Chef in Residence - Lauren Groveman

Lauren Groveman is a woman of many talents.  She's also a whirlwind of activity and productiveness.  She's the president of Lauren Groveman’s Kitchen, Inc. where, as an internationally known cooking and baking instructor she offers non-vocational (hands-on and demonstration) cooking and baking classes to men, women and teenagers. Classes are given in Lauren’s home-based cooking school and in various culinary facilities throughout the US. These classes also focus on cross-cultural cooking, teaching American cuisine to different nationalities and demographic groups, including male and female inmates on Rikers Island.

She is also the Founder and Pesident of  Hands-On-Food, Inc., a non-profit organization devoted to helping people in transition to live healthier, more fulfilling and productive live. The underlying philosophy uses the wholesome art of cooking as the catalyst for positive change.

She is an award winning host of an hour long weekly talk-show  “Food, Family & Home “Matters,” with Lauren Groveman  You can listen to podcasts of her shows at “Hear Lauren’s Take” page at www.LaurenGroveman.com.

Laura has written Lauren Groveman’s Kitchen, Nurturing Food for Family and Friends (Chronicle Books, 2001); and  I Love To Cook Book: Rediscovering the Joy of Cooking for Family and Friends  (Clarkson Potter, Publishing April, 2004.

She has been a television host, a contributor to national and regional television segments, created instructional videos, been a media spokesperson, and developed recipes.  Oh, and did I mention she's a devoted mom as well?  It's difficult to imagine that Lauren has spare time but she seems to manage to squeeze in all kinds of new activities, and she was gracious enough to be a Chef-in-Residence at The Vanilla.COMpany.

Lauren is passionate about vanilla and recently interviewed me for her weekly radio show, in part, because she wanted to learn new ways to use vanilla as well as to offer us some of her recipes that feature vanilla as a primary flavor.  The following are a few of her specialties.

BANANA ICE CREAM
Courtesy of Lauren Groveman

Ingredients

Ice cubes or crushed ice, for cooling custard

2 –1/2 cups heavy cream (preferably not ultra-pasteurized)

1 cup milk

1 large supple vanilla bean

4 extra-large egg yolks

3/4 cup vanilla sugar or regular granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pinch salt

2 cups banana puree from roughly 4 very large, overripe bananas, preferably chilled

1 teaspoon strained fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Place a shallow layer of ice cubes or crushed ice on the bottom of a 6-quart bowl. Add a little water to the ice and place a 3-quart bowl into the larger bowl, pushing its bottom into the ice. Place a triple-mesh wire sieve over the smaller bowl. The iced bowl helps to stop the cooking process to minimize the risk of curdling the custard. 

Pour cream and milk into a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan (preferably with a spout). Using a sharp knife, slit vanilla bean lengthwise through the top of skin only. Open bean and (using the dull side of the knife) scrape down the length of the bean, removing the seeds. Whisk seeds into milk to disperse seeds throughout. Place the pan over medium-low heat and scald mixture, but do not let it simmer.

Meanwhile beat egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a whisk), while gradually adding sugar until mixture is thick but light in texture and a pale lemon color. Lower speed of mixer to slow and add scalded milk mixture (a little at a time at first to temper yolks). When all of the milk is added and incorporated, pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan off the heat. Use a rubber spatula to scrape any remaining mixture from the bottom of the bowl into the saucepan. Whisk in the corn syrup and place the pan over medium-low heat and cook custard, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thickened and coats the back of the spoon, about 4 minutes once mixture becomes hot throughout.

Pour cooked custard into the sieve over the iced- bowl setup and strain custard, discarding anything that remains in the sieve. Stir in vanilla and salt. Place a clean kitchen towel or paper towel over the top of the iced bowl and let cool to just warm, stirring occasionally before placing both bowls into the refrigerator to cool custard thoroughly. (Add more ice to the larger bowl, going up the sides, to help chilling process.

Just before freezing the custard, puree the bananas, measure 2 cups and stir in the lemon juice. Stir this into the chilled custard and to the bowl of an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Serve at once or store in the freezer in a sealed container until serving time.

Yield: about 1 quart; serves 6 to 8

Honey Roasted Peanut Brittle Sauce
Courtesy of Lauren Groveman

This vanilla-scented sauce tastes like melted peanut brittle--can you imagine? And it's a perfect partner to Banana or Vanilla ice cream.

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/3 cup pasteurized heavy cream

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup honey roasted peanuts (not chopped)

In a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan (preferably with a light interior), combine the water, sugar and corn syrup. Boil, without stirring, until the liquid becomes caramelized (a deep amber color), occasionally swabbing the sides of the pan down with a pastry brush dipped in very hot water. 

When the deep amber color is achieved, immediately remove syrup from heat and add cream and butter all at once. (The mixture will bubble furiously, and then subside.) Stir to combine and then stir in vanilla and nuts. 

If planning to serve shortly, pour sauce into another bowl and let cool slightly and thicken before ladling over scoops of your favorite ice cream. If serving later that day, keep at room temperature; otherwise, store for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a double boiler over hot (not simmering) water.

Yield: about 2 cups; serves 8

Bread Pudding With Bananas, Spiced Apples and Brandied Raisins
Courtesy of Lauren Groveman

The flavor and aroma of this comforting dessert is reminiscent of banana bread, but the consistency is chunkier and the top is crisper. The combined flavors--bananas, sautéed spiced apples and raisins plumped in apple brandy--make this bread pudding one that you will never forget. The most preferred type of bread for this recipe is challah that's been baked in a loaf pan without a seeded top, but any high quality store-bought white or egg bread (without seeds) would also produce fine results.

Ingredients

1/3 cup walnut halves

2 rounded tablespoons granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)

Pudding

Melted butter or vegetable spray, for baking dish

4 packed cups day-old egg bread or white bread with crusts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup mixed light and dark raisins

1/4 cup apple brandy (Calvados or applejack)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups packed peeled, cored and coarsely chopped Golden Delicious apples

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)

1 1/2 cup heavy cream or (preferably not ultra-pasteurized) or half-and-half

3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup banana puree (about 2 large very ripe bananas)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

Whipped cream, for garnish (optional) 

Instructions

Place all topping ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process, using on-off turns, until mixture is finely chopped. Set aside. (Alternatively, place topping ingredients into a heavy-duty plastic bag and roll over mixture with a rolling pin until finely ground.)

Preheat the oven to 350o F. Brush a 2-quart baking dish with melted butter or spray with vegetable spray. Place cubed bread in a large bowl.  Place raisins and brandy in a small saucepan over low heat until brandy comes to a simmer. Remove from heat and let plump in brandy.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in an 8- to 10-inch skillet over medium heat. When bubbling, add chopped apples. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg and, when apples are well coated with butter and spices, reduce heat to low. Cook over low heat until apples are softened and spices are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. (Do not overcook apples; they should remain textural.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream, eggs, banana puree, vanilla and brown sugar. Stir well to combine and pour over the bowl of bread cubes. Scrape sautéed apples onto bread mixture and fold together along with raisins and brandy. Combine well. Dice the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and fold into mixture. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the reserved topping evenly over the top, using all of it.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit until just warm. Serve warm or at room temperature with a spoonful of softly whipped cream.

Place leftovers covered in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature or re-warm gently before serving. The best way to reheat bread pudding is in the microwave on low since conventional heat tends to dry it out. If you desire a crisper top, after microwaving, run the pudding very briefly under the broiler. Keep a watchful eye out to avoid burning.

Reduced-Fat Variations

Although you'll lose some of the flavor, you can substantially reduce the saturated-fat content of this recipe by doing the following: When sautéing apples, omit butter and substitute 3 tablespoons unsweetened apple juice or cider, simmering until softened and fragrant. When assembling pudding, use milk instead of cream and reduce eggs from 3 to 1; increase banana puree to 1 1/2 cups and omit the last application of diced butter to the pudding.

Yield: serves 8 to 10

Vanilla-Scented Apple-Cinnamon Galette

This is my absolute favorite way to make fruit tarts. Baking the formed tart (technically a galette) without a pan and directly on top of a hot pizza stone, creates the crispest, most wonderful pastry crust. Having a pizza peel is helpful to transfer the galette to and from the oven but it’s not necessary. A flat cookie sheet (without sides) would work perfectly. Also, I suggest a pizza wheel to cut the tart because its sharp edge does a great job getting through the fruit and crisp crust but you can just use a sharp knife.

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 generous tablespoons well-chilled solid vegetable shortening

Ice water, as needed

Egg-wash: 1 egg, mixed with 1 teaspoon water and strained

3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large Golden Delicious apples

About 1/4 cup Rain's Choice Cinnamon Spice Vanilla sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Apricot glaze: 1⁄2 cup apricot preserves mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Put the flour, salt and sugar into your food processor, fitted with the steel blade. Whirl the dry ingredients together for 30 seconds, until combined. Add the frozen butter cubes along with the bits of shortening. Pulse to cut the fat into the flour until it’s well distributed and the pieces are the size of peas. Pour in 1/4 cup of the ice-cold water. Pulse until the mixture in the bowl just starts to come together. Stop the machine and test several areas by gently pinching a piece of dough with your fingers (always unplug your food processor, before inserting your fingers into the work-bowl). The dough should feel moist, but not wet and should hold together when pressed gently between two fingers.

If dough seems overly dry or mealy, drizzle on a little more water on those dry areas only and pulse, just to incorporate the added moisture. Be sure to check several areas of the dough before adding more liquid. Depending on your bag of flour and the humidity in the air (that day), you should need between 1/3 and 1/2 cup liquid, total.

Dump the dough out on to a large criss-cross of plastic wrap and place the exposed ends of the wrap over the dough. Flatten the dough into a rectangle and, after wrapping it securely, chill the dough for 1 hour (or up to 2 days) before using. This dough also freezes perfectly for 2 months when wrapped and placed in a labeled heavy-duty freezer bag.  To thaw, leave in the refrigerator, in its original wrapping, overnight. Let the dough sit out of refrigeration for 5 to 10 minutes before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 425F with a pizza stone placed on the center shelf (no rack should be above the pizza stone). Once the oven has reached the correct temperature, let the stone heat for at least 30 minutes more.  Alternatively, if not using a pizza stone, place a flat (not cushioned) heavy cookie sheet (one without sides) into the oven to heat as you would a stone.

Place two overlapping sheets of wax paper on your counter and sprinkle it lightly, but evenly, with flour. Place the unwrapped dough on the center of the floured paper and sprinkle more flour on top. Place two more overlapping sheets of wax paper on top of the dough and roll the dough out into a large rectangle, 1/8-inch thick. Take off top sheets of paper and trim the edges using a fluted pastry wheel (or use a knife) to even the sides.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the trimmed dough, then place a baker’s peel (or a flat cookie sheet) on top of the paper and invert the dough so parchment paper is now underneath the pastry, which is now resting on top of the baker’s peel. Peel the wax paper off the top of the dough and brush off any surrounding flour. Fold in sides to create a border of pastry all the way around (1/2 inch wide), then slide the parchment holding the pastry onto a baking sheet and then in the refrigerator or freezer (covered with plastic wrap).

Place the lemon juice and vanilla into a nonreactive mixing bowl. Peel the apples and roll them in the lemon juice. Core the apples using an apple corer or cut each apple in half, through the stem end and remove the seed cavities on each half, using the small receptacle on a melon scoop. Use a pastry brush to paint some lemon juice inside the, now empty, cavities. Place each apple half on its side and slice very thin (no more than 1/8 inch thick (cut from side to side, not from cored top to bottom). Place all slices into the bowl with the lemon juice and toss to coat.

Take pastry out of the refrigerator or freezer. Place the apple slices on the pastry, beginning in one of the top corners of the border and shingle the apples in a very tight overlapping pattern so there is no pastry bottom visible. You should use all of the apples. If you have any leftover, tuck them into a spot that seems a bit empty (apples should be very snug). Brush the border of pastry with the egg wash and, if desired, use the dull side of a paring knife to make a criss-cross design over the egg wash. Dot the top of the fruit all over with the cubed butter and then sprinkle the top of the fruit generously with cinnamon sugar (to keep the rim of pastry from burning in the oven, try to keep the sugar on the fruit and only very minimally on the pastry rim). 

Drag the parchment holding the unbaked galette onto a baker’s peel (or onto a flat cookie sheet) and place into the preheated oven, directly on top of the hot pizza stone (or hot baking sheet) and bake the galette at 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 and bake for 5 minutes more. Reduce the temperature to 350F and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the pastry is very golden and the fruit is tender and caramelized around the edges.

Heat the apricot preserves with the water in a small saucepan, over low-medium heat and bring it to a bubble. Let become totally liquid, stirring frequently, then pour this through a small, medium-mesh sieve that sits over another bowl. Use a spoon or a sturdy rubber spatula to force as much of the preserves through the holes of the sieve as you can (scrape it off the bottom of the sieve) and set the glaze aside.

Use the peel to remove the galette from the oven and place on a wire rack. While the galette is still hot, gently paint the cooked fruit generously and evenly with the apricot glaze so it glistens. Let the galette cool until just warm or reheat briefly before serving alone, or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. To cut the galette into individual portions, run a sharp pizza wheel down the center, lengthwise, and then cut the halves crosswise into thirds or fourths.

Yield: serves 6 to 8