How to Make Carbone's Famous Rainbow Cookies at Home
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Assouline's latest coffee table book, Carbone, is a beautiful homage to the Italian-American hotspot in Greenwich Village. Created by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick, the restaurant has become one of New York's most sought-after reservations. But if you can't book a table, this new tome features more than a dozen never-before-shared recipes from the iconic eatery, so readers can recreate the iconic dishes at home. Here, Carbone's famous rainbow cookie recipe.
They go by many names, including “rainbows,” “tri-colors,” or, as Lucali’s Mark Iacono refers to them, “seven layers.” No matter what you call them, it’s impossible not to smile when these cookies hit the table to accompany your espresso. We would describe the cook on ours as “medium rare,” a softness similar to that of the croutons in our Caesar salad. Come to think of it, these rainbows might be the only thing we have served consistently since the day our company was born.
Chilled. Always.
Carbone's Rainbow Cookie Recipe:
Makes about 225 cookies
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes, plus 4 hours 40 minutes inactive chilling
Cook Time: 1 hour
For the Cake:
Ingredients:
9 large eggs
2 pounds almond paste (not marzipan), roughly chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
6 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp green gel food coloring or liquid food coloring
1 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring or liquid food coloring
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Spray three 13-x-18-inch half-sheet trays with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spray again with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Separate the eggs into yolks and whites. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the almond paste, sugar, and salt, and beat on medium-low speed until evenly combined and sandy. Add the butter, increase the speed to medium, and continue mixing until fluffy and pale, about 3 minutes.
3. One at a time, add the egg yolks to the bowl, letting each one disappear in the batter before adding the next. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest setting, then add the flour, mixing just until the last patch of flour disappears. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed to ensure the batter is mixed evenly. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
4. In a clean bowl, add the reserved egg whites and beat with a whisk attachment on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Gently transfer half the whipped egg whites to the almond mix to lighten, then fold in the remaining egg whites, gently but thoroughly until combined.
5. Portion the batter into 3 even parts, using a food scale to make sure the batters are even. Place one portion directly into a prepared half-sheet tray, and the other two in mixing bowls. Color one portion of the batter in a bowl green, and the second red. Fold in the food coloring, making sure the color is evenly distributed.
6. Place the colored batters into the separate prepared half-sheet trays. If you only have one sheet tray to work with, reserve any remaining batter in the fridge, letting it come to room temperature 30 minutes before ready to use.
7. Using a spatula, spread out the batter in the sheet trays, smoothing the top as it will not even itself out. Bake until barely light golden on top and the cake is just dry to the touch in the center, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and let each cake cool completely.
To Assemble:
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups orange marmalade, divided in half
1 3/4 cup 70 percent bittersweet chocolate
Directions:
1. Invert the green baked cake on a parchment paper-lined cutting board, preferably one larger than the cake. Alternatively, an inverted half-sheet tray can be used as well. Peel off and discard the parchment paper the cake was baked with.
2. Gently spread half of the orange marmalade on the green cake. Invert the plain-white baked cake on top, peeling off and discarding the parchment paper. Repeat by spreading the remaining marmalade, topping it with the red baked cake.
3. Place a clean sheet of parchment paper on top of the red cake layer, then a second cutting board or inverted baking sheet on top. Place two 28-ounce cans, or similar weight, on the board to weigh it down slightly. Place the built cake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to set the cake sheets.
4. Remove the weights and put away. Remove the board or inverted baking sheet, and the top piece of parchment paper, and set aside. Melt the chocolate and pour half onto the red cake layer, spreading it evenly over the top. Refrigerate the cake layers until the chocolate sets, about 20 minutes.
5. Once the chocolate is set, place the reserved piece of parchment paper and board back on the cake over the set chocolate, then flip the entire cake upside down so that the green layer is now on top. Remove the cutting board or baking sheet and parchment paper covering it and spread the remaining melted chocolate over the green layer. Return the cake layers to the refrigerator one final time to set the chocolate, 20 minutes.
6. Once set, remove the built cake from the refrigerator, and trim the edges flat. Cut the cake layers into 1 1/4-inch rows, then cut each row into 1/2-inch-thick tiles. Serve the cookies chilled.
Carbone
Assouline's latest, a coffee table book focused on the iconic New York City restaurant Carbone, which features over a dozen exclusive, never-before-seen recipes—including this rainbow cookie one—and an interview with Mario Carbone, Jeff Zalaznick, and Rich Torrisi, is available now.
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