Q: We recently had a wonderful dessert called Milk and Honey at Livingston Restaurant and Bar [in the Georgian Terrace hotel] across the street from the Fox Theatre. Could you get the recipe? Thank you. — Vivian Levine, Atlanta
A: Like many beautiful restaurant desserts, this one has a number of individual components. Chef Zeb Stevenson provided this slightly simplified version. At Livingston, this dessert is served in a martini glass, which is used to cut the cake into rounds to fit the top of the glass. The garnish includes raspberry pearls beyond the scope of a home cook, and a few lady fingers for dipping into the tapioca.
To make this dessert, do as the restaurant does and prepare the components a day or two ahead of time. When it’s time to serve, assemble the dessert in individual glass dishes.
If you slice the cake layers very thinly, you may be able to copy the multi-layered effect achieved at the restaurant. If you can’t find tapioca pearls at your grocery, try a market with a strong Asian section, such as Buford Highway Farmers Market. Tapioca pearls come in several sizes for use in bubble teas.
Livingston’s Milk and Honey
Raspberry Jelly (see recipe)
Honey Tapioca (see recipe)
Pound cake, sliced and then cut into pieces to fit individual serving dishes (see recipe)
Lemon Simple Syrup (see recipe)
Whole raspberries, for garnish
Spoon 2 tablespoons raspberry jelly in the bottom of a martini glass or other individual serving dish. Add 1/2 cup honey tapioca. Top with a round of cake, cut to fit the glass. Brush the cake with 1 tablespoon simple syrup and finish with a dollop of tapioca and a few raspberries. Repeat for remaining servings. Serves: 10
Per serving, entire recipe: 729 calories (percent of calories from fat, 28), 7 grams protein, 127 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 24 grams fat (12 grams saturated), 149 milligrams cholesterol, 300 milligrams sodium.
Raspberry Jelly
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 pint raspberries
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, raspberries, zest and 2 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat until the berries have burst and released all their juices, about 5 minutes. Strain the cooked berries into a small bowl and discard the solids. Return the strained liquid to the saucepan.
In a small bowl, whisk remaining water with cornstarch to form a smooth paste. Stir this into the berry liquid and bring liquid to a boil, whisking constantly. Mixture will have thickened once it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and chill. Makes: 11/2 cups
Per 2 tablespoons: 112 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, trace fat (no saturated), no cholesterol, trace sodium.
Honey Tapioca
1 cup tapioca pearls
21/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup honey
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
In a 4-cup measuring cup, cover tapioca pearls with at least 2 inches of water and soak overnight.
When ready to cook, drain tapioca. In a medium saucepan, combine tapioca, milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, yolks and salt. Continue to whisk and add tapioca mixture one ladle at a time until half the tapioca has been added to the honey mixture. Return everything to the pot with the remaining tapioca and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until tapioca has thickened, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to assemble dessert. Makes: 5 cups
Per 1/2-cup: 248 calories (percent of calories from fat, 26), 3 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 7 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 67 milligrams cholesterol, 250 milligrams sodium.
Pound Cake
11/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup shortening
11/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
In a small bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the milk and vanilla extract and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. While the mixer is running, add eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. With the mixer running, alternately add a quarter of the flour mixture and then the milk mixture. Begin with the flour and end with the milk.
Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour or until cake is golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely. Makes: 1 loaf
Per slice: 329 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 3 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 16 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 82 milligrams cholesterol, 49 milligrams sodium.1/2 cup granulated sugar
Lemon Simple Syrup
1/2 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Stir and remove from heat once sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Allow to cool. Makes: 3/4 cup
Per tablespoon: 37 calories (no calories from fat), trace protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, no fat, no cholesterol, trace sodium.
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