COOKBOOKS WITH PANACHE The Craft of Baking Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets
with Ideas for Inventing Your Own,
by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox.
As the creative genius behind the desserts of Tom Colocchio's Craft, Craftbar, and 'wichcraft, and winner of the 2005 James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef, Karen DeMasco's deeply flavored, deceptively simple and irresistible desserts, cookies, and pastries have earned her accolades from The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine and New York Magazine where Adam Platt called her desserts "impeccable...for my money, the best in town."
In May 2009 DeMasco opened a new bakery wing at Andrew Carmellin's Locanda Verde in the Greenwich Hotel, co-owned by Robert DeNiro.
Written with Mindy Fox, The Craft of Baking (Clarkson Potter, 2009, $35.00) is a handbook for baking the Craft way using simple, delicious, and seasonal foods to build elegant and inspired desserts in your own kitchen.
Sidebars on "Varying Your Craft," include ideas for variations and suggestions about pairing items in the book to create a more elaborate dessert. With DeMasco's simple techniques, unique flavor combinations, and inspiring ideas, this book will refresh and renew the way that home cooks think about dessert.
APPLE
FRITTERS Makes 10
Simple to make, these festive fritters are great for brunch or alongside ice cream for
dessert. Beer not only deepens the flavor of the fritters, its bubbles make them light
and crispy. When dipping, loop the apple rings over your finger for ease and to get
the fullest coverage.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
unbleached all-purpose flour,
sifted
1/4 cup plus 7 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Kosher salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter,
melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup beer (lager or pilsner)
1 large firm baking apple, such
as Granny Smith, Mutsu, or
Crispin
Peanut oil, for frying
PREPARATION
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon
of the cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, and vanilla.
Whisk in one third of the flour mixture then one third of the beer
to the egg yolk mixture, just to combine. Add the rest of the flour
mixture and beer in two additions; whisk well to combine. Set the batter
aside to rest for 30 minutes.
While the batter is resting, peel, core, and slice the apple into ten
?-inch-thick rings. Spread out the rings on a large plate. Stir
together 1 tablespoon of the sugar and . teaspoon of the cinnamon,
and sprinkle the mixture over the apple slices. Let the slices
sit for 20 minutes to soften and absorb the sugar.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and gently but thoroughly
fold them into the batter.
In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the remaining 6 tablespoons
sugar, remaining . teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
Fill a high-sided skillet or wide pot with 2 inches of oil, and heat
the oil to 375°F. In batches, dip the apple rings into the batter to
coat both sides, and fry, turning once, until the fritters are golden
and crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels, immediately
toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and serve warm.
COOKBOOKS WITH PANACHE
