Schinkenfleckerln - Austrian Ham-and-Noodle Casserole

This is a casserole I have been making for 35 years, so technically it is a Most Favorite recipe.  But I did not want to wait until December to write this post.  So here it is!  Bonus Most Favorite!

I found it in my Betty Crocker's International Cookbook, published in 1980.  I've used this book so many times that the binding is cracking and pages are falling out.  I can't really say how "authentic" her recipes are -- they might have been adjusted for the American palate of the 1970s -- but they are fun to peruse and explore.

ISBN 0-394-50453-4

This recipe is on pages 154 - 155.  The book gives the English name of the recipe first, with the ethnic name after it in parentheses.  There is a guide in the back of the book (pg 350) on how to pronounce schinkenfleckerln:  shink-k'n-fleck-airl'n.  My mouth has fun trying to say "airl'n."

Schinkenfleckerln

8 ounces uncooked wide egg noodles

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup dairy sour cream

2 cups diced fully cooked smoked ham (about 1/2 pound)

1/2 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

Paprika

Drop noodles into 6 cups rapidly boiling salted water (4 teaspoons salt).  Heat to rapid boiling.  Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes.  Cover and remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes.  Drain.

Stir margarine and onion into noodles.  Stir eggs into sour cream.  Stir egg mixture, ham, caraway seed and pepper into noodles.  Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly in greased 2-quart casserole.  Pour noodle mixture into casserole.

Sprinkle with paprika.  Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until mixture is set, 40 to 45 minutes.

Serve from casserole or unmold onto heated platter.  To unmold, loosen edge of noodles around inside rim with knife.  Place inverted platter over casserole; invert noodles onto platter.  Garnish with parsley if desired.

Serves 4.

My Notes

There is no way I am adding 4 teaspoons of salt to the noodle water.  Adjust to suit your own tastes, but I used 1/2 teaspoon.  Note that the ham and butter already have salt in them.  

This was the '70s, so margarine. I used butter and always have.  It helps to slice the butter into thin slices then spread them over the hot noodles.  That way they melt easily and are distributed around the noodles well.

I have always used the wide egg noodles until today.  I had rotini in my cupboard and that is what I used.

The beaten eggs and sour cream combine to form the sauce for the casserole, so mix them well before adding to the noodles.  I add the sauce last.

I do not find the caraway seeds to be "optional."  "Mandatory" is my thought because I love their flavor.

I have never unmolded the casserole to serve it.  The breadcrumbs should help with that, but I don't know.  I still always butter the dish and spread the breadcrumbs on it before adding the noodles.

It is your choice on how much paprika to use.  When my family was young, I used just enough to add some color.  Now I use more because I like the flavor.

In order:  the cooked noodles.

Butter and onions added to the noodles.  Stir well.

One sauce to rule them all and in the oven, bind them.

With the ham and spices added.

Pour the sauce on last.

Stirred, not shaken.

I admit: those are not evenly distributed.  But the surface is covered enough to work.

I made that ceramic bowl!  (It has a lid, too.)  I was pleased it fit the recipe just right.

I used about that much paprika.  Ready for the oven.

The Verdict

It smells so good!

This is pure comfort food.  Serve it warm so the flavor of the ham and onion come through and the noodles give good support.  Be careful not to overcook it or it gets dry.

First helping.

I enjoy this every time I make it.  I wished I had added more caraway to this, and maybe a bit more pepper.  (Why does that make me think my tastebuds are getting old???)  

My guest taster thought it was fine but I got the sense he didn't think it was exceptional.  Just enjoyable.  He said he would eat it again if I fixed it.  One thing he noticed right away was the onion flavor.  You see, the onion is not precooked, so it has a bit of a tang and a distinct - but not strong - onion presence.  I think it surprised him because he is so used to the onions in a casserole being cooked before mixed in.

The next day we had some for lunch, and I think he liked it better.  He did add some seasoned salt to it, because he is more of a salt eater than I am.  I sure like it hot, not warm.  The flavors come through better and I did not want more seasoning this time.  Of course, casseroles are always better the next day, like stews.

Success!

In the 1990s, I tried making it more low fat.  My notes say that leaving out the butter worked well.  But translating the whole thing to low fat (by also substituting plain yogurt for the sour cream) was not a good idea.  You need some fat in it to keep it moist.

I have also tried it with cooked chunked breakfast sausage, which is a good substitute for ham.

Unless your table guests are big eaters, I would say this serves 6 to 8, not 4.

Showing off that casserole dish!

Vanilla Caramels, one of my Most Favorite recipes

I reserve the last post of the year for one of my favorite recipes.  (I still did a Pinedo recipe posted today but on the Pinedo-only blog, pinedo1898.blogspot.com.)  This year I dithered and fretted and wondered which recipe to pick.  I'm not sure why; it is not like I don't have any choices.  I have a little book which I purchased in the mid-1980s that I designated as my "Favorite Recipes" book.  It is one of those blank books with lined pages so you can fill in as you please.

When I bought it, I had no idea I would ever be writing a blog.  I didn't even know what a blog was, and the internet wasn't very developed, so writing in a book was a great way to document what I liked so I could find those recipes again easily.  I have tapped into this book several times over the 14 years of writing this blog.  So, while dithering yet again, I brought it down off the shelf and perused it.  

Aha!  My vanilla caramel recipe appealed so much, because it is a good recipe (hey, it is a favorite for a reason!) and I have an upcoming social gathering where I wanted to bring something to share.  This group has tasted my experiments before, so I had a standard to uphold...

The recipe is dated 12/21/87 and is the second recipe in the book.  I put a note that I got the recipe from the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper (does anyone know what a printed paper newspaper is these days?).  It is fun and easy to make, and I added a comment at the end which I will add at the end of this post.  Here goes!

Vanilla Caramels

1 cup white sugar (see my notes below)

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup butter (or margarine, but really.)

1 cup cream

2 teaspoons vanilla 

A simple list for such a good candy.

Mix all ingredients in a heavy saucepan.  Let boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a few drops of the mixture in cold water form a firm ball.  (240 degrees F or soft ball stage on a candy thermometer).  Remove from the heat and pour into a buttered 8 x 8 inch pan.  Cut when cool and wrap in waxed paper.

My Notes

It is important to expand on the simple directions regarding cutting and wrapping the candies.  See the end of these notes.

Be generous in buttering the pan.  It is easier to remove the candy if it is not sticking to the pan.  Prepare the pan before starting the cooking process.

I used a 6 x 10 inch pan instead of an 8 x 8.  I used a glass pan.  Metal also works.

I used my homemade vanilla sugar instead of just white sugar.  Either is fine, but I really like hitting hard on the vanilla flavoring.  I also used my homemade vanilla extract, which is vanilla beans soaking in vodka.  You can read about vanilla sugar by clicking on this sentence.

The saucepan shape I recommend is tall and narrow.  Not that I have that, but using a narrow pan (small diameter bottom) allows the mixture to be high enough to properly cover the candy thermometer, and tall gives room for the mixture to rise while cooking so as not to overflow.  I chose small diameter.

To get medium heat, I set the burner to 4 or 5 out of 10.  There is a point in the cooking where the mixture bubbles up and rises quite high, even though you are stirring it constantly.  Turn the heat down as needed to keep it from overflowing, then turn it back up again when the mixture settles back down again.

You really do have to stir it continuously.  Don't worry, you won't have issues with the candy sugaring or other problems.  Stand at the stove and keep the mixture moving the whole time it is cooking.  It doesn't take a long time to reach the right temperature.

Mostly pour the candy out into the pan.  Be careful about using a scraper to get the mixture sticking to the pan, because it is typically cooked to a higher temperature than the bulk of the mixture, and will change the way you feel it when you are eating it:  it brings in a crunch or other hard parts.

Ready for cooking.

At about 200 degrees F, the level rises, threatening to overflow.

At temperature.  Note the level is back down.

Cooling now.

I let it cool overnight.  To remove it from the pan, I used a wide spatula slid between the candy and the pan's side and pushed to separate the two.  Once I had gone all the way around, I used the spatula to start lifting the bottom up.  This is when generously buttering pays off.

Once the candy slab was free, I flipped it out of the pan and onto a piece of waxed paper.  

Then I buttered the blade of a butcher knife and cut the slab into rods.  After that, I cut the rods into small, bite-sized pieces, about 1/2 by 1/2 inch.  Not much bigger!  

The waxed paper wrappers are cut into no smaller than 2 by 3 inch pieces; 3 x 3 is probably better.  You need enough to go around the candy with overlap (the smaller dimension) and then "wings" that are twisted to hold the wrapper closed.  My preference is to twist so that the edge of the overlap is being pulled toward the candy.

I recommend cutting the wrappers while the candy is cooling.

Push!

Cooled candy, ready for cutting

Rods, about 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide

Cut candies, ready to wrap.

Wrapping process.

The Verdict

One batch produced about 120 candies.  A good supply for trying and sharing!

Ooo!

This batch was very good.  The candy cooked to 240 degrees F stuck more to itself than to the pan or my teeth.  It was soft so as not to stress my jaw with chewing but firm enough to hold its shape without flowing.  It had a lovely vanilla flavor without being too strong.  Success!  Adults like this because it is not bitingly sweet.

In the past I have cooked it to 250 degrees F, which is still softball stage but makes a firmer candy.  I recall it being stickier and chewier, which is not always pleasant.  Aim to 240 degrees and pull it off the stove right away.

I have wondered if I should add the vanilla extract after the cooking is done.  I have never tried it. 

The final comment in my written book is this:

Variation - leave out the cream, boil until it forms a crunchy ball in cold water (soft crack stage), add sliced almonds to make almond brittle or anything else that sounds good!

I vaguely recall doing that a few times, but can't really comment on it other than it must have worked or I would not have written it in.

Also, in the past I have kept some candies for a while to see how they would store.  I recall that they absorbed water from the air and their texture changed, not for the best.  This gives you an excuse to eat them, I'd say within a month, and to share them with friends.

Apples and Onions -- One of My Most Favorite Recipes

I reserve the last post of the year for one of my most favorite recipes.  This is my 13th year of food blogging (!), and I struggled to decide what to write about.  I have favorites, but which one should I pick?  One day I realized that a very quiet favorite -- one that I cook often but really don't think about much -- was a side dish that was both versatile and historical:  apples and onions.

Versatile:  I use it as a side dish to a main course such as baked chicken, a robust stew, or grilled salmon. It is fabulous with pork.  It is wonderfully supportive because it adds sweet, tart, and savory notes, depending on the ingredients you choose.  But it is also a good side dish for breakfast foods, such as French toast, pancakes, or omelets.  It adds the same notes but its overall flavor profile can be adjusted according to the spices and their ratios.

Historical:  I keep finding recipes or references to it in a variety of cultures over a wide span of time periods.  It seems that if a culture has both apples and onions available to it, it has discovered how wonderful the combination is.  The main differences are which spices are utilized.  In other words, once people taste it, they like it, and they pass that information to future generations.

The quantities I choose depend on my use.  My questions are:

Do I want more apple than onion?  Or more onion than apple?  Or a balance of their flavors?

I typically use spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, and salt.  Sometimes I throw in saffron or nutmeg or ginger or cardamom, depending on my mood and goal for the meal.  So I also ask:

Do I want it leaning towards savory or sweet?  

What are the spices used in the rest of the meal?

The answers direct the ratios.  Savory means more black pepper than cinnamon; sweet means more cinnamon than pepper.  Use both, as they complement each other well as I have learned from cooking medieval English recipes.  I might also include some herbs.

Another choice I make is about the fat used to cook the apples and onions.  Olive oil works well for the savory direction and butter for the sweet direction.  

I also decide how I want to cut up the apples and onions.  Do I want chunks or thin slices?  Often I will chunk the apples and thinly slice the onions, so I get a contrast of shapes.

The final decision is the type of apple:  a tart cooking apple really contributes a tang to the final dish, which goes well with savory meats and sweet breakfast breads.  But an eating apple that stays firm when cooked adds more sweetness, and that can be lovely, too.

I made it for this blog with the idea it would be a side dish to a main course of baked chicken.  I had very tart cooking apples and brown (yellow) onions.  I used black pepper and cinnamon in equal measure and salt to support them.  And I used olive oil.

Apples and Onions

2 tart apples

1 small yellow onion

1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon or less of olive oil

Peel and then thinly slice the onion.

Heat olive oil in a fry pan.

Add the onion and slowly saute it.

In the meantime, quarter and core the apple.  Cut into bite-sized chunks.

Add to the onions.  Mix well.

Saute apples and onions together, stirring occasionally.  If it looks dry, add a splash of water.  If you are in a hurry, put a lid on the pan to steam the apples, which cooks them quickly.

Stir in the spices (to taste).  Cook a little while longer to allow the spices to flavor the dish.

Taste and adjust spices as desired.  Serve hot.  (Also good reheated.)

My Notes

Well, most of my notes are written before the recipe.  When to add the apples?  When the onions are almost cooked to where you want them.  Do you want them transparent?  Browned?  Your choice!

How long to cook the whole thing?  Until the apples are tender.  Or further, if you want the spices to really infuse.

The spice range is to your taste.  I used the upper values for the pepper and cinnamon.

This quantity is good for 2 to 4 people.

Thinly sliced.

Chunks.  Leave the peel on!

Apples and onions cooking together.

With the spices just added.

Done!

The Verdict

This is always good.  I've been known to eat it as a meal in itself.  

My guest taster thought the spices were just right.  I thought that maybe they would be too strong for people not used to them.  Use your good judgement.

Success!

And cheers to the end of 2024.

Fresh Mint Liqueur - From My Most Favorite Cookbook!

I reserve the last post of the year for one of my most favorite recipes.  This time I want to profile one of my most favorite cookbooks.  I realized while making one of its recipes that I have used it regularly for more than 20 years and have never been disappointed.  I've shared it with friends, talked about it with others, and tried a variety of its recipes.  That makes it long overdue for highlighting on my blog.

The book is Classic Liqueurs, The Art of Making and Cooking with Liqueurs by Cheryl Long and Heather Kibbey.  I came across it one day while traveling:  I needed a break from driving and saw a large tent sale of some kind in a parking lot.  What I discovered was a used book sale which was, of course, heaven!  This book just asked to go home with me, and I am so glad it did.

ISBN 0-914667-11-4

Mine is the 1990 edition, and I know there have been other editions since then.  The description on the back cover says it all:

The books tells, simply and exactly, how to make the world's most famous liqueurs as well as exquisite fruit liqueurs in the home kitchen. ... Their easy and natural approach results in high-quality liqueurs.

The chapters include the basics of liqueur making, making fruit liqueurs, and making non-fruit liqueurs, serving and mixing liqueurs, and cooking with liqueurs.  The authors' backgrounds include being a food consultant, an editor of restaurant magazines, teachers of cooking classes, and a food columnist. 

A liqueur consists of three basic ingredients:  alcohol, sugar, and flavoring.  (Although they list "alcohol, water, and flavorings" because they discuss how water quality varies and can influence the liqueur's final result.  Sugar is important, so I include it.)  The alcohols that I've used are vodka and brandy, but you can use other types like pure grain alcohol, cognac, whiskey, scotch, and rum.  

The flavorings vary between fresh and dried fruits, fruit peels, seeds, herbs, and spices.  They recommend other ingredients to adjust the body and smoothness of the liqueur, none of which I have ever used.  

Something you have to know about making liqueurs:  they require a lot of patience.  Quite often they are quick and easy to assemble (like the recipe I describe below) but then you have to wait, often for weeks, while the flavors infuse into the liquid.  After that, you have to wait for months for the liqueur to age.  Planning ahead if you are considering liqueurs as gifts is crucial.  

But oh, it is worth it.  Aging brings a smoothness to the flavor and the mouthfeel.  The taste sensations go from "good" to "sublime."  And while the authors mention that most recipes reach their peak flavor after a year of aging and hold that for up to three years, I have tried my liqueurs after they aged for a decade or more and still found them to be wonderful.  

One aspect of liqueur making that I love as compared to making wine or beer is how little space and equipment you need.  Long and Kibbey's recipes make small batches (which are easily doubled), so I have a few repurposed glass jars which easily tuck onto a shelf in a cupboard to be ignored while the required infusing and aging times are passing.  I have some cloth bags that I use for filtering and some metal mesh sieves that are in my kitchen for other purposes.  The items that take up the most space are the bottles needed for gift-giving.  I noticed I tend to hoard these, but still they don't take up much room in my storage areas.  I suppose if I wanted to make a lot of liqueurs at once I might be pressed for space, but it has never been an issue.  

The only complaint I have had with making small batches is that if a liqueur turns out to be quite exquisite, you only have a small amount of it.  Of course, that makes it even more precious!

The overall concept of liqueur making is simple:  infuse the flavors into the water and alcohol liquid (sometimes sugar is added at this time and sometimes later), strain out the solids, and finally, let the mixture age.  I recommend putting notes into a calendar to remind you when to check on them and move to the next stage.  I also put notes on the container, like the name and the starting/ending dates -- one friend writes the entire recipe she used as part of her container notes, which I think is an excellent idea.  The cupboard should be one that is dark, cool, and out of the way.

Once you understand these basics and have tried some recipes, you can confidently try your own combinations.  They didn't always turn out how I envisioned them, but they have always produced a liqueur that was worth drinking.  I've used fruits like loquats and mulberries, and fruit blends like guavas-and-limes and guavas-and-cranberries.  I've tossed in spices that I thought would go well with a particular fruit.  I currently have a fig leaf liqueur aging.  Once I had a large volume of maraschino cherry juice that I mixed with vodka and a little sugar.  My guest tasters liked it but suggested it needed something more to make it "just right."  One taster figured it out:  a little bit of almond extract did the trick.  

The recipe I want to share with you is a repeat of one I made in 2002 that turned out to be wonderful:  Fresh Mint Liqueur on page 54.

1 1/4 cups fresh mint leaves, slightly packed

3 cups vodka

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon glycerine*

8 drops green food coloring*

2 drops blue food coloring*

*I skipped these ingredients.

The mint variety is an important choice.

Wash leaves in cold water several times.  Shake or pat dry gently.  Snip each leaf in half or thirds; discard stems.  Measure cut mint leaves, packing gently.

Combine mint leaves and vodka in aging container.  Cap and let stand in a cool place for 2 weeks, shaking occasionally.

After the initial aging, pour liqueur through colander into a large bowl to remove the leaves; discard leaves.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Let cool.  Add cooled sugar syrup to mint liqueur base, stirring to combine.  Add glycerine and food color; pour into aging container for secondary aging of 1 to 3 more months.

My Notes

Mint comes in a wide variety of flavors, so if you have the opportunity to choose, consider what you really like about mint.  The first time I made it, I used a variety called chocolate mint (the stems are brownish), which has a mint flavor without the bite of spearmint or peppermint.  I really like that its mint flavor seems deeper, too.  I still have chocolate mint in my yard, so that is what I used here.  Timing is important, too, when using home-grown herbs.  I think spring or early summer is a good time to harvest them.

This is a single batch of the liqueur base:

Clamp lid, "lightning lid", jars are wonderful for this.

So I doubled it:

This is after the initial infusion period.  Notice how the color has changed, and the batch has a lovely mint scent:

This is filtered:

Making the sugar syrup:

In the beginning

Boiling and getting ready to cool.

I have never felt the need to add food coloring to my liqueurs.  I like them just the way they are.  Also, I have never used glycerine.  At first because I just couldn't find it in the stores; later, I felt that the sugar syrups usually give a good mouthfeel.  If they don't, I add a little more sugar, and that fixes the problem.

And here it is in its aging container.  The date is when the final aging began, not the initial infusing.

Planning in June for a December post.

The Verdict

The first time I made this I was new at liqueur-making, and I was astonished and pleased with the result.  The best way to describe the flavor is:  like drinking a candy cane with a kick!  Sweet (but not too sweet), minty in a wonderful way, and then the warmth of the alcohol washes over you.  It was one of the exquisite liqueurs I have made over the years.

So having a large amount of chocolate mint growing in my yard inspired me to try it again.  Doubling the recipe was my choice because of how good I expected it to be.

A close-up of the color with no food coloring added.

Liqueurs are for small quantities that are sipped and appreciated.

After about 5 months of aging, I tasted it.  It was minty without a bite, sweet but not too much so, a good mouthfeel, and reasonably smooth.  I think all of it will improve with more aging.  The double batch made almost 1/2 gallon, which will last me a long time unless I start giving it away.  Christmas is soon, so I just might.  There is plenty to share!

Success, again.  So far it is not at the epic level the first attempt was, but time may change that.  

Others of Long and Kibbey's recipes I've tried are:  apricot, lemon, peach, plum, taboo (citrus and vanilla, one of the epic liqueurs), and crème de cacao (but with cocoa powder, not the liquid chocolate they suggest).  I've also used their recipes as inspiration for other fruits, herbs, and spices in liqueurs.

Happy New Year Twelve! - Chocolate Mousse Cake to Celebrate (part 2)

Yesterday I posted on how to make the chocolate chiffon layers for my 12th year of food blogging celebration.  Today I show how to assemble the cake.  Click here to see yesterday's post.

I'm using a recipe for Chocolate Mousse Cake as found on pages 134-135 in The Greyston Bakery Cookbook, by Helen Glassman and Susan Postal.

ISBN 0-87773-323-6

It is time to bring all the parts together!

Chocolate Mousse Cake

1 recipe Chocolate Chiffon Layers (2 layers, baked and cooled)

Chocolate Mousse:

3 cups heavy whipping cream

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3/4 cup sugar

Chocolate Water Glaze:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup water

1/8 cup simple syrup (see directions below)

1/8 cup beaten egg (1/2 egg)

4-ounce semisweet chocolate bar, slightly softened in a warm place

Carefully split cooled cake layers in half.  Place carefully on waxed paper on a flat surface.

Mousse:

Whip cream with sifted cocoa and sugar until quite firm, using an electric mixer.

Place first cake layer cut side down on cake plate.  This prevents cake crumbs from coming loose in the mousse.  Spread top evenly with about 3/4 cup mousse.

Repeat with additional layers, always placing cut side down. 

Frost the entire cake, top and sides, with remaining mousse, covering thinly but completely.  Chill in freezer about 1 hour.

 Chocolate Water Glaze:

Melt semisweet chocolate and water in heavy saucepan over low heat.  Stir well to make a smooth chocolate syrup.

Blend in the 1/8 cup simple syrup, made by boiling 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup powdered sugar together for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 3 - 4 minutes.

Blend in the beaten 1/2 egg and mix thoroughly.

Let glaze cool until it is just a little warmer than body temperature.

To Finish:

Carefully shave warmed chocolate bar with a potato peeler or sharp paring knife.  Use the entire 4-ounce bar.

Pour the warm glaze on the chilled mousse cake, sides first, smoothing with a knife, followed by the top.  The top should be as smooth and even as possible and should be poured on, not spread like a frosting.

Press the chocolate shavings all around the sides, working quickly before the glaze sets.  Keep refrigerated until you are ready to indulge.

Ingredients for the mousse

Ingredients for the water glaze

My Notes

I make the simple syrup before starting on any of the other steps, although you have time to make it during the 1 hour chilling time.  Once the powdered sugar and water mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer.  Stir occasionally.

To split the layers, I prefer to use toothpicks as guides and dental floss or heavy thread to cut.  This keeps everything accurate while making the layers simple to split.  See the pictures below.

If any of the layers break while moving them, just piece them back together in place.  

Chill the mixing bowl and beater before making the whipped cream. 

Plop a spoonful of mousse in the middle of the layer and then work the mousse out to the edges.  This cuts down on crumbs embedding in the mousse, too.  Aim to even it off across the top before the next layer is placed on it. 

I use up all (well, most) of the remaining mousse to frost the entire cake, even if the layer isn't thin.  Then I eat the little bit of mousse that is in the bowl.

Once the sides have mousse on them, make a final pass over them with a clean, slightly damp spreader held vertically.  This smooths the sides.

When mixing the beaten 1/2 egg into the water glaze, whisk the mixture while drizzling in the egg.

Shaving warm chocolate bars is messy!  Chocolate gets all over my hands.  Plan for that mess during the procedure.  I included in the pictures below the difference between the small shavings of a room-temperature bar and the long ones of the warm bar.  I thought some were too long to go on the cake well, so after they cooled to room temperature, I broke them.  That worked well.

I used a ladle to put the glaze on the sides.  Once some was on the sides, I used a lightly buttered spreader to even it out.  The order was:  glaze the sides, then the top, then smooth the sides, then press on the shavings.

I did my best to get the glaze on smooth and evenly, but I did manage to drop a piece of shaved chocolate on the top, which messed up that smoothness.  So I took a spoon and swirled the glaze decoratively around the edges of the top.  That covered the mistake and still looked good.

Here are pictures of the process:

Place 5 or 6 toothpicks at the halfway point of the layer.

Wrap the dental floss around the cake.  Pull the ends to cut the cake.

One half of a layer, neatly split.

The mousse

The first layer with mousse

All layers with mousse.

Ready for the freezer!

Chocolate and water.

Smooth.

Cooling.

Room temperature shavings.

Warmed chocolate shavings.

Glazing the sides.  Spread the glaze upward after the pour.

Glazing the top.

The final cake.  Note I cleaned up around the bottom of the cake, too.

The Verdict

I imagined Paul is in the tent and is judging my creation.  The first step is to critique the portioning of the layers and mousse.

I think Paul Hollywood would say I did a good job in getting the proportions right:  the mousse layers are fairly even in their thickness and are close to (but smaller than) the thickness of the cake layers. The water glaze thickness is consistent across the top of the cake and not too thick on the sides.

Generous but not too much so.  Well, I really don't know what Paul would say, but I'm happy with it!

The next step is to judge the flavor.  I love this cake!  The layers are rich and slightly bitter.  The mousse is light in both flavor and texture, keeping the cake from becoming too heavy.  The water glaze adds a bit of chewiness, which is nice.

But let's not go with just my very-biased opinion.  I shared the cake with several other guest tasters.  Everyone thought it was GOOD.  One guest, AD, noted that she has purchased a similar cake from her favorite bakery, but that mine was better overall and definitely more generous with the chocolate shavings.  

Another guest, FT, put her piece in the freezer until she was ready to eat it.  The book authors suggest this idea and say if you only let it defrost a little, it is like eating an ice cream cake.  FT agrees.

Success!  Again!  I'm labeling this recipe as a Most Favorite and not waiting for the end of the year.  At some point I'll try other cake recipes from the book, or at least I think.  : )

Hint:  the authors give us many variations on the mousse flavors along with ideas on how to use them other than on cake.  You can see some examples on the book cover picture.  Well worth it!