Testing - Vert-Vert Cake

One of the first posts on this blog, I think, I was excited about a cookbook called Monet's Table, containing recipes from Giverny. I've made a few, and even fewer actually work like they're supposed to. I think this recipe is the worst one. I scoured the Internet to find someone who successfully made it to no avail; all the comments I found complained that it came out as hard as a puck. It makes sense to me that there may have been details which were second nature to Alice Hoschedé that may not have been written in her notes, and not improved upon by the publishers of this book. I caved and used baking powder to save my ingredients, and it tasted nice, but I wasn't satisfied! The following is my attempt at creating an authentic-seeming version, trying to guess the parts that were missed in the book. I'm purposely omitting baking powder and soda, trying to imitate an authentic French cake recipe. Now I wonder if it isn't just a flavoured sponge cake...

To Make the Sponge:

NOTE: try adding more pistachio and bigger chunks of it.

4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour, sifted
2 Tbsp ground pistachio
4 Tbsp kirsch
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Grated rind of 1 lemon

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Cut a circle of parchment paper and line the bottom of a spring-form pan; butter and flour the pan.
2. Grind the pistachios to make the flour (in a food processor or if you're hardcore, in a mortar and pestle).
3. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 of the sugar and continue whipping until stiff and glossy, about 30 secs more. Transfer to another mixing bowl and set aside.
4. Over a a bain-marie (if you don't have a specialty pot for this, use a bowl over a pot of simmering water, without letting the bowl touch the water), whisk the yolks and sugar until they have tripled in volume and become thick, pale and ribbony. Take the yolk mixture off the heat and pour into a mixer bowl. 
5. Over the yolk mixture scatter the pistachio flour, along with the kirsch and butter. Very slowly, sprinkle in the flour and lemon rind until just combined, then whisk super fast for 20-30 seconds.
6. Stir a spoonful of the egg whites into the yolk batter to loosen it, then very gently fold in the remainder. Pour into a spring-form pan.
7. Bake in the oven about 30-40 minutes.

Sources for the Sponge:

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/walnut-cake/9044/

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/strawberries-and-cream-sponge-cake/12679/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lemon-sponge-cake-with-glazed-strawberries-recipe.html

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/bakingdesserts/r/Sponge-Cake.htm

Pistachio Cream - This is a variation of my pastry cream recipe.

NOTE - try increasing the amount of pistachio flour.

1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup pistachio flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp kirsch

Put the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and bring just to a boil and set aside to cool.
Beat the yolks with the sugar until pale. Beat in the flour and pistachio flour. Pull the vanilla bean from the milk and whisk the milk gradually into the egg mixture. Pour back into the saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook one minute. Remove from the heat. Strain into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to cool.
When chilled, stream the cream and kirsch in and mix with whisk until smooth.

Source for the Pistachio Icing?
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/almond-meringue-cake-with-peaches.html

Icing - this is totally not the icing in the recipe. It will come, but in the meantime I've made this really great lemon icing!

1 cup softened salted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
The grated rind of one lemon
The juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups icing sugar, sifted after measuring

Beat the butter until creamy (almost white).
With the beaters going slowly, add the vanilla, the lemon rind and the lemon juice; beat until very smooth.
Add the icing sugar.
Beat on high until smooth and pale, almost white.