Out & About #1065 | Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lemon Potatoes + Matcha Chestnut Swiss Roll

​With another weekend comes another opportunity to relish in baking experiments without fear of missing emails or messages.

1) Chocolate Chip Cookies with Mini and XL Chips

In an attempt to organize seasonal cookie cutters, forgotten ingredients such as excess cinnamon and mini chocolate chips were discovered. The former was forced into my existing spice jars in the kitchen, while the latter set aside until I contemplated a use for them.
Of course, it didn't take me long to recall Sunday's latest cookie recipe in short-form video. Her formula for a Soft Chewy Cookie was one that I regarded with initial skepticism, for adding honey/glucose to most recipes renders them softer, diminishing the textural contrast as a consequence.

The ingredient list is as follows, with my modifications noted where applicable:

• 140 g unsalted butter, softened
• 100 g dark brown sugar
• 50 g granulated sugar
•  ̶5̶ ̶g̶ ̶v̶a̶n̶i̶l̶l̶a̶ ̶e̶x̶t̶r̶a̶c̶t̶  → 1 tsp homemade vanilla extract (868)
• 10 g honey or corn syrup  → 17 g honey (by accident)
• 1 large egg
• 215 g AP flour
• 2 g baking soda
• 1 g baking powder
• pinch of salt
•  ̶1̶4̶0̶ ̶g̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶c̶o̶l̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶i̶p̶s̶  → 80 g mini chocolate chips * 
•  ̶6̶0̶ ̶g̶ ̶e̶x̶t̶r̶a̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶c̶o̶l̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶i̶p̶s̶  → 75 g chocolate couverture for topping *
• Flaky salt for topping (optional)

Yield: 22 cookies, 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop

​I depleted the remnants of my pouch of mini chocolate chips, which totalled just 80 g. Instead of chopping couverture to compensate for the 60 g deficiency, each cookie would be topped with a hexagonal chip of Surfin instead. Using a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop - levelled for accuracy - I'd obtain 22 cookies. 22 pieces of couverture would bring me to a total weight of 75 g.

​Admittedly, the cookies spread more than anticipated. This could be allocated to human error, wherein I melted a portion of the butter by accident instead of merely softening it and further spooned 7 g excess of honey, or the 2:1 ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, which usually leads to a softer, more pliable consistency.
The addition of an "XL chocolate chip" in the form of couverture, lent a thumbprint cookie appearance, replacing jam with a centre of chocolate whose state of matter would be dependent on the consumption temperature.

​In spite of the recipe's claim for a "soft, chewy cookie", the output evoked the Crisp Ginger Molasses Cookies of last week. The cookie was thin, wide, featured ripples, and harnessed undeniable crunch at its edges. The centre also snapped readily, instead of yielding in a slow, controlled fissure. One could hardly detect the mini chocolate chips within the dough, but the sizable hexagon of couverture lent a luxurious mouthfeel. A pinch of flakey sea salt also provided a hint of savoury contrast. Nevertheless, it was tasty, and had me coming back for seconds. A coworker with whom I had shared the cookies remarked on their resemblance to the PC The Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie, which provides a similar snappy break instead of the coveted bakery pliancy.

Utilizing honey (or glucose/corn syrup) in a cookie recipe is rather innovative. Interestingly, the addition causes crisper cookies in my household; of course, it's uncertain whether constantly fluctuating oven temperature is the culprit for this excess evaporation.

2) Lemon Potatoes

When two glistening lemons from Loblaws eventually wound their way to the back of the produce drawer, I wasn't convinced that another citrusy baked treat was yet due. A search (or more like, internal evaluation) for savoury applications drew me to SK's lemon potatoes. The Greek-style "roast-braise infusion" entailed a straightforward procedure, yet not one that was particularly quick. Peeling and chopping my 2.38 lbs' worth of potatoes took no more than five minutes. However, zesting and juicing the lemons was quite a bit more time-consuming.

Roasting was another tedious process, for the batch would need to be flipped halfway and infused with a lemon juice-chicken broth solution in the final fifteen minutes of roasting.

​Unfortunately, results were far from the expected. An excess of broth remained even after roasting (insufficient starchiness from the potato), and the acidity was overwhelming. The lemon potatoes were exceptionally lemony to the extent where even the aromas of the herbs had been drowned. A generous amount of Himalayan pink sea salt was hurriedly sprinkled about the surface, though the potatoes were still far too zesty on their own. I reckon that they would pair well with heavily-seasoned Gyros meat, despite their lack of compatibility with Chinese takeout.

Without a doubt, the amount of lemon could be halved. The zest and juice of two lemons would have provided more than enough for a pound cake, let alone roasted potatoes. Given that SK had taken to a similar quantity of potatoes (2 pounds), I was led to believe that SK's lemons were simply microscopic.
The following day, the acidity appeared to dissipate slightly. Consuming the side as a cold salad also increased palatability significantly.

3) Matcha Roll Cake with Chestnut Cream

Baking trials frequently arise from desires to:

• Test a new tool or pan
• Taste a specific flavour/texture
• Utilize soon-to-expire or forgotten ingredients
• Practice a technique

This roll cake answered to every single element above.

a) Cake

The sponge cake was adapted from Sunday Baking's "Edible Flower Pot Green Tea Cake". Her original ingredient list is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks / 40g
• 12 g honey
• 2 egg whites / 70g
• 35 g granulated sugar
• 30 g cake flour
• 4 g matcha powder
• 12 g canola oil

​My rendition uses a total of three eggs, scaling up 1.5x:

Ingredients:

• 3 egg yolks / 60 g *
• 18 g honey

• 3 egg whites / 105 g *
• 53 g granulated sugar

• 45 g AP flour *
• 6 g matcha
• 18 g canola oil

Below is a comparison of theoretical vs actual weights:

• Yolk: 60 g theoretical; 56 g actual
• White: 105 g theoretical; 96 g actual

On average, the standard egg weighs about 50-53 g, aligning with the 152-156 g range above.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Whip egg whites until medium peaks, beating sugar in three additions.
3. Whip egg yolks with honey until pale yellow and noticeably thicker in consistency.
4. Fold yolk mixture into meringue and beat to combine. The resulting mixture should be homogeneous and keep medium-firm peaks.
5. Sift in dry ingredients, then fold gently to combine. If using AP flour, such as myself, use extra caution to prevent formation of gluten.
6. Drizzle oil over spatula. Fold gently to incorporate without knocking air out of the batter.
7. Distribute evenly in a parchment-lined aluminum baking tray, smoothing the batter to the corners of the pan as best as possible.
8. Bake at 375 F for 10-11 minutes, until the edges golden and peel away from the parchment. The surface should also brown slightly, adopting a shimmery beige hue as opposed to vibrant green (from the matcha).
9. Let cool for a minimum of 7 minutes. Flip over carefully by placing a flat surface, such as a cooling rack or another tray, on top of the cake. Remove the parchment liner and discard.
10. Set aside while preparing the cream filling. To prevent the cake from drying out, cover with a fresh sheet of parchment and inverted sheet pan to insulate.

Notes:

• This latest trial saw a swap from my usual nonstick jelly roll pan with tapered edges to a large (read: commercial-sized) aluminum-coated pan with straight edges. While my batter only filled two-thirds of the pan, its shift from the centre did not deter the sheet from cooking - and rising! - evenly. The increased surface are and straight edges also enabled my large offset to smooth out any mountainous sections with ease. In short, my previous hypothesis was proven true: aluminum indeed rectifies the issue of uneven sponge! Had I filled the entire pan, I'd have even more perfect straight edges, nixing the need to trim the sheet in the end.
• Sunday instructs whipping the yolks prior to the whites. This is a reasonable approach, given that whipping the yolks to pale yellow ribbons takes significantly longer (3-5 minutes) than creating meringue with soft peaks (30 seconds - 1 minute). Moreover, allowing yolks to sit with sugar can risk "cooking" them. With that said, I did not wish to wash my beaters twice for one sponge and instead opted to work quickly: beating the whites first, rinsing the beaters, then beating the yolks. Swift maneuvers ensured that my meringue would not deflate as I tended to the yolks. I would not recommend swapping these steps unless you are confident that time is not a concern.
• Using Hokusan Niju matcha once again, I noticed the batter resembled a cream of broccoli soup of sorts with obvious specks of dark green against a pale green backdrop. After baking, however, the slab became harmonious in terms of both appearance and flavour. Well, go figure! Hokusan had a use after all.

b) Chestnut Cream

​When contemplating the components of my cake, I considered compatible pairings. With the base chosen to be matcha (with flexibility to switch to genmaicha, if desired), the filling would need to be mild enough to not compete for attention (ie. not chocolate) and creamy enough to adequately accentuate the floral grassiness. Red bean and black sesame were predictable inserts, as they hailed from the same geographic region. Chestnuts weren't traditionally combined with matcha, in spite of being present in a plethora of East Asian offerings, both sweet and savoury. I was convinced of this duo, and set to work with my new packs of deshelled chestnut from Loblaws.

Become commencing the project, two roll cake formats had been entertained:

1. The classic Swiss Roll, with chestnut folded within the cream filling
2. The half circle roll, which would be assembled in my new roll pan from Japan and comprise of a chestnut paste enravelled in a tunnel of whipped cream.

The format would be confirmed following evaluation of the resulting chestnut paste's consistency.

Sunday's Chestnut Tiramisu would involve a chestnut paste constructed of 120 g of chestnuts and 100 g of milk. I adhered to this formula, but replaced milk with heavy cream on the basis of availability.

Unfortunately, the heavy cream soon evaporated, placing the chestnut pieces at risk of burning on the bottom of my saucepot. A splash of water was mandatory to continue the process, and prevent rigid pieces from flying across the stove and counter under the impact of an immersion blender.

Eventually, a somewhat smooth puree would emerge. The saucepot was removed from the heat as soon as streaks began to form at the bottom. Cooling the mixture was crucial, as it could not be folded into whipped cream until at least room temperature. As I tended to dishes and prepared a late lunch of choy sum and T&T BBQ Pork Bun, the mixture would rest in the fridge, covered tightly with cling film.

Given that the resulting consistency was thinner than a filling paste but still thick enough to set on its own, I decided on using the chestnut mixture to stabilize sweetened whipped cream. The perpetually nerve-wracking Swiss roll would be undertaken once again.

Ingredients:

i) Chestnut Paste

• 120 g chestnuts, shells removed
•  ̶1̶0̶0̶ ̶g̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶k̶ → 100 g heavy cream
• splash of water (~ 50 g)

ii) Chestnut Cream

• 310 g heavy cream
• 64 g icing sugar

• 197 g i) Chestnut Paste
• 21 g sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Combine chestnuts and heavy cream in a saucepot over medium heat. Allow the cream to come to a simmer, softening the chestnuts.
2. Using an immersion blender, blitz the chestnuts until a paste forms. Exercise caution during this step, as the relatively low proportion of liquid may incite splatters across the stove and countertop. If the mixture is too dry, add in a splash of water to continue the cooking process. Blitz until a homogenous paste is formed; a few small chunks are acceptable.
3. Transfer the chestnut paste to a heatproof bowl and cover tightly with cling film. Set in fridge until at least room temperature, about 60-90 minutes.
4. Once the chestnut paste is ready to use, mix in sweetened condensed milk and set aside.
5. Combine heavy cream and icing sugar in a large bowl; no need to sift the icing sugar. Beat until medium-stiff peaks, then fold in chestnut paste.
6. Set chestnut cream filling aside and retrieve cake sponge for frosting and assembly.

One could argue that I used an extravagant amount of whipping cream for the filling, for even a sponge using 4 eggs used only 100 g of whipping cream. Even Sunday's Chestnut Tiramisu used just 160 g of whipping cream.

Truthfully, I believed that it was better to make more than less. At the same time, I was looking to obtain a reasonable ratio of chestnut paste to cream. 310 g was the precise amount left in my carton. Though, in hindsight, I ought to have left 40-50 g for decorating purposes. (Spoiler: I bought a new carton the following day to finish the final touches.)

c) Assembly

Given that my sponge had been left on the stove while I engaged in other kitchen happenings, certain sections began to show signs of drying out. Rolling the cake would involve meticulous swiftness as to prevent cracking.

Directions

1. Check for uniformity along the length (or width) of the sponge and trim ends accordingly to achieve a slab of uniform thickness.
2. Smooth b) Chestnut Cream across the entire underside of the sponge (coloured side up) using a spatula or long offset spatula, leaving about 1 inch of sponge at one end. Roll the cake towards the exposed section, tightly tucking the cake with the parchment paper it resided on. Upon reaching the end of the roll, ensure the cake is seam side down. Tuck the roll with a ruler. Transfer to fridge to set for at least 8 hours, but ideally overnight.
3. Garnish as desired. For my purposes, I used swirls of whipped cream stabilized with 3 teaspoons of icing sugar, whole pieces of chestnut, and a light dusting of icing sugar to finish.
4. Serve and enjoy!

In summary:

• Use an aluminium baking pan for best results (ie. cake sponges of uniform thickness), especially when aiming to make roll cakes.
  
• Always beat heavy cream in a large bowl, ideally one enabling double - or even triple - the volume of its liquid form.
• When using the immersion blend, blitz to form a homogenous paste but not one that is completely smooth. Small chunks of softened chestnut should remain, contributing a pleasant textural contrast to the airy whipped cream and fluffy matcha sponge.
• Hokusan Niju fares much better in baked goods than beverages.
• Use a ruler to assist with rolling cakes for Swiss Rolls: the straight edge makes tight tucks and straight lines easier.
• Chestnut paste and icing sugar (which contains cornstarch) was enough to stabilize the cream, eliminating the need for gelatin as insurance.
• As predicted, matcha and chestnut is a splendid, complementary duo embracing the daintiness of East Asian fusion desserts.
• For those less fond of cream, feel free to halve the Chestnut Cream described above. Personally, I found the amount appropriate in terms of solidifying the presence of chestnut, though wouldn't mind a slightly thicker sponge (4 eggs?) either.

​The rest of the weekend would involve continued consumption of leftovers, trying a new bottle of Chardonnay (Spoiler: It was just okay), contemplating alternatives for sustenance, and, of course, errands.

​T&T's frozen Stewed Meat Balls was declared disappointing, and nowhere near as gratifying as their Braised Pork with Potato. To make matters worse, the broth-like sauce was at risk of spilling during the reheating the process due to warping of the (supposedly heatproof!) container.

At bulk barn, I took note of vanilla extract and pan prices while simultaneously stocked up on crystal sugar sprinkles for the next cookie decorating project.

​At Miniso, I encountered themed stationery sets and colouring pencils reminiscent of those from my own childhood. The character-themed kits were hardly North American, but very, very nostalgic.

​Once mall errands terminated, I ventured to my final stop of Loblaws. After acquiring a container of ground ginger, my eyes fell upon the neighbouring container of Apple Pie Spice. The ingredient makeup was similar to Pumpkin Pie Spice, which I've been using consistently for the past few fall baking seasons. The difference between them appeared to be a larger proportion of ground ginger versus allspice in the Pumpkin Pie and the addition of cardamom in the Apple Pie. I opted to try the latter.

​At long last, my errand-running efforts would be rewarded with a scrumptious lunch of homemade BBQ Pork over Rice and Choy Sum and the long-awaited arrival of my passport.