DESSERTS
KEY LIME CHIFFON PIE
| 1 lb + 8 oz graham cracker crumbs | 2 c + 1½ c heavy cream |
| 8 oz. melted unsalted butter | 3 T + 2 tsp. granulated sugar |
| 8 egg yolks | 1 c freshly squeezed Key Lime juice, or common lime juice |
| ½ cup simple syrup | 1 T finely chopped grated lime zest, (not from Key limes) |
| ¼ c dark or light rum | 2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder |
| 2 T freshly squeezed orange juice | 2 cans (14 oz each) sweetened condensed milk (2 2/3 c) |
1. Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter thoroughly. Divide evenly between 2 false-bottomed tart pans, 11” in diameter, and press mixture again sides and bottoms of pans to form an even crust in each. Use back of a spoon to smooth crust and help press it together tightly.
2. Bake shells at 375o oven for 7-8 minutes, until lightly browned and set. Set aside to cool.
3. Place yolks in a bowl
and whip 2-3 minutes. At the same time, bring simple syrup to boil. Gradually
pour hot simple syrup into yolks while whipping constantly. Place yolk mixture
over a bain-marie and beat until thickened. Remove from heat.
4. Combine rum and orange juice. Spring gelatin over the top and set aside to
soften.
5. Whip heavy cream with granulated sugar to soft peaks.
6. Stir lime juice and zest into yolks, followed by the condensed milk.
7. Heat gelatin mixture to dissolve gelatin, then stir this into the milk mixture. Fold into whipped cream.
8. Divide filling evenly between the baked shells and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
9. Whip 1½ c heavy cream and the 2 tsp sugar to form stiff peaks. Place in a pastry bag with a Saint-Honoré tip; pipe a pattern of slightly curved lines around the perimeter of each tart.
CARAMEL ICE CREAM
| 1 c granulated sugar | ½ c granulated sugar |
| 4 c whipping cream | 1 T all-purpose flour |
| 1 cup milk | 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract |
1. Place 1 cup sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Cook
over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar melts and
turns golden. Reduce heat to low; gradually add whipping cream and milk. Cook
over medium heat, stirring frequently, until smooth.
2. Combine
½ sugar and flour;
stir well. Add to caramelized sugar mixture; cook over low heat, stirring
constantly, 10 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Stir in vanilla.
Refrigerate until chilled
3. Pour mixture into
freezer container of a 2-quart hand-turned or electric freezer. Freeze according
to manufacturer's instructions. Put in freezer to firm.
CHOCOLATE ROLL
| 3 large eggs | Grated chocolate or cocoa powder |
| 1 c sugar | 1 cup whipped cream |
| 6 oz dark chocolate, grated | 1/2 tsp. vanilla |
| 3 T cold water |
1. Butter a cookie sheet, then line with waxed paper and butter again. Set aside.
2. Separate eggs. Add 3/4 c sugar to yolks and beat till creamy.
3. Melt chocolate with water on low heat. Cool.
4. Beat egg whites.
5. Mix sugar and egg yolks into cooled chocolate mixture, then fold in egg whites.
6. Mixture mixture evenly into prepared cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350o, then 5 more minutes with the oven turned off.
7. Remove pan from oven and cover top with a cloth that's been wrung out in cold water. Cool and place in refrigerator for 1 hour. Then carefully remove cloth and loosen roll from pan. Dust top heavily with grated chocolate, turn out cake onto a piece of waxed paper, and carefully peel paper off cake.
8. Beat heavy cream with the remaining 1/4 c sugar and vanilla; when whipped, spread onto cake and roll. Refrigerate.
CRANBERRY AND ALMOND BUNDT CAKE
| 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour; more for pan | 4 large eggs, room temperature |
| 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder | 1 tsp pure vanilla extract |
| 1/4 tsp. salt | 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature |
| 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; more for pan | 1 1/2 c. fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, picked through, rinsed, and coarsely chopped |
| 7 oz. (about 2/3 c) almond paste (not marzipan) | Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional) |
| 1 c granulated sugar |
1. Position a rack in center of oven and heat over to 350o. Butter and flour a 10- or 12-cup bundt or kugelhopf pan (or 12 1-cup mini bundt pans). Tap out any excess flour.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. With a standing mixer (use paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, beat butter and almond paste in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, stopping mixer to scrape bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour. Stop mixer at least once to scrape bowl and then beat at medium speed until batter is smooth, about 20 seconds. Fold in cranberries with a rubber spatula.
3. Spoon batter into prepared pan (or pans), spreading evenly with spatula. Run knife through batter to eliminate any air pockets. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 40-45 minutes (about 20 minutes for mini cakes). Set pan on rack to cool for 20 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, remove pan, and let cake cool completely. If making cake ahead of time, wrap it while still barely warm. Serve at room temperature, dusting top with confectioners' sugar, if you like.
Make one large bundt cake or 12 miniature cakes. If wrapped well, cake can last a week at room temperature (although it won't last that long) or up to a month in the freezer.