birthday do-over

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I made a do-over 40th birthday dinner for my son this past weekend. He, his wife and son tried to have a birthday weekend in Cape May, however, traveling with a toddler presented some unique challenges.
 
Many, many years ago, I made a pasta casserole recipe from “Gourmet Magazine” (January 1998), Baked Ziti with Mushrooms, Peppers and Parmesan; my son loved this dish. Despite my challenges post-surgery, I decided to prepare a dinner in his honor. I did however, prepare this meal over two days so I wouldn’t be on my feet too long.
 
For the recipe you’ll need yellow peppers, an onion, fresh garlic, olive oil, heavy cream, white button mushrooms, red bell peppers, orange bell peppers, ziti, scallions and Parmesan cheese. ​

The yellow peppers, onion and garlic are cooked in a covered heavy pan with olive oil until soft.  Once softened, cream is added to the pan. In small batches, the mixture is puréed in a blender then transferred to a bowl where it is seasoned with salt and pepper. (This step can be done two days ahead.) Using the same pan, I added more oil and cooked sliced red and orange peppers and sliced mushrooms seasoning them with salt and pepper. I prepared the peppers at the same time as the sauce and refrigerated.
 
The day of the dinner, I removed both the sauce and peppers to bring to room temperature then cooked the pasta. Just before the pasta was done, I removed one cup of the pasta water. The pasta was drained and put back in the pot. I first added the peppers to cool down the pasta before adding the yellow pepper sauce. Next, sliced scallions, green part only, along with grated Parmesan cheese and the reserved cooking water were mixed in. The mixture was placed in a large baking pan and bakes. To go along with the pasta, I made meatballs dressed with my fresh tomato sauce.
 
What a magnificent meal. I can’t believe that it took me so long to make this recipe again. The pepper sauce was creamy, yet light tasting. The peppers gave the sauce a freshness. The sliced peppers and mushrooms offered texture and complementary flavor to the pasta. The Parmesan cheese added a bit of nuttiness and creaminess to the dish. Everyone enjoyed this preparation. For my grandchildren, I made Uncle Giuseppe’s cheese ravioli. It was the first time trying these and they were excellent.
 
Since I’m still recovering,  my husband didn’t want me to prepare a dessert for our son, I opted to push ahead and make one. My son loves eclairs, however, when I tried making them once before, my pastry didn’t turn out quite right.
 
Earlier in the week, my daughter sent me a link to a recipe for Éclair Cake 2.0 by Carolina  Gelen. The recipe is made in an 8-inch x 8-inch square baking pan. Starting with the choux pastry you’ll need water, unsalted butter, Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, all-purpose flour and eggs. For the pastry cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch, Diamond Crystal Salt, whole milk, a vanilla bean and unsalted butter. The chocolate ganache is made with heavy cream, Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and chopped chocolate (half dark, half milk chocolate.)
 
A few suggestions, save the egg whites as they can be frozen, I used 2% milk instead whole and I used Ghirardelli Baking Bar, Bittersweet Chocolate 60% Cacao.
 
The choux for the cake is made the same was as for éclairs, that is combining water, salt and butter in a sauce pan until the butter is melted. Next, flour is added and vigorously mixed with a wooden spoon until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and there’s a light film on the bottom. The mixture is placed in a mixing bowl and cooled until it reaches room temperature. Eggs are added one at s time and vigorously mixed in. I used a stand mixer with a flat paddle for this step.
 
You’ll need to line one or two baking sheets with parchment. On one side you’ll trace two 8-1/2-inch squares; flip over when done. You can either use a piping bag or a zip lock bag (corner cut) and pipe the pastry within 1/2-inch of the edge. I chose to place a dollop of choux on the squares and spread with a spatula. The pastry is baked for approximately 18 to 23 minutes or until golden and hard to the touch. It’s removed from the oven and placed on cooling racks.
 
The pastry is made by blending egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan  milk and vanilla bean is heated until hot and close to simmering. You’ll then continually whisk in half of the milk into the eggs to prevent the egg mixture from creating lumps. After you’ve blend the eggs and milk, pour the mixture in with the remaining milk and cook over medium-low heat until it thickens. You MUST constantly whisk to prevent overcooked eggs. Off heat you’ll add butter and mix to combine. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any clumps and to achieve a silky texture.
 
One layer of the choux is placed in a 9-inch square pan and is topped with the pastry cream. Top with the remaining choux pastry. The éclair cake is topped with the chocolate ganache and needs to set up for at least 12 hours.
 
I made my ganache with bittersweet chocolate, salt and heavy cream. I warmed the cream in a pot until it simmered. I placed my chocolate and salt in a bowl and poured the warmed cream over. I let the mixture sit for ten minutes before whisking to combine.
 
The completed cake came right to the top of the pan. The pastry cream had to be at least 3-inches high. Instead of leaving the cake in the pan, prior to assembly, I made a foil sling to remove the cake for serving. I used foil as I thought it was best choice. In hindsight, I should have used parchment as it would have been easier to slip a long spatula under the cake to place on a serving dish.
 
In any event, the cake was a hit with my family! The thin choux pastry offered just enough texture to be a cake. The pastry cream was rich, indulgent and the vanilla bean added more flavor than vanilla extract. I made nine portions from the éclair cake, which was more than enough for one to eat.
 
One small note, as I mentioned I used bittersweet chocolate. Though it was just my granddaughter and I, we thought the chocolate tasted a tiny bit salt. Next time, I’d leave it out.

If you have a question about a recipe, you can click on "Comment" below.  Be sure to include your email address so I can directly reply to you. You can also click on "Contact" to reach me. 

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Baked Ziti with Mushrooms, Peppers and Parmesan
“Gourmet Magazine,” January 1998
 
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
 
Ingredients
3 large yellow bell peppers (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms
2 medium red bell peppers
2 medium orange bell peppers
1 pound ziti
8 scallions (green part only)
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)
 
Preparation

1. Chop yellow bell peppers and onion and mince garlic. In a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan cook yellow peppers, onion, and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until peppers are soft, about 30 minutes. Stir in cream. In a blender puree mixture in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. (Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before proceeding.)
2. Thinly slice mushrooms lengthwise and cut red and orange bell peppers into 1/4-inch-wide strips. In a deep large heavy skillet cook mushrooms and peppers in remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until peppers are softened and most of liquid is evaporated, about 8 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Fill a 6- to 7-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in ziti and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain ziti well in a colander. Rinse ziti and drain well. Thinly slice scallion greens. Into sauce stir ziti, mushroom mixture, scallion greens, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, reserved cooking water, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into a 3-quart shallow baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.
5. Bake ziti in middle of oven until hot and pasta begins to brown, about 20 minutes.

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​

Éclair Cake 2.0
By Carolina Gelen
 
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Chill Time: 8-12 hours
 
Servings: 9
 
INGREDIENTS
 
Choux Pastry
½ cup (115 g) water
1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons or 60 grams) unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon Diamond crystal kosher salt
1/2 cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
 
Pastry Cream
6 egg yolks
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (96 g) cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon Diamond crystal kosher salt
4 1/2 cups (1 liter and 111 g) whole milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
8 tablespoons (113 g) or 1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
 
Chocolate Ganache
1 cup (240 g) heavy cream
¼ teaspoon Diamond crystal kosher salt
180 g chopped chocolate, half dark chocolate, half milk chocolate
 
INSTRUCTIONS
CHOUX PASTRY

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, salt, and butter. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once all butter is melted, dump in all the flour and vigorously mix with a wooden spoon.
2. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes a sticky paste and there’s a visible film of starch on the bottom of the pan, for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Cool for 10 mins, until room temp. Add an egg to the paste and vigorously mix using a fork or Dutch whisk. The pastry will first look clumpy and separated, but the more you mix, the smoother it will get.
4. Once the first egg has been incorporated, add in the second egg and mix until combined.
5. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Trace 2 x 8.5-inch squares on the parchment paper. Flip the parchment on the other side and set aside. If the parchment paper won’t fit 2 squares, trace a single square and repeat the process after the first bake.
6. Add the pastry to a piping (or zip lock) bag. Cut the tip off and equally squeeze the pastry in both squares. Spread the pastry all over the square surface using a spatula. If you don’t feel like using a piping or zip lock bag, you can also dollop the pastry directly on the baking sheet and spread it with a spatula.
7. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until lightly golden yellow and hard to the touch. Pull the pan out the oven, place the pastry squares on a cooling rack and set aside.

 
Pastry Cream

1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and vanilla beans over medium heat and heat until hot and close to simmering. While constantly whisking the egg mixture, slowly stream 2 cups of the hot vanilla milk.
3. Pour this warm yolk mixture into the pot with the rest of the milk.
4. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts bubbling and becomes visibly thickened, like pudding.
5. Remove the pot off the heat, then mix in the cubed butter until combined. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any clumps or overcooked egg.
6. Place a baked choux pastry square at the bottom of a 9-inch square pan. If needed, use scissors to trim the border of the choux squares so they can fit inside the baking dish. Pour all the (still warm) pastry cream over the choux square. Top with the other choux square, directly on the pastry cream. Set aside.
7. Place a baked choux pastry square at the bottom of a 9-inch square pan. If needed, use scissors to trim the border of the choux squares so they can fit inside the baking dish. Pour all the (still warm) pastry cream over the choux square. Top with the other choux square, directly on the pastry cream. Set aside.

 
CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove off the heat, add the chocolate and salt. Wait a few minutes, then whisk until silky smooth. If clumpy, warm for a couple more minutes and mix. You could also microwave the heavy cream, add the chocolate and whisk to combine.
   
2. Gently pour the chocolate ganache all over the cake, using a ladle or spoon. 
   
3. Chill in the fridge overnight, for at least 12 hours before serving. Slice and serve!

 

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