Hiding in Plain Sight: Sweet Woodruff, Pea, and Pistachio Cake Kokedamas
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
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One of the best ways to elicit wonder in others is to present them with the unexpected. This is especially apparent in the world of fine dining; at Mugaritz, a plate of rocks is actually delicate potatoes with a thin coating of edible clay. At Alinea, peppers are roasted over little individual fires, then the coals of the fires themselves are eaten - fish wrapped in blackened leaves and other delicious and cohesive flavors that emerge from the ashes. Watching guests experience the wonder of surprise delights on shows like Chef’s Table left a lasting impression on me, and filled me with no small amount of trickster mischief. What if those sea urchins were actually a salad or perhaps a tea cake? Can mysterious blue crabs become breakfast buns? Could I sculpt pink oyster mushrooms out of confection? Clearly I delight in the trick of the eye, the art of trompe l’oeil, of making something look like something else. But to take that a level further is to hide these treats in plain sight.
Picture a banquet table filled with guests. Over the table are the Japanese botanical art forms known as kokedama, twine-wrapped moss balls holding the roots of plants growing out of the top. Maybe a few are sitting on the table as well. Your guests might notice the beautiful decorations and appreciate the aesthetic they are contributing to the atmosphere of the meal. But do you think any of them will notice that those moss balls are actually part of the dining experience? Unlikely. You can expect delighted faces of awe when you instruct your guests to cut a kokedama down, unwrap the twine, and dig into a delightful spring dessert.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
These beautiful little cakes are full of fresh flavor and not too sweet… to me, they taste like an extra flavorful muffin. Peas lend both color and sweetness to the cake batter, while pistachio gives it a bit of buttery richness. Sweet woodruff is a wonderful companion to peas, pistachio, and coconut; it smells a bit like vanilla and tonka beans and its sweet fragrance can be detected mingling with the others, even through the richness of a coconut chocolate ganache. The best part? These cakes can be hung like kokedama and make a fun presentation at a party! Your guests will be filled with wonder when they discover that the dessert course had been hanging above their heads all along!
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Sweet Woodruff Syrup:
The delightful fragrance of sweet woodruff is almost imperceptible when the plants are young, but becomes rich and fragrant as soon as they are dried. That’s the reason I prefer to use dried woodruff in recipes like this one! This is a great addition to the cakes below, but can also be combined with sparkling white wine or club soda for a fantastic seasonal spritzer.
Ingredients:
½ c. dried sweet woodruff
2 c. water
4 c. sugar
Directions:
Bring the water to boiling, then pour it over the sweet woodruff. Let infuse for 20 minutes, then strain. Add the infused water to a small saucepan with the sugar.
Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until all of the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into a sterilized jar. Once cool, store the syrup in the fridge.
Makes 7 spheres using this mold
Pistachio Pea Cake:
This delicious springtime cake was loosely based on this recipe. I added a layer of flavor with the sweet woodruff syrup, especially wonderful for this time of year!
Ingredients:
2 ¼ c. fresh or frozen peas
¾ c. sweet woodruff syrup
¾ c. unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs, room temp
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
⅓ c. unsalted raw pistachios (¼ c. ground)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Boil the peas until soft, then drain and rinse under cold water. (If you use frozen peas, just defrosting them makes them soft enough.) Add the peas and sweet woodruff syrup to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
Add the flour and pistachios to a food processor and grind until fine. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and pulse to combine.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the pea puree and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and blend just until smooth. Fill the molds ¾ full and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until they are lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
While the cake is cooling, make the ganache.
Coconut Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped dark chocolate (15oz)
1 2/3 c. full fat coconut milk (From a 13.5oz can)
Pinch of salt
1 Tbs. honey
Edible flowers and herbs, for presentation
Twine, for presentation
Directions:
In a small saucepan, heat the coconut cream over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. Add the salt and honey and mix to dissolve.
Place the dark chocolate into a heat-safe bowl, then pour the hot coconut cream over the top. Let sit for five minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy. Stir every couple of minutes until it has thickened to the consistency of buttercream frosting.
While the ganache is cooling, trim the baked cakes so they have flat bottoms and even domes. Save the excess cake and crumble it up - it’ll be the moss on the ouside of the kokedama!
When the cakes have cooled and the ganache is spreadable, use it to sandwich the two layers of cake together to form a sphere. Stick it each one in the fridge as you assemble them to give the ganache a chance to set up.
(This part is going to be messy): cover the outside of each sphere with ganache, then roll them in the leftover cake crumbs and the extra fine moss mixture below to look mossy. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and refrigerate until the ganache has set up.
Wrap each cake sphere with some twine and use it to hang them. Cut a little hole into the top and tuck in some edible flowers and herbs. Hang them somewhere lovely to serve soon! (The ganache will soften if they are left somewhere warm for too long!)
Extra Fine Moss:
This is a great base layer to help the kokedama look more spotty, like it is made with multiple kinds of moss. To make, just add 3/4 c. shelled raw pistachios, ¾ c. unsweetened flaked coconut, and 1 tbs. Matcha powder to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is fine.
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Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Join me for a little winter night magic as we bake this cake full of rich seasonal flavors and black cocoa!