Maxed out on cookies and candy canes? Finish your Christmas feast with something a little less sugary.
Olive Oil Cake
Dress up this humble, not-too- sweet cake for a celebration supper with brandy sabayon (recipe below) or sweetened whipped cream. Drizzle with a little warmed orange marmalade or orange-flower honey, and sprinkle some chopped pistachios or almonds on the top. Serve with a glass of port or fresh coffee. Adjusted for Denver’s altitude (leavening reduced). Serves 8-10.
Ingredients
5 eggs
Zest of 1 1/2 oranges
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 cups cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
Directions
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the eggs, zest and sugar in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for a minute, until evenly mixed. Reduce the speed to low and add the olive oil in a slow, steady, continuous stream. Stir together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add the dry mixture to the egg mixture in three additions, whisking at low speed the entire time. Whisk just until the batter is smooth and even.
Rub the inside of 6 mini Bundt pans or a 10-inch cake pan with a film of olive oil (a springform pan is fine, just wrap it in aluminum foil to prevent seepage). Fill with batter until the pan is nearly full. Bake the mini Bundts for 25 to 30 minutes, or the 10-inch cake for 45 to 50 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into its thickest part comes out dry.
Brandy Sabayon
Recipe by Tucker Shaw. Substitute marsala wine, port, champagne, grappa, calvados, grape juice or apple juice for the brandy. Makes enough for 8 servings.
Ingredients
4 very fresh egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
Directions
Place a metal bowl over a saucepan with a couple of inches of simmering water in it. Place over medium heat. (Be sure the bowl is not touching the water.) Add all ingredients to bowl and begin whisking. Continue to cook gently, and whisk gently, until it’s light and fluffy and tripled in size. Keep the water at a simmer, not a boil — do not overheat or you will scramble the egg. Can be served warm, chilled, or at room temperature. Good on fruit or cake. (If you plan to serve it chilled, chill it quickly by partially submerging the cooking bowl into a larger bowl of ice water and whisking until cool.)
Pear and Panettone Pudding
Adapted from “Gorgeous Christmas,” by Annie Bell (Kyle Books). (Editor’s note: Although we’re printing the original recipe here, I reduced the sugar quantity to 1/2 cup, and it was no real sacrifice. I also substituted half-and-half for heavy cream, and 2 percent milk for whole. The result was lighter than the original, but just as delicious.) If you can’t find superfine sugar, blitz granulated sugar in food processor for 1 minute, then measure. Serves 6.
Ingredients
3 medium eggs
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
Salted butter, softened
10-15 slices of panettone (about 1/2-inch thick each, cut as wedges from a 1 1/2pound loaf)
2 slightly underripe pears, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced lengthwise
1/3 cup apricot jam, warmed and sieved (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl, then whisk in the cream, milk and rum. Butter the panettone and arrange lengthways in overlapping slices to cover the base of a 14-inch oval gratin or other shallow ovenproof dish. The center may take 2 slices side by side, while the narrow ends will hold only one. Scatter the pears over the top. Pour the custard through a sieve over and around the panettone and fruit.
Place the gratin dish inside a roasting dish with cold water that comes 2/3 of the way up the sides. Bake for 1 hour, until the custard is puffy and set and the bread is golden. Brush the bread’s surface with the apricot jam (this bit is optional but it gives the pudding a lovely sticky glaze). Serve warm.
