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JANUARY 22, 2021

Bach Sweets

Bach Sweets

The subject of food is never far away while discussing music, thus our performers found themselves sharing recipes whilst preparing for this week’s concert of Bach’s iconic cello suites. Here then are the recipes that Pansy, Steve, Charles, and Trevor have paired with their respective Bach Suites. Bon appetit!

Pansy Chang’s Candied Pecans

Butter for greasing 18” X 13” sheet tray
1 egg white
1 tbsp. water
1 tsp. salt plus pinch
1 lb. pecans
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup sugar

Preheat oven to 275° F.
Butter sheet tray generously.
Beat egg white, water, and pinch of salt in bowl.
Add pecans, coat with egg white mixture.

In separate bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and 1 tsp. salt.
Add to pecans, mix to coat.
Spread pecans evenly on sheet tray, bake 30 minutes.

Remove pecans from oven, turn oven down to 250° F.
Stir gently for even baking.
Spread evenly and return to oven for 30 minutes.

Remove pecans from oven, allow to cool completely for maximum crunch.

Garnish:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. rum
1 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

Steve Vacchi’s Cardamom Cake

3 tbsp. ground cardamom
3 cups flour
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup milk (whole and skim dairy/almond/coconut all seem to work)
1½ cups sugar
½ cup melted butter
powdered sugar or hard sauce

Sift together flour, baking soda, cardamom, and cream of tartar. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs with the sugar, mixing well. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Add the butter and mix thoroughly.

Bake in a dry tube pan at 350°F for 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan and remove to a serving plate. Flavor is best when the cake is allowed to sit covered for several hours before serving.

Shortly before serving, sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar or hard sauce (optional). Variation: add 1 tbsp. almond extract and crushed almonds to the batter while mixing.

Cake has the consistency of a pound cake and will stay fresh for some time.

Charles Noble’s Tarte Tatin (©2021 Jacques Pepin)


8-10 servings

Pâte Brisée

1 cup flour
6 tbsp. very cold unsalted butter
⅛ tsp. salt
½ tsp. sugar
¼ cup ice water

Filling

⅓ cup sugar
3 tbsp. water
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 lb. Golden Delicious apples
½ cup sliced dried apricots
¼ cup slivered almonds or pine nuts
½ cup water

Glaze

2 tbsp. sugar

Garnish

1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. rum
1 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

Preparation

For the pâte brisée:
Put flour in a food processor. Cut butter into ¼″ slices and add to flour. Add salt and sugar, and process 5-8 seconds. Butter should still be visible in the dough. Add the water and process 5-10 seconds, just until the dough starts gathering. Turn it out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Form it into a loose mass.

Cover the dough with another piece of plastic wrap and roll the dough out to form a circle 11″ in diameter. Lift the enclosed dough round onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.


For the filling:
Cook the sugar with 3 tbsp. water in a nonstick ovenproof 12″ skillet over high heat until it caramelizes (3-4 minutes). Remove the skillet from the heat, and set aside. The caramel will harden. Remove the apple cores. Split the apples and cut into quarters.

Arrange apple quarters on top of the caramel skin side down in one layer. You will use 20-24 pieces. Sprinkle on the apricots and nuts, and dot with butter. Slice remaining apples thin (4½ to 5 cups), and arrange in the skillet to fill empty spaces. Add ½ cup water, and bring to a boil. Cover, and boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, until there is no visible liquid.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove dough round from the refrigerator, and place on a large cutting board. Peel off plastic wrap. Trim the edge to make the dough round, then fold the edge in on itself to form a border.

Lift the dough carefully, and arrange on top of the apples in the skillet. Press it down gently, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp. sugar. Bake for 45 minutes. Incline the pan. If any visible juices remain, cook over medium heat on the stove for 3-4 minutes. The tart can be cooked a few hours ahead.

Before serving, heat skillet for a few minutes, shaking it to release the apples. Place a round platter upside down over the skillet and invert the contents of the pan onto it, so the crust is now on the bottom.

Garnish

Beat the heavy cream with the rum and sugar until firm but not stiff.

Serve

Cut into wedges and serve with flavored whipped cream.

Trevor Fitzpatrick’s Canjica with Coconut Milk

1 500 gram (a little over 1 lb.) bag canjica
2 sticks cinnamon
½ tbsp. cloves (I tied them in a piece of cheese cloth)
2 cans coconut milk
1 cup sugar

1 cup grated coconut

1 can condensed milk
½
 tsp. salt


Soak the canjica for 4 hours or overnight. Drain the water and place it in the pressure cooker. After covering the grains with water, add 3 more cups of water. Add salt, cinnamon, grated coconut and cloves and cook it for about 45 minutes. 


Turn off the pressure and add the rest of the ingredients and boil for another 10-15 minutes. 
You can add more coconut milk if it’s too thick or blend 2 cups of canjica and mix together if it’s too watery. 

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