Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I've had this cookbook for a while. It's a Near Eastern cookbook with Armenian, Lebanese and Persian recipes. Many of the dishes are similar so the author will present one version and then indicate the changes necessary to make another country's version.
There is a recipe in the book for Walnut Cake. It caught my eye right away when I bought the book and I have been thinking I really should make it.
Sunday was the day. I was alone for most of the day and waiting for the Patriots game to start (sorry, texasgirl) so I decided to make the cake.
I was sure I had all the ingredients so I sprang into action. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of ground walnuts so I ran down to the freezer to get the walnuts. No walnuts. That's OK. I have pecans! Presto, it's a pecan cake!
I dumped a bunch of the pecans into the FP and ground them. Exactly 1 1/2 cups! Man, I'm good.
The recipe calls for a teaspoon and a half of ground nutmeg. (Why don't recipes ever call for a half a tablespoon?). So I grabbed my nutmeg grater and grated into a bowl. Poured the ground nutmeg into a measuring spoon - exactly 1 1/2 teaspoons! I am on a roll!
Cream the six egg yolks and sugar, add the spices and a cup of flour and mix. The batter seems really thick. That's OK, I'll be folding beaten egg whites in to lighten it up.
Yeah, but the batter is REALLY thick. Check the recipe. Six yolks, right. 1 1/2 tsp. each of cardamom and nutmeg, right. 1/2 cup of flour. AARRRGGGHHH! I put in too much flour! What now!?
I don't have enough eggs or nuts to double the batch. I guess I'll thin it out with a little water and proceed. So I dumped in some water then whipped up the egg whites and folded them in using my very best TV Chef training to fold properly. Now that looks a lot better.
I baked it and cooled it and topped it with powdered sugar just like the picture in the book.
We had it for dessert lat night and it was just OK. Kind of really dense and heavy (no one is surprised, right?), but pretty tasty.
I guess I owe the recipe another go around with the proper ingredients and amounts.
BTW, I later found a package of walnuts in the freezer above the fridge.
I should have made the cake another day and made Sunday an all football day.
There is a recipe in the book for Walnut Cake. It caught my eye right away when I bought the book and I have been thinking I really should make it.
Sunday was the day. I was alone for most of the day and waiting for the Patriots game to start (sorry, texasgirl) so I decided to make the cake.
I was sure I had all the ingredients so I sprang into action. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of ground walnuts so I ran down to the freezer to get the walnuts. No walnuts. That's OK. I have pecans! Presto, it's a pecan cake!
I dumped a bunch of the pecans into the FP and ground them. Exactly 1 1/2 cups! Man, I'm good.
The recipe calls for a teaspoon and a half of ground nutmeg. (Why don't recipes ever call for a half a tablespoon?). So I grabbed my nutmeg grater and grated into a bowl. Poured the ground nutmeg into a measuring spoon - exactly 1 1/2 teaspoons! I am on a roll!
Cream the six egg yolks and sugar, add the spices and a cup of flour and mix. The batter seems really thick. That's OK, I'll be folding beaten egg whites in to lighten it up.
Yeah, but the batter is REALLY thick. Check the recipe. Six yolks, right. 1 1/2 tsp. each of cardamom and nutmeg, right. 1/2 cup of flour. AARRRGGGHHH! I put in too much flour! What now!?
I don't have enough eggs or nuts to double the batch. I guess I'll thin it out with a little water and proceed. So I dumped in some water then whipped up the egg whites and folded them in using my very best TV Chef training to fold properly. Now that looks a lot better.
I baked it and cooled it and topped it with powdered sugar just like the picture in the book.
We had it for dessert lat night and it was just OK. Kind of really dense and heavy (no one is surprised, right?), but pretty tasty.
I guess I owe the recipe another go around with the proper ingredients and amounts.
BTW, I later found a package of walnuts in the freezer above the fridge.
I should have made the cake another day and made Sunday an all football day.