Seafood remains one of the most intimidating aspects of cooking to most home chefs. In The Tsunami Restaurant Cookbook, Chef/owner Ben Smith sets out to demystify the qualities of different fish as well as the Asian ingredients used in his award-winning, Memphis based Tsunami Restaurant kitchen.
My wife adapted this dessert from an old family recipe. We had been drinking mojitos, a refreshing rum and lime cocktail laced with fresh mint, when Colleen
said something like, "Wouldn’t it be great if you could capture this flavor in a dessert?" Next thing I know, she's off to the kitchen with a bottle of rum, some
mint, a bunch of limes, and her family recipe for rum coke. What she ended up with is one of our best-selling desserts.
Makes 12 individual cakes
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. unsalted buffer
1 1/2 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
3/4 cup rum
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
FOR THE GLAZE:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup rum
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Whip the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar together until fluffy. Whip in the egg yolks one at a time. Remove to a large stainless-steel bowl.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with 1/4 cup sugar. Mix the rum with the cream.
Fold 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture with a rubber spatula. Fold in 1/3 of the rum mixture. Continue to alternately fold the dry and wet ingredients into the batter until incorporated. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
Butter and flour 12 (8-oz.) ovenproof ramekins. Fill each ramekin 2/3 full.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes.
To make the glaze, place the butter, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the rum, lime zest, lime juice, and mint. Allow to cool slightly.
When the cakes are done baking, remove from the oven and allow them to cool in the ramekins for 20 minutes.
With a serrated knife, slice the top off each cake so that they are level.
While the glaze is still warm, ladle evenly over each cake.
Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing them from the ramekins.
