One child wasn’t invited to the all girl class afternoon party last Friday. My daughter came home with this disturbing information. My daughter asked the girl over on Saturday to bake an orange chiffon cake together.

The trick with chiffon cake is that it needs to hang upside down as it cools. This allows the cake not to be tough in order keep its appealing quality. When cooled the cake can be turned back right side up and it is consequently perfectly formed. It has the structure and strength it needs by being allowed to stay in the controlled confines of the pan while not having to be manipulated with taste and texture inhibiting ingredients in order appear perfect. The look of the cake would be the same with the addition of stabilizers but the interior structure of the cake would be denser and far from the perfect, light quality that it truly is. The flavor of a chiffon cake, whether it is orange, lemon, chocolate, or vanilla is enhanced by the soft confident texture this technique allows.

Cooling a cake upside down sounds more difficult than it is. Essentially you will want to take the cake out of the oven and turn it upside down, balanced on something that will allow it to hang upside down and not have the cake be smashed down by resting on the counter or table. The cake needs the lift it will get from hanging upside down; the air will circulate around the bottom of the cake and will not allow it to get soggy.

Turning things upside down to avoid tough results is useful for many things in our lives. Teaching adolescents to understand how to treat someone with kindness and empathy, one first needs to show them how awful it feels to be treated with thoughtlessness. It is an upside down way to have to teach or bake but the results achieved are worth the effort. The interior of a chiffon cake, like the interior of an adolescent, are similar. They are both very tender. They both need confines and structure to hold them up while they solidify into the mature strong creations that they are. They both are a bit unstable as they balance in suspension. We need to help maintain the balance, not let anyone knock them over, or let someone convince us that we are wrong in our task. Once the process is completed the cake and the adolescent will be able to be turned right side up and adorned with a simple design. The sweet icing can then be applied to the outside structure with the strength of the interior being in place. There will not be sunken, damaged sides that have to be hidden from view. They will have the proud, tender interior crumb without the fear of falling and being vulnerable to criticism. The result is that each becomes more impressive than the most complicated sweets. It is with confidence that you can display this creation and know all will be impressed and delighted with its qualities.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated magazine

• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teas baking powder
• 3/4 teas salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 6 yolks
• 1 1/4 cups orange juice
• 1 TB orange zest
• 10 egg whites
• 1/4 teas cream of tartar

Butter and flour a large Bundt pan or two small Bundt pans

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, yolks, orange juice, and zest.

Mix together the yolk mixture and flour mixture until smooth

Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment until the yellow of the whites changes to foamy white, then add the sugar slowly. Whip until the egg whites are a firm meringue. You will know that this is done when you place a rubber spatula in the egg whites and it stands up without having to hold it.

Fold in the yolk mixture into the meringue.

Pour into the prepared pans and bake 325 for 25 minutes

After the cake is done, take it out of the oven and set it upside down on an upside down small bowl without removing the cake from the pan. This will allow the cake to hang and not sink down and loose its airy quality. Make sure the middle of the Bundt pan is resting on the bowl so that air can circulate around the bottom of the cake.

Icing

• 6 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teas vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and then spread on the cooled cake with a spatula.

Humility is a tender and creative place. Not everyone experiences humility. Some experience humiliation, but that is different. Humility enters the room knowing that it is not impressive. It is the awkwardness of this quality that sparks interest. It is the treasure that awaits discovery that is so attractive. Not everyone recognizes humility when it appears, that again is part of its appeal.

Rice Pudding has many names, Riz l’Imperatrice and Riz a la Malta are two that I know. Each is rice pudding with a variant on the flavoring. I have enjoyed these rice puddings, they are worthy of the end of an elegant meal, but it is the simple rice pudding that love. The humble rice pudding cooked on the stove top served cold in glass bowls glistening with vanilla bean seeds.

When I was freshly returned from Paris I swore I would never make a carrot cake or a devil’s food cake in my bakery. I was so attached to the Parisian idea of pastry and cakes that I had little room for the humble desserts of my youth. Now twenty eight years later it is those simple desserts of my childhood that have graced the cases of my bakery for the test of time. The cheesecake and the rugelach of my grandmother, the devil’s food cake of my dear friend in college, and yes the croissant dough recipe from my stage in Paris, are all there everyday. To this I am adding the rice pudding of my father. He loved it for breakfast, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. I love it just plain or with a dash or caramel sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

Humility sometimes is earned at the price of a lack of recognition. The knowing stand resolute in the truth of their worth. Rice pudding deserves the name Riz l’Imperatrice, but I want to call it HUMBLE just like Wilber in Charlotte’s web, it’s SOME PUDDING.

Humble Rice Pudding

Serves 12

Adapted from Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding by Molly Wizenberg

• 3 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 1/2 teas salt
• 6 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 TB vanilla or one vanilla bean

Simmer rice, water and salt in a large deep pan. Let simmer no more that 7 minutes. Add the sugar, milk, cream and vanilla bean cut in half and the seeds scraped out if using. Simmer for 25 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the rice so that it breaks apart. If you are adding liquid vanilla, let the pudding rest 10 minutes after cooking and then add the vanilla.

Pour a small dab of the Toffee Sauce from the preceding recipe in the bottom of a glass custard cup. Reserve 1/2 cup toffee sauce for decoration. Pour the rice pudding on top of the toffee sauce. The Toffee sauce will be pushed up the sides a bit and it will look very pretty. Cover by pressing plastic wrap onto the top of the pudding, this helps prevent the forming of a skin. Let chill for at least 5 hours. Before serving whip cream and sweeten with 1 TB of sugar and 1/4 teas of vanilla to each cup of cream . With a pastry bag and a star tip, pipe a pretty rosette on top of the pudding and drizzle with a bit of the reserved toffee sauce.

You will need approximately two cups of toffee sauce for this entire recipe.

Laura returned from a trip to London singing the praises of Sticky Toffee Pudding. Not being familiar with with British term for steamed cakes as pudding, I thought it was more of a traditional pudding, as in butterscotch pudding. When she described that it was served with a small pitcher of warm toffee sauce on the side, it all seemed a bit too sweet and gooey for me. I humored Laura with “yum” and “oh yeas”, but really I thought whole thing sounded disgusting.

Laura always has a wonderful New Year’s Eve party at her house and I foolishly suggested that I make that Sticky Toffee Pudding that she had in London. Honestly I never thought that I would find the recipe, maybe it was a speciality of the restaurant. I crossed my fingers.

Out shopping together one afternoon Laura picked up a book called “Puddings”. Flipping through the pages guess what she found? I grabbed the book in disbelief and scanned the recipe. “Dates?” I asked. “Did it taste like dates?”

“No”, she said,”There weren’t dates in it.” We both read the recipe and sure enough it was a date cake with a toffee sauce. I was in love. I couldn’t wait to make this recipe. I was counting the minutes until New Year’s Eve.

Needless to say it was a smashing success. I pulled those warm date studded beauties out of the oven and poured the warm toffee sauce over them to the “yums. and “oh yeas” sighing in the kitchen. We were all silent after we ate them, maybe wishing in the New Year,or maybe saying a silent prayer to the creator of Sticky Toffee Pudding.

I make Sticky Toffee Pudding at the bakery now. They are not served steaming from the oven. They look more like small cupcake size cakes with a generous ladle of toffee sauce on the top.

I took the toffee sauce to a fondue party last night. I was in charge of the chocolate fondue, but I knew there were a few non-chocolate eaters in the crowd. I put a pot of the toffee fondue out as well. It was scraped clean with pieces of pound cake, strawberries and sliced golden delicious apples. There was chocolate fondue left in the other pot.

Tonight I surprised my family with toffee fondue for dessert. I only provided strawberries to dip, but no one complained.

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Sticky Toffee Pudding/ Toffee Pudding Fondue

• 2 cups of date pieces
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teas baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teas vanilla
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1 teas baking powder
• 2 cups all purpose flour

Heat the water and add the dates and the soda. Let stand 20 minutes

Cream the butter and the brown sugar, add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the butter mixture, Scrape down the bowl and make sure the bottom is incorporated. Add the date mixture. Mix on medium until incorporated.

Set oven to 350. Put a baking tray bigger than the muffin tin in the oven. Pour water into the pan to halfway. Grease muffin tines, fill, 3/4 of the way full and put the tin over the water bath. Bake for 35-40 minutes until done. They will feel moist but will spring back to the touch when done.

Let cool and gently take them out of the tins.Place them on the plate you will serve them on. Poke them with a skewer and pour the toffee sauce (recipe follows) over the tops. Served best warm.

Toffee Sauce/Fondue

• 1 cup salted butter melted
• 3 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups cream
• pinch salt

Heat the butter and the brown sugar Add the cream and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer 6-8 minutes.

For the fondue just put it in the pot warm and have some things like strawberries, sliced apples, and cubes of cake to dip.

Today I baked some molasses cookies that I have been meaning to bake since my friend Mary sent me the recipe. The recipe was sent via a recipe exchange chain letter. I normally delete chain letters, but the prospect of receiving 36 favorite recipes from friends and strangers was too tempting to pass up. Mary, who is one of my dearest friends, sent me an email explaining that the molasses cookies were one of her most favorite recipes. Unfortunately she failed to attach the promised recipe. I promptly picked up the phone and said, “Send me that darn recipe now!”

It is three months later and a rainy day. I was aching from a long run in the rain and I decided a soothing balm would be to make those favorite cookies from one of my favorite people. "I decided to be neat and tidy when making these cookies, something I am not always capable of when trying new recipes. I usually try three recipes at a time, a habit that sometimes creates mistakes instead of successes. I can’t seem to tame my enthusiasm for baking and cooking, so one recipe at a time is never enough. I was determined to make only the molasses cookies, but I was able to catch The Martha Stewart Show this morning. She had a chef on from Benoit making Tarte Tatin with sable crust, and I was caught in his spell. I baked the sable crust while the cookies were in the oven. I also put corned beef on the stove in honor of the upcoming St. Patty’s Day. Okay I can’t ever cook or bake with out making three things at once.

I made the cookies without any mishaps and they turned out great. With a cup of PG Tips and a cookie I sat down to enjoy one. As I tasted the cookie I was gracefully embraced by their likeness to my friend Mary.

They were sweet although not too sweet, and spicy without a trace of bitterness. They were classic,not gaudy, a style that will last a lifetime. They were tricky in their appeal, a bit intense, full of spice, and oh how they finished with a kick. They made me want more. I am going to make these cookies in the bakery. I won’t call them molasses cookies, sorry Mary. I will call them Spicemerry Cookies. I know that you all will all like them as much as I do. If you have a friend who can make you laugh and is still the one you call when you need a shoulder, you can name them after your friend, they are deserving.

Spicemerry cookies

• 1/3 cup sugar plus 1/3 cup for dipping
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 6 oz unsalted butter,softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp grd cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp grd ginger
• 1/2 tsp grd cloves
• 1/4 tsp grd allspice
• 1/4 tsp grd black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with silpat liners or parchment paper.
Set 1/3 cup sugar aside in a dish for rolling.

In a standing mixer mix the butter and the sugars together until fluffy (about 3 min). Reduce speed and add the yolk,vanilla;increase the speed and beat 20 seconds until incorporated. Reduce speed and add the molasses; beat until fluffy. Stop the mixer add the dry ingredients that have been measured together in a bowl. Carefully turn on the mixer so not to spray the flour everywhere. Mix until incorporated. Do not overmix. Make sure that there are no flour pockets. Using a tablespoon scoop out balls, roll them in your hands and roll them in the sugar. Press them lightly down onto the tray, 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time. Bake for exactly 10 minutes.They will be brown and still a bit puffy looking, don’t be fooled they are done, they will harden up a bit when they cool.