Sweet Tooth

PORTICO rounds up the recipes of some of Birmingham's favorite delicious desserts

BY JENNY ADAMS
(from December 2008)

Urban Standard's Red Velvet Cupcakes

         Tom Wizesien cooked up the idea for Urban Standard on 2nd Avenue North as an art studio originally. He decided to sell coffee, and from there it morphed into a full-fledged café.
         "We serve only cupcakes and cookies to keep things simple," explains assistant manager Eric Kendrick. "(That way) we can focus on the quality of the pastries and not quantity."
         Tom's cupcakes have become legendary. As a friend frequently reminds me, "cupcakes are like a tiny birthday party you can have anytime you want, and Urban's are the best."

Recipe:
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups oil
2 eggs
4T red food coloring
1 tsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vinegar
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat sugar and oil in a mixing bowl until blended. Mix in eggs. Add food coloring, cocoa and vinegar, and mix until stiff. Add buttermilk. Mix in flour, salt, soda and vanilla. Portion batter into cupcake tins. Bake at 350º for 13 to 14 minutes in convection oven.

For the Icing:
1 stick of butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese
1lb. box confectioner's sugar

Prairie Fire Grille's White Chocolate Bread Pudding

         The White Chocolate Bread Pudding has been on the menu at Prairie Fire Grille for more than six years. Although the topping has been updated, the original recipe remains, clinching the top spot of all desserts offered here.
"We have guests that come in from all over the world to experience this little gem," says executive chef Shannon Nicholson. "It is a real pleasure to watch someone take their first bite. It brings a smile to my face every time."

Recipe:
1 1/2 loaves of white bread, crust removed
12 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 qt. heavy cream
1/2 qt. half and half
1/2 tsp. vanilla flavoring
18 oz. white chocolate chips

For the Topping:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 lb. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup melted butter

In a greased 9x13-inch baking dish, place bread three layers thick. Trim as necessary. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until bright yellow. Heat the cream, half and half, and vanilla until it begins to boil. Add white chocolate chips to egg mixture and stir in hot cream until the chocolate melts. Pour mixture over the bread, making sure to manipulate mixture to soak every layer. Let stand 20 minutes, and then add topping.

Topping:
Mix ingredients well. Spread the topping evenly over the surface. Let the pudding stand for 15 minutes before placing it into the oven. Bake at 400º for 25 minutes.

Little Savannah's Espresso Crème Brûlée

         Sitting at one of the iron tables on the sidewalk of Clairmont Avenue and watching people walk by is one of the reasons that folks flock to Little Savannah. The space blends Southern cuisine with a hint of France. The dessert list changes frequently, and seasonal ingredients reflect the holidays in the crème brûlée. This winter, the warmth and aroma of espresso wafts in the air.

Recipe:
1 qt heavy whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
1/4 cup coarsely ground espresso coffee
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Warm the cream in a saucepan with the vanilla pod and coffee, but do not boil. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with sugar until creamy, approximately 2 minutes. Pour warm cream over egg mixture, then pour through a medium-mesh strainer and into ramekins. Place in a deep baking dish half filled with water. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 350º or until set. When ready to serve, top with unrefined sugar and caramelize with a brûlée torch.

Hot & Hot Fish Club's Madeleines with Dulce de Leche

         Chef Chris Hastings has helped put Birmingham on the map in a culinary sense. The menu feature his beloved tastes of South Carolina, and the convivial atmosphere is hard to beat. These madeleines make nice additions to holiday gatherings.

Recipe:
1/2 cup plus 2 2/3 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 cup plus 4 tsp. cake flour
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Dulce De Leche:
1 qt. whole milk
12 oz. granulated sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Place butter in the bowl of a standing mixture, and beat until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and set aside.  Combine sugar, eggs and egg yolk in the bowl of a standing mixer, and whisk until pale yellow and slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Sift the flour and baking powder, and gently fold the flour into egg mixture into the butter.  Fold the one-third of the flour and egg mixture into the butter. Fold the remaining mixture into the butter, a little at a time, careful not to over mix.  Gently fold in vanilla. Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 475º. Lightly grease Madeleine molds with vegetable cooking spray. Spoon some flour into each mold and shake the mold to evenly coat with flour. Tap out excess flour.  Add 5 tsp. into each shell mold. Bake on the bottom oven rack until the madeleines are golden on top and lightly browned around the edges, about 8-10 minutes. Unmold the cookies, and transfer to a wire rack, hump side down. Allow to cool to room temperature.

For the Dulce De Leche:
Combine milk and sugar in a large, stainless steel saucepan. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the milk mixture. Add the vanilla bean pods, and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk in baking soda. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium -low and allow mixture to simmer slowly for 1 hour, skimming off foam occasionally. Remove and discard the vanilla bean pods and continue to simmer until the mixture is reduced to about 1 1/3 cups. It is important not to stir the milk mixture while simmering and to make sure the milk simmers over very low heat. Remove the sauce from heat, and serve warm with madeleines.

(Makes about 24 madeleines and 1 1/3 cups sauce)

Satterfield's Apple Beignets

         Satterfield's beignets are not only a time-honored Birmingham classic; they are also personal favorites of owner Becky Satterfield. "When I designed the dessert menu, I wanted to feature a dessert that was distinctly Southern yet transcends seasons," she says. So Becky's beignets are a little New Orleans, a little Christmas, and a top pick.

Recipe:
4 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour
3 tsp. salt
2 T. dried yeast
3/4 cup plus 8 T. sugar
1 1/2 cups of whole milk
1 cup water
2 2/3 cups, plus 1 tsp. unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 Grannie Smith  apples, peeled and diced into 1/2'' x 1/2'' squares
1 tsp. plus a pinch of cinnamon
Confectioner's sugar to taste

Combine the flour, salt, yeast, 3/4 cup of sugar, milk and water, then knead in butter (less one teaspoon). Place the dough in the refrigerator to rise for 4-6 hours. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 1 x 3 inch triangles. Carefully place in oil or fryer at 350º. Fry for 2-3 minutes, rotating periodically. Combine 6 tablespoons of sugar and the pinch of cinnamon in a shallow dish; set aside. Remove the beignets from the oil and roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Sauté the apples in the remaining butter, sugar, and cinnamon over medium heat until tender and fragrant. Spoon some of the warm apples onto the center of a plate, and place the beignets on top. Dust the dessert with confectioner's sugar to taste, and serve.

... and red velvet cupcakes! After working on our "Traditional Treats" feature for this month's issue, we decided to look back to some of PORTICO's other great food stories. First up, Jenny Adams' delicious round-up of Birmingham's favorite dessert recipes. Head over to the food section to get the scoop. Those apple beignets sound too good to be true...

 Misplaced that PORTICO with your favorite recipe? Let us know and we'll dig through the archives to find it for you!

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