Spiced Chocolate Torte Wrapped in Chocolate Ribbons

Rating: 4 out of 5 (challenging and time consuming but oh-so-delicious!)

Initial Thoughts: Gulp.

The Test: The last cover recipe in my year-long quest of making each of the 12 covers from Bon Appétit Magazine. Talk about going out with a bang! This picture perfect chocolate torte first appeared on the cover of the magazine in 1984, and apparently it has been the most requested recipe in the history of this publication.

Before attempting this recipe, I went online and read the 30 plus comments left by readers. This was probably a good thing as it enabled me to approach this recipe with my eyes wide open. With the general consensus being that the cake was very time consuming with mediocre results, I cleared my entire weekend and rolled up my selves determined to give it my best shot.

The Cake Pretty straight forward although there are quite a few steps involved (beating sugar, cream and egg batter, melting and blending chocolate into the mix, folding dry ingredients into batter in multiple batches, and whipping and folding in egg whites). The end result is a batter that is very thick and dense in texture, but smells absolutely divine with the combination of spices that include cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Perfect flavours to pair up against rich, dark chocolate. NOTE: ignore recipe baking times as a number of people including myself found the suggested times to be much too long, and unfortunately my cakes ended up overcooked and a little dry.

The Buttercream Making the buttercream was probably my favourite element of the entire recipe. Would you consider me too much of a food geek if I said I had a lot of fun whipping this up?! It was incredibly satisfying to watch the icing froth up and become this lovely, glossy mass of light as air cake filler. Don’t know whether I can credit beginners luck for my success, but I didn’t have any problems with the icing seizing when I added the cooler tempered butter into the warm sugar and egg mixture. However if this happens, simply set your bowl over simmering water to relax the icing and melt all lumpy bits. Yes, ‘lumpy bits’ is a technical term. NOTE: chilling the buttercream makes layering the cake much easier, and I also found it useful to stick chop sticks into the cake to hold the layers together while placed in the freezer.

The Glaze Making the glaze was simple, but I did find I had to stir the mixture for much longer than the mere five minutes suggested in the recipe. I think I waited for close to half an hour before the chocolate had thickened enough to spread over the cake, and even after that long it was still runny enough to make icing the sides of the cake an extremely frustrating task. NOTE: next time I would trim the cake first, allowing for more of an even surface upon which to spread the glaze, and I would also let the chocolate firm up more prior to icing the cake.

The Ribbons As if a three layer chocolate torte with buttercream and rich chocolate glaze weren’t enough, the recipe calls for adorning the cake with white and dark chocolate ribbons! This is done by mixing corn syrup to melted chocolate which creates a pliable mixture called modeling chocolate. The recipe suggests using a pasta maker to roll out the sheets of chocolate prior to cutting into ribbons, but I would have to agree with the other readers who found this method to be useless and messy.

If I were to attempt the ribbons again I would simply use a rolling pin, a tactic which many people found to work perfectly well. As for my ribbons, I found the white chocolate mixture much too oily and soft while the dark chocolate quickly became much too hard to use. In the end I chucked the chocolate. Lord knows there would still be enough calories left on the cake without the decadent bow and ribbons! NOTE: according to the Sweet Silent Thoughts blog there are a whopping 1,235.9 calories a serving for this recipe!

The Results: As you can tell, this cake is a labour of love. So was it worth it in the end? I can safely say yes, but I would only consider making it for special occasions. VERY special occasions. Because of the length of time it takes to prepare this dessert as well as the expense of the ingredients (all that chocolate is not cheap people!) I would not whip this up for an ordinary Sunday dinner. That being said, I would definitely consider making a scaled down version of this cake on a more regular basis, perhaps making only two layers and not even bothering to attempt the ribbons. Despite being overcooked, the cake tasted incredible and the unexpected flavour of cloves really made this recipe stand out from the crowd of ordinary chocolate cakes. It was very rich and dense in texture; Mr. Spock compared it to a moist version of biscotti which I think is an accurate description. The buttercream was silky smooth and not too sweet, the hint of rum cutting through the chocolate and adding a nice richness to the torte. The glaze was a fantastic way to top the whole thing off, although some people found it a little much. But that’s the whole point of this cake…it’s all a little much.

For a copy of the recipe for Spiced Chocolate Torte Wrapped in Chocolate Ribbons, please click HERE

Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue invites readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design. For more information please visit www.bonappetit.com

Apple Torte with Breadcrumb-Hazelnut Crust

Rating: 2 out of 5 (incredibly frustrating recipe, results were poor)

Initial Thoughts:
Oh goodie – another dessert! And this slice of apple torte looks like fall served on a plate. Yum…

The Test:
Because this dish looked so appealing on the cover of Bon Appétit, I decided to make this for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Whoa – did all of the entertaining gurus out there all just gasp in unison?! I know you aren’t supposed to try a new recipe when you have a bunch of people turning up to your house to eat; it’s too risky. But in this case I was sucked in by the pretty picture and the fact that famed Italian chef Lidia Bastianich developed the recipe. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything.

I didn’t get a chance to properly read through the recipe until the day of our Thanksgiving dinner. (Another faux pas when trying a new recipe for the first time and dinner guests mere hours away from descending upon your house). If I had read it beforehand I would have immediately noticed that the recipe is confusing and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense! The list of ingredients for the crust calls for 8 cups of fresh breadcrumbs, but in the directions it says to use 3 cups. Hold the phone; am I missing something here?! But the clock was ticking so I shrugged off my doubts and got to work.

Because the recipe calls for ‘fresh’ breadcrumbs, I bought two loaves of French bread. Slicing the crusts off fresh bread was not fun. Not to mention incredibly messy! I tore the bread into bite sized pieces and measured out 8 cups which I toasted in the oven. Then I ground the bread in my food processor and measured out 3 cups of crumbs. Ha! So that’s how they got 8 cups to make 3 cups. Lidia’s math wasn’t off after all…

After chilling my dough for the suggested amount of time I proceeded to press out 9 inch disks to fit my pie plate. Quickly I realized there was no possible way I was going to be able to shape this strange breadcrumb dough into a large enough size. What were they thinking?! The recipe describes the whole process as if you were working with regular pastry dough and offers no tips or advice. In the end I made smaller sized crusts which fit perfectly into my individual sized tart pans. They looked cute but how would they taste?

One for the torte…

…and one for the cook!

It was at this point that I grabbed a Tenderflake pie crust from my freezer, doctored up a can of pure pumpkin I happened to have on hand, and started baking my plan B.

Next I moved on to the apple filling which also proved to be a frustrating experience. The recipe dictates that you must cook the fruit until tender, but mine just turned into apple sauce mush. Tasty, but definitely not the structured filling one desires in a torte.

At this point plan B was promoted to plan A.

The Results:
I was beginning to develop a complex about my cooking skills until I went online and read other comments posted about this recipe. What made it a flop? Lack of clarity for one thing. I wish the recipe had provided more direction; in particular the differing amounts of breadcrumb quantities, tips for the crust preparation, and even husking the hazelnuts (for which absolutely no instruction was provided). If it hadn’t been for the fact that I recently made Gale Gand’s Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread I would have had no idea how to best go about this process.

Before taking my first bite of the torte I thought to myself that perhaps the taste would make worthwhile all of the sweat and tears I shed for its preparation. If it tasted good I would be happy. Course I would never ever make it again, but I would still be happy.

Unfortunately the taste was just another in a long line of disappointments when it came to this recipe. The texture of the crust was incredibly odd, and instead of holding a true hazelnut flavour it merely tasted like breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter. I would have preferred to have had the hazelnuts featured more prominently in the overall taste. The lemon zest in the crust was a little startling, and the filling was very ordinary.

In the end we all cast aside the torte and focussed on the pumpkin pie. Thank god for canned pumpkin and pre-made pastry shells!

(For a copy of October’s recipe, please click here)

As part of my culinary new years resolutions, I have committed to creating each month’s cover recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine. Inspired by a New York restaurant owner who has been making the magazine’s cover recipes each month for the last 25 years, I decided to attempt to do the same while blogging about my monthly experiences along the way.

NOTE: If any of you would like to follow along with me and join in on the fun, I’d love to compare notes! So pick-up a copy of the latest issue of Bon Appétit and get cooking. Be sure to send your comments and photos toinfo@cookthatbook.com.

Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue invites readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design. For more information please visit www.bonappetit.com

Blackberry, Lemon, & Gingersnap Cheesecake Pudding

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (great flavours, needs some tweaking)

Initial Thoughts:
Finally – a dessert!

The Test:
When I first saw the cover recipe for August I got pretty excited, as I have been waiting all year for an outrageous dessert that I would be ‘forced’ to make and therefore would lessen my caloric guilt at indulging.

I made the lemon curd and blackberry compote a day ahead, both of which were super simple to put together. The lemon curd tasted heavenly, resulting in my needing to be forcibly separated from the bowl in order to stop me from devouring the entire batch. It was finger licking good!

For the gingersnap cookies I opted to use Anna’s Thins, which happens to be one of my favourite brands. After reading the comments of other bloggers who made this recipe and found the gingersnap flavour to be too overpowering, I am glad I chose to use this particular brand as the cookies hold a subtle flavour that is well rounded without being too intense.

Overall I would say that this is an easy dessert to throw together, making it perfect for entertaining as the majority of the work can be done ahead of time. It also looks impressive to serve to guests.

The Results:
With a few changes this dessert has the potential to be ridiculously good, but as far as my initial attempt is concerned I would have to chalk it up as disappointing. And judging by the comments on the Bon Appétit website, I am not alone in this conclusion.

The robust citrus flavour from the curd dominated the dish, and resulted in the mascarpone whipped cream being completely lost. I also found that in terms of quantities, there was not enough of the mascarpone mixture in comparison to the curd. Next time I would double up on the mascarpone. The other chief complaint from people was that there was not enough cheesecake flavour to warrant this being titled as a cheesecake pudding. My suggestion? Add chunks of crumbled cheesecake to the mascarpone mixture. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

(For a copy of August’s cover recipe, please click here)

As part of my culinary new years resolutions, I have committed to creating each month’s cover recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine. Inspired by a New York restaurant owner who has been making the magazine’s cover recipes each month for the last 25 years, I decided to attempt to do the same while blogging about my monthly experiences along the way.

NOTE: If any of you would like to follow along with me and join in on the fun, I’d love to compare notes! So pick-up a copy of the latest issue of Bon Appétit and get cooking. Be sure to send your comments and photos to info@cookthatbook.com.

Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue invites readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design. For more information please visit www.bonappetit.com

Grilled Shrimp & Sausage Skewers with Smoky Paprika Glaze

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Spicy! Smokey! Easy!)

Initial Thoughts:
What a tasty looking dish! Can’t wait to fire up the BBQ and give it a try…

The Test:
The folks over at Bon Appétit must have been looking out for me when choosing this cover recipe. We had just moved, our kitchen still needed to be unpacked and we were all sick of take-out. Then I happened to glance at the magazine cover. Immediately I realized our Weber BBQ was on the deck ready and willing. All we required was a quick trip to the grocery store and voila! Not only would we be able to enjoy a homemade meal but I would be able to tick off that month’s Bon Appétit post. Thanks guys!

I literally went to every shop in town looking for andouille sausage but could not find it anywhere. Heeding the recipe’s advice to use a fully cooked smoked sausage, I opted for a delicious kielbasa instead. The kebabs were easy to put together and I loved the fact that you were able to make them ahead of time.

The Results:
My biggest pet peeve with kebabs is when they all taste the same, their flavours melding into an indistinguishable taste of charcoal singed meat and veg. Not the case with this recipe. The kebabs were bursting with exciting flavours that came alive in your mouth! All of the herbs and spices – especially the smoked paprika – gave the dish an exotic edge that was not lost within the flavour of BBQ. I will definitely be making these again this summer.

(For a copy of June’s cover recipe, please click here)

As part of my culinary new years resolutions, I have committed to creating each month’s cover recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine. Inspired by a New York restaurant owner who has been making the magazine’s cover recipes each month for the last 25 years, I decided to attempt to do the same while blogging about my monthly experiences along the way.

NOTE: If any of you would like to follow along with me and join in on the fun, I’d love to compare notes! So pick-up a copy of the latest issue of Bon Appétit and get cooking. Be sure to send your comments and photos toinfo@cookthatbook.com.

Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue invites readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design. For more information please visit www.bonappetit.com

Salmon with Sweet Chili Glaze, Sugar Snap Peas & Pea Tendrils

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 (quick & easy but needed more depth)

Initial Thoughts:
Oh yay! I’ve been on the hunt for a new salmon recipe to try, and this dish looks as if spring jumped right onto the plate. So fresh and healthy. And with all of the high-caloric recipes I’ve been testing lately, this will be good for my waistline.

The Test:
‘Ridiculously easy’ is how best to describe this dish. Anyone – regardless of their amount of experience in a kitchen – will be able to make this recipe and have it turn out beautifully. And the best part? It plates up like a fancy restaurant, so if you are wanting to impression someone in your life with your culinary abilities this is the way to go about doing so.

Broiling salmon fillets in the oven is one of my favourite ways to prepare this particular fish, as it tastes great and takes no time to cook. And with this recipe calling for only three ingredients to make up the sauce for the salmon, I found myself able to tidy up the kitchen, fix snacks for the kids, and catch a full episode of “Franklin”, before quickly sautéing the sugar snap pea garnish and sitting everyone down at the dinner table.

My one concern with this recipe was that I was not going to be able to find pea tendrils. The very name of this plant seems to imply ambiguous obscurity, but shows how much I know because low and behold there they were on the shelves of the major grocery store chain. Pea tendrils (or pea sprouts) consist of the young leaves and shoots of the snow pea plant. Many people find them to taste like a fusion of peas and spinach, but I think they hold a nice sharpness more akin to a mild radish.

The Results:
Given the small number of ingredients used in this recipe, I was surprised at how complex the flavours turned out in the end. The salmon was moist and tasty without becoming overpowered by the marinade, with the sweet chili sauce pairing perfectly with the spicy ginger and salty soy sauce. With the addition of the sugar snap peas and pea tendrils, a nice combination of flavours developed with the sesame oil, garlic, and rice wine vinegar from the veggies.

This turned out to be quite a tasty little dish! That being said, I found it somewhat lacking in depth of flavour and can’t help but wonder if it would have been better to marinate the fish for more than 30 minutes (perhaps even overnight?) Mr. Spock didn’t think this dish dethroned our usual salmon recipe, but I would consider making it again simply because of the ease and speed with which it comes together.

(For a copy of one of our family’s favourite salmon recipes, click here)

(For a copy of March’s cover recipe, please click here)

As part of my culinary new years resolutions, I have committed to creating each month’s cover recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine. Inspired by a New York restaurant owner who has been making the magazine’s cover recipes each month for the last 25 years, I decided to attempt to do the same while blogging about my monthly experiences along the way.

NOTE: If any of you would like to follow along with me and join in on the fun, I’d love to compare notes! So pick-up a copy of the latest issue of Bon Appétit and get cooking. Be sure to send your comments and photos to info@cookthatbook.com.

Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue invites readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design. For more information please visit www.bonappetit.com