TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
HOME & LIVING
Cookbook author turns attention to cakes
over medium heat, combine the
dates and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons
water. Cover pan and simmer for
MINNEAPOLIS – “A cake can
about 5 minutes to soften dates. Re-
turn any Tuesday into an occasion,”
move from heat and let sit, covered,
writes Zoë François in the just-
for another 5 minutes until dates are
released “Zoë Bakes Cakes” (Ten
tender; it may take up to an additional
Speed Press, $30). “Cake is the way
5 minutes if dates are dried out.
I tell my friends and family that I
Transfer dates and water to a
love them.”
blender
and purée until smooth.
The tireless author became a
Return
the
purée to the pan, return
force in the cookbook world by
the
pan
to
medium
heat and cook,
co-writing the wildly successful
stirring,
until
the
purée
begins to
“Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a
sizzle,
about
1
minute.
Remove
pan
Day” series with fellow Minnesotan
from
the
heat
and
stir
in
the
baking
Jeff Hertzberg.
soda and ginger; the mixture will
With “Zoë Bakes Cakes,” François
foam and darken. (The baking soda
is turning to a different side of her
neutralizes the acid in the dates and
passion for baking, sharing dozens
creates a rich dark color.) Let purée
of cake recipes, from family favorites
cool slightly.
to re-creations of discoveries she’s
In the bowl of an electric mixer
encountered during her travels. But
on
medium-high speed, beat 6
before delivering the goods, François
tablespoons
butter until creamy and
starts with a series of easy-to-absorb
smooth,
about
1 minute. Reduce
tutorials — she calls it the Cake
speed
to
medium,
add 1 cup brown
Academy — that are culled from
sugar
and
vanilla
extract
and beat
her vast pastry chef’s know-how.
until
the
mixture
is
light
in
color and
François has been busy. Along
about
double
in
volume,
about
5
with producing “Zoë Bakes Cakes”
minutes.
Reduce
speed
to
medium-
Penguin Random House
(after formulating the recipes in her
low and add the eggs, one at a time,
well-equipped Minneapolis kitchen, “Zoe Bakes Cakes” by Zoë François.
beating until just combined and
she also shot many of the book’s
scraping the bowl after each addition.
hunger-inducing photographs) and
Add 2 tablespoons rum and mix until
keeping her 300,000 Instagram
I have it going until I can see the
“People think of caramel as
evenly incorporated.
followers engaged (fi nd her @
whip attachment is making tracks
In a medium bowl, whisk together
purely
sweet,
but
it
can
have
this
Makes 12 individual cakes.
zoebakes), she’s also starring in a
in it, what some people might call
the
fl our, baking powder and 1/2 tea-
television series, “Zoë Bakes,” for the bitter edge to it that adds a nice medium peak. Then I fi nish it by
spoon
kosher salt.
Note: “When my friend Steven
new Magnolia Network (watch the dimension to a cake.”
hand, for about 20 seconds. That’s
With
the mixer on low speed, add
fi rst episode now on Discovery Plus).
what makes perfect whipped cream. Brown asked me to design a dessert
one-third
of the fl our mixture to the but-
—
Author
Zoë
François
In a recent phone conversation,
Q: When baking cakes, you advo- program for his now-famous Tilia
ter
mixture,
mixing until just combined.
restaurant, he had two requests:
François discussed the beauty of
cate the spoon-and-sweep method
Add
half
of
the
date purée and mix to
There had to be a butterscotch pud-
Minnesota-made Bundt pans, the
I love dates, because they’re sweet
for measuring fl our, where fl our is
incorporate.
Repeat
with another one-
ding and a sticky toffee-date cake,”
power of Instagram and the joys of and rich, and they add this incred-
spooned into the measuring cup,
third
fl
our,
the
remaining
date purée,
cake stands.
ible texture to a cake. Caramel is
rather than scooping the measuring writes Zoë François in “Zoë Bakes
and
then
fi
nish
with
the
fi
nal
one-third
Cakes” (Ten Speed Press). “I bake
Q: After eight bread books, why a one of those things for me, it shows cup directly into the fl our. Why?
fl
our,
scraping
the
bowl
after
each addi-
them in individual servings so they
cake book?
up a lot in the book. People think of
A: Spoon-and-sweep is the King
tion.
Mix
only
enough
to
combine.
can be tipped out and topped with a
A: This book is really intimate to caramel as purely sweet, but it can Arthur fl our method, and it’s used
Evenly scrape the batter into the pre-
scoop of ice cream (I use rum raisin),
me, because it’s all my stories, it’s all have this bitter edge to it that adds because then the fl our is more
pared
ramekins (or muffi n tins). Bake
like a crown.”
of the things that I love. My goal is a nice dimension to a cake.
aerated. When I was traveling I
until
the
cakes are golden and a tester
to teach techniques, and to give just
Q: The book is divided into styles saw that when people were baking
comes
out
with moist crumbs, about
For the cake
enough food science to understand of cakes — layered, soaked, Bundt
with King Arthur fl our and used
30
minutes.
Don’t overbake; you want
12 oz. Medjool dates (about
what went wrong. It’s about giving and more. Do you have a favorite
the scoop-and-sweep method, they
them
to
be
slightly
puddinglike, but the
12 to 14 large dates)
people the confi dence to bake. I
style?
ended up with a drier cake. But this
tester
shouldn’t
be
wet.
want the book to exude the love and
A: I love anything that’s soaked.
is the hardest thing that I had with 1 tsp. baking soda
To prepare toffee sauce: While the
the joy that I get out of this process. Pouring caramel, or juice, or simple the book. Everyone measures their 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
cakes
are baking, in a small saucepan
6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter,
Not that we didn’t do that with the syrup or some other fl avored some- fl our differently. I weigh every-
over
medium-high
heat, combine the
at room temperature, plus extra
bread books, but this felt personal
thing into a cake is a style that re-
thing. I wish everyone measured by
cream,
1
cup
brown
sugar, 2 table-
for ramekins or muffi n tins
to me.
ally does it for me. It’s a style that’s weight, then we wouldn’t have to
spoons
rum,
2
tablespoons
unsalted
1 c. (200 grams) lightly
Q: How does a cake earn the Zoë popular everywhere else in the
worry about these things.
butter
and
1/2
teaspoon
kosher
salt, and
packed brown sugar
François seal of approval?
world but here. But I have to say
Q: Are you saying that all bakers
bring
to
a
boil,
stirring
constantly.
Re-
2 tsp. vanilla extract
A: There are certain things with
that my other true love is meringue- should buy a kitchen scale?
duce
heat
to
medium-low
and
simmer
cakes that are true with savory
based cakes. I love the texture of
A: Yes. It’s so much easier to deal 2 eggs, at room temperature
until thicker, about 5 minutes. Remove
2 tbsp. rum
cooking. You want a balance of fl a-
them. I love how light they are, es-
with, and it’s way more consistent.
from heat.
2 c. (240 grams) fl our
vors, you want sweet and bitter, or
pecially when you’re having dessert You get the same weight, every
When the cakes come out of the
1 tbsp. baking powder
sour. Sweets can be too sweet, that’s after a big meal. And working with time.
oven,
using a skewer, poke holes every
the only note that doesn’t necessar- meringue is fun. You can cover a
Q: Do you bake with Bundt pans 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2
inch,
through to the bottoms, and
ily do it for me. That’s what I love
cake with it and light it on fi re with out of obligation, because you’re a
spoon
two-thirds
of the sauce over
For the toffee sauce
about coffee in devil’s food chocolate a blowtorch.
Minnesotan? Or because you love
the
tops,
dividing
the sauce evenly
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
cake. The cake doesn’t taste like cof-
Q: One of the book’s many helpful them?
between
cakes.
If
the
sauce doesn’t get
1 c. (200 grams) lightly
fee, but the bitterness of the coffee is pointers is your foolproof approach
A: Bundt pans are such a gift to
completely
absorbed
into the cake,
packed brown sugar
a balance to the sweet, and you need to whipped cream. Where did you
a baker. They’re like a stand mixer,
poke
a
few
more
holes.
that to get a complete picture of the pick up that method?
they do all the work for you. All you 2 tbsp. rum
Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes,
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
cake. For that reason, salt plays a
A: It’s something I learned in culi- need is a dusting of confectioner’s
then
invert onto individual plates
huge part in baking: It perks up all nary school, although not necessar- sugar, and you’re done. You’ve got a 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
and
spoon
the remaining sauce over
the fl avors.
ily for whipped cream, maybe it was cake that’s worthy of a dinner party, Ice cream, for serving (see Note)
the
tops.
Serve
immediately with ice
Q: The book includes the toffee-
for génoise. People always overwhip and it’s all because of that pan.
cream.
If
you
don’t
use all the cakes
To prepare cake: Preheat oven to
date cake that you created for Tilia, their cream, and it gets greasy or it
Q: What role has Instagram
at
once,
keep
them
in their ramekins
325 degrees. Generously butter 12
chef Steven Brown’s Linden Hills
doesn’t fold into things beautifully.
played in your work?
(or
muffi
n
tins),
tightly
covered, and
restaurant. What’s the origin of that Whip it low, and slow. That creates
A: It has changed everything. The (6-ounce) ramekins — or 12 muffi n
refrigerate
for
up
to
24
hours. Mi-
tins — and set on a baking sheet.
recipe?
tiny air bubbles that don’t pop, and blog [zoebakes.com] is more about
crowave
for
several
seconds
before
Remove pits from the dates and
A: It was really Steven’s idea, it
you get a whipped cream that’s
communicating out into the world.
serving
with
remaining
sauce.
discard pits. In a medium saucepan
wasn’t something in my normal rep. super-stable, and really luscious.
It’s not so much a dialogue, it’s not
so much about people sharing with
us and us sharing with them. Then
I discovered Instagram Stories.
With baking, people are super-
intimidated, they need to see tricks
and tips visually. I started making
videos, and it was instant feedback.
When COVID hit, I started doing
Instagram Live, and that’s how
people found me, and we became a
community. It opened up a lot of op-
portunities for me. I’ve met a lot of
people and established friendships
because of it, and it has had a pro-
found effect on me and on my career.
It’s my portfolio. Some people have
résumés, I have Instagram Live.
Q: How many cake stands are in
your collection?
A: There can never be enough.
Marie Dwyer of Cooks of Crocus
Hill had gone to Martha Stewart’s
studio, and she sent me a picture of
the prop room. Martha must have
500 cake stands. Not that you don’t
envy everything that woman has,
but my god, that’s a life goal. Let’s
just say I have more than most, but
less than Martha, and we’ll leave it
at that.
Rick Nelson
Star Tribune
STICKY TOFFEE-DATE
CAKE
SALAD
Continued from Page 1B
Eggs — hard boiled,
poached or fried — can all be
added to a salad for a quick,
nutritious meal. Keeping
hard-boiled eggs on hand in
the refrigerator saves time,
too. Eggs are a good source
of protein and contain iron,
vitamin E and are a source of
choline, which is important
for a healthy nervous system
and metabolism. Eggs are
nutrient dense and relatively
low in calories (only about
77 calories per egg). Frying
eggs adds calories due to the
added oil used for frying.
Cheeses, from cheddar to
Swiss, blue to Mozzarella,
although high in fat, also
contains calcium which is a
nutrient used to build strong
bones and teeth. Cheese
is also a source of protein,
Vitamin A and B-12, and
nutrients zinc, ribofl avin
and phosphorus. Some
cheeses can even be made at
home. Cheese is also high
in sodium, and some people
cannot tolerate the lactose
found in cheese (a dairy
product). These people have
a condition called lactose
intolerance. When they
consume dairy products they
experience gastric distress
VISIT BAKER’S MOST
INTERESTING STORE
Store is open 24 hours
7 am to 7 pm Take Out Only
and abdominal discomfort.
Cheese can be shredded
or cubed and added to green
salads to turn them into main
dish meals.
Fruit or vegetable based
salsas lend themselves to
dressings and dips to accent
salads or raw vegetables for a
healthful snack tray. With the
Let Your
GRADUATES’
2021 SENIOR
515 Campbell Street Baker City
541-523-4318
HONOR THE SENIOR IN YOUR LIFE
in this special way with a customized,
double-sided 18” x 24” yard sign,
constructed from corrugated plastic.
SAMANTHA BACON
ENTERPRISE HIGH SCHOOL
2021 SENIOR
We specialize in quality medical and surgical care
for all types of foot and ankle problems.
Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M.
Foot and Ankle Surgeon
www.GVfoot.com
Accomplishments SHINE!
Take out and Catering is Available.
Your feet were made for Walking
541-963-0265
888-843-9090
addition of a little mayonnaise recipes or salad ideas visit
or sour cream, salsas become www.foodhero.org.
more than just something in
Ann Bloom has
which to dip a corn chip.
worked for the OSU Extension
Feel free to experiment
Service for 15 years as a
with different combinations of
chesses, fruits, vegetables and nutrition educator. She studied
journalism and education at
eggs to see what new salads
Washington State University.
you can create for nutritious
She lives in Enterprise.
spring time meals. For more
La Grande
1408 N Hall Street
Enterprise
601 Medical Parkway
Baker
3175 Pocahontas Rd.
Order by May 5th and we’ll deliver
to your door by May 21st!
SCOTT DAVIS
LA GRANDE HIGH SCHOOL
Just
$ 9 each
2
$
or 2/ 49
2021 SENIOR
SHANE ADAMS
BAKER HIGH SCHOOL
To place your order, contact Devi Mathson today!
541-963-3161