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| Quatre-Quarts Cake with Olive Oil Ice Cream |
“Let them eat brioche!” is the disparaging comment that Marie
Antoinette actually did not say. The
mistranslation (“cake” instead of “brioche”) and misattribution (not said by
Marie) have continued to this day. But
let there be no misunderstanding. When
it comes to comparing this week’s Fridays
with Dorie challenge, Quatre-Quarts Cake, with brioche (even the variety we
made in a previous challenge), there is no comparison. Peasants and royalty alike would choose the
cake.
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| A little Armagnac adds a unique twist to the cake |
Quatre-Quarts Cake is a perfectly balanced and delicious cake
that is a wonderful accompaniment to an afternoon tea or to finish a meal. The brown sugar crust adds a delightful
crunch and slightly sweet element to the cake.
But I love to experiment, to “kick it up a notch” in the immortal words
of Emeril. I am not sure why, but Jell-O
Cakes came to mind. For those old enough
to remember, a Jell-O Cake is made by poking holes in a plain white cake and
pouring warm Jell-O over it. I had some
rosemary simple syrup on hand (don’t ask why), and thought it would be perfect
with this cake. So I poked some holes
and drizzled on the rosemary simple syrup.
The aroma was delicious and portended a moist, tasty cake.
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| Rosemary Simple Syrup - not just for cocktails! |
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| Was Jello-Cake just a Montana thing? Sous Chef has never heard of it..... |
But my cake still looked a little naked and needed something
to jazz it up a bit. My sous chef loves
ice cream. We had nothing suitable in
the freezer, so I decided to multi-task and make Dorie’s Olive Oil Ice Cream
found on page 479 of Around My French
Table by Dorie Greenspan.
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| Look at that ice cream - don't you just want to take a big spoonful of it before it drips? |
The Quatre-Quarts Cake was delicious; however, the Olive Oil
Ice Cream stole the show. It is made in
the fashion of custard, with the addition of extra virgin olive oil at the end after
the mixture has been strained. The olive
oil really enhances the creaminess of the ice cream, making it pure luxury on
your palate. The savory aspect of the
ice cream played well with the rosemary simple syrup added to the Quarte-Quarts
Cake. And to spice things up a bit more,
I added a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and pinch of Fleur De Sel over the
ice cream. Pure heaven!
Rosemary Simple Syrup
– from Heidi Swanson 101 Cookbooks:
2 Cups Water
2 Cups Sugar
2 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
1 Bay Leave (optional, but recommended)
Combine the sugar and water in a pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is
dissolved. Add the rosemary sprigs and
bay leave and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let infuse for 10 minutes. When cool, transfer to a storage container
and refrigerate.
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