On Being a Traveler

I’ve only traveled alone a few times before in my life – circumstances have usually provided me with company, whether obligatory (read: family) or chosen (i.e. friends), on my travels, and I generally enjoy having someone to share my explorations with.  However, the few occasions I’ve had to voyage solo have yielded some of my most interesting and memorable experiences, and this trip was no exception.

Philadelphia was a wonderful, too-short blur. I hardly got to see the city at all, which was unfortunate. I spent most of my time in the studio having my cookies photographed (No, the photo shoot was not for pictures of me, as many have asked!) I am not taking my own photos for my book, which is actually a good thing, as the writing and baking parts are already consuming way too much of my time! Instead, I’m very lucky to have a very talented photographer taking really fantastic shots of my stuff. I learned a great deal just watching him photograph in lighting conditions that would have defeated me, and he very patiently answered all my neophyte queries. I got to preview the final photos after I got home, and I can say I’m pretty excited about how they’ll look in the book! Things are really starting to come together – I’ve been furiously working on the manuscript in the last couple of weeks, which has made blogging a little tricky, but things will be coming to an end soon. In a few months I’ll be able to divulge more details about the book – I’ll be really excited to share them when the time comes.

I took the train from Philadelphia to New York, which I’m really glad I did instead of taking the bus or driving (I had my taxi driver in Philadelphia offer to drive me to New York; the prospect of taking a multi-hour taxi ride across several states utterly boggling this California girl). I think there is no other mode of transportation so dreamily evocative as the train. The rhythmic clattering of the wheels on the tracks, the conductor carefully punching your ticket and sliding in into the slot on the front of your seat, the land unspooling before your eyes outside the window – only on a train are you not surrounded by the endless blue ether of the sky or the grey carpet of asphalt crowded with other vehicles. It’s just the train, going onward, through the landscape itself, taking you somewhere. Traveling.

Without music or book to curl into, I sat against the high-backed vinyl seats and watched New Jersey speed by me. Bare-branched trees made hatch marks against chilly blue sky. Deep, still lakes appeared and disappeared. Neighborhoods unfolded, opened before me, rows of houses, baseball fields, stores with unfamiliar names. I watched people get off the train, into towns I’d never seen before and might not pass again for a long time. It was the weekend before Easter, and many passengers were obviously kids going home for the holiday, with suitcases full of dirty laundry to wash at home or cell phones flipped open, in search of friends and the location of that night’s party. I watched the dusty gold sunlight of late afternoon slant in through the train windows, suffusing everything with that timeless, crystalline quality. I was aware, at that instant, of pulling memory out of a moment seemingly ordinary and uneventful, but a moment worth remembering nonetheless. It made me quietly happy that I was "there" to experience this – not tuned out or oblivious, but present.

I’m glad I was able to carry this frame of mind for the rest of my trip, from wandering wide-eyed through New York’s multitude of neighborhoods, to eating a slice of cake in a tiny, tucked-away cafe, to chatting with friendly strangers in a restaurant, to watching pastry cooks assemble precise, perfect plates in the kitchen. The best thing about traveling, particularly when you’re alone, is how it reminds you to open up all your senses to the new and unknown.

Pichet Ong’s ginger date pudding cake is another experience where I was very glad to be in the moment. I called this dessert the definition of soul-satisfying in my previous post, and I still can’t think of a better description. It’s elegant and sophisticated without being pretentious; the many components in it blend together to a harmonious whole, weaving together seamlessly and subtly, without 20-word long descriptions or 6 different separate piles on the plate needed. It just plain tastes delicious, which to me is the biggest criteria for dessert. The first bite of the cake will be one of those indelible memories: a warm, soft, spicy cloud unfurling in my mouth, the perfume of ginger and toffee, and a lingering desire for just another bite.

I know this looks more like a fall or winter dessert – I happened to arrive in New York right when all the restaurants were switching over to their spring menus. I’m sure if I had been able to stay another week I would have gotten to try a whole new round of desserts – alas for the missed opportunity. If you’re not in the mood for a warm, cozy blanket of a dessert, be sure to save it away for when autumn returns; this cake is well worth it. The texture is amazingly light, yet the flavor is delectably rich and moist, especially after the cake soaks up the rum and toffee sauce. Definitely serve this cake warm, preferably as fresh from the oven as possible – cooled, it just isn’t the same.
 

A last couple of announcements: I was very surprised to find myself mentioned in Nick Malgieri’s Washington Post article on food blogs. There is some truly illustrious company on Malgieri’s list, so it’s a big honor for me to be included!

Finally, if you live in the Bay Area, consider participating in Dining Out for Life 2008. This event aims to raise funds for the STOP AIDS project by inviting diners to eat at participating restaurants on April 24, 2008. If you dine at one of the restaurants on that day, 25% of your food bill will go to the project. Visit the site to see the list of participating restaurants. It’s a great way to indulge in great food and help a worthy cause.

 

And now, the long-awaited recipe!

 

Ginger Date Pudding Cakes with Rum Walnut Toffee Sauce

adapted from Pichet Ong’s The Sweet Spot

makes 8 servings

Cake

6 dried dates, pitted

1 1-inch piece ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and reserved

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (254 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (133 g) sugar

1/3 cup (45 g) candied ginger, finely chopped

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 1/2 (223 g) cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg

Sauce

1 1/2 cups (149 g) walnut halves

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (133 g) unsalted butter

1 cup (227 g) heavy cream

1 1/3 cups (254 g) dark brown sugar

1 1-inch piece ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and reserved

2 tablespoons dark rum

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter eight 4-oz ramekins, or butter and sugar eight 3" high by 2 1/2" diameter ring molds.

Place dates, ginger, salt, vanilla seeds and pod, and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add in the baking soda, and cook for another 3 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, take out ginger slices and vanilla pod from the mixture, and set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, candied ginger, and orange zest until light and fluffy.

Add in the dates and the cooking liquid, and mix until the dates are broken into small pieces and the mixture is well combine. The mixture may turn a funny grey or greenish color from the dates but don’t worry, the cake will turn out nice and brown!

With the mixer on low, add in the flour and baking powder. Mix until fully combined.

Add in the egg and mix until combined.

Divide batter among the prepared ramekins or ring molds. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Be careful not to open the oven too often to check the cakes as this will make them deflate.

Cool cakes on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before unmolding. Let them finish cooling as you make the sauce.

To make the sauce: Combine butter, cream, brown sugar, ginger, salt, vanilla seeds and pod, and 3 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat and let simmer until it becomes a thick sauce, about 10 minutes.

Remove ginger slices and vanilla pod. Stir in the walnut halves and return to a boil. Let simmer until it becomes thick and sticky, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the rum. Let cool slightly before using.

To serve, pour sauce around cakes. Serve immediately.

Tagged with: Pichet Ong + p*ong+ ginger date pudding cake

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