Chocolate Espresso Torte
The Turf Club at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, WDW
Makes one 9-inch torte
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened, plus additional softened butter for greasing pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus additional sugar for dusting pan
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
5 eggs at room temperature, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup prepared espresso
Chocolate Ganache:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 stick softened butter
Vanilla ice cream, optional
For Torte:
Preheat oven to 300º with oven rack in middle position. Wrap a 9-inch springform pan in plastic wrap, then wrap tightly with a layer of heavy-duty foil. Generously butter pan. Dust pan with sugar, tapping out excess. Place prepared pan in a roasting pan; set aside.
Combine 3/4 cup sugar and prepared espresso in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Place chocolate in a large bowl set over a large saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Stir occasionally until just melted. Add butter by the tablespoonful, stirring until combined. Stir in espresso syrup and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently stir in eggs until combined.
Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Pour boiling-hot water into roasting pan until it reaches three-quarters of the way up the of springform pan. Bake until center of torte is almost set, but still wobbles just slightly, about 45 to 50 minutes.
Transfer torte to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate, covered, for 8 hours or overnight.
For Ganache:
Place chocolate in a medium bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Stir occasionally until melted. Set aside to cool slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter by the tablespoonful, stirring until combined and glossy. Use immediately.
To Serve:
Run a thin knife along edge of chilled torte, and remove springform pan ring. Set torte on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Pour ganache over torte, a bit at a time, spreading with a rubber or offset spatula to cover top. Allow excess to drip down sides, if desired. Place torte on a platter or sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until set, approximately 2 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
For Miniature Heart-Shaped Tortes:
Cut individual tortes from large torte using a heart-shaped cutter. Carefully dip each heart into ganache using two forks, letting excess drip off. Set hearts on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until set, approximately 2 hours. Serve with a scoop of vanilla-port wine ice cream, if desired.
Chocolate Kourabiedes (Greek Butter Cookies)
Kouzzina by Cat Cora, Boardwalk, WDW
2 1/2 cups (5 sticks) unsalted butter (defoamed/dewatered, cooled)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 jigger brandy, cognac, or whiskey
2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely ground
~6 cups flour
2 pounds cocoa powder
paper cups
Beat butter until light and fluffy (at least 30 minutes); add sugar, beat well; add egg yolks, beat well; add vanilla, cognac, lemon juice/soda, beat well; add walnuts; add flour until dough is medium tight (not soft, not stiff; do not over knead flour). Pinch off a 1-and-a-1/2 inch piece of dough and form into desired shape (crescent, triangle, round, star); dimple top. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle very lightly with cinnamon or ground clove. Layer cookies on bed of cocoa powder top and bottom, let cool and set for at least 30 minutes (can store in sugar in air tight container for days). Place each cookie in a paper cup and sprinkle again with cocoa if necessary. Can double recipe. Yield varies with size. Hint: Save powdered sugar in plastic bag, use with butter for the next batch.
Galaktoboureko (Milk Pie)
Kouzzina by Cat Cora, Boardwalk, WDW
Yield: 18 servings
4 cups milk
1/2 cup fine semolina
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound thick, commercial phyllo dough
2/3 cup clarified butter, to brush dough
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/2 lemon
In a heavy pot, bring the milk to a boil. Sprinkle in the semolina, whisking constantly over very low heat. Add the sugar, then simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat and add the butter and the eggs, 1 by 1, stirring. Blend in the vanilla. The mixture will be thick but pourable, like a sauce.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter a deep 10-inch baking pan. In the bottom of the pan, layer 8 sheets of phyllo, leaving the edges hanging over the sides of the pan. Brush each sheet generously with clarified butter. Pour the milk mixture over the phyllo layers.
Cut the remaining sheets of phyllo about the size of the pan and brush each sheet with clarified butter. Place the buttered sheets on top of the filling, then brush the hanging bottom sheets with clarified butter and roll them up to seal.
With a very sharp knife, score the top diagonally in 2 directions to make diamond-shaped slits on the surface. (This makes it easier to cut later, and also allows the syrup to penetrate the pie.) Sprinkle with a little water and bake about 1 hour, or until top is light brown and filling has set.
The minute you start baking the pie, begin to make the syrup. Simmer the water with sugar and the 1/2 of lemon for about 1 hour. Remove the lemon half and squeeze the juice into the syrup. Discard the lemon. Pour the syrup over the pie the minute you take it out of the oven. Be careful, syrup will bubble vigorously and can burn you.
Let cool, and serve, cutting pieces along the slits that you made before baking the pie.