Kitty Morse’s version of carrot cake in her cookbook, Bitter Sweet, is so moist that it doesn’t need frosting, but it’s also delicious topped with whipped cream. (Photo courtesy of Owen Morse)
Over the years, all ten of Kitty Morse’s cookbooks have happily found their way into my kitchen. But her latest book, Bitter Sweet: A Wartime Journal and Heirloom Recipes from Occupied France, found its way to my bedside table and to my heart. This is a powerful book that has words that are hard to let go of or turn off, and that consistently keeps you turning the pages.
Part family history, part cookbook, Ms. Morse shares her great-grandfather Dr. Prosper Levy’s diary, written in Nazi-occupied France from April to December 1940. It also includes recipes that her great-grandmother Blanche made back then. This work reveals some of the tragedies experienced by her Jewish family during this dark period in history.
Morse lives in Vista and discovers her diary and recipes in a suitcase in her closet after her mother’s death.
Blanche’s recipe was a huge hit. Of the 146 recipes, most were about desserts, including 15 chocolate his cakes.
“This figure was hardly what I expected from a woman whose father (my great-great-grandfather) supplied meat and poultry to the armies of Napoleon III,” she wrote. In the book, I freely described the combinations of some flavorful seasonings. A typical dish from northeastern France, where her great-grandparents made her home.
Enjoy the recipe. Imagine the joy these dishes brought to the Levy family before the war.
Alsatian style red cabbage
Morse said dishes using cabbage are a specialty of France’s Alsace region, where her family has deep roots. She was shocked because this formula was included in her great-grandmother’s recipe notes and she remembers her grandmother preparing the same home-cooked concoctions as her mother. Red cabbage is combined with onions, apples and sausage. Beef Knockwurst is listed as an ingredient, but other German-style sausages or chicken sausages can be substituted.
Yield: 4 servings
material
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (use in portions)
12 pearl onions, parboiled and peeled See cook’s notes
Cook 4 beef sausages, such as knockwurst, and cut into 1/2-inch slices.
1 medium yellow (brown) onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small head of red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cook’s Note: To peel pearl onions, place them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain the water and peel the skin. I often use frozen pearl onions and skip these steps. After thawing and patting dry, it is ready to use.
direction
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the pearl onions and 1/4 of the knockwurst until the onions are golden brown. Set aside for garnish.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add remaining sausage slices, yellow onion, red cabbage, apple, fennel seeds, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Garnish with reserved pearl onion and sausage mixture. Please enjoy warm.
Source: “Bitter Sweet” by Kitty Morse
Chocolate pudding cake (Kaluga des Blanche)
Morse happily describes her great-grandmother’s chocolate pudding cake as “an amazing, star recipe.” He had 15 recipes for chocolate cake in Blanche’s notebook, but this one came out on top. She says it’s best to eat the cake a day after it’s baked, as it becomes denser. She recommends serving it with crème anglaise, but whipped cream or crème fraîche sweetened with a little powdered sugar would also be delicious accompaniments.
Yield: 6 servings
material
9 tablespoons unsalted butter (use in portions)
7 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup powdered sugar (sifted and divided)
1/4 almond meal or flour; see cook’s notes
2 teaspoons white vinegar
Optional: Dust the top of the cake with a little powdered sugar.
Accompaniment: Crème Anglaise, or whipped cream, or crème fraîche mixed with a little powdered sugar.
Cook’s Note: The terms “almond flour” and “almond meal” are not the same, but are often used interchangeably. Almond meal is made from whole almonds (with the skin on). This is different from almond flour, which is made from peeled and blanched almonds.
The baking term “forming a ribbon” means that when you lift the mixer attachment or whisk it out of the mixture, the dough should fall off leaving a thick trail. The ribbon lines will remain floating on the fabric, clearly visible on the surface for a while, and then slowly disappear.
direction
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round baking pan using 1 tablespoon butter. Place parchment paper on the bottom. Let’s set it aside.
2. Heat a double boiler over high heat, pour water into the lower container and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate and remaining butter to top container. Stir the mixture until smooth. Let’s set it aside.
3. Separate the eggs. In a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks and 3/4 cup powdered sugar until they form a thick ribbon (see Cook’s Notes). To this, gradually add the almond meal and chocolate-butter mixture. Let’s set it aside.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites and vinegar until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Mix it with the butter, chocolate, and almond meal mixture and pour the batter into the prepared mold. Place in water bath. Place the cake tin in a larger tin and add boiling water to the outside pan, pouring enough water to come halfway up the sides of the cake tin. Bake for 45-50 minutes until cake is set. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from the mold. Remove the parchment paper and return to the cooling rack to cool overnight. If desired, dust the top of the cake with a little powdered sugar. Place the powdered sugar in a small sieve and sprinkle over the cake.
5. Cut into wedges. Serve with crème anglaise, whipped cream, or crème fraîche sweetened with a little powdered sugar.
Source: “Bitter Sweet” by Kitty Morse
Carrot cake (Gateau de Carrots)
This is another recipe from Morse’s great-grandmother. This is a very moist carrot cake. A lighter version that stands on its own flavor without frosting. A cake studded with grated carrots can be stored at room temperature for several days. It’s delicious with whipped cream.
Yield: 8 servings
material
Soft butter for grease pans
4 eggs, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 oranges
2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
1 1/3 cups almond meal or flour.View chef’s notes
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 tablespoons powdered sugar (use in portions)
1 cup fresh cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Cook’s Note: The terms almond flour and almond meal are often used interchangeably, although they are not the same. Almond meal is made from whole almonds (with the skin on). This is different from almond flour, which is made from peeled and blanched almonds. This recipe uses both.
direction
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the sides of a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the egg yolks, sugar, and 4 ounces of butter until the mixture forms ribbons (some of the dough will leave a mark on the mixture if it falls off the spoon or electric mixer). ) mixer whisk attachment). Peel the orange and squeeze the juice. Put your enthusiasm aside. Add 1/2 cup orange juice, Cointreau, and grated carrot to the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Mix and combine.
3. Combine almond flour, baking powder, and almond meal in a medium bowl. Gradually mix this into the egg yolk and grated carrot mixture and set aside.
4. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Mix into the batter and transfer to the prepared cake pan. Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven until firm to the touch, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool on a rack, then remove from the mold and place on a plate.
5. Place the cream in a chilled bowl, add the remaining powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk until stiff peaks form. Cut the cake into wedges and top each with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with reserved orange zest.
Source: “Bitter Sweet” by Kitty Morse