Page 29 - December Proof

A grownup riff on a childhood favorite
Article and photo by Lisa Crockett
This time of year is full of food nostalgia. Most of us, even the Scroogiest among us, have a few seasonal favorite foods come December. Whether it’s your grandmother’s sensational cornbread stuffing or your dad’s shrimp jambalaya, the holidays are all about good food. Or rather, about food that you’ve had year after year, sometimes even if it’s not all that good.
For years, a certain family member of mine made cookies filled with red and green gumdrops every single holiday season. They were festive and pretty and smelled amazing as they baked. But
in all honesty, the gumdrops were too sweet and their chewy texture overpowered the soft vanilla flavor of the cookie dough. Still, even 35 years later, I sometimes get a hankering for those terrible cookies. Fruitcake, of course, gets similarly bad press, and most families have some equivalent
that somehow shows up on the buffet table to be politely picked at and then discarded.
This year I had a particularly strong craving for
a dessert I made many times in childhood. A concoction of cornflakes and marshmallows, dyed with food coloring, then fashioned into the shape of a holiday wreath and adorned with red-hot candy, these wreaths are a close cousin to the Rice Krispies treat. Sticky, sweet, and very, very green. I located a recipe online, whipped up a batch, and was . . . underwhelmed. Sure, they reminded me of childhood, but they tasted mostly of sugar and
I felt vaguely ill after I ate one. Okay, I ate more than one. They weren’t awful, just not great.
Because I had used the internet to locate the recipe, I went back to my search results to see if there
Culinary Corner 29
was a version of this treat that might appeal to a more grown-up palate. There wasn’t, but I did stumble upon this much more sophisticated dessert that uses the cornflake (allowed to remain their natural color) to add body and heft to a dessert that is reminiscent of a chocolate truffle. It’s a sort of no-bake cake that combines well-creamed butter and cream (to give a light-fluffy texture) with rich melted chocolate. The cereal is stirred in and formed into a cake, which is then topped with more melted chocolate and butter-toasted cornflakes. It’s simple to make and sinfully rich, and it’s festive and fancy looking. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a bite to find that it was the perfect blend of silky and crunchy. Just a mouthful or two was enough for me to feel satisfied (but, again, I must confess to eating a bit more than that.)
Like other treats made with cereal, this
one can be tricky to slice neatly, so if you choose to display it on a buffet, you may want to take it to the kitchen to slice it up and then return it to the table in individual portions. I don’t mind the mildly crumbly texture the cornflakes give, but if you’re looking for something a bit tidier, you could easily portion the “dough” into mini-muffin tins and then top each individual serving with a bit of the ganache and garnish it with just two or three of the toasted cornflakes.
Make one of these cakes topped with
a “wreath” of cornflakes and re-live a childhood memory in a more sophisticated form. This could be the delicious start of a new holiday tradition.
Chocolate Cornflake Cake
The cornflakes make this treat a bit tricky to slice neatly – use a sharp knife and be sure it’s at room temperature before attempting to cut it.
Cake:
• 11 ounces dark chocolate, chopped • 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup cream
• 3 1⁄2 cups cornflakes
Topping:
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped • 1⁄4 teaspoon corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1⁄2 cup cornflakes
• Pinch of salt
In the microwave, melt the dark chocolate for the cake, stirring every 30 seconds until the mixture is smoothly melted. Set the chocolate aside, and in another bowl cream together the butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the cream and melted chocolate until the mixture is evenly mixed. By hand, stir in the cornflakes until they are well distributed. Press this mixture into a plastic-wrap lined six-inch cake pan and chill in the fridge for about an hour.
While the cake chills, melt the 3 tablespoons of cream and milk chocolate together in the microwave. Add the corn syrup and stir well. Set the chocolate and cream mixture aside to cool a bit. Melt butter in a small skillet, and add cornflakes, stirring and toasting until the butter is absorbed and the cornflakes are golden.
Remove cake from the fridge and carefully peel back the plastic wrap. Place the cake on a plate and slowly drizzle the chocolate over the top, nudging it toward the edges of the cake with a butter knife or offset spatula. Garnish with toasted cornflakes. Allow the cake to come to room temperature and then serve. This dessert is rich, so cut small slices!
December 2021