Holiday Baking Tips

Since not all of us are Martha Stewarts (as much as we'd like to be, well me, at least), there will be some mishaps this season as we do our holiday baking. Bread won't rise properly or dough will be too wet or too stiff. So, here are 21 tips from one of Canada's best known pastry chefs, Anna Olson.

Anna Olson's Baking Tips
By Anna Olson, Host of Sugar

Valuable holiday baking tips from Anna Olson, pastry chef extraordinaire and host of Food Network Canada's Sugar.

1. The key to a successful pie is in the resting—no, not you! Giving your pie dough a chance to sit in the fridge for an hour after mixing and an hour after rolling will produce a pie crust that is tender and does not shrink.

2. For pies that feature a liquid-like filling, like lemon meringue or pumpkin, it’s best to use vegetable shorting for the crust—it’s less likely to get soggy.

3. If your pie crust cracks while rolling, simply sprinkle a little cold water on the cracked area, chill it for half an hour and then roll it again.

4. Apple pie is one of my favourites. I like to use Mutsu apples (also known as Crispin apples) as they are both tart and sweet and hold their shape when baked.

5. I still use my grandmother’s and mother’s trick of putting tin foil along the edge of the crust if it seems to be browning too quickly. Mom’s always right!

6. Be sure to follow the pan measurements correctly for a successful recipe—even an inch of difference can impact how your cake turns out.

7. When mixing batter, alternating dry and wet ingredients ensures an evenly textured cake.

8. Quality ingredients count. If you are making a chocolate cake, your cake will only be as good as the chocolate you use in it.

9. Slicing a cake into layers is easier the next day. Let your cake sit for 24 hours, then slice. I find that my cakes turn out best when baked without a convection fan.

10. Get ahead for the holidays by making your cookie doughs ahead of time and freezing them. I pack plastic containers with a selection of my favourite holiday cookie doughs. Each week in December, I pull out a container and bake the week's worth of cookies. This way I always have freshly baked cookies, but the hard work was done ahead of time!

11. Use unsalted butter so that you can control the salt in recipes.

12. Feel free to interchange nuts that are similar in texture. For instance, if a recipe calls for almonds, hazelnuts are an appropriate substitution, or if a recipe calls for pecans, feel free to use walnuts.

13. If you are freezing baked cookies keep in mind that the larger the quantity of sugar in the cookies the less it is that they will freeze. Sugar turns to liquid in the freezer.

14. A good candy thermometer is your best tool when making sweet treats! Accuracy in temperature is your key to success (I use it when I make my almond nougat).

15. Chocolate truffles are great gifts and can be flavoured any way you wish. I’ve been really keen on tea lately and have been infusing tea into truffles. You can use any flavours, from earl grey to orange pekoe, jasmine green, orange spice or chai.

16. If you are not happy with the results of your truffles use the pastry chef’s trick and sprinkle them with icing sugar. It makes everything look lovely.

17. Look for creative ways to wrap your candy. Craft stores often have cellophane bags. I’ve used a great tip from Samantha Pynn (Style at Home magazine) to wrap truffles in cellophane bags and attached a pair of mitts to them.

18. Take care when making candy with children. It is a task that kids naturally gravitate towards, but boiling sugar is VERY hot. Best to let the kids help with measuring the ingredients, and get them involved in decorating or wrapping the candies (and eating them of course!)

19. To easily remove your favourite square recipe from the pan, simply line the pan before baking with a sheet of parchment paper so that the edges hang over the sides. Once your squares have been baked and cooled, lift them easily out by the parchment, remove from the baking sheet and place on a cutting board for easy slicing.

20. Nothing like a little chocolate drizzle to top of any square!

21. If you are giving a tin of squares to a friend, it’s always a good idea to mention if there are nuts or other allergy sensitive ingredients inside (My Gooey Southern Squares are my absolute favourite).

Holiday Baking Week: Meringue Stars

I'll admit that meringues are hard to make. Getting those billowy peaks is a lot harder to create than it looks like on TV when the chefs do it. But when meringue is made right, it's absolutely delicious: crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Meringue Stars
Yield: 84 cookies

These chocolate-dipped stars look beautiful on the table, and their ethereal texture means guests can nibble without filling up. All three flavors—vanilla, chocolate, and coffee—come from one batter.


3 large egg whites, at room temperature 30 minutes, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 pinches of cream of tartar, divided
3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons instant-espresso powder
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (3 1/2-ounce) bar 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Make vanilla and coffee meringues
Preheat oven to 200°F with racks in upper, middle, and lower thirds of oven (or use 2 racks and bake in batches). Line 2 or 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat 1 egg white with vanilla (for vanilla meringues) and a pinch each of cream of tartar and salt with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until it just holds soft peaks. Add 2 tablespoons superfine sugar, a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in 2 tablespoons superfine sugar gently but thoroughly.

Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with tip, then dab some meringue under corners of parchment on all baking sheets to secure to sheets. Pipe 1-inch-wide stars (1 inch high) about 1/2 inch apart.

Make coffee meringues using same amounts and procedure as above but using espresso powder (1 1/2 teaspoons) in place of vanilla.

Make chocolate meringues
Sift cocoa through a fine-mesh sieve and whisk together with 2 tablespoons superfine sugar.

Beat remaining egg white with a pinch each of cream of tartar and salt with mixer at medium-high speed until it just holds soft peaks. Add remaining 2 tablespoons superfine sugar, a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in cocoa mixture gently but thoroughly.

Transfer meringue to a pastry bag and pipe more stars.

Bake meringues
Bake, switching position of upper and lower sheets halfway through baking, until dry, crisp, and firm, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Meringues are done when they release from parchment.)

Turn off oven and cool meringues in oven with door propped open about 1/2 inch using handle of a wooden spoon 1 hour, then slide parchment with meringues onto racks to cool completely.

Dip meringues in chocolate
Line a large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Stir together chocolate and vegetable oil until completely smooth. Peel meringues off parchment, then dip bottom of each into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer meringues to lined baking sheet, arranging as close together as possible, and when baking sheet is full, freeze meringues just until chocolate is set, about 3 minutes. Remove meringues from freezer.

Cook's notes:
To avoid stickiness, try to bake meringues on a dry day.

Dipped meringues keep, layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper, in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week or frozen, container tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, 1 month. Thaw frozen meringues, still in wrapped container, until container reaches room temperature, at least 30 minutes. (Do not unwrap and open container until completely thawed.)
(Recipe from Gourmet magazine.)

Holiday Baking Week: Coconut Macaroons

As I did my dad's favourite recipe yesterday (peanut brittle), I have to do my mom's favourite recipe, too. She loves all things coconut and macaroons can't serve that love any better. Plus I get bonus points with her even though they are quick and easy to bake up.

Coconut Macaroons
Yield: 30 macaroons


3 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (14 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut (5 1/3 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper (or coat generously with nonstick cooking spray).

In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt until frothy. With a fork, stir in coconut until moistened.

Drop mixture by packed level tablespoons onto prepared sheet (cookies will not spread). Bake until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
(Recipe from Everyday Food.)

Holiday Baking Week: Peanut Brittle

A double whammy today, two kinds of brittle. This one is for my dad, who loves this recipe all year long, not just at holiday time. It's also easy to make, though I admit that knowing when to remove the sugar syrup from the stovetop is tricky when you first make it. I bungled up this recipe the first couple of times I made it, removing it too late and then too soon. But if you have a candy thermometer, you can avoid my mistakes.

Peanut Brittle
Yield: 4 servings


Unsalted butter, softened, for baking sheet
2 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, 7 ounces
Vegetable oil, for spatula

Butter a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Stir together sugar, 1/2 cup water, and the salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until sugar begins to melt and turn golden, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has melted and mixture turns golden amber, about 10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in peanuts. Immediately pour peanut mixture onto buttered baking sheet. Quickly spread mixture to 1/2 inch thick using an oiled metal spatula. Let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Break brittle into pieces. Brittle can be stored in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.
(Recipe from Martha Stewart Living.)

Holiday Baking Week: Peppermint Bark

Peppermint is one of those distinctive flavours of the season for me, whether it be peppermint candy canes or ice cream, or a favourite obsession of a friend of mine, peppermint hot chocolate.

This recipe is also rather therapeutic for those stressful times during this busy season: You get to bash the heck out of something, but with a sweet result!

Peppermint Bark
Yield: Two pounds of candy


Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
2 pounds white chocolate
Peppermint flavorings, optional

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)
(Recipe by Paula Deen, Paula's Home Cooking.)

Holiday Baking Week: Cranberry Orange Drop Cookies

Cranberries always make me think of this season, whether it be a cranberry wreath or a garland of cranberry and popcorn strung on the tree, from cranberry relish for turkey or apple and cranberry mulled cider, there is something comforting and warming about cranberries at this time of year. I also find these cookies a fruity alternative to fruit cake for those who must have a bite of another holiday staple. Plus, because they are "drop" cookies, lumps and mis-shapen cookies are not only okay, they're a requirement!

Cranberry Orange Drop Cookies
Yield: 48 cookies


2 cups (packed) dried sweetened cranberries (about 10 ounces)
1/3 cup orange juice
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chopped unsalted natural pistachios
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

Butter 3 baking sheets. Combine dried sweetened cranberries and orange juice in small bowl. Let stand until dried cranberries soften slightly, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Whisk all purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until just blended.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter and golden brown sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add 1 egg, minced ginger, vanilla extract, and grated orange peel and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour-spice mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts, chopped pistachios, coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries, and dried cranberries with any juices that have accumulated.

Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing tablespoonfuls about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 baking sheet at a time, until golden and almost firm to touch in center, about 18 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool cookies completely. (Cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature.)
(Recipe from Bon Appétit.)

Holiday Baking Week: Checkerboard Cookies

I saw these in an issue of Martha Stewart Living some years ago and promptly made them that year. They were a great hit with my family. I especially love the graphic nature of these cookies, not to mention that they are delicious as can be. They look complicated, but are easy as pie to make.

Checkerboard Cookies
Yield: 36 cookies


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 large egg

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, scraping down sides of bowl.

Turn dough out onto a clean work surface; it will be loose and crumbly. Knead dough by pushing small amounts away from you with the heel of your hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Sprinkle cocoa powder over one of the halves. Knead until cocoa has been fully incorporated.

Place each half of the kneaded dough between two sheets of plastic. Using a rolling pin, shape dough into two 7-inch squares, about 3/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, slice each square into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips.

Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. Place three strips of dough on plastic, alternating white and chocolate strips. Brush tops and in between the strips with egg wash. Gently press strips together. Repeat, forming second and third layers, alternating colors to create a checkerboard effect. Wrap assembled log in plastic. Repeat process for second log, reversing color pattern. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or freeze 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on baking sheet. Bake until done, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and let cookies cool 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container up to 2 days.
(Recipe from Martha Stewart Living.)

Holiday Baking Week: The Basics—Gingerbread Cookies

Here is the second of my essential holiday baking recipes, gingerbread. Kids will love making gingerbread people or houses from this recipe, and even if you don't have kids, adults will like eating them, too, without the icing and decoration but a more simple variety.

Basic Gingerbread Cookies
Yield: 24 6-inch gingerbread people


6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses
Currants
Royal icing

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Add flour mixture; combine on low speed. Divide dough in thirds, and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (a French nonstick baking mat). Set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough 1/8-inch thick. Cut into gingerbread people shapes. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.

Cut out desired decorations and place on cookies. Press currants into dough to create eyes and buttons. To create hair, roll a piece of dough into a ball and pass through a clean garlic press. Attach hair to heads. Bake until crisp, but not darkened for about 20 minutes. Let cookies cool on wire racks.

Decorate with royal icing.
(Recipe from Martha Stewart Living.)


Royal Icing
Yield: 2 1/2 cups

2 large egg whites, or more to thin icing
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, or more to thicken icing
1 lemon, juiced

Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat for 1 minute more. If icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if it is too thin, add more sugar. The icing may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
(Recipe from Martha Stewart Living.)

Holiday Baking Week: The Basics—Sugar Cookies

The holidays are upon us now that we are in the home stretch of December. And with those tidings of good cheer also comes a lot of prepping before we host our parties and gather our family and friends into our hearths and our hearts.

For me, that prepping means baking since I don't host a turkey dinner or any sort of such feast. While I would love to be able to make 10 different varieties of cookies, I simply don't have the time to, so over the years I've narrowed it down to two basic recipes plus two or three different recipes for variety. My two basic recipes are: sugar cookies and gingerbread. You can decorate and transform these two basic recipes with a few changes here and there to make it look like you made four or five different recipes. I call it wowing your friends without all the work.

The key to keeping your sanity with holiday baking is to make big batches of the above two doughs then to freeze the dough into discs and then bake them off and decorate as needed. Or, to spend one day making large quantities of the above dough and make several dozen batches of cookies. (They also make pretty gifts.)

So here is the basic sugar cookie recipe:

Sugar Cookies
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar or 1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease; set aside.

Spoon flour into dry measure, filling until heaping.

Using flat side of knife, sweep off excess flour

Place in bowl; add baking powder and salt, stirring to combine. Set aside.

In large bowl and using electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy; beat in sugar in 3 additions.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

Using wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture in 3 additions.

Divide dough in half; flatten each slightly.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 24 hours.

On lightly floured surface, roll out dough, 1 piece at a time, to 1/4-inch (5 mm) thickness.

Using shaped cookie cutter, cut out shapes.

Press scraps together to reroll.

Bake in centre of oven for about 10 minutes or until light golden on bottom and edges.

Let cool for 1 minute on baking sheets.

With spatula, transfer to racks; let cool completely.
(Recipe from Canadian Living Cooks.)

And now here comes the fun part — the decorating! The sky's the limits here, really. Get whatever shaped cookie cutters you want and decorate them as you want, with a fine tip icing head, with sprinkles or candy. Ice just the edges or the entire thing, it's up to you. Here are some inspirational cookies to get you started.

Birthday Week: Mint Madness

What's more refreshing than lemon? Mint, of course! And with minty-fresh breath, you can unabashedly kiss everyone thank you for sharing your special day with you without fear of offending them with your breath!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
Yield: 8 servings

You may alternate layers of green and white ice cream as we did in this striped cake, but using simply one or the other is just as delicious.


Cake
Yield: 2 8-inch square cakes

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pans
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large whole egg, room temperature
1 large egg white, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups strong, hot coffee

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 8-inch-square baking pans. Line with parchment, and butter again. Flour pans, tapping out excess; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine all the ingredients except the hot coffee. Mix ingredients on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Slowly add the coffee. Mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared pans; smooth tops with an offset spatula.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pans to wire rack to cool. Turn out the cakes, and wrap them in plastic wrap until ready to use.

Assemble cake:
Trim cake layers to 6-inch squares. Slice each layer in half horizontally, making a total of 4 layers. Cut a 6-inch square of cardboard or foam; set aside.

Microwave green ice cream until softened, about 20 seconds. Transfer ice cream to a medium mixing bowl, and stir with a rubber spatula. Place in the freezer. Microwave white ice cream until softened, about 20 seconds, and transfer to another mixing bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula.

Place one cake layer on the cardboard. Using an offset spatula, spread 2 cups white ice cream over the cake. Place another cake layer on top of ice cream. Place cake and bowl of white ice cream in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Remove the cake and the bowl of green ice cream from the freezer. Stir ice cream with the spatula to soften. With the spatula, evenly spread 2 cups green ice cream over cake. Place a third cake layer on top. Return the cake and the bowl of green ice cream to the freezer for 20 minutes more.

Remove the cake and the bowl of white ice cream from the freezer, and spread the remaining 2 cups white ice cream over the top; place the fourth cake layer on top of the white ice cream. Return the cake to the freezer for 20 minutes more.

Remove the cake and bowl of green ice cream from freezer, and spread 2 cups green ice cream over top. Return cake and ice cream to freezer, and chill the cake until firm, about 1 hour.

Remove the cake and remaining 2 cups green ice cream from freezer. Using a long serrated knife, trim 1/4 inch from all sides of the cake, making them even. Using an icing spatula, quickly spread the remaining green ice cream around the sides of the cake. Return the cake to freezer; freeze until completely hardened.
(Recipe from Martha Stewart Living.)


Chocolate Mint Layer Cake
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold water
2 cups sugar
1 cup corn oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) mint-flavored chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with
1 1/2-inch-high sides. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Mix 2 cups cold water and sugar in large bowl until sugar dissolves. Gradually mix in corn oil and vanilla extract. Whisk in dry ingredients. Divide cake batter among prepared pans. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mint-flavored chocolate chips over cake batter in each pan.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on rack 15 minutes. Cut around pan sides. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.

Frosting
5 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 tablespoons (about) milk
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (about 6 ounces) mint-flavored chocolate chips
1/4 cup red-and-white striped peppermint candies or candy canes (broken into pieces)

Combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, unsalted butter, 6 tablespoons milk, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat frosting until smooth. Thin with more milk by tablespoonfuls, if necessary.

Place 1 cake layer, chocolate-chip side up, on platter. Spread 2/3 cup frosting over. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Top with second cake layer, chocolate-chip side up. Spread 2/3 cup frosting over. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Top with remaining cake layer, chocolate-chip side down. Spread remaining frosting over sides and top of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; let stand at room temperature.)

Place striped peppermint candies in heavy plastic bag. Crush with hammer. Sprinkle candies over cake.
(Recipe from Bon Appétit.)


Frozen Mint Chocolate Checkerboard
Yield: 4 to 6 servings


For mint ice cream
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/3 cup green crème de menthe

Bring cream, milk, sugar, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Whisk eggs in a bowl until blended, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Transfer custard back to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 175 to 180°F on thermometer (do not let boil).

Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned bowl, then stir in liqueur. Cool custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then chill, its surface covered with a round of wax paper, until cold, about 3 hours.

For cake (make while custard chills)
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1/4 cup water
6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature for 30 minutes
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of square baking pan with wax or parchment paper.

Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring, then cool to lukewarm.

Beat yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes in a standing mixer or about 8 minutes with a handheld. Fold in melted chocolate.

Beat egg whites with cleaned beaters until they hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Fold one third of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out with crumbs adhering, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack, then cover top of cake with 2 layers of dampened paper towels and let stand 5 minutes. Remove towels and cool cake completely in pan (cake will deflate as it cools). Sift 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa over cake, then loosen edges with a sharp knife. Invert a wax-paper-lined baking sheet over cake and invert cake onto it, then gently peel off wax paper now on top.

Freeze custard while cake cools:
Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm but still spreadable, about 30 minutes.

Assemble checkerboards:
Oil milk carton, then line bottom and long sides with a sheet of plastic wrap, leaving at least a 2-inch overhang.

Trim cake to form a 7 1/2- by 6 1/4-inch rectangle (reserve trimmings for another use), then cut rectangle lengthwise into 5 (7 1/2- by 1 1/4-inch) strips. Using thin metal spatula, arrange 2 strips on bottom of carton, flush against each long side. Fill space between strips with ice cream (preferably using a small offset metal spatula). Arrange 1 cake strip down center of carton (on top of ice cream) and fill spaces on both sides of cake with ice cream. Arrange remaining 2 cake strips against long sides of carton (on top of ice cream) and fill space between them with ice cream. (There will be some leftover ice cream.) If ice cream becomes too soft during assembly, freeze until just firm enough to work with, about 15 minutes. Cover top with plastic wrap overhang, then freeze until dessert is hardened, at least 8 hours.

To serve, unwrap overhang and invert carton onto a chilled platter, using plastic wrap to help pull cake from carton. Trim sides evenly to neaten loaf if necessary (ice cream may ooze a bit on sides), then sift remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa over top. Cut into slices with a sharp knife.

Cooks' notes:
Ice cream can be made 2 days ahead of assembling checkerboard. Soften in refrigerator before using.

Assembled checkerboard can be frozen up to 4 days.
(Recipe from Gourmet magazine.)