All Cakes Considered - Melissa Gray [55]
6. Whisk in the espresso powder (or instant coffee). Whisking constantly, add the sugar and continue whisking until completely smooth. Add the butter.
7. Place the top of the double boiler over the water simmering in the bottom and, while stirring the egg mixture constantly with a wooden spoon or heat-proof rubber spatula, return the water in the bottom to a boil. Heat the egg mixture until the butter melts and the mixture feels hot to a fingertip, about 5 minutes.
8. Remove the egg mixture from the heat, and add the flour mixture. Stir until smooth. Using the rubber spatula, stir in the vanilla extract and the cooled nuts. Stir in the butterscotch morsels.
9. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
10. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the cake springs back a little when gently pressed in the center. Do not overbake. If you want a slightly gooey center, remove the pan at 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool—or slice and serve from the pan.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This is an Inskeepian favorite. As host of Morning Edition, in at 3:00 A.M. and knee-deep in updates to the show by the time I roll in about six hours later, Steve rarely has time to even dash off feedback about the sweet offerings left in his office by the overgrown former Morning Edition elf working at ATC. He inhales the sugar and keeps moving until noon. But every now and then, something stops him in his tracks and I get a note, a phone call, or an appearance above my cubicle wall by the red-haired man himself. That’s what happened after I made these. I got a note immediately (“BUTTERSCOTCH!!!!!”) followed by a phone call, which was interrupted by an update, and then a visit from Steve to the light side of the building (Morning is on the dark side, oddly enough) to see if any more bars were left over. You can’t fake enthusiasm like that, especially if you’ve been up since three.
This recipe comes from the Internet site CDKitchen and serves 16.
Fried Pies
* * *
YOU’ll NEED
A food processor
A rolling pin
A biscuit cutter
A pastry brush
A deep fryer and a slotted metal spatula
Plenty of paper towels and a few paper plates
FOR THE PIE DOUGH
One 8-ounce package cold cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour (see Tip)
½ teaspoon salt
FOR THE FILLING
Your choice of Fried Pie Filling (page 147, but see Tip)
FOR FINISHING THE PIES
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water
Safflower oil for frying OR 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for baking
Coarse or confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Tips: In an attempt to make Fried Pies a TAD healthier, I sometimes use 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. The dough has a nuttier taste, but it’s still good.
Instead of making one of the fillings on page 147, feel free to use a canned pie filling, preferably cherry, lemon, or chocolate. This is one recipe I don’t mind cheating on.
TO MAKE THE PIE DOUGH
1. Let the cream cheese and butter rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
2. In a food processor, combine the flour and salt, then drop cut-up pieces of cream cheese and butter over the top. Pulse 6 to 10 times, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the dough forms large curds.
3. Take the dough out and divide into 4 discs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling out.
4. Meanwhile, make one of the fillings.
5. On a floured work surface, roll out the cold dough to a thickness of ¼inch. Begin in the center of the disc, and flour the rolling pin if the dough sticks.
6. With a biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Flour them lightly so they don’t stick together, and place them on a plate. Gather up the scraps of dough and set aside.
7. Reflour the work surface, roll out the second disc of dough, cut out more pastry circles, and set aside. Gather up the scraps of dough and combine them with the reserved scraps from