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Last Tuesday & tonite, allow me to share two of my favorite holiday-time sweet treats. Last week was a small bite, this week is a fancy dessert item. Follow me below the dingledoodlesquiggliedividerthingie fold...
We always make something chocolate at Christmas; however, since K2 joined us we've had to take into consideration the fact he abhors milk and dark chocolate. The dessert tonite, a Cran-Raspberry White Chocolate Bombe, hopefully will meet with his approval. We've made it several times before, so I know it meets with ours :). The recipe is from a wonderful chocolate cookbook Mr. Brillig gave me years ago: Alice Medrich's Cocolat.
First things first: while this dessert is reasonably easy to make, it takes several days so do NOT start this Friday for a Sunday serving... Wednesday will be more than sufficient :). There are three main building blocks: a cranberry-raspberry puree, a spongecake (which combine to make a beautiful jellyroll) and a white chocolate mousse.
Yes, you can do this! Here's what the ingredient list looks like (ignore the baking soda, I think it and my baking powder have some sort of clandestine relationship going on and they came out of the pantry as a set :-)):
In list form (amount needed given in recipe proper): fresh cranberries; white sugar,; raspberry & apricot preserves; whole milk; sweet/unsalted butter; cake flour; baking powder; large eggs; white chocolate (the best you can find, NOT chips) and heavy cream. You'll also need a small saucepan with lid, a fine-to medium strainer, a sifter/fine strainer; a heatproof bowl either from a stand mixer or able to be used with a handheld electric mixer, an 11x17 or 12x16 sheet pan, a sturdy wooden or metal spoon, a whisk and a large spatula.
Really. It's not hard, I promise! Let's get started!
Step 1 - Cranberry-Raspberry Puree
I intentionally double the amount required, partly because it is SO delicious and partly because who needs half a bag of cranberries in their freezer? Leftover goes really well on pancakes, toast, or heated and drizzled around the plate when you serve the dessert.
Rinse and pick over 1-12 oz bag fresh cranberries, then add to the saucepan with 3/4 cup sugar. Cover and simmer over medium heat, then uncover and heat on high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries have burst, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup raspberry preserves, then strain the entire thing through a medium-fine strainer to remove skins and seeds. You'll need to press it through with a wooden or metal spoon, and it takes more time than you might think... it doesn't just "flow". Word to the wise: using too fine a strainer makes this a very difficult task. I'm wondering if a medium strainer and seedless raspberry preserves might be a better idea, but I digress. Once strained, discard the seeds/skins. The cranberry-raspberry puree may be refrigerated up to one week.
Cranberries and sugar simmering:
Strained puree and leftover skins/seeds:
Step 2 - Sponge Cake
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line the bottom of the jellyroll pan with parchment paper that drapes over the ends a bit. This will allow you to get the cake out later. Heat 1/4 cup milk with 2 Tbl unsalted butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. Reduce heat to as low as possible to keep the mixture hot, but do NOT simmer. Sift together 3/4 cup (2 2/3 oz by weight) cake flour and 1 tsp baking powder. I use the fine strainer that wasn't useful for the puree :-)). Sift it again.
Everything ready:
In a large heatproof bowl (I use the bowl from a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer) whisk together 3 large eggs, 3 egg yolks (save the whites for meringues!) and 3/4 cup sugar. Set bowl over or in a pan of simmering water and heat until lukewarm, whisking occasionally to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Yes, I'm retentive, I googled lukewarm. It took a couple of minutes, and I whisked more than I probably needed to.
Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and beat at high speed until the mixture is pale, tripled in volume and looks like thick whipped cream. From here on out, you want to treat it gently so as not to deflate it.
Eggs & sugar after beating:
Sift 1/3 of flour mixture over batter and fold in gently with the largest rubber spatula you have. Fold in half the remaining flour, then the rest. Pour the hot milk/butter mixture into batter then fold together, scraping the bottom each time and bringing batter up the sides of the bowl til you can't see any liquid remaining. Pour gently into pan, smoothing batter to the edges. Bake until cake is browned and springs back when lightly pressed, about 10 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. You don't need to cover it OR roll it up now, this cake is flexible enough to roll without having to 'pre-roll' it now.
Cake before baking (see next section for after :-)):
Assembling jellyroll and lining bowl/mold
Reverse the cooled cake onto a piece of foil, then turn it over again so the browned side is up. I put it onto a piece of parchment paper. Spread the cranberry-raspberry puree evenly over the sponge with a knife or spatula. (If you made a double batch, remember not to use it all!) Roll the sponge to form a 16-17" tight roll, wrap tightly in parchment then foil, and freeze at least overnight.
Cake plus puree:
Rolling the jellyroll. That's Mr. Brillig and K1 rolling it up:
Take the jellyroll out of the freezer and allow to thaw slightly but not all the way. a 6-8 cup bowl (I use glass so I can see what I'm doing) Trim the ends, then slice into 1/4" slices. I used a piece of parchment so it wouldn't stick to my hands; don't worry if the cake squooshes a bit. You'll be squooshing it more in just a few minutes.
Slices:
Now, to line the mold: Place 1 slice in the center of the bowl, then surround it with a ring of 6-7 slices, pushing and squeezing so there's no space between each slice. Repeat with additional rows of slices until you're at (or in my case, near) the top of the mold, making sure to press everything together. You should have a number of slices and a bunch of trimmings and leftover bits. Do not eat :)... freeze them because you'll need them later.
Lined mold, top view:
Lined mold, bottom view:
Preparing white chocolate mousse & filling mold
Before starting to cook, prepare a cardboard cake square that is the same diameter as the top of the slices and line with aluminum foil. Take the remaining slices and figure out how many you need to cover the top by laying them on the cake circle. You'll want them close together; since squooshing is difficult to do at this stage you also can cut them in half to make jigsawing them easier. Place back in freezer along with all remaining scraps and slices diced into pieces.
Finely chop 9 oz high-quality white chocolate (I use Callebaut or Lindt) and place in a heatproof bowl with 5 Tbls water. The original recipe calls for 3 tbls Kirschwasser or other liqueur but kids often don't like it; I used about a dozen drops of orange oil added at the end, but just water is fine- the mousse is absolutely delicious on its own. Place the bowl in a pan with an inch or so of simmering water and turn off the heat. Stir with a large rubber spatula until no streaks of unmelted chocolate remain. It will be a glossy, fragrant, pale yellow liquid. Set aside to cool until a dab on your upper lip feels slightly cool, about 85°F.
Melted chocolate. This is right before it all finally melted, so you can see what the unmelted bits look like:
While the chocolate is cooling, whip 1.5 cups heavy cream until soft peaks form. Don't overwhip as the mousse will get stiffer when you add it to the chocolate. It was at this point I added the orange oil. Add the cream to the cooled chocolate and fold together gently until no trace of melted chocolate remains. Mousse will seem very soft, that's a good sign!
Melted chocolate mixing w whipped cream:
Scrape into the jellyroll-lined mold and smooth the top. It should be close to the top of the slices. Take the diced trimmings and scatter them all over the top, then arrange the remaining slices closely together over the top covering. Place the cake circle over the top and press down to level and compact the dessert. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving; at this point it can be refrigerated for up to 36 hrs or frozen.
Before I put covered the mousse w jellyroll and smooshed it:
Serving
Since we're not eating this until Sunday I can't show you what it will look like, but I can tell you how to finish it!! Invert the mold and rap it to release the dessert. As I used a glass mold I will NOT be rapping it on the counter - maybe a polyethylene cutting board. Simmer 1/2 cup strained apricot preserves until melted, then brush over the entire dessert to glaze. The original recipe calls for covering the edge with chopped pistachios to hide the bottom, but I never remember to do this. Place on a serving platter and refrigerate til time to devour! Enjoy!!
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I hope I didn't lose you, we've got many Tops: Comments, Mojo & Pictures!
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From Seneca Doane:
Writing at about noon Eastern Time, FraidKnot makes the PR aspect of the Republican hostage-taking easy for the Democrats.
From Yours Truly, brillig:
People trust the President more than Republicans? Ann Elk has an idea why.
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Top Mojo for December 19th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic!
1) About Three Or Four Years Ago by webranding — 126
2) Shorter twigg by JekyllnHyde — 115
3) I am very excited by Sara R — 114
4) Thanks for the Update, Markos by JekyllnHyde — 113
5) I'm guessing by gjohnsit — 109
6) Great diary... was thinking about you guys today! by noise of rain — 102
7) I'm glad to have added two lifers to the list by ontheleftcoast — 92
8) Long time contributor Vyan needs a subscription by FishOutofWater — 89
9) Were you a victim of "servicer induced" default? by Phoebe Loosinhouse — 86
10) "Overrule" Careful Newt, You're Not Supposed by Gooserock — 85
11) Tipped for "Boehner bump" by Brainwrap — 83
12) Fish, Vyan has a Secret Santa who will be by Onomastic — 82
13) It is not always a bad thing by Otteray Scribe — 80
14) People are starting to remember... by TheOrchid — 79
15) to get a conviction by cacamp — 78
16) I have noticed more community by indiemcemopants — 77
17) Excellent! A great description of where we are. by pathman — 77
18) Kos, can we sweet talk you into by Puddytat — 75
19) CNN poll by RhodaA — 72
20) I was without internet for the last 12 days. by catilinus — 72
21) The level and effectiveness of the propaganda by Ray Pensador — 72
22) Excellent reminder.. and their mission statement.. by janemas — 66
23) Anti-Choice by JekyllnHyde — 65
24) Combine that with arresting judges by randallt — 64
25) Happy Holidays Kos. by TomP — 64
26) they say we might get snow by Debbie in ME — 64
27) Hey, I've got something to show you.... by PvtJarHead — 63
28) If You Missed Last Night's Diary by JekyllnHyde — 63
29) I thought that if you got a lifetime sub, someone by lineatus — 63
30) I'll be getting my husband one and myself one, by Shelley99 — 62
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Top Pictures for yesterday, December 19th. Thank you jotter for the image magic!