Cookbook Review: The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches by Susan Russo

Pound Cake Sandwich

Scented strawberries. Their sweet smell wafting on the humid Florida breeze signals the unofficial dawn of the summer.

With summer also comes dips in the pool and burgers on the grill. My favorite burger recipe still remains the Apple & Gruyere Turkey Burger with Sage Mayo by Susan Russo, aka Food Blogga. She was one of the very first food bloggers I ever discovered, and she was coincidentally the first food blogger to follow me on Twitter. I was dumbfounded at the time. Susan Russo following my little Twitter feed.

Project Food Blog #8 - Spiced Pumpkin Rocky Road Cake

Voting for Round 8 of Project Food Blog is now open. Please visit Foodbuzz to cast your vote! Thank you for your continued support!

It's the holidays - time to get wild.

I think one of my favorite things about the holidays is breaking rules.

I get to graze the buffet of food at family and friends houses nearly nonstop for days without being bothered. I can stay up late visiting and enjoying time with family, then sleep in late and blame it on an overdose of all the delicious food.

And who said pumpkin desserts have to be orange? Instead of showing up at someone's door with the same ole pumpkin pie, I show up with a cake that has its own gravitational pull. I do enjoy breaking food rules.

Also, fresh pumpkin purée is easier than the canning gods would have you believe. Just cut, scoop, and roast. My local co-op was selling organic sugar pumpkins, or pie pumpkins, for only 99 cents a pound. I was able to make 4 cups of organic pumpkin purée for $4 and roughly 10 min of physical work. And the rest of the cake was simple as well. In fact, if you put it together in steps over a few days, it will feel like you barely did any work at all. You'll be able to show up at any holiday shindig and just smile sweetly while enjoying a piece of this delicious cake listening to people gush about all your "hard" efforts.

Plus, in the spirit of the holidays, I'm going to share with you the secret to cooking with pumpkin purée, fresh or canned - drain it. Pumpkins contain a lot of water, which is rarely accounted for in recipes. To ensure the dish you're making is not watery or overcooked, drain the purée in several tea towels or a bundle of paper towels (preferably some tea towels though since they can just be washed rather than thrown away). The first time you do this step, you'll realize how important it is to your recipe's success in both the consistency and taste.

Pumpkin and chocolate are quite the edible pair. I love how the fresh pumpkin is not overwhelmed by the dark chocolate; instead it brings a complimentary sweetness to the dessert. The trifecta of spices makes it feel like a pumpkin pie might be hiding in the cake somewhere, but the chocolate siren already has you transfixed into a state of bliss with her familiar song. The familiar flavors come alive in a fresh new way in this cake with each mouth watering bite. It's complete bliss at the best time of the year. Cheers.

How To Roast A Pumpkin
Printable Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400*F.

Clean the pumpkin well. Using a large knife, cut the pumpkin in half.

Use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds (save the seeds for an upcoming recipe!).

Sprinkle the pumpkin flesh with a pinch of kosher salt. Use a baking sheet with a lip and place the pumpkins face down on parchment paper. Rub the skin with olive oil to help the flesh pull away more cleanly once baked. Roast in the oven for 45 min.

Allow to cool for 1 hour.

Then scoop out the roasted pumpkin. Then use a food processor to blend the pumpkin for 3 min into a smooth purée.

Store in tupperware temporarily in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 6 months.

To drain the pumpkin purée for use in recipes, take the needed measurement of purée and place it between several layers of tea towels or paper towels.

Press down gently on the purée to level it into a flat disk and ensure most of the water is drained from the purée before adding to a recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Marshmallows

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup filtered water

3/4 cup turbinado

1/2 cup raw honey

1 1/2 tbsp agar agar or 1 tbsp guar gum*

3 egg whites

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup pumpkin purée

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Butter a 9x9 glass baking pan, layer parchment paper to include the sides, then butter the parchment paper. Sprinkle several tbsp of powdered sugar over the buttered paper and smooth with your hand to ensure the pan is covered. Set aside.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the water, turbinado, and raw honey. Bring to a boil and, using a candy thermometer, allow the mixture to reach 235-240*F. Do not stir and do not cook for more than 8 min, or it will begin to burn.

Remove from the heat and add the agar agar. Allow the mixture to sit on the stove for 15 min.

Using a stand mixture, add the egg whites to the chilled mixing bowl and beat for 3 min on high speed. Next, slowly drizzle the stove mixture into the whipped egg whites in small batches, which will take approximately 5 min.

Keep the beater on high speed and add the pumpkin purée in small spoonfuls. Then add the spices and vanilla at the very end and only mix until combined.

Use a spatula to smooth the marshmallow into the 9x9 pan.

Using a sieve, top with several tbsp powdered sugar. Refrigerate for at least 4 hrs, but preferably overnight.

When ready, flip the marshmallow out of the pan onto a smooth surface covered with parchment paper, topped with more powdered sugar. Use a pizza cutter to cut the marshmallow into desired pieces; or use any cookie cutter - remembering to dip it into powdered sugar between each cut to prevent the marshmallows from being sticky (::ahem::). Marshmallows can be stored in an air tight container on the counter for several days.

~Yields 48 1" marshmallows.

~Original by Brie.

*Guar gum can be used to thicken the marshmallows, but will leave a distinct flavor that cannot be covered up with other ingredients.

Chocolate Pumpkin Ganache
Printable Recipe

24 oz 60% cacao chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 sticks butter, cut into 1 oz pieces
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1 tsp cinnamon

Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl over a small pot of simmering water on the stove. Stir occasionally until fully melted.

Remove from the heat and, in 4 oz increments, whisk in the butter until fully incorporated.

The ganache will need to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before it will cool and be thick enough to spread onto the cake. The ganache can also be temporarily stored covered in the refrigerator, but will need to come to room temperature to be spreadable.

~Yields 6 cups ganache.

~Original by Brie.

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Cake
Printable Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup cocoa
4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups pumpkin purée
4 tsp vanilla
3 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups turbinado
6 large eggs
2 egg yolks

First, butter four 9" round pie pans. Cut out circular pieces of parchment paper and lay them on the bottom, buttering the top of the parchment paper once it's in the pan. Preheat the oven to 375*F.

In a large bowl, stir together the ingredients of flour through salt. Then sift the ingredients together well to ensure the dry ingredients are mixed thoroughly and does not contain lumps.

In a second bowl, stir together the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla. Set both bowls aside.

In a large mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars for 1 min. Then add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time until fully combined. Then add the dry and wet ingredients into the mixer in thirds on low. Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides, then mix for a few seconds on medium speed to ensure the batter is fully incorporated.

Using a spatula, spoon the batter evenly into all pans and smooth down. Bake in the oven for 25 min. Allow to cool for 10 min, then transfer to a cooling rack to allow the cakes to reach room temperature.

Once completely cooled, use a long knife to smoothly level the top of each cake (you can also use this time to slice each layer in half if you would prefer thinner layers of cake or just to show off the fact you have an eight layer cake).

Use your hands to feel the top of the cake to ensure it is smooth and flat.

~Yields 4 cakes.

~Adapted from Country Living.

Putting the Cake Together

2 cups chopped walnuts
1/4 cup 60% cacao chocolate chips
1/2 cup Pumpkin Pie Marshmallows

Place one cake on the serving platter. Use three strips of parchment paper and place under the cake in a triangle pattern to prevent the ganache from touching the platter while icing.

Using an icing spatula, place 3/4 cup ganache onto the cake and spread until flat. Continue to top with another cake and ganache until all cakes have been placed.

Use most of the remaining icing to smooth the sides of the cake.

With the remaining icing, rewarm over a small pot of steaming water on the stove to melt the ganache. Pour over the top of the cake and allow to drip down the sides of the cake.

Then top with the walnuts, chocolate chips, and marshmallows.

~Yields 8 large slices.

~Original by Brie.

Sex & Candy Cake and Sweet, Sweet Violation Martini

Dante has taunted me for a second time.

This time it was in response to a Friday Recitation referencing the infamous song by Marcy Playground "Sex & Candy". Ah, that certainly brings back memories of high school. And, no, not *those* kinds of memories.

This was definitely a challenge. How in the world am I to capture the smell of sex and candy? More importantly, how can I do this in an appetizing manner to such a wide audience?

When people think of sex and candy, chocolate has to be involved somehow, so I knew that needed to be incorporated. And store bought candy is too cliché, so I made a note to make some myself that could be molded to whatever I ended up making. People are also normally aroused by the exotic, so sweet fruits were also listed. I started searching for recipes with these ingredients and soon found my answer: Passion Fruit & Mango Chocolate Cake. Awwhh, yeeeah.

Mango slices give you a peek of what's inside.

But this wasn't good enough. It needed to be even sexier. Then I found a chocolate mirror glaze, so clear you can see yourself - ok, I won't go there.

With the Passion Fruit Hard Candy.

I can tell you one thing - this cake got plenty of foreplay. It has a lot of steps and needs wooing before it's ready to assemble and enjoy. If you've been following along this past week, you'll have the instructions for making the ghee, cream, and butter. That's right baby, everything is made from scratch. You can't expect to get any love in return if you don't put in the effort.

A slice of naked cake.

I decided to create the cake over several days, which was more exciting and less exhausting than trying to do everything at once. Sadly, my local markets are not carrying passion fruit, so I had to use juice. And I attempted to make organic hard candy this past Spring, but that didn't go too well, so hard candy is the first recipe you'll see on the blog using non-organic ingredients. I also took it off the burner a little too soon since I was so afraid of burning it, but the freezer is a great back-up for hardening the candy.

This was quite the experience and it certainly was sexy with all the different types of chocolate and exotic fruit aromas lingering in the air. And the taste. Oh, goodness, the taste. The cake is very light and soaks up the Mango Syrup beautifully. Plus your teeth sink through all the different layers as you begin to taste and feel all the layers melting together. And the hard candy was kept to the back of the cake so eating the cake first remained sexy and not messy, but it's a nice treat to suck on and allow all those layers of chocolate to linger in your mouth. And that martini is certain to make any situation both sweet and sexy. Between the chocolate, sweet fruits, vodka, and spiced rum - you'll have anyone smiling after these two delicacies.

Oh, my. It's getting a little hot in here...the candy is melting.

All in all, this sexy cake and martini were easier than making Peppermint Fried Stork. I hope they exceed your expectations. They certainly satisfied mine. Now what to do with all this leftover chocolate ganache...

Sex & Candy Cake
Printable Recipe

Day 1

Passion Fruit & Mango Curd

3 egg yolks
1/2 cup turbinado
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup passion fruit juice
1/4 cup mango purée

In a small sauce pan, whisk together the yolks, turbinado, and butter.

Add the passion fruit juice and cook over medium-low heat for several minutes. The water needs to evaporate until the curd begins to thickly coat the back of the mixing spoon.

Next, pour the curd through a strainer.

Then add the mango purée and mix together well.

Cover with plastic wrap touching the curd and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours, although the curd will keep for several days.

Passion Fruit Hard Candy

2 cups white sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup passion fruit juice

candy thermometer
mold

Prepare molds beforehand.

In a small sauce pan equipped with a candy thermometer over high heat, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Once blended, allow the mixture to boil, but do not stir anymore. The mixture needs to reach 300*F. Once it has reached the hard crack stage, remove from the heat and add the passion fruit juice and blend evenly.

Quickly pour the mixture into a greased mold and allow to set until cool.

Day Two

Chocolate Génoise Cake

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup organic cocoa powder
6 large eggs
1 cup turbinado
4 1/2 tbsp ghee
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Butter a 9" cake pan and place a layer of parchment paper on the bottom and also butter.

Sift the flour into a large bowl.

Then sift the cocoa powder into the bowl.

Then sift the flour and cocoa until the mixture is evenly blended.

Next, in a medium sauce pan, whisk the eggs and turbinado together over medium-low heat. The mixture must be whisked the entire time to prevent the eggs from cooking. Remove from the stove once the mixture is warm to the touch, which should take 7-10 min. (Do not rush this step - plus your arms could use the workout.)

Then carefully sift and fold the dry ingredients into the mixture in thirds to prevent lumps from forming. Next whisk in the warm ghee and vanilla, still stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking, until the batter is smooth and all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 25 min. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool for 10 min.

Transfer the cake to a cooling rack, remembering to remove the parchment paper, and allow it to cool completely. The cake can remain stored overnight on the counter if covered.

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
12 oz bittersweet chocolate

Place a small sauce pan over low heat half filled with water and allow it to steam.

Pour all ingredients into a medium metal bowl and melt over a steam bath for 17-20 min, stirring occasionally and allowing some of the water from the cream to steam off.

Remove the ganache from the stove and bring it to room temperature on the counter; then cover and place in the refrigerator until time to use. Remove it from the refrigerator at least one hour before needed so it is easier to manipulate.

Mango Syrup

1 vanilla bean
3/4 cup turbinado
2/3 cup mango purée

Slice the vanilla bean in half and gently scrap out the seeds.

In a small sauce pan, pour in the turbinado and add the vanilla seeds and bean. Stir in the mango purée until no dry turbinado remains.

Place over medium-high heat and allow the mixture to boil for 3-5min without stirring.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a glass bowl. Allow it to reach room temperature before placing in the refrigerator. Before using, allow the syrup to reach room temperature and remove the vanilla bean.

Day Three

Lacquer Chocolate Glaze

1/4 cup cold water
2 tsp agar agar
2/3 cup turbinado
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 tbsp honey
3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 cup cream

In a small bowl, mix cold water and agar agar together and set aside.

In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, melt together the turbinado and water. Once melted, mix in honey and then cocoa with a whisk until smooth.

Return the pan to the stove set on medium-high heat and stir in the cream. Once boiling, remove from the stove and strain into a medium bowl. Allow it to cool for 12-15 min.

Then mix in the gelatin mixture and allow the glaze to reach room temperature before using.

Assembly

Using a long knife, carefully level the top of the cake in small patches. Use your hand the feel if the cake is level.

Take the knife and make a shallow cut around the entire cake. Keep the tip of the knife on the outside of the cake and make deeper cuts. Rotate the cake in a circle until it both pieces are separated.

Brush the Mango Syrup onto the bottom layer of the cake.

Take the Chocolate Ganache out of the refrigerator and spoon it into a plastic zip top bag with a corner cut off. Pipe the ganache around the rim of the cake about half an inch from the edge.

Pour in the Passion Fruit & Mango Curd and level with a knife.

Place on the top layer of the cake and tuck in some wax paper under the edges. Then pour on the Lacquer Chocolate Glaze.

The glaze will settle in a few minutes, then the wax paper can be removed to reveal clean edges for presentation. The cake will likely need to be put in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes at this point since the ganache will become soft and spread. This cake cannot sit out for long periods of time from all the different soft layers.

~Recipes adapted from Café Fernando: Passion Fruit, Mango and Chocolate Cake & L'Orange.


And like Dante mentioned, such a sexy cake cannot stand alone. This martini is sweet in more ways than one.

Sweet, Sweet Violation Martini
Printable Recipe

thin slice of mango
fine turbinado sugar
1 oz spiced rum
1 oz vodka
1 oz passion fruit juice
3 oz mango juice

Using a piece of mango, rub it along the rim of a martini glass and dip the glass into fine turbinado sugar. Add the rum through mango juice and lightly stir. Garnish with a strip of mango and enjoy.


~Original by Brie.