50 Women Game Changers in Food - #14 Elizabeth David - Chocolate Cake

Portrait courtesy of Wikipedia

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Elizabeth David was a child of privilege who grew to become a beautiful, adventurous woman. She was a food writer whom many credit with revitalizing home cooking and expanding the horizons of homemakers in Britain. Behind the scenes, her life was the stuff screen writers dream of. As a young woman she studied art in France, and while she failed as an artist, this period of her life introduced her to the glories of the French kitchen. She abandoned art for the theater, but was unsuccessful there as well. Her stage career ended abruptly when she ran off with a much older man and began the first of many adventures that would mark her singular life. The liaison took her through the Mediterranean where her love of food was fueled. She escaped the Nazi invasion of Greece by fleeing to Egypt where her language skills made her a natural for employment with the British government. When the war ended, she returned to England. Wartime rationing was still in effect and she was dismayed by the restrictions it imposed on the British diet. That led her to write a series of articles celebrating the food of the Mediterranean and the ingredients used in its cooking. Her writing sparked the imaginations of her war weary readers and her career as a food writer began. Within ten years of her return home she was a major influence in British cooking. She would go on to write eight books, some of which were autobiographical. She led a remarkable, unconventional life, and while she was purported to be an unpleasant person, she was an extraordinary food writer who introduced the British to olive oil and garlic and the wonders of the Mediterranean kitchen. She's earned her place on the Gourmet Live list of Women Game Changers in Food. Her food, to this day, remains some of the best around. I've chosen a recipe for her flourless chocolate cake to share with you today. It is delicious.

Elizabeth David's Chocolate Cake ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Elizabeth David

Ingredients:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon brewed espresso or any strong coffee
1 tablespoon brandy
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup ground almonds
3 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees and butter an 8 inch spring-form pan.
2) In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate with vanilla, espresso and brandy.
3) Add butter, sugar, and ground almonds and heat mixture until the butter is melted. Remove pan from the heat.
4) Beat 3 large egg yolks until they are lemon colored. Stir them into the chocolate mixture.
5) Whip 3 large egg whites until they are just stiff and fold them into the chocolate mixture.
6) Turn batter into prepared pan and bake cake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. Cake will have some cracks on top and a tester will not come out clean. Let cake cool completely on a rack and remove side of the pan.
7) Brush with raspberry jelly or whipped cream or powdered sugar. Yield: 8 servings.

The following bloggers are also featuring the recipes of Elizabeth David. I hope you'll visit all of them. They are all great cooks who have wonderful blogs.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Linda A - There and Back Again
Martha - Lines from Linderhof


Next week we will highlight the food and recipes of Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso. It will be really interesting to see what everyone comes up with. If you'd like to join us please email me for additional information. Everyone is welcome.