Bring on the Gooiness!
By Michael Safdiah

Paula Dean, bless her Georgia country-bred heart, made her famous Gooey cake on TV with canned pumpkin and a box of cake mix, and my friends loved it. Heck, I have no problems with a shortcut as long as it tastes good. Later I had thoughts of lemon and cheesecake, so I conjured one up where ricotta takes the place of the pumpkin, and the emphasis is on lemon: FRESH lemon rind, and no cheating. This is my own, with a deep bow to Paula: Ricotta Lemon 'Gooey' Butter Cake: Aiming for a New York-style taste, I included sour cream, but you can use Greek yogurt.

CAKE: 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package Duncan Hines lemon cake mix, (yes a mix). One egg, beaten, 8 tablespoons melted butter, grated rind of a lemon, pinch kosher salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder.

FILLING: 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened, 1 (15-ounce) whole milk Ricotta, drained, 3 eggs plus 2 yolks, beaten, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, grated rind of three whole lemons, 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter, 2/3 pound powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, big pinch kosher salt, 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the cake: Combine all of the ingredients and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the dough mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Prepare filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and ricotta until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, lemon rind, extract, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread cheese batter over cake batter and BAKE for 40 to 50 minutes. TIP: if you see the surface cracking, LOWER the oven to 275 degrees, bake ONLY until the cake seems soft like custard, but not liquid when you shake it. Don't worry; it will thicken when it cools. Turn off the oven, crack the door, leave inside with the heat off for 15 minutes, then remove cake and let cool. Wait until cake is fully cooled before slicing. Make sure not to over-bake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with fresh sour cream.

VARIATIONS:Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

My restaurant, The Black Sheep, used to serve a white chocolate mousse with fresh summer fruits macerated in fine sugar and topped with a puree of raspberries. We never had enough of it to satisfy the demand. One night a producer from the Regis Philbin show asked me to do it on his morning show. I said sure, thinking it would be a snap, until I got the most God-awful case of stage fright paralysis. The broadcast took place, but I only remember what happened because I have the videotape - don't ask. Here’s the secret (until now) recipe:

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE-THE BLACK SHEEP

8 oz. white chocolate, 1/2 C heavy cream, 2 egg yolks, 1 TB. Butter, pinch salt, 2 oz. white crème de cacao, 1 oz Bailey's Irish or Tia Maria, 8 oz. heavy cream very cold.

1. Gently melt white chocolate in a warm place. Set aside.

2. Make a crème anglaise with the half cup cream and the yolks. Melt the butter into the cream. Let the custard cool to room temp, whipping occasionally.

Scald (but don't boil!) the cream and let it cool only slightly.

In a heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks till they are slightly frothy, then very slowly add the cream in a thin stream while continuing to beat. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water “double boiler-style”, and continue to beat the mixture 'till it forms a thin custard, and coats the back of a spoon. (Refer to any cookbook for an expanded discussion of this technique).

3. Combine the crème anglaise with the chocolate, mix in the liquor.

4. Whip the cup of cream until almost stiff—don't over beat (note: much easier if the bowl and cream are cold). Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Add the fruit to parfait glasses alternating with the mousse. Refrigerate at least three hours.

A puree of raspberries or fresh ripe peaches on the top make the dish absolutely deadly, nicely deadly.

VARIATION: White chocolate cappuccino mousse: Substitute Tia Maria as the liquor with some Grand Marnier and add a tablespoon of Medaglia D'oro instant espresso to the crème anglaise before folding in the cream.

One summer treat you cannot overlook is rhubarb, cooked in sugar syrup with vanilla bean. Fresh rhubarb, sliced, poached in a heavy sugar syrup, and stored in the fridge makes a great topping for vanilla ice cream, or even a pork chop. Believe me.

Does anyone need to remind you the strawberries from Long Island’s east end are the best tasting ones in the entire world? If you’re lucky enough to get some, wash them carefully, scoop out the green top, slice in half and sprinkle with sugar. Stand a few hours, place in a freezer bag, and thaw them whenever you crave a treat.

I’m happy to explain anything I’ve written about and really want to hear your suggestions. Please email me at mymymichl@aol.com. Thanks so much for joining me. Love, Michael