Peychaud’s Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake, Cheers to Bitters

I organized an East versus West Coast IPA tasting on Saturday night.  Please note, the picture below does not show you the destruction that follows when four people consume 160 ounces of high-octane brew in a single-blind tasting.

We tasted.

• Peak Organic Brewing Company’s IPA, Portland, ME (7.1% ABV)
• Somerville Brewing Company’s Slumbrew Flagraiser IPA, Ipswich, MA (7.5% ABV)
• Brewmaster Jack’s Ambrewsia Imperial IPA, Holyoke, MA (7.7% ABV)
• 21st Amendment Brewery’s Brew Free! Or Die IPA, San Francisco, CA (7.0% ABV)
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Torpedo Extra IPA, Chico, CA (7.2% ABV)
• Bear Republic Brewing Company’s Racer 5 IPA, Healdsburg, CA (7% ABV)
• Sixpoint Brewery’s Bengali Tiger IPA, Brooklyn, NY (6.4% ABV)

We commented.

• “Smells like Heineken; tastes dirty.”
• “I want to like it, but it has an odd finish—like dishwater.”
• “A good IPA for winter—a woodsman’s beer.”
• “Smells like my gym bag.” “Fruity, but a bit like B.O.”
• “Tastes like clean plants, like you watered the lawn and then drank it.”
• “Caramel smell; almost brown butter-like; like a financier.”
• “I want to drink this on a boat.”
• “Blek.”

We ate.

An entire loaf of bread studded with chunky flecks of fleur de sel intended to balance the sweetish bitter brews. 

A few narrow strips of rye focaccia I had squirreled away for such an occasion, with a version of Yotam Ottolenghi’s hummus, spiked with cumin.

Plus slices of fallen soufflé cake.  Also known as the cake to end all chocolate cakes. 

Lest you think this cake praise was swayed by consuming my weight in high-powered IPAs, I also had it for breakfast the next morning.  It was good, if not better, in its following days.

Its inspiration came from a beautiful photo in Gather mashed with a riff on the late Richard Sax’s chocolate cloud cake in bon appétit's most recent edition.  It is a rich, yet light cake with an almost cheesecake quality.  I ruffled it up with a little bitters.  Though you cannot specifically pinpoint the Peychaud’s, its subtle anise and nutmeg notes add warmth to the cake. 

The decision to dust or not to dust with powdered sugar is yours, and yours alone to make, though I think I prefer the look without it.  What you cannot forgo is the sprinkling of sugar on top, which adds an additive crunch and a hint of sweetness to an otherwise mildly sweetened cake. The powdered sugar had dissolved into the cake the following morning, letting the glints of crystallized sugar shimmer through again. 

Which was how I preferred it in the first place. Either way, it is a winner.

Peychaud’s Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake

Inspired by bon appétit and Gather Journal

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1-inch pieces (plus more for the pan)
• ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, divided (plus more for the pan) 
• 10 ounces 60-80% dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 6 eggs, divided
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:

Set the oven at 350 degrees.  Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with (the granulated) sugar; tap lightly to remove any excess.  

In a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water, combine the butter, dark chocolate, and oil.  Stir until the chocolate and butter melts.  (You can take the bowl off the simmering water before everything has fully melted; it will continue to melt from the residual heat.)

Meanwhile, separate 4 of the eggs.  Place the whites in a stand mixer and the yolks in a medium bowl.  To the yolks, add the cocoa powder, bitters, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup of sugar, and the 2 remaining eggs.  Whisk until smooth.

Once the chocolate butter mixture has fully melted (be sure it’s well combined), gradually whisk in the yolk mixture.

Beat the egg whites on high until frothy and then gradually add in ½ cup sugar, with the mixer still running. Beat until firm peaks form.  Gently fold the whites into the chocolate in 2 additions, until the mixture is just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan.  Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the cake is puffed, starting to crack, and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan.  

Let cool fully in the pan on a wire rack before releasing it.  The cake will collapse slightly and continue to crack and pull away from the sides of the pan as it cools.  

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Makes enough for 8 humans

Notes:

1. This cake is flourless, which could be perfect for the start of Passover.  
2. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container.  Mine was gone after 2 days, but definitely kept wonderfully in the interim.  (Also, I used a mixture of Taza bars that probably averaged out to 70% dark.)
3. Bon Appétit serves this cake with a mascarpone whipped cream scooped into the center, which I am sure would be splendid.
4. The winners of the blind tasting were Peak Organic and 21st Amendment.  Slumbrew did very well too.  

Dark Winter Rye Boule

The past few days have felt like a week of Mondays, strung together.  I interviewed a worker on Misty Brook Farm on Sunday.  And the co-owner of The Wine Bottega on Tuesday.  Did a lot of writing.  Worked all week, like a regular human.  And cursed at the wind today because it was so cold. 

What I really want right now is for someone to do my dirty dishes and pour me a glass of wine. 
But that someone will have to be me tonight.  So I hope you will forgive me if I am curt.  

This pretty much sums things up: winter rye boule.  Because it is (still) winter.  But also because it is the hardy variety I bought from Misty Brook Farm.  Which they grow and mill themselves.

Some winter rye, a little molasses, hint of cocoa, and a bit of caraway seeds was all it took to transform everyday bread into a dense and lovely loaf to chase out the end of winter.  While many dark ryes rely on caramel coloring to get their hue, this version uses the cocoa and molasses to impart a chocolate tint that deepens as the bread bakes.

The recipe borrows from Jim Lahey’s no-knead method of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City.  So you can mix it up the ingredients in a bowl on your counter.  And then clean the dishes.  Or do the laundry.  

Or, better yet, open a bottle of red.

Dark Winter Rye Boule

Ingredients:

• 2¼ cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• ¾ cup rye flour
• ½ tsp active dry yeast
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• 1½ cups cold tap water
• 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• cornmeal, for the bottom of the bread
• 2½ tsp whole caraway seeds, divided

Instructions:

the day before

In a large bowl, combine the flours, yeast, and salt.  (Start this process 15 to 22 hours before you plan to eat the bread.)  Fill a measuring cup (or small bowl) with the water and vigorously whisk the molasses and cocoa into the water until it turns dark brown.  

Add the liquid to the flour mixture and combine the ingredients using a rubber spatula until a sticky dough forms (it will be wetter than standard bread dough), add more water, if needed.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 12 to 18 hours in a warm, undisturbed spot.  During this time, the dough will double in size and become puffy.

the day of

To start the second rising of the dough, scatter a handful of cornmeal in the middle of a clean kitchen towel. 

Add 2 teaspoons of caraway seeds to the dough and, with floured hands, take it out of the bowl and gently stretch the dough by tucking the sides of the bread together to meet at the bottom (if it is too sticky to handle, add a little bread flour); continue this process until the seeds are fully incorporated and the top is smooth. 

Shape into a round ball.

Place the dough on the cornmeal, sprinkle the top with the remaining ½ teaspoon of caraway, and cover with the sides of the kitchen towel. Let the dough rest for 1 to 2 hours (until it rises slightly).  

30 minutes before you plan to bake the bread, set the oven at 475 degrees and place a 4 or 5 quart Dutch oven or roasting pan with a tight-fitting lid on the middle rack of your oven.  (Be sure your pan can withstand the high heat and avoid pans with plastic parts.)  Preheating the pan helps the dough expand rapidly to produce a chewy interior and a crispy crust.

After 30 minutes, take the pan from the oven and remove the lid.  Gently place the dough into the pan, cover it with the hot lid, and bake for 30 minutes.  

Uncover the bread and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.  (If you are unsure, the internal temperature of the bread should be 190 degrees.)

Let cool fully on a wire rack before slicing (1 to 2 hours).

Makes 1 loaf

Notes:

1. I baked this bread in a BreadPot, which I got for Christmas.  Make sure whatever you use can be heated up to 475.
2. You may be able to find Misty Brook at the Somerville Winter Farmers' Market on Saturdays.
    

Save Swine, Eat a TLT (Tofu Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich)

Save a pig.  Eat a soybean.  The slogan still needs work.  Luckily, the tofu does not.

This idea is inspired by the site 101 Cookbooks.  The original recipe was for a “TLT,” a take on the beloved classic BLT.  It featured tempeh though, which try as I might, I just cannot endorse. Tempeh and I are not friendly.  So I have been making the sandwich with tofu ever since.

The thin strips soak in a marinade that is meant to recall an essence of bacon.  If you really want a BLT, you had better use swine.  But the liquid, which is smoky and a little spicy from the chipotle, sweet from the maple, and salty from the tamari, can easily hold its own.

If you welcome the TLT as a singular entity, it makes a wonderful vegetarian-friendly counterpoint, employing the usual sidekicks: lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  The sandwich itself is not far off from the soy BLT MIT-based Clover Food Lab sells.  Their mantra being, local fast food done a la vegetarian.

So, perhaps, save a BLT.  Eat a TLT.  It is not meant as a substitute for the adored piggy classic.  But it makes a t.asty l.ittle t.ofu sandwich all its own.

TLT Tofu

Inspired by 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp olive oil (plus more for the pan)
• ¼ cup tamari (soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
• 4 to 5 tbsp adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers)
• about 14 ounces firm or extra firm tofu (1 block)

Instructions:

In a rectangular baking dish, mix together the oil, tamari, vinegar, brown sugar (or maple) and adobo sauce.  (Use less adobo if you don't like spice.)

Slice the tofu into 4 or 5 rectangular slabs and then slice each slab into 3 pieces lengthwise, so you get long strips. 

Lay the strips into the baking dish with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate in the fridge, ideally overnight.

Heat a medium sauté pan on medium to medium-high heat and add a glug of oil to the pan.  Add half the tofu (or all of it, depending on the size of your pan) and half the marinade to the hot pan. 

Cook the tofu for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tofu starts to gather color on its underside. 

Flip the tofu and cook until fairly firm to the touch (about 10 minutes in total).  If the tofu starts to burn, turn the heat down.  Wipe down the pan and repeat the process, if cooking in two batches.

Makes 12 to 15 strips

Notes:

1. I don’t need to tell you, you know how to make a BLT.  Use your favorite bread with tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo.  Sometimes I put a little lemon zest in the mayo. I like the TLT either on a brioche bun or in a pita.
2. 21st Century Tofu and Chang Shing Tofu are two local brands.
3. The sauce has a tendency to burn on you, so be sure to watch it and turn down the heat (or add a little more sauce to the pan) if needed.
4. I like tamari, which is typically made solely from soybeans, so that is the sauce I stock.