SPRING 2014
VOLUME II ISSUE II
nonpareil
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO FOOD MAGAZINE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 honey 4 leonidas 5 latin sweets 7 sugar bliss 9 sweets and spirits 11 Hoosier mama’s 12 jeni’s splendid ice creams 13 flour girl 16 veganizing desserts 17 the macaron’s secret past 19 eataly 20 chinatown confections 21 say cheese 22 fallen chocolate cake 23 citrus yogurt loaf 24 watermelon fruit cake 25 mochi 26 Peanut brittle Editor-in-Chief Angela Qian Managing Director Jenny Swann Head of Design JOe Joseph Treasurer Catherine Lee Design Heather choi, Jenna Dorfman, rachel jackson, Jenny mao, miki takeshita, freddy tsao Words Hannah Bao, Mary Bittner, Madeline Burch, Daniel Cheng, Georgia Dixon, Shira Fishbach, Shayna Inzunza, Evangel Jung, Julie Khidekel, Kay Li, Avi Molder, Caitlin Phillips, Frank Qian, Aneesa Sonawalla, Geoffrey Wang, Michael Wheeler, Holly Zaharchuk, Dora Zhang Images Shira Fishbach, Shayna Inzunza, Evangel Jung, Caryssa Lim, Andrea Rummel, Aneesa Sonawalla, Teddy Watler, Holly Zaharchuk
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hocoholics and candy addicts of UChicago, this issue is designed with you in mind. If you spend hours scrolling the Pinterest food pages in search of the perfect buttercream frosting or pillowy-soft cupcake, we’ve got you covered. And even if you don’t have the taste for decadence, everyone needs a little sweetness in their life—a crisp bite of fruit, a drizzle of honey or a mouthful of cream may be all you need to turn a bad day around. After a brief hiatus, nonpareil is back, and this time we’re serving up Just Desserts. That’s right, this issue is dedicated to those little extras we all look forward to at the end (or the middle…or the start…) of the day. This time our writers went global, spanning new latitudes to uncover the sweeter side of life from all different cultures and continents. In the following pages you’ll find the history of the French macaron and the various incarnations of tres leches cakes in Latin America, whirl around Chinatown for a sampling of the best tarts and buns, and saunter through Chicago’s trendy new Eataly market for treats with a Mediterranean twist. We’ll also sit down with one of UChicago’s best and brightest food bloggers, welcome the summer with a whole new take on the word “fruitcake,” and even introduce nonpareil to the 21+ crowd with our first alcohol-related feature. You might want to book an appointment with your dentist. Life is about to get a lot sweeter.
- The Editors cover photo by // Rachel Sally index
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Honey Cake (Recipe adapted from the Joy of Cooking) 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt ¼ cup milk 3 tbsp unsalted butter ½ tbsp vanilla extract ¼ cup honey ½ cup sugar 5 large eggs 1. Heat the oven to 350° F and butter and
until the butter has melted. In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture has doubled in size. stream as you continue to mix. Do not let this mixture sit for too long as that honey will eventually curdle the eggs. 4. Gently fold in the dry ingredients in 3 additions. Finally fold in the milk mixture until well combined. 5. Pour batter evenly into two cake pans and bake for 15 minutes or until the top is light brown and springs back when you touch it. Icing 8 oz cream cheese ½ cup honey ½ cup butter ¼ cup powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla Pinch of salt
so a good technique when cooking with honey is to contrast it with oth-
Garnish ½ cup honey 1 tbsp butter ½ tsp salt Crushed graham crackers In a saucepan over medium heat cook the honey until it has darkened slightly -
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oney’s musky taste is somehow still novel, though being more readily available than sugar in pre-Columbian Europe, honey was once the cheaper and more commonly used sweetener. But according to Emily Satinsky, a third-year student at Cornell University who works with the student apiary club, the process of extracting and cultivating honey is laborious. She tells us that most store-bought honeys are cultivated from different hives and is commonly of a lower quality, often being mixed with other substances. culture farm land, including favorites such as orange-blossom and clover honey. Her own particular favorite is lavender honey. She also tells us whereas lighter ones tend to be mild and sweeter, which is important to keep in mind when cooking.
Cream together the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until it is light and
pletely ice them roughly, leaving a thick layer between the top and bottom. Top with crushed graham crackers and serve with the caramelized honey.
Honey
by madeline burch and kay li
set aside.
content. In particular, a good way to familiarize yourself with the different honey varietals is to combine them with Greek yogurt, whose light tartness and dense creamy consistency marries beautifully with honey’s
toasted walnuts instead of the traditional compote treatment provides a pastoral reimagining of the classic Italian cream dessert. Honey also features prominently in many traditional desserts such as the well-known baklava, in both the Greek and Persian varieties, as well as sopaipillas, and Medovik a thin Russian cake made of cookie-like layers with sour-cream frosting. This is the cake on which I modeled my recipe. Unlike the traditional honey cake eaten throughout Eastern Europe, is dense and resembles spongy graham cracker, this cake has a bit of a lighter texture and is, perhaps, less involved. illustrated by // Teddy Watler
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eonidas describes itself as “the famous
their chocolates, you might think they deserve even more fame than they get. In an ever-expanding chocolate market with commercial giants like Hershey’s, Ghirardelli’s, and Godiva dominating the scene, Leonidas cultivates a more European appeal. This small, bustling café is tucked away just west of the larger shops at Water Tower Place. I stopped by their seven-table storefront for chocolates and coffee with my girlfriend, and we had a marvelous time. They serve crepes, gelato, coffee, tea, and of course, their excellent chocolate confections, making their café a full-service dessert destination. With many of the same offerings as the very popular Ghirardelli’s just to its east, Leonidas does a surprisingly splendid job of standing out from the crowd. Why should you go there? It has the best chocolate in the city. taste exactly that.. There are none of the telltale signs scopic softness that plagues Sally Mae’s confectionary. Yet neither do Leonidas’ chocolates stray towards which through some dark magic boast a Twinkie-like shelf life. Totally unlike the crunchy pecan clusters that go an-style praline is a smooth mixture of cocoa and ground nuts, often hazelnut. If that sounds familiar,
and is Leonidas’ strongest claim to fame. Their Italian praline, called gianduja, is cool and creamy acceptable reason not to try it, but if praline really caramels to be equally enthralling. One in particular, a milk-chocolate-clad bergamot caramel, is among the best I’ve ever tasted. Bergamot orange is most accompanies the basso caramel with a balancing Leonidas’ coffee is quite good, and its chocolate is as legendary as its namesake, yet it fails to offer equally excellent savory dishes. Their crêpes (sweet or savory) are handmade in front of you, but the taste is even more disappointing for all of the show. The only savory dish there that I enjoyed was the ham-and-swiss croissant, but it alone isn’t worth visiting Leonidas for. These recent efforts to expand Leonidas’ offerings function more to confuse the the experience very much. So, while I would not recommend Leonidas as a lunch destination, it is the perfect spot to grab something sweet. Coffee and chocolates for two cost us just over ten dollars. They also sell lovely golden gift boxes from $6.00—and I can’t think of a brilliant chocolate shop that you need to experience, so the next time you’re walking the Mag Mile, take the three-minute walk west to Leonidas Chocolate Café. I guarantee you just desserts for the effort.
photographed by // Michael Wheeler features
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the Sweets
of Latin
written by
holly zaharchuk
America
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in this foundation. For me, cherry pie, apple cider doughnuts, birthday cakes draped in buttercream, and chocolate
We begin our tasting in Central Pastel de tres leches, three milks cake, became popular in Mexico during
Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, too, have their own versions of this sponge cake soaked in a combination of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. Pastel de tres leches con coco in Zacatecas, for example, swaps coconut milk for the heavy cream, and is often topped with sweet peaches. Coconut milk features prominently in Caribbean desserts as well, like the smooth coconut custard tembleque of Puerto Rico. Like pastel de tres leches, polvorones share their tradition with Spain, where these shortbread cookies, made primarily of toasted ground nuts and lard, are served during holidays. Otherwise known as Mexican wedding cookies, Mexican wedding cakes, or Russian tea cakes, polvorones interestingly derive from a Levantine delicacy called qurabiya. The cuisine of Veracruz still strongly
the recipe on their cans of condensed
as the principal port of Mexico, where
ican desserts; they are the ones that call to mind classic red and chrome diners, coastal road trips, grocery store cases of patterned pastel cakes, and plastic tubs of Tollhouse cookie dough. But though my perspective may be can span the broad regional differbecomes soffritto in Italy, the holy trinity in Cajun cuisine, and refogado in Portuguese-speaking countries, this dessert foundation changes for cuisines with different cultures, climates, and
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milk; but several versions have been found in different Mexican regions that trace their origins to the Spanish colonial period. Restaurants and bakeries in
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ro-Mestizo culture called jarocho developed through generations of interaction among Mexican Indians, Spanish colonists, Cuban imHere, the shared pleasure of dessert is celebrated with sopa borracha, a cake soaked in rum or sherry syrup (hence borracha, meaning drunken) and often topped with dried fruit, almonds, coconut, and meringue. The food of the Garifuna on the heritage also, with a pudding-like, caramel-y pumpkin bread called fein tau weiyema countries like Peru too, where squash fritters laden with chancaca (a syrup picarones are quite popular. Where the Garifuna and many other sava in savory preparations, it is fea-
tured prominently in many desserts of the Philippines. Cassava by any other name would taste as sweet (that is, if you boil it for long enough and add plenty of sugar). You may know it as tapioca, manioc, or yuca. It is also called aipim, mandioca, and macaxeira in Brazil, mihogo in SwaSouth India, and singkong in regions of ed in west-central Brazil and was eaten by pre-Columbian Mayans. Cassava continues to be a major staple crop in and Ghana, as well
Brazilian island of Marajó, which sits at example. Their food combines methods developed through millennia to utilize with the relatively recent introduction of beef and dairy from Portuguese, Dutch, called sombremesa de banana com
presidential candidate Eduardo Gomes, whose campaign volunteers handed out jinhos are quite similar to brigadeiros, but are made with coconut rather than cocoa. The use of condensed milk in many tradition of preserving milk to prevent colonizing forces, the process of slowly simmering milk with sugar until it caramelized greatly extended the milk’s shelf
the trifecta of butter, sugar, and flour can span the broad regional differences in the American pastry scene -
from the Philippines uses grated cassava and coconut milk to create a rich, dense custard. gional cuisines of Brazil are incredibly diPortuguese colonists, native Brazilians,
of banana and queijo do Marajó, a soft buffalo milk cheese, with silky condensed milk and cinnamon. Condensed milk is also featured in more culturally general Brazilian candies like brigadeiros and beijinhos that span the country’s regional boundaries. Like the pastel de tres leches of Mexico, brigadeiros were popularized in the twentieth century, in this case by
manjar or manjar blanco in Chile, cajeta de leche in Mexico, and doce de leite in into a variety of delicacies. In Buenos with dulce de leche, topped with sugar, and pan fried until golden brown. The Chilean dessert brazo de reina, akin to the Swiss jelly roll, is also
Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela, dulce de leche in its various names is often sandwiched between two alfajores, cookies usually and honey. It is important to take these sweet instances of cultural expression on their own terms. While the and other former Spanish colonies are rooted in complex interactions between digenous cuisine, they have evolved according to the family traditions, political and economic forces, and nation-building efforts that have created their modern photographed by // Holly Zaharchuck
they are all delicious in their own right. features
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Sugar Bliss Jenny Swann sits down with Teresa Ging of
cake boutique
school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. When I came back to the US I started testing cupcake recipes and brainstorming ideas for the business model.
I worked in investment banking for 6
bakery? never really baked before I went to pastry school. So it wasn’t really that I loved baking, it was actually more of a business opportunity I saw in the downtown area where there wasn’t really anywhere to get cakes for people’s birthday. I lived and worked in the Loop and cupcakes were really the
time to try something different
school what kind of sparked the idea was that I
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ence before you started out?
baking cupcakes and was using powdered sugar. It kind of looked therapeutic so I thought I’d try it. I thought, “you know what, I think I’d like to try
ive oil instead of vegetable oil and quickly learned that it isn’t for baking.
couple of cupcake books and tested them out and then decided to take a leave and try to go to pastry
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Q: When you’re expanding into a new area like cake pops or macarons, do you have to come up with these ideas on your own or do you have help? A: I have a pastry chef that’s been with me since the beginning and we come up with these ideas together.
fortable baking, or was pastry school enough of an intro? school because I needed to know some fundamentals. But we didn’t really learn about cupcakes in school, more of the French pastry stuff.
shuttering, why do you think Sugar Bliss has continued to be so successful?
are they here to stay? popped up in the last ten years and a lot of them have also gone out of business. I think you just really need to make sure you have a good product out there. We also started expanding our offerings and started making cake pops a couple of years ago and now we also offer French macarons. So predominantly our sales are cupcakes, but we’ve started offering other stuff because of customer trends and because we wanting to try things out. We have vors of macarons.
quality cupcakes. We bake everything from scratch, we don’t use cake mixes—a lot of bakeries do and you don’t even know that— and we also have a signature design. We also offer regular size cupcakes and mini size, in case you’re on a diet or if you want somecakes for the traditional, so we cater to any demographic.
Q: What’s the hardest part of your job? A: I think the hardest part is people. You sometimes have difficult customers. I think the people part of the business is always the most difficult part of managing anything. The cupcakes never really give us big issues.
Q: Do you have a most popular cupcake flavor or a personal favorite? A: Our most popular flavor is our red velvet. But I think my personal favorite is our pumpkin.
photographs courtesy of // Sugar Bliss features
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by Caitlin Phillips and Michael Wheeler
photographed by // Andrea Rummel
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ost amateur cooks have a basic un-
meat with a bolder red. But ask about what to serve with a slice of lemon tart, and eyes boggle. Here we’ll explore the underappreciated art of pairing beverages with your favorite desserts. Wine, mixed drinks, and even beer Drink pairings succeed when they highlight a few of the desirable components of the rest. They fail when they are entirely too alike or different than their mate. If a drink place—but too little in common, and a pairing could clash spectacularly. One of the easiest guidelines to dessert pairings is to match sweetness. Especially with beer, it is very likely that your drink choices will be bitterer than the dessert you plan to serve. Where possible, minimize that difference. Dry or acidic wines, stiffer cocktails, and hoppier beers will often seem inedibly acrid after a bite of a very sweet dessert
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such as, say, marzipan. Sweetness matching is a good way to think about a basic pairing. mediocre choice for almost any pairing. body. Body refers to the main impact of food or drink on your mouth—it’s consistency plus mouthfeel, but largely ignores aromaton tart, for example, has a light body—it’ll be tough (but not impossible) to pair with a classic beer or red wine because they tend towards heavier bodies. The rough rule would be to pair a food with a drink of equal or will go with that lemon tart because they often connote a medium-light body. On the other hand, an apple pie is much heavier bodied than the lemon tart. Words On the far end of the spectrum, chocolate has a big, creamy mouthfeel that gives it a heavy body. Dark chocolate can handle bitter beers
and bold reds that a sweeter, lighter dessert could not. Rather uniquely, even much lighter olates (as if you needed another reason to be amazed by the stuff.) It can often be easier to pair food with a drink that you’re tasting than the other way around. Most people have a much more ex-
but I don’t know many people who would Bosc pear in terms of the relevant wines. Pick a drink you like, and think about what dessert would highlight exactly why you like it. We’ve are four excellent beverages available in Hyde Park, a classic dessert wine, a superb Belgian ale, an infamous cocktail, and a unique raspberry beer. We’ve tasted and discussed them, and noted some pairings below. If you’re craving something adventurous, or need a pairing in a pinch, one of these is sure to do the trick.
our suggestions White Russian: This creamy classic is no longer reserved for lent alternative to ice cream or milkshakes (a new Wednesday tradition, perhaps?). Sweet and heavy, with enough nutty coffee to balance the cream and a hefty amount of alcohol, this is really a dessert in itself. The classic Kahlua to 3 heavy cream, but we recommend upping the cream. Try it with your favorite milk substitute!
Brouwerij Lindeman’s Framboise (2.5% ABV, $10.99): If you don’t think of yourself as a beer person, you might be pleasantly surprised to pick up this fruity, large-format, lambic-style beer. Sugar carries the raspberry’s tart acidity in this tangy, effervescent treat, and makes for one of the lightest bodied beers we’ve ever tasted. Here is one that would stand up to that lemon tart we’ve been talking about. Equally splendid pairings would be some less chocolate cake.
2005 Diznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos (12% ABV, $37.99): This sweet dessert wine makes for fantastically easy pairing. It is surprisingly thick in consistency, closer to nectar than wine, but the high sugar content keeps the body light in spite of this thickness. Resonant with apricot and raisin, yet still bolstered by a smoothly acidic transition, this tempts to discover a poor pairing. Takaji’s mellow citrine sweetness makes it an excellent accompaniment to all but the mildest cheeses, almost any fruit, lighter chocolate dishes, and buttery pastry of all sorts.
Ommegang Brewery Three Philosophers (9.7% ABV, $10.99): Three Philosophers is a Belgian-style quadrupel ale dosed with a small portion of kriek—a Belgian cherry ale. The addition contributes a subtle sweetness to the complexity of this dark ale’s suited to spiced and fruity dishes for its weight. This is a heavier, malty glass with a deep nuttiness, dissolving into an amusingly light tail. With such multifaceted with with strong, non-acidic cheeses, darker chocolates, and nutty confections like praline. For make for standalone enjoyment at the end of a meal.
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as easy as pie by J
uli
eK
hid
eke
photographed by // Holly Zaharchuck
A
sential slices of the Hoosier Mama’s expe-
pies so scrumptious, so mouthwateringly glorious, that a line stretches around the block for a slice of Hoosier Mama’s Pie.
warned, the chicken pot pie is so incredibly that one slice is never enough. But savory pies mark only the beginning of a full trek into Hoosier Mama’s. The sweet pies
Hoosier Mama’s appeal is in its bold flavors rather than its tame façade. is small and unassuming. There is nothing about the approximately 144-foot shop to suggest that those who enter will have an out-of-body food experience. Yet Hoosier than its tame façade. gins with a savory delight to prepare one’s palate for dessert. The chicken pot pie and broccoli cheddar quiche are both quintes11 nonpareil | spring 2014
nature of pie as a dessert food. Exposing customers to a world far beyond conventional classics as a simple apple pie, customers can choose between to an apple sour cherry that packs a tangy punch. Standouts include the chocolate chess pie, the lemon meringue, and the s’mores pie. The velvety, smooth meringues melt in the mouth like a cloud. For lemon pies, while the texture varies from a silky (lemon me-
l
ringue) to a denser (lemon chess) consisEven in the spring, however, there are days when the Chicago wind blows umbrellas shut, the rain feels like so many tiny needles, and decadence fails to satisfy. For those days, bourbon chess at Hoosier Mama’s is salvation. The pie is in many ways, indescribable. Yet, despite its enigmatic deliciousness, its succulent, moist, as incredible. For a last meal, choose the bourbon chess pie. For those hoping to sample Hoosier Mama’s in all its glory, note that single pie slices are approximately 5 dollars, and the shop’s cult-like following ensures that many favorites sell out by early afternoon. seating a daunting challenge. But you shouldn’t hesitate. Despite these hurdles, the choice to go to Hoosier Mama’s is easy as pie.
j
eni’s Splendid Ice Cream originated in Columbus, Ohio as a homegrown ice cream shop, and has since expanded nation-wide. Their
making their creations both eco-friendly and delicious. They derive their grass-grazed milk only from local Ohio farms, creating a strong locally-tied business that ice cream lovers adore. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream is one of my favorite ice cream stores in the country. It combines seasonal ingredients with the creativity and passion and textures. If you haven’t made a trip up to their Southport location yet, take an adventure on the Brown line and prepare yourself for one of the best ice cream experiences of your life. The shop is decorated in a rustic, modern style with clean lines and contemporary furniture. Their ice cream is a trendy, frozen treat that features
good news? It’ll be back for the summer—the perfect light and fresh complement to the warm summer weather. my last visit, I chose the Chocomole and paired it with Black Coffee, a coupling that created an exotic, spicy mocha treat. The Chocomole is milk chocolate ice cream spiked with cinnamon and cayenne, which makes the ice cream quite spicy. The ice cream combines the sweetness of the milk chocolate with the kick of cayenne and cinnamon, reminding me a little bit of Mexican hot chocolate with extra spice. Bitterness from the Intelligentsia coffee added to the Black to the Southport location) complemented the spice of the cayenne pepper perfectly. The duo may now be tied with Lemon & Blueberries as my favorite Jeni’s order, a feat that proves you can’t go wrong with
a bit expensive but is totally worth the ex-
here. Their seasonal options are sometimes atypical, vor that I have not enjoyed; some other favorites are Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet and Goat Cheese with Red Cherries.
local company, great fresh ingredients and great ice cream. fortunate thing? Blueberries are seasonal, so when I traveled north to
ultimate combination of sweet and salty—the saltiness from fresh sea both hip and delectable, two adjectives that also describe Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream entirely.
jeni’s splendid ice cream photographed by // Caryssa Lim
by Mary Bittner
reviews 12
JENNY SWANN SITS DOWN WITH RACHEL SALLY
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an Easy Bake Oven and launched her full-blown sugar crush. But while goodies from scratch in her home kitchen, enlisting her dad to help pull the blisteringly hot pans from projects became more ambitious, Sally picked up her mother’s castoff DSLR and began shooting some of her creations, to lessthan-stellar results. But with time, photos improved dramatically, and she upgraded to hero wn Canon Rebel T4i. During her junior year of high school, Sally started toying with the idea of setting up a food blog to show off some of her inventions, but it took several months to settle on a name and set up the site. Finally, in May of The blog, which is aptly subtitled
from the loss of her beloved cooking environment. However, aside from O-Week, Sally has been able to successfully transition her workstation to the South Campus kitchens. She’s also found a nearby solution for her sugar cravings when she wants someone else to make dessert for a Looking at the kaleidoscope of frosted, chocolate-studded, and sprinkle-coated masterpieces on her blog, you’d be shocked to learn that the Sally “doesn’t even have a sweet one of the least likely people to have such a well-developed confectionary eight years, Sally has a kale salad almost every day and loves dining at the veggie-friendly Green Zebra yoga regularly and would pick a nice hunk of parmesan over candy any day of the week. Her mother doesn’t touch anything with sugar (including Sally’s own creations) and her father would much rather cook than whip out a pan of brownies. So why would a girl write a blog on desserts
features mouthwatering shots and hand-tested recipes from the adventures, as well as a number personal life. Even before Sally arrived at school her craveinducing entries were getting plenty of attention via posts on
self-proclaimed perfectionist loves the way pastry allows her to fuss over the particulars of a recipe and indulge her more exacting side. York native earns extra cash selling pies and cakes for family friends and her mother’s clients. She also cites Christina Tosi, the pastry chef
photos courtesy of // Rachel Sally The project may look like a lot of fun, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Sally regularly undergoes six-hour marathon cooking sessions to Momofuku Milk Bar, as her role model. But despite these entrepreneurial produce material for her blog, which is updated once or twice a week. But even when she isn’t whipping out cookies or rolling out a piecrust, dessert is never far from her mind. During our interview she opened double major likes the idea of being a pastry chef, but is also considering
kitchen back home in Ithaca, something that gave Sally serious pause failing their freshman classes, but Sally’s pre-college concerns stemmed
Follow Rachel on Instagram at rachelhsally.
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I learned to make. Clipped long before
cooking column, faded, yellow, and greasy, ripped and crinkled with a stray splatter of chocolate and a faint crust of sugar, it was a cake made with heaps of butter, covered in an achingly sweet and too often grainy chocolate out for birthdays, at the insistence of all of us kids, because what’s more classic than yellow cake with chocolate frosting?
chock full of egg yolks with a whisper of sweet coconut running through the batter. The chocolate buttercream is hit with a heavy dose of salt to temper the sweetness, and is laced with deep, dark bittersweet chocolate. Blackberries are a tart foil, cutting the richness while tying the entire cake together. This is a cake, while that can make any sophisticated palate squeal.
INGREDIENTS for the yellow coconut cake: • • • 85 grams (6 tbsp) butter • • • • 4 egg yolks • 1 tsp vanilla extract • • for the salted chocolate buttercream: • chopped • • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • • 110 to 140 grams (4 to 5 cups) powdered sugar, sifted • • heavy cream to assemble: • blackberries • powdered sugar, for dusting 15 nonpareil | spring 2014
DIRECTIONS 1. 3. 4.
Cream butter and coconut oil with salt for 3 full minutes.
5. 6. 8.
minutes (set a timer). Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Beat for 3 more minutes. Scrape the bowl; while mixing slowly, alternate
ending with the dry. Stir in the coconut. 10. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans. 11. the touch. crumbs sticking to it. 13. 14. boiler or very gently in a microwave; set aside to cool. 15. Beat butter, espresso powder, and salt on high for 16. While whipping, slowly stream in the cooled chocolate; beat for another minute until homogeneous. Scrape the sides of the bowl and sift the powdered sugar and cocoa over the butter. 18. Starting slowly to prevent sugar explosions, beat in the sugar and cocoa. if the frosting is still too stiff. serrated knife if they are uneven; brush crumbs off gently. layer. press a few blackberries on. Smooth more frosting over the blackberries so that the layer is even, then top with the third cake layer. even, thin crumb coat. Refrigerate crumb-coated cake for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, use the remaining frosting to cover the cake as desired.
photographed by // Rachel Sally
photographed by // Aneesa Sonawalla
by Aneesa Sonawalla
VEGANIZING DESSERTS
A
ny cook, new or old, can tell you that nearly every dessert you can think of has either eggs or butter as an integral ingredient.
as instead of eggs. Don’t. In my experience, this leads to tiny banana cakes instead of the warm, gooey cookies you were hoping for.
because of this. Since you can’t always rely on a restaurant to supply you with vegan goods, your best bet is to turn to your own kitchen for
Butter Earth Balance dairy-free butter is guaranteed vegan and is one of the most popular butter replacements in cooking and baking as it can be
Even with homemade goods, the sad truth is that you’re not going
if you’re using a vegetable oil spread, make sure you carefully read the
side is that the Internet is a vast and varied beast that will, at the very least, provide you with a recipe that is conducive to substitutions.
in their spreads. Sadly, this list includes Blue Bonnet and Imperial, the brands of choice for Hyde Park grocery stores. Coconut oil is also widely used in vegan recipes. It’s solid at room temperature and can be creamed with a mixer just like butter, making it another easy replace-
specialty items, the best answer is Trader Joe’s. They’re known for their allergy-accommodating grocery items, including dairy-free chocolate chips and tofu-based cream cheese. But if you don’t have a car or can’t
its added coconut undertones in whatever dish you are preparing.
are easy substitutes to be found even in Hyde Park. Treasure Island, while pricey, carries a number of vegan grocery options, while Open Produce boasts a surprising array of specialty items, as well. Here are some of the most popular vegan kitchen hacks that are at Eggs of water, left to sit for 5-10 minutes until they take on the consistency of an egg. Many vegan baking sources will also tell you to used pureed banan-
Milk milk is a reliable, under-the-radar replacement, whereas almond milk adds a nutty undertone to the dish and coconut milk contributes to its richness. shelf foods are coincidentally dairy- and egg-free. The list includes Oreos, many Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, and Pillsbury cake mixes and frostings, and Chocolove dark chocolate, which can very conveniently be purchased in Ex Libris and at Hyde Park Produce. The moral of the story here is to always read the ingredients label, because you might be pleasantly surprised.
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‘ by Daniel Cheng Macarons. You’ve likely seen these
colorful sandwich cookies lining the displays tasted one of these pretty confections, which pleasantly surprised you with their crisp outer Based on your own experiences with macarons, you might understand why I decided to trek downtown to Vanille Patisserie*, just to sample more of these delightful confections. suddenly realized that even though I enjoyed macarons immensely, I had no clue what was actually inside a macaron. Even though I loved eating macarons, I had no idea as to how people even came up with the idea of a macaron. Perhaps you’ve asked these questions about
macarons, or about other sweet desserts and dishes at your favorite restaurants. What makes these foods taste so good? What’s the secret recipe behind the pizzas at Giordano’s did these recipes come from? exactly is inside of a macaron? • The shells of today’s macarons are typically dered sugar, egg whites, and granulated sugar. • The almonds and powdered sugar are blended and sifted together, while the granulated sugar is whipped into the egg whites. • The almond-sugar mixture is then folded whipped whites to form a lava-like paste. • This paste is then piped out into shell
shapes and subsequently baked for 10 minutes. chocolate ganache, fruit jam, or sweet buttercream. action. But as I researched macarons more, I began to see how today’s macaron recipe was slowly pieced together over time, one simple ingredient at a time. When you think about macarons, you likely associate them with the French culinary world. But macarons originated in the culinary tradition not of Paris, not of Lyon, not of any part of France —but rather in the culinary tradition of ancient Persia. For example, take
photographs courtesy of // Creative Commons
17 nonpareil | spring 2014
a look at this sample recipe from a Persian
of a pound of almonds and pound them sugar and dissolve it with half an ounce of In this recipe, you can see the rudimentary and sugar—which is then lightened by rose-water. This sweet almond paste recipe was then passed on through the Islamic Empire to the Island of Sicily. Consequently, around this time in the 13th century, Sicilian recipe books began to popularize almond-based desserts, such as marzipan, which rapidly became one of the most popular almond-based European dishes. How did these simple almond-paste recipes become today’s delicate macarons? You might have expected a high-end baker or chef to be the primary creator of today’s macarons; in fact, nuns in convents were responsible for creating the delicate meringue cookies in
today’s macaron. For convents throughout Sicily, France, and Spain, marzipan and similar almond-based desserts were both nutritionally rich (due to the high concentration of sugars) and commercially viable. In particular, during the French Revolution, two nuns seeking asylum in France sold countless macarons and became known as Les Soeurs Macarons, or the Macaron Sisters. In selling macarons, they lightened traditional marzipan recipes with the addition of more egg whites, thus establishing the essence of today’s modern macaron reci-
However, the Macaron Sisters still sold their macarons as single cookies, unadorned by any cookies together. This innovation took place in France in the famous Parisian Ladurée frequently sold in a pair with another almond French confection known today as the amaretti. Upon seeing this, he experimented with pairing two meringue cookies together with -
ies melded together with a lovely ganache, It was this rich culinary history of the macaron—from the original Persian almond paste and Sicilian marzipan, to the Macaron Sisters my mind as I stood in front of the Vanille Patisserie glass display, and as I attempted vanilla and caramel, to the more unexpected chocolate mint and green tea. The macarons in front of me had certainly come a long way from the simple almond-paste of the Persian Faludhaj. ended up picking the vanilla and caramel. The vanilla macaron was delightfully soft with subtly rich aromas of vanilla bean wafting throughout. But the caramel macaron made me particularly grateful for Pierre Desfonlight brown meringue shells would certainly have been acceptable; but munching on light meringue shells blended with a subtly rich
illustrated by // Teddy Watler feature 18
BY AVI MOLDER & FRANK QIAN
PASTRIES
EATALY
soaked in Limoncello, and a Salted Peanut Tiramisu. Regrettably, both were nothing spectacular. They looked beautiful, the glaze on the baba gleamed, and the tiramisu had a gentle coating of peanuts atop delicious-looking pastry cream, but but somewhat tasteless; not quite bland, but not light in an enticing way. The tiramisu was almost entirely cream, with a small layer of cake at the bottom of the serving dish. However, the cannoli are an entirely different experience. Freshly piped cannoli offer the blessings of a still-crisp shell and sweet
ATMOSPHERE
IL PESCE
photographed by // Andrea Rummel
GELATO & EXPRESSO The Coffee Bar, besides offering many delicious coffee items, provides two very important dessert-type options. Their hot chocolate, which is more like European drinking even a small serving. This should not deter you from ordering it and sharing, because it is so rich and so full of warmth that passing up the opportunity to have even a little sip would be a waste. The other is their affogato, composed of their milk gelato and two shots of espresso. Their gelato is smooth, as These two may not be the most interesting out of the various but in their simplicity, they are divine.
and vibrant, featuring a selection of different seafood depending on what the market offers on each day. nitely stood out as a fantastic dish. the combination of seafood, parsley, and lemon juice allows one to imagine the summertime atmosphere along the Italian coast. Despite being fried, the batter stays very light and crunchy and does not contain excessive amounts of grease. The seafood itself, comprised of a mixture of calamari, baby squid, and shrimp do not become mushy and rather maintains a chewy texture that indicates they are fresh. The combination of parsley and lemon juice adds another layer of freshness to this dish, making it perfect as the weather slowly but surely warms up in Chicago. The only downside to this dish is perhaps the price. While only boasting enough food to comfortably feed one person, the dish portion size for you, this dish is a must-have when sampling the wide-selection of seafood at Eataly.
19 nonpareil | spring 2014
things sound, the experience of visiting Eataly is much greater than the sum of these parts. One of the great advantages of Eataly is that it has a multitude of grocery options, from produce, to dried goods, to seasonings, to multiple racks of olive oil and pasta, plus their various service counters. This often turns going for a post-movie or post-dinner treat into a chance to pick up some exciting ingredients for dinner the following day, or afternoon snacks for the week. The dining atmosphere is more akin to a street food festival than any restaurant I have been to. Many of the small diners are located right next to shopping aisles, which means that customers are frequently weaving in and out of the dining area. It creates you can often see the entire process of preparing a dish, starting from the uct. However, to those who prefer a more traditional dining experience, Eataly would not be an ideal place. The dining spaces can be rather cramped, and during rush hour, there is quite a bit of commotion from the are someone who enjoys the casual, festival-like experience, Eataly has no parallel. Moreover, many of the ingredients that go into the dishes you sample here are available right in the store, perfect for those who hope to recreate the culinary experience they just enjoyed.
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Chinatown Confections by Aneesa Sonawalla
photographed by // Aneesa Sonawalla
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hinatown, compact but thriving, is home to a wide variety of specialty shops, grocery stores, restaurants— and, as it turns out, a number of town span only a handful of blocks combined, between the two, there are at least a half dozen bakeries spread out, all with nearly the exact same layout and offering the same standard savory buns, mooncakes, almond cookies, tiny cakes stuffed with lotus and red bean paste, egg custard tarts, cream cones, and airy loaves reminiscent of angel food cake wrapped neatly in parchment paper holders. Save for one section of colorful, fruity mousses, puddings, and cheesecakes, the treats are almost uniformly Considering that I had to try very hard to keep the three bakeries I visited visually distinguishable in my mind, it might seem fruitless to bother comparing such similar establishments, but as my two veteran Chinatown companions explained to me, picking the best bakery quick-
ly becomes a question of quality over variety. and Wan Shi Da Bakery in Old Chinatown, and It should be noted that a lot of the bakeries are cash only. With so many items to choose from, I purchased a classic egg custard tart from each
tart was far better, with a smooth, perfectly a pastry should, and more than a few parts of the tart were overdone. The Wan Shi Da tart was the clear favorite of the group with a tender pastry tart crust and creamy, mildly sweet latter’s green tea mochi—a traditionally Japanese rice cake, with a lightly sweetened paste
in the center—was disappointingly bland. Meanwhile, Chiu Quon’s lotus paste cake was a confused, mostly tasteless mix of crispy dough ted not trying more of Wan Shi Da’s fare. was underwhelmed by these three bakeries. I ended up in Joy Yee’s before the evening was over, picking up a slightly overpriced but blessedly satisfying lychee milk bubble tea for the train ride home. I would, however, be curious to return to the best of the three, Wan Shi Da, and try its other offerings—especially the savory buns. So if you’re looking for a traditionally sweet Ichiban’s sweet shop are the places to go for a yourself wandering Chinatown looking for a quick bite to tide you over until dinner, or perhaps a snack and a cup of tea, stop by Wan Shi Da in Old Chinatown. For prices that are hardly more than the change in your pocket, it is absolutely worth a visit.
reviews 20
say CHEESE
BY GEORGIA DIXON
culture which coagulates the proteins in milk, creating curds. The ensuing variation of aroma, than usually delicious. This is perhaps why the French lawyer and polthat “Dessert without cheese is like a beauty creamy compliment to the sometimes simplistic plate—a task that is at times synonymous with culinary pretension—can be daunting, it is well worth the effort. plate tends to be that of actually picking which cheeses to serve. In my own cheese venture at Treasure Island, I found myself besieged by the sheer volume and variety from what was almost an entire isle of laden
teresting to incorporate at least one cheese made from cow, sheep’ and goat milk. One my second cheese venture I went to Pastoral Cheese, located in Chicago’s French Market located on beautifully, and reasonably priced cheeses at Pastoral Cheese and I would highly recommend going. The selections were more adventurous and gastronomically thrilling than the more generic cheeses at Treasure Island, and I created a cheese plate based on this concept of different types of milk. For the cow’s milk, I chose an imported Italian semi-soft cheese called Presanella that had rind washed in an infusion made from Moon-
months at a local farm in Chamshort time, an affable paign Illinois had cultivated cheese counter ata pleasantly nutty and Treasure Island tendant aided me fruity taste. Finally, Silver Goat Chevre; Montaclair NJ in the selection a sheep’s milk blue Montchevre, Soft-Ripened Goat process. He cheese from Cowgirl Cheese Mini Cabrie Goat Milk Brie; Belmont WI obligingly Creamery called Reny Picot, Smoked Gouda; Benton Harbor, MI handed out Big Woods Blue Grafton Village Cheese, Grafton Vermont liberal samwas the perfect Classic 2 Year Cheddar; Brattleboro Vermont ples of varibalance of punBlue D’Auvergne; France ous cheeses, gent and earthy but had not sharpness and the Pastoral Cheese tasted many mild sweetness of Presanella Cow Milk; Italy of them himsheep’s milk. Praire Fruits Farm, Moonglo self. However, the Raw Goat; Champaign IL However, the cheese plate does not selection projust include the cheese. Shepherd’s Way Farm, Big Woods Blue Raw Sheep; Nerstrand MN cess was aided by There are also the accomtwo general guidelines paniments. Choose bread and plain crackers so that the more before you buy, and buy for variety. Tasting cheeses is free and delicious, not to mention crucial to the selection process. Be sure to know and, more importantly, enjoy the and melon offer a refreshing and plate-cleansing ly, nuts and condiments such as jam and honey for something fresh and soft to give brightness and lightness to the plate, something aged and For serving, generally allow for about 1-½ to thing hard for a nice textural element, and some- cheeses out about two hours prior to serving to thing funky like a blue cheese for an earthy and scintillating contrast. The result from Treasure Island was a fresh and lemony chevre infused with fresh herbs, a wonderful soft-ripened goat’s milk Brie produced by Monte Chevre of Bel- delicate ones. Traditionally, an odd number of mont Wisconsin, an unobtrusively mellow and creamy Smoked Gouda produced by Reny Picot, most aesthetically appealing on the cheese plate. the classic, smooth, and nutty Grafton Village the cheese plate is actually enjoying the cheese. - So sometime after dinner and before dessert vergne cheese. indulge in the efforts of 8,000 years of experVariety can also be expressed in the type of imenting and labor that resulted from one brilmilk used to create the cheese, so it can be in- liant mistake.
CHEESES:
photographed by // Shayna Inzunza heese is perhaps one of the greatest gastronomic accidents ever contributed to human civilization. The creation of cheese was heralded in by the neglect ment, and the resulting fermentation process that would transform milk into curds. This was a mistake that tasted good enough to be recreated with increasing variety and ingenuity. In the subsequent 8,000 years, cheese has been both the nutrient-rich sustenance of armies and a golden
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elite. Cheese itself is a simple construct—milk (usually cow, sheep or goat) fermented in a controlled environment after the application of a bacterial 21 nonpareil | spring 2014
fallen chocolate cake
article & photos by // Shayna Inzunza
Adapted from bon appétit
F
udgy, decadent and sinful. The three best words one could pick to describe a perfect
crust of this Fallen Chocolate Cake provides some relief of texture from the dense, chocolaty inside. This is served with a simple whipped cream, one that isn’t too sweet and provides a light and creamy addition to the cake. I should point out that the air in the egg whites is very important, because it lets the cake rise while baking in the oven and creates the cake’s crisp exterior as the air escapes. electric hand or stand mixer to whip the egg whites, but if you can’t locate one then do what I did and grab a friend or two and whip the egg whites by hand with a wire balloon whisk and a pinch of cream of tartar. Just make sure to promise them a slice of cake for their hard work (or give them a fork and tell them to dive in). get
Cake pieces, plus more for pan for pan • 10 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate • 6 large eggs • 1 tsp vanilla extract • ¾ tsp kosher salt Topping • 1 cup chilled heavy cream • ½ cup room temperature mascarpone • 3 tbsp powdered sugar
do
ameter springform pan and dust with sugar, tapping out any excess a large heatproof bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmering water and heat stirring often, until melted. Remove bowl from saucepan and let cool. 3. Separate 4 eggs, placing whites and yolks in eggs to bowl with yolks and whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually whish yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, blending well. 4. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until frothy. With mixer running, peaks form. 5. Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixrated between additions. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top and sprinkle with 6. Bake until top is puffed and starting to crack and cake is pulling away from edge of pan, 3545 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan (cake will collapse in the center and crack further as it cools). dium high speed, beat cream, mascarpone, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. 8. Remove sides of springform pan from cake. Mound whipped cream mixture in center of cake.
{
PREP 30 minutes COOK 45 minutes MAKES 8-10 servings
} recipes 22
citrus yogurt loaf Adapted from smittenkitchen.com
article & photos by // Shira Fishbach
t risk of exposing myself as a Buzzfeed-reading, cronut-supporting foodie, I’ll admit that I love trendy foods. In my own cooking, this passion has little to do with food fads and more to do with freshness. In the kitchen, I’m rarely thinking about unexpected culinary mash-ups, and more about which foods are seasonal, fresh, and just plain
citrus and yogurt have settled, and will retain its ridiculously moist crumb for even longer. I can’t quite say for how long, as mine didn’t survive day three. I suspect yours won’t either.
molasses dough in the depths of my freezer and resigned any future gingerbread men to
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (or plain whole-milk) • 1 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar • 3 large eggs, room temperature
is here, and with it, the time for tangy, zippy, citrus loaves. This cake is the one, the blank canvas on which to draw all of your wildest, loaf-shaped
medium-sized oranges) • 1 tsp grated lemon zest (approximately 1 lemon)
get
whatever lemons, limes, or grapefruit you have lying around. Play with coconut or olive oil in place of the vegetable oil. Berries, toasted do
home here. You could even try different nilla wouldn’t hurt. It’s impossible to screw up, and will certainly prove to be the most to springtime. It is best the next day, once the 23 nonpareil | spring 2014
3. In another bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar with the orange and lemon zest. Using your
the essential oils. 4. Whisk the citrus-infused sugar with the yogurt, eggs, vanilla, and oil. 5. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick to the center of the loaf comes out dry. spoon sugar in a small saucepan until it reaches a boil and the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. 8. Once the cake is done, pour the warm orange-sugar mixture over the cake and let it soak in. You can use a toothpick to poke small holes that allow the syrup to penetrate more thoroughly. Let cool.
{
PREP 20 minutes COOK 50 minutes MAKES 8-10 servings
}
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ruit and summer are an inseparable pair, so with summertime fast approaching why not get creative with your fruit? This watermelon fruit cake is basically a watermelon dressed up to look like a fruit great option for those looking to eat healthy, but also a fun way to surprise unsuspecting friends. The recipe is very versatile, which means you can tailor it to whatever craving you happen to have on a hot summer day. Flavorings such as almond extract, anise extract, or lemon zest can be added to the whipped cream. Feel free
get
• 1 medium sized watermelon • 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1 cup sliced almonds • 1 cup blackberries • 1 cup sliced strawberries do
1. Pour the whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar into a large bowl. Whisk the ingredients quickly in a circular motion until the liquid longer time if you prefer a thicker consistency
such as thick yogurt or coconut cream, and other types of fresh fruit as well. Regardless of the ingredients you choose, this cake will be a sweet, refreshing addition to a hot summer day.
the bowl in the fridge. for it to get hot. Toss the sliced almonds into the pan and stir until they are toasted and turn
watermelon fruit cake
a light brown color. Set the pan aside to cool. 3. Cut the top and bottom sections of the watermelon so that you have a somewhat cylindrical middle piece. Turn the piece onto one of rind from each of the wedges and reassemble it into the cylindrical shape. 4. Take the whipped cream out of the fridge and use a silicone spatula to spread the whipped cream across the side and top of the watermelon. 5. Pat the toasted almonds onto the sides of the watermelon. Decorate the top of the cake with blackberries, strawberries, and other fruits.
{
PREP 20 minutes COOK 5 minutes MAKES 4-6 servings
}
article by // Geoffrey Wang photos by // Evangel Jung
recipes 24
I
tadakimasu! Take this round, marshmallow-like dessert and take a big bite. Underneath the soft, chewy layer of mochi lies the sweet velvet of melted chocolate. This, simply put, is the taste of heaven. The mochi-making process is called mochitsuki, which involves pounding steamed sweet rice in a large mortar with a wooden mallet, then forming the soft, sticky dough into small mochi balls. This is typically seen at the annual around the mortar and watch a man in happi (a Japanese traditional festival clothing) pound the rice according to the tempo of Japanese traditional music. There are countless ways to prepare mochi. with vegetables and meat or seafood. This soup, called zoni, is considered the most with a sweet porridge of boiled and crushed azuki beans (red beans).
enjoy your own mochi. get
• 1 ½ cup water ame, fresh strawberries, green tea ice cream, etc.) do
ter and sugar into a bowl. Stir until no air bubbles are left and the batter is a smooth, liquid consistency. wave for four minutes. will need to handle the mochi with your hands. and spread the mochi out on top.
popular form of mochi here in the West. Traditionally, this small round mochi was stuffed with a sweetened red bean paste called
the smaller pieces. Make sure not to put too
variations to this amazing confection. Simply replace the anko with chocolate chips, your favorite ice cream, fresh fruit, or a combination of any or all of these. Part of the joy
piece into a ball.
mochi.
with small mango cubes and mango ice cream!
mochi
article by // Evangel Jung & Dora Zhang
Adapted from Miki’s Pantry
25 nonpareil | spring 2014
{
PREP 10 minutes COOK 10 minutes MAKES 15 servings
}
photos by // Evangel Jung
peanut brittle
article by // Hannah Bao
photos by // Aneesa Sonawalla
Adapted from allrecipes.com
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cookbooks, many people love to make and add peanut brittle to give-tins and cookie platters. So, as a person who loves sweets, it comes as no surprise that peanut brittle is my kryptonite. I can’t pinpoint what I love most it, it has a lovely golden color, there’s a great snap when you shatter it into smaller chunks, a beautiful glossy toffee that is rich and buttery, and you get these salty chunks of peanut that you can crunch down on. I’d never made peanut brittle before, and was nervous about making candy from scratch. But the recipe was quick and easy. I do, however, strongly recommend that you use a candy thermometer and to have all the ingredients measured out beforehand—after all, you don’t want burnt peanut brittle.
get
• 1 cup white sugar • ½ cup light corn syrup • 1 cup peanuts
• 1 tsp baking soda
rates into hard and brittle threads, or until the caramel is light brown. 5. Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda (add the vanilla at this time if you choose to do so); pour at once onto cookie sheet. candy into pieces.
do
1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside. heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. 3. Stir in peanuts. 4. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 °F (150 °C), until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water sepa-
{
PREP 10 minutes COOK 15 minutes MAKES 1 pound
} recipes 26
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