Happy Valentine’s Day week! Today’s show starts with a Public Service Announcement from Andrea and Stefin … don’t go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day. It’s often expensive and you’ll feel rushed. Instead, stay in and treat your sweeties (and yourself!) to some Preheated bakes!
The hosts reflect on the history of ever-popular conversation hearts, pioneered by the New England Candy Company (maker of the NECCO wafer) in 1902. They were originally much bigger, and able to fit such pulse-quickening phrases as: “How Long Shall I Have to Wait? Please Be Considerate.” As it turns out, centuries before they appeared in the US, the inspiration for conversation hearts appeared as “kissing comfits” in England, and even got a mention in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1602. The hosts delighted in the old-fashioned “racier” messages, from “How Do You Flirt?” and “Can You Polka?” to temperance messages like “Take Ye Not To Strong Drink” and “Honour Your Parents.”
Listeners, please join us for the Preheated Book Club in February. We’re reading Risotto with Nettles by Anna del Conte, and will discuss in Episode 165.
Recipe Review: Italian Pignoli Cookies by Gourmet Magazine
Andrea worried she wouldn’t be able to find almond paste in local stores and ordered a four-pack online for $22, then purchased another two packages in the store for $7 each when her shipment was delayed. Luckily she found the pine nuts in the bulk section for $9, but the grand total of all these ingredients led her to dub this pignoli cookie recipe “The $45 Cookie.” Stefin loved the aroma of the almond paste enjoyed a few nibbles during her preparation. Andrea used the honey called for in the recipe, while Stefin used Lyles’ Golden Syrup. Both hosts mixed the batter in their stand mixers with the paddle attachment, and skipped the pastry bag in favor of spooning the cookies onto the sheets. Stefin’s cookies baked up nicely until the 10-minute mark, when disaster struck, and they all melted and spread into one “big lacey mat.” It was tasty, but not pretty.
Learning from Stefin’s experience, Andrea chilled her cookies for 30 minutes in the fridge and another 30 minutes on the sheets, hoping to stop the dreaded spread. She also used ice water on her hands before handling the cookies, and she only baked one sheet at a time. She made three batches, and found the best results when she baked the cookies on the sheet on top of her baking stone for 16 minutes. Her final addition was a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar on top of the cookies. Success!
Listeners, any ideas why Stefin’s cookies spread?
Bake Along: 10 Minute Tiramisù by Gemma Stafford
When Andrea saw Gemma Stafford’s Instagram post promising sophisticated homemade tiramisù in only 10 minutes, she was hooked! What better way to have an easy Valentine’s dessert? Bake this traditional dessert along with the hosts and consider the options to prepare your own homemade ladyfingers and homemade mascarpone. There’s also a few flavor variations: one with berries and the 10 Minute Chocolate Tiramisù that Stefin is planning on trying.
Deep Dive: Dark Milk Chocolate
Andrea’s excited about her latest discovery: dark milk chocolate. After years of thinking milk chocolate was a treat enjoyed mostly by children, she’s discovered some new bean-to-bar artisans making milk chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage, leading to a creamy and flavorful bar. Andrea picked up a bar from Solstice Chocolates in Utah that was 54% cocoa, a bar from Dick Taylor chocolates in California that was 58%, and one from Askinosie in Missouri that was 62% cocoa (her favorite!) Some resources to help you in your own bean-to-bar exploration: Megan Giller’s book Bean to Bar Chocolate that explores the American craft chocolate movement, and this article that lists Bean to Bar chocolatiers in the UK.
Thanks to our youngest Preheated correspondent (Stefin’s son!) who tested out the new Dark Milk chocolate from Cadbury, which contains 40% cocoa and 14% milk, while their regular Dairy Milk bars contain 23% cocoa and 20% milk. He (and his mum) gave two thumbs up to this smooth but darker addition to the Dairy Milk family.
Previously on Preheated …
Three Years Ago: Episode 111: Going Bananas for Banoffee Pie
Two Years Ago: Episode 63: Of Pies and Pearls
One Year Ago: Episode 14: Biscoff 10, Willpower 0
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