St Andre Cake Food

ST. ANDRE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round pan, and line with parchment paper. Butter paper, and lightly dust with flour. Place 1 cup walnuts and 3 tablespoons sugar in a food processor, and finely grind. Transfer to a bowl. Sift flour over nut mixture. Mix well to combine.
• In medium bowl, beat butter with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until soft and creamy; set aside. In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, and kirsch on medium speed until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 7 to 8 minutes. Place 1 tablespoon egg mixture into beaten butter, and mix with rubber spatula.
• Sprinkle one-third of the ground nut mixture over beaten eggs, and gently fold in. Repeat process, folding in remaining nuts in 2 batches. Add reserved butter mixture, and fold in evenly.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Heat jam and cognac in a small saucepan over medium heat to liquefy. Strain through a fine sieve, and cool slightly.
• Transfer cake, right side up, to a serving plate or pedestal. Tuck paper under edges of cake. Pour glaze onto cake. Using an offset spatula, spread glaze over top and sides of cake. Remove paper. Serve with whipped cream.

ST. ANDRE WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9 inch round cake pan with vegetable oil spray, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whip the eggs and sugar together until light. Stir in the vanilla and raspberry sauce. Toss the flour together with the walnuts, fold into the egg mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Tap the pan firmly on the counter to remove air bubbles.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. In a small saucepan, stir together the apricot preserves and brandy over medium heat until soft and liquidy. Strain and pour over cooled cake. Whip cream together with confectioners' sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Serve cake with a big dollop of whipped cream on the side.

FIGS AND ST ANDRE TRIPLE CREME CHEESE

Steps:

• Quarter the ripe figs without cutting through.
• Pinch the bottoms and the fig will open.
• Slather on the St Andre.
• Have a pepper grinder handy.
• I know you are shaking your heads and going -- are you kidding me? Trust me in this -- It will turn heads. Sometimes simplicity is the best.