Photo by Leigh Beisch, Artisan 2007

The recipes in Pure Dessert cover a range of ingredients.  Medrich starts with milk to create recipes such as Ricotta and Lace cookies and Sour Cream Ice Cream.  From milk she moves onto recipes with grain, nuts and seeds; fruit; chocolate; honey and sugar; herbs and spices; and even wine, beer and spirits.  One example is the Bittersweet Citrus Tart with Jasmine Cream recipe shown below which is from the chocolate section.  

Before you plunge into making these desserts, however, start with Medrich’s interesting and informative description of how she cooks.  In this section, Medrich provides detailed descriptions of the most important ingredients as well as the techniques she uses when creating these desserts. But Medrich doesn’t stop there with helping us make her recipes.  You’ll also find many useful essays throughout the book on items ranging from why you should make your own ice cream to the unpredictability of baking with fruit.  The interesting recipes and informative text make this a compelling cookbook that is sure to appeal too many.

Bittersweet Citrus Tart with Jasmine Cream

Excerpted from PURE DESSERT (Artisan Books) Copyright 2007 by Alice Medrich. Photographs copyright 2007 Leigh Beisch

The subtle citrus notes in this dark chocolate tart come from pink grapefruit and blood orange zest.  The flavor and scent of jasmine-infused cream adds an exotic sensuality to an easy but elegant dinner party dessert.

For the topping

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon good-quality jasmine tea (I use Yin Hao or Jasmine Downy Pearls)
• 2 teaspoons sugar, or more to taste

For the crust

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (4.5 ounces) all-purpose flour

For the filling

• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (see Note), finely chopped
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• ½ teaspoon very lightly packed grated blood (or regular) orange zest, preferably from an organic or unsprayed fruit
• ½ teaspoon very lightly packed pink grapefruit zest, preferably from an organic or unsprayed fruit
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• ¼ cup boiling water
• Quick Citrus Zest Garnish or Candied Citrus Peel for garnish (optional)

Equipment

• A 9 ½-inch round or a 4 by 14-inch rectangular fluted tart pan with a removable bottom
• Instant-read thermometer
• Pastry bag and tip (optional)

Make the cold tea infusion for the topping early in the day or a day ahead.  Stir the cream and tea leaves together in a bowl. Cover and chill for 8 to 12 hours.  Even if you are not using the cream right away, strain the tea out and discard it after 12 hours. Refrigerate the cream until needed.

To make the crust, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter with the sugar, vanilla, and salt.  Add the flour and mix just until well blended.  If the dough seems too soft, let it stand for 5 minutes to firm up.

Press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan; to avoid ending up with extra-thick edges, press the dough squarely into the corners of the pan.  Place the pan on a cookie sheet and bake until the crust is a deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes; press it down with the back of a spoon or prick it with a fork if it bubbles up.  Let cool completely on a rack before making the filling.

To make the filling, place the chocolate, butter, and citrus zest in a small heatproof bowl (stainless steel is best), set it in a wide skillet of not-quite-simmering water, and stir frequently until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.  Remove the bowl, set a fine strainer over it, and set aside.  Leave the skillet over low heat.

Place the egg yolk in a small bowl and gradually whisk in the boiling water.  Place the egg bowl in the skilled and stir constantly with a silicone spatula, sweeping the bottom of the bowl to prevent the egg from cooking, until the mixture registers 160F on the instant-read-thermometer.  Remove the bowl from the skillet and immediately scrape the yolk mixture into the strainer set over the bowl of chocolate.  Stir gently, without whisking or beating, just until the egg is incorporated completely into the chocolate and the mixture is smooth (except for the bits of zest).

Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and spread it evenly.  Place in a covered container (or cover with an inverted bowl if you don’t have an appropriate container), and refrigerate at least until the filling is set (3 to 4 hours), or up to 2 days.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the tart from the refrigerator, to soften the filling and bring back its sheen.  Remove the pan sides, and place the tart on a platter.

Whip the jasmine-infused cream until thickened.  Add the sugar (you want the cream only gently sweetened so that the sweetness doesn’t overpower the subtle flavor of the jasmine and the tea) and whip until it holds a soft shape, or a little stiffer if you plan to pip the cream.

Using a pastry bag, decorate the tart with the jasmine cream or serve plain wedges with dollops of cream.  If desired, add the citrus zest garnish or candied peel.

NOTE: If you use chocolate that exceeds 72% cacao, the recipe must be adjusted as follows: Use only 6 ounces chocolate marked 64% to 66%; use only 5.5 ounces chocolate marked 66% to 72% and dissolve 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar in the boiling water before adding it to the egg yolks.

About Pure Dessert

When you are working with great ingredients, you want to keep it simple. You don’t want to blur flavor by over-complicating. This is why Pure Dessert, from the beloved Alice Medrich, offers the simplest of recipes, using the fewest ingredients in the most interesting ways. There are no glazes, fillings, or frostings—just dessert at its purest, most elemental, and most flavorful. Alice deftly takes us places we haven’t been, using for example, whole grains, usually reserved for breads, to bring a lovely nutty quality to cookies and strawberry shortcake. To witness Alice’s idea-stream as she describes how she arrived at each combination is to instantly understand why three of her books have won Best Cookbook of the Year. She’s an experimenter, tinkerer, and sleuth, fascinated with trial and error, with the effects of small changes in recipes, exploring combinations tirelessly and making remarkable discoveries. Loaded with advice and novel suggestions, with great recipes and eye-catching, full-color photographs that show off these simple, straightforward desserts, Pure Dessert is an education and a revelation.