Saveur Cooks Authentic American - Editors Of Cook's Illustrated Magazine [60]
FOR THE CRUST:
1½ cups flour
¼ cup plus 1 tbsp. Dutchprocess unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and softened
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
FOR THE CARAMEL:
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
¼ tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. crème fraîche
FOR THE GANACHE:
½ cup heavy cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Gray sea salt, for garnish
Serves 8–10
1. Make the crust: Heat the oven to 350°F. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla and then mix in the reserved dry ingredients. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Prick the tart shell all over with a fork and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.
2. Make the caramel: In a 1-qt. saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 6 tbsp. water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until caramel smells toasted and takes on a deep amber color (and a candy thermometer inserted into the syrup reads 365°F). Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, cream, and crème fraîche (the mixture will bubble up) until smooth. Pour the caramel into the cooled tart shell and let cool slightly; refrigerate until firm, 4–5 hours.
3. Make the ganache: Bring the cream to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Put the chocolate into a medium heat-proof bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate; let sit for 1 minute, then stir slowly with a rubber spatula until smooth.
4. Pour the ganache evenly over the tart and refrigerate until set, 4–5 hours. Sprinkle the tart with the sea salt, slice, and serve chilled.
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
A version of this recipe accompanied an interview with the actress Katharine Hepburn in the August 1975 issue of The Ladies’ Home Journal. This brownie recipe, which calls for a smaller than average amount of flour, produces incredibly chewy bars with a full but mellow chocolate flavor.
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp. fine salt
Makes 9 brownies
1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with butter. Line pan with parchment paper; grease the paper. Set the pan aside.
2. Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to make a smooth batter. Add the walnuts, flour, and salt; stir until incorporated. Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–45 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Cut and serve.
Red Velvet Cake
According to one legend, red velvet cake was invented in the 1950s at Oscar’s restaurant, in New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Another tale—passed on by Raven Dennis of Brooklyn’s Cake Man Raven Confectionary, who also shared this recipe with us—traces the cake’s origins to the Civil War–era South.
FOR THE CAKE:
3 cups plus 2 tbsp. cake flour; more for dusting pans
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white distilled vinegar Butter, for greasing pans
FOR THE FROSTING: