Chef Ideas: June 2008 Archives

For an outrageously delicious summer treat, it's time to head to The Spice House (The Spice House a previously featured Tastybeat gem) for vanilla beans. They're the key ingredient in Amanda Hesser's Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake. This super moist cake contains pure saturated vanilla bean, homemade vanilla syrup, and juicy summer berries. It's a stunning but surprisingly simple-to-prepare dessert.

For a very special cake, Tastybeat recommends The Spice House's high-quality Tahitian vanilla beans. These beans are much plumper, have many more seeds per bean than most vanilla beans, and are favored for their depth and complexity by many pastry chefs. And here's a fun Tastybeat tip to get some more life out of your Tahitian vanilla beans--place the empty pods in your sugar jar for a special flavor boost.

Happy Baking,
Tastybeat

Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake
(This recipe is from Cooking for Mr. Latte, A Food Lover's Courtship, with Recipes, by Amanda Hesser. Amanda says she adapted this recipe from the Hi-Rise Bread Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts.)

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
8 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 batch vanilla syrup (see recipe below)

Heavily butter or spray two similarly sized loaf pans, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a paddle attachment in your mixer, cream butter and sugar until mixture is pale and fluffy. Scrape the vanilla bean and flick its seeds into the mixer, along with the vanilla extract and eggs. Beat to mix.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Add to the batter and mix just until smooth. A few turns of the paddle should do it. Take the bowl off the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the bottom and fold the mixture a few times, to make sure everything is blended.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the pans, and bake an additional 25 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer comes out almost clean.

While the loaves bake, prepare the vanilla syrup.
When loaves are done, cool for 10 minutes on baking racks, then turn loaves out of their pans and set back on the racks. Place the racks, with loaves, over parchment paper or a baking sheet and brush bottoms, tops, and sides of loaves generously with vanilla syrup. Brush a couple more times as loaves cool. Serve with fresh summer berries. Cakes may be wrapped and frozen, if you can resist eating them right away.
Makes 2 loaves.

Vanilla Syrup
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped

In a small pan, dissolve the sugar in water over medium heat. Add the vanilla beans and stir a little so the seeds and fragrance disperse. Take the pan off heat.

Now available, Chicago Cooks is a cookbook celebrating Chicago's food history over the last 25 years, told through the eyes of the Chicago Chapter of Les Dames d' Escoffier Chicago. Innovators and trailblazers from Chicago's rich culinary landscape have contributed recipes, reflecting the many ethnic and cultural influences that make up our great city. With a focus on simple, fresh cooking, it's a practical resource for any home kitchen. Tastybeat especially likes the everyday recipes from brunch to dinner as well as the fun dinner party concepts. What's more, a portion of the royalties from Chicago Cooks will go to the Community Kitchen Program at the Chicago Food Depository.

On Friday, June 6, join some of Chicago's top women culinarians at Now We're Cookin' in Evanston as they demonstrate recipes from Chicago Cooks. Book signing to follow. Reservations required at nwcookin.com.

Now We're Cookin'
1601 Payne Street
Evanston, IL
847.570.4140

Chicago Cooks was edited by Carol Mighton Haddix, Chicago Tribune Food Editor and Les Dames Escoffier member.

Chicago Cooks, Agate Press 2007