Esalen Cookbook (25 page)
Authors: Charlie Cascio
FROSTING4 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
To make the frosting: Blend cream cheese and sour cream in a mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and lemon juice and mix for 5 minutes until the frosting is smooth and has a nice shine. After the cheesecake has cooled for 2 hours, pour frosting onto cake and smooth with a spatula. Cool in the fridge for an additional 6 hours to set.
Pansforte
Flanagan Mackenzie, a half-Irish and half-Italian Esalen baker, discovered this recipe while studying art in Tuscany. She adapted this fruit-and-nut dessert to fit the Esalen crowd. This Tuscan treat has no eggs or sugar.
Serves 12
1 cup water
¾ cup maple syrup
¾cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups Thompson raisins
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups whole shelled almonds
Powdered sugar for dusting
In a saucepan, mix the water, syrup, and oil, and then whisk in the raisins, spices, and salt. It’s okay if the spices don’t mix well at first—they will in the end. Bring ingredients to a simmer and let cook for 3 minutes.
In the meantime, sift into a large mixing bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and then stir in almonds. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, pour in the liquid ingredients from the saucepan. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixed, but don’t overmix.
Press the mixture into an oiled 9-inch cake pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. The panforte will come out tender but will not be much higher than when it went in. Cut into 1- x 3-inch fingers and dust with powdered sugar.
WALNUT-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIESThese chunky cookies have a chewy texture with walnuts and chocolate chips enrobed in rich chocolate cookie dough.
Makes 2 dozen cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup softened, unsalted butter
1½ cups Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)
3 eggs
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Work scholar with India Hunt-Bedina and Ashley Smith
In a mixing bowl, sift the flours, cocoa, soda, and salt, and then mix well. In another mixing bowl, mix the butter and Sucanat until blended, and then add the eggs and whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in the flour mixture, and then add the chocolate chips and walnuts, stirring just until mixed. Do not overmix.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon cookie dough onto it by heaping tablespoons. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. For a chewy cookie, take them out of the oven when they are a little soft to the touch.
Walnut-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Bill Schrier, who left a job as a federal attorney to spend a year in the Esalen kitchen, perfected this classic macaroon recipe. Although Bill had never professionally done it before, he wanted to bake and cook. We were pleasantly surprised when we discovered that he had a hidden talent for it. This is one of his recipes that will always be remembered.
Makes 12 2-inch macaroons
MACAROONS6 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)
or brown sugar
4 cups finely shredded coconut
CHOCOLATE DIP2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
To make the macaroons: Separate the eggs and place the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat whites until they are stiff. Continue to beat and add in the vanilla, flour, and Sucanat. Gently fold in the coconut and mix well. The dough will be sticky.
Using an ice cream scoop (or by heaping tablespoons), drop the dough into little domes about 2 inches in diameter on a lightly oiled or parchment-covered baking sheet. Space domes about 1 inch apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until the macaroons turn a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes so the cookies can set. Then with a spatula, place cookies on a wire rack. These cookies are great with or without the chocolate dip.
To make the chocolate dip: Let the macaroons cool for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, place a saucepan with a small amount of water over low heat and put a smaller metal bowl inside the saucepan. The metal bowl should sit tightly on edge of the pan and not touch the water. Melt the butter; then pour in the chocolate chips and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Holding each cookie by the top of the dome, place the bottom of it into the melted chocolate and dip until chocolate goes up the sides a bit. When finished dipping, if any melted chocolate is left over, it can be dribbled over the tops of the macaroons. Place dipped cookies on a tray or plate that has been covered with parchment paper. Put in the fridge for about 10 minutes until chocolate has set or leave at room temperature until the chocolate is firm.
IRISH BROWNIES (AKA KONGO BARS)This is a recipe that our Irish chef Liam brought to the Esalen bakery. It’s been in his family for generations and he can’t remember where it originated. He has fond boyhood memories of his mother teaching him this recipe. This was the first dessert that he baked. Little did he know that this recipe would be the start of a lifelong profession?
Serves 12
2 cups packed brown sugar
⅔ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon non-aluminum baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup chocolate chips
In a mixing bowl, blend the brown sugar and oil, and then add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Don’t overmix. Add vanilla.
Liam McDermott
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into another mixing bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until mixed, and then add the chocolate chips and stir until blended.
Pour batter into an oiled 9- x 12-inch baking pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the bars comes out clean. Cool and cut into 12 squares.
LEMON POPPY SEED CAKEBoth poppy seeds and lemons have been used in cooking since ancient times. The poppy seed came from the Middle East and the lemon originated in Southeast Asia. This cake has been enjoyed at Esalen by our guests for years. It’s a recipe that is one of the basics that every new Esalen baker learns in his or her training.
Serves 10 to 12
2 cups Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice) or brown sugar
1½ cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
1 cup poppy seeds
Lemon Glaze (see sidebar) ,
Place the Sucanat or brown sugar in a mixing bowl and slowly pour in the oil, whisking or stirring vigorously as you pour. Beat the eggs into this mixture one at a time. Add the milk and lemon extract and beat until smooth.
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