The Modern Baker: Time-Saving Techniques for Breads, Tarts, Pies, Cakes and Cookies
A collection of 150 simple step-by-step recipes that still have gourmet appeal,The Modern Bakerstrives to bring you baking success with the bulk of the preparation taking under one hour. Nick Malgieri distills years of teaching and experience into these detailed recipes for virtually every savory or sweet yeast bread, quick bread, muffin, pastry, dough, and batter. Recipes are thorough and include descriptions of how batters and doughs are supposed to appear at each stage of preparation.The Modern Bakeris as necessary and essential as a good oven; Nick Malgieri leads cooks through the simple art of creating an international assortment of delicious sweet and savory baked goods, interweaving techniques and helpful sidebars.Sample recipe fromThe Modern Baker: Chocolate Almond and Amaretti CakeOnce fall arrives and the flood of summer fruit and berries dwindles to a trickle, I start to think of using nuts in baking. The new crop of nuts begins to reach stores in the early fall and I love to start using them right away when they're at their peak of freshness and flavor. This chocolate almond and amaretti cake is a perfect vehicle for enjoying the lush sweetness of that newly harvested crop of almonds. Nuts and chocolate are always a great combination, and this rich and delicate cake showcases them particularly well. The presence of the ground amaretti cookies, made from exotic wild apricot kernels, provides a slight bitter almond perfume that pleasantly heightens the flavor and aroma of the almonds in the cake. One taste and you won’t miss those peaches and blueberries at all.--Nick MalgieriOne 10-inch cake, about 8 large servings8 ounces semisweet chocolate10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened2/3 cup sugar, divided7 large eggs, separated1 1/2 cups whole blanched almonds, about 5 1/2 ounces1/2 cup finely crushed amaretti cookies1/3 cup all-purpose flourConfectioners’ sugar for finishing1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees, setting a rack in the middle level. Butter a 10-inch round  cake pan, 2 inches deep, and cut a piece of parchment or wax paper to fit the bottom.2.Chop the chocolate finely and place it in a small bowl over hot water to melt, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the pan and cool the chocolate slightly.3.In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter with half the sugar until it’s soft and light. Beat in the chocolate, then the yolks, one at a time, scraping the bowl and beater(s) often. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and light.4.Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and grind them finely, pulsing the machine on and off at 1-second intervals. Be careful that they do not become pasty. Stir the almonds and amaretti crumbs, then the flour, into the batter.5.In a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites until they hold a very soft peak and whip in the remaining sugar in a slow stream. Continue to whip the whites until they hold a soft, glossy peak. Stir a quarter of the whites into the batter, then fold in the rest with a rubber spatula, so that no streaks remain.6.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the cake about 40 minutes, until the center is firm when pressed with a fingertip.7.Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. The cake may sink slightly, though this does not affect its texture. Trim off any loose crust and invert the cake on a rack, remove the pan, and allow to cool completely.8.Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar and slide onto a platter.