

• Cream sugar and butter.
• Add egg yolks and 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier.
• Continue to beat. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder.
• Add flour to mixture with sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
• Add orange rind, walnuts and stiff beaten egg whites.
• Butter and flour an angle food cake pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.
• Spoon topping over baked cake while still in hot pan.
• Cool and invert onto serving plate.