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All They Want For Christmas Series “Practically Perfect Chocolate Christmas Cookies”

Posted in Bake, Holiday, tagged , , , , on November 13, 2009| 34 Comments »

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Chocolate Cookies with Cranberries and Pistachios

Here’s a confession – I never go Christmas shopping.  Ever.  I do always have good intentions to buy gifts early, wrap them nicely and write a sweet card wishing everyone the best for the Holiday Season… but it never happens.  Usually, my sister will shop for family and friends.  She is ultra organized, actually shops throughout the year places the gifts in a large box  so that come December everyone has a very nice gift from her… and usually from me too as I always ask her to “add my name” to the card she writes… Sometimes, if it’s someone she doesn’t know, at the last minute I’ve been known to panic shop, tell people “close your eyes and put your hands out” and then place an unwrapped gift in their hands.  It’s a bad habit which I intend to break this year.

So, to kick off the Christmas season, I’ve decided to introduce a series called “All They Want For Christmas!”.  The intention is to come up with food ideas for Christmas gifts that I think friends and family would want.

The first recipe in the series I call the Practically Perfect Chocolate Christmas Cookie – it’s a chocolate cookie made with dark lindt chocolate, studded with fruit and nut, in this case, cranberries and pistachios – the two of which I associate with the holiday season.  These cookies are crisp on the outside but maintain that fudge like centre – just the way a perfect cookie should be!

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Recipe (makes 15 pieces)

  • 125 grams lindt chocolate, 70% cocoa, chopped
  • 75 grams flour
  • 30 grams dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 50 grams butter
  • 120 grams brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 40 grams unsalted pistachios
  • 40 grams dried cranberries
  1. Melt the chocolate by placing it in a microwave safe bowl and heating the chocolate for around 45 seconds at 15 second intervals.  Allow to cool slightly.
  2. In the meantime, cream the sugar and the butter until pale and then add the egg.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, a third at a time.
  5. Next, add the melted chocolate and mix well.
  6. Fold in the cranberries and pistachios and place in the fridge for around 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 160c (fan forced) and bake the cookies in batches for around 15 minutes.  Half way through the baking process, remove the cookies from the oven and press them to flatten slightly with a spatula and then return them to the oven.
  8. Allow to cool.

Note: The cookies will last for 3 days in an airtight container.

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Package in a paper box or glass jar with a festive ribbon

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Twinkie! Canele meets Confiture de Lait

Posted in Bake, tagged , , , on November 6, 2009| 19 Comments »

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Canele stuffed with Confiture au Lait

Give me a canele over a macaron any day… that’s what I say.  To me, this is the ultimate French treat.  I just love it.  If you haven’t tried one yet, I suggest you hunt them down.  In the absence of a bakery that sells authentic caneles, you can make them yourself!

The great cookbook author, Ms. Paula Wolfert, describes it as a cake with a custardy interior enclosed by a thin caramelized shell.  If you want to read more about this fantastic treat, check out this site.  Some claim that the canele is very difficult to make, I say, the hardest part is waiting the 48 hours (to allow the ingredients to fully incorporate) before you can actually eat them!

So what happens when the Canele de Bordeaux meets the Confiture de Lait?  Why of course, you get a twinkie!  If you haven’t heard of a twinkie, it is a popular cake in the United States with a creamy filling.  This, of course, is the very posh version.

The recipe for the Canele de Bordeaux was taken from website of Paula Wolfert (see above) and the recipe I used for the Confiture de Lait can be found on the website of David Lebovitz.

For the Caneles the traditional method is to use a copper mold, which unfortunately, are very expensive.  However, you can get silicone molds which work just fine.

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"Unbeatable combination!

Recipe

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 75 grams butter
  • 100 grams sugar
  • 100 grams flour
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
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The perfect tea time treat!

  1. Rinse a heavy based saucepan with cold water.  Then add the milk and heat the milk to 83 c.
  2. Place the butter, flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, pulse until combined.
  3. Add the egg yolks, and continue to process.
  4. With the motor running, steadily add the milk and then strain through a fine sieve into another container.  Stir in the rum and the vanilla.  Cool to room temperature and cover with a plastic wrap.  Refrigerate between 48 to 72 hours.
  5. When ready to bake, pre-heat the over to 190c (fan forced).  Stir the batter gently and then pour the canele mixture into the molds and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The caneles should be a deep brown colour, almost black.
  6. When done, remove from the oven and unmold as quickly as possible and cool on cooling racks.
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Caneles de Bordeaux

To stuff the canele with the confiture au lait, fill a piping bag with a small tip with the confiture au lait.  Inject the mixture into the canele from the bottom, about 1 tablespoon each.

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Berry, Mascarpone and Coconut Cake

Posted in Bake, tagged , , , , , , on November 4, 2009| 13 Comments »

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Berry, Mascarpone and Coconut Cake

One great thing about having a blog is that it pushes you to try out new recipes that you would never have tried otherwise. My attitude nowadays has evolved from “Why make it, when you can buy it” to “Why buy it, when you can make it”.

Take this Berry, Mascarpone and Coconut Cake I made over the weekend.  It is one of my favourite (I know, everything seems to be “one of my favourite”) desserts. Every weekend my husband and I pick up a rustic sourdough from Victoire in Balmain and on special occasions, the strawberry mascarpone coconut cake.

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Layers of summery goodness!

It is a layered cake of coconut dacquoise, strawberries and a mascarpone cream. In my version, I took advantage of the fact that blueberries were in season and added that to a layer as well.

Recipe (Serves 8 to 10)

Equipment:

  • Jelly Roll Pan measuring 38cm by 24cm
  • Loaf Tin measuring around 23cm by 10cm

Ingredients for the Coconut Dacquoise

  • 6 egg whites
  • 70 grams caster sugar
  • 100 grams shredded coconut
  • 80 grams desiccated coconut
  • 150 grams icing sugar, sifted

Ingredients for Mascarpone Mixture

  • 500 grams mascarpone
  • 50 grams caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 25 grams caster sugar

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To Prepare the Dacquoise

  1. Grease and line with baking paper the jelly roll pan.
  2. Pre heat the oven to 130C.
  3. In a bowl, mix the coconuts and the icing sugar.
  4. Whisk the egg whites and when you start to see soft peaks, slowly add the caster sugar and whisk until firm peaks.  Add the coconut mixture.
  5. Spread on to the jelly roll and bake in a fan forced oven (increase the heat by 30C if using non-fan forced oven) at 130C for 35 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool in a cooling rack.

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For the Mascarpone Mixture:

  1. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks and then add the 25 grams of caster sugar.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, mascarpone and 50 grams of sugar until firm.
  3. Incorporate the two mixtures by folding the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.

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To Assemble: 250 grams fresh strawberries and 250 grams fresh blueberries and brown sugar for dusting.

  1. Slice the strawberries and cut the blueberries in half.  Save a few whole blueberries for the edges of the cake.
  2. Cut the coconut dacquoise into three parts so that each will fit into the loaf tin.
  3. Layer the tin with plastic wrap so that the edges are sticking out.  You will want at least 5cm of plastic that sticks out because you will use it to wrap the cake.
  4. Place a layer of dacquoise  on the tin and cover with 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture and then the strawberries.
  5. Place a second layer of dacquoise over this and cover with the rest of the mascarpone mixture and the blueberries.
  6. Top with a final layer of dacquoise and cover with the plastic wrap.
  7. Refrigerate overnight before dusting with brown sugar and caramelizing the top with a blowtorch.

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Alternatively, you can layer the dessert in a tea cup as well!

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Looks good served in tea cups too!

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The Food Blogger’s Phrase Collection & Caramelized Ginger Tart

Posted in Bake, tagged , on October 30, 2009| 26 Comments »

Ginger Brulee Macarons

If you are anything like me and love to read through food blogs, you may have noticed a few commonly used phrases being used.  Some of them are great ways to cover up the fact that your dish has not turned out exactly how you envisioned.  Here are a few that I like to use.

1.  “Dust with Icing sugar” – This usually means I have messed up a dessert, for example, a cake that has had far too many cracks on the top and I needed to cover the cake with some icing sugar to hide the imperfections.

2.  “Dust with Icing sugar and Cocoa Powder” – Wow…  this is when the cake really turned out bad and you need to use more than just icing sugar to cover the mess you made.

3. “Caramelize” (as opposed to saying brulee) – you burned the damn thing so now you need to tell everyone it was intentional.   Used in a conversation:

Complaining Restaurant Customer:  You burnt your apple tart.

Celebrity Chef:  No I didn’t.  It was caramelized.

Complaining Restaurant Customer:  No,  it was burnt.

Celebrity Chef: No.  It was very caramelized that it looks almost burnt.  I pay big bucks for this in Paris.  Do you want to see a picture?

Complaining Restaurant Customer:  No.  I just like to complain.

4. “You are going for that rustic  look” –  I would use this when making a tart and the pastry has shrunk or come out very uneven.

5.  “Meringue Cookies” – One I’ve seen on the net and loved.  Someone attempted to make macarons but the macarons did not have feet.

6. “The recipe did not work for me” – hehe… I like this one.  I can’t remember using this one but I see it a lot.  I usually translate to mean the end product did not taste very good or look very good and was beyond remedy but was posted anyway.

7. “Adapted From” – giving credit to the recipe’s original author.

Perfect as Petit Fours

Let me show you what I mean in the example below:

This Caramelized Ginger Tart was adapted from Bourke Street Bakery’s new cookbook.  The tart uses a sweet shortcrust pastry which is also featured in the book.  It is flaky, buttery and absolutely delicious.  Don’t worry too much about rolling it out too nicely on the tins, with this tart, you prefer to go for that rustic look.

Recipe (I only used half quantity)

  • 360 ml 35% fat cream
  • 2.5 cm ginger piece, finely sliced and peeled
  • 1 cardamom pod, bruised
  • 1/2 cinnamon stick
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 40 grams caster sugar
  • extra sugar for burning
  • sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
  1. Put the cream in a saucepan over high heat with the ginger, cardamom and cinnamon stick.  Heat until it boils and place in a container overnight to allow the flavours to infuse.
  2. The next day, reheat the infused cream before using over high heat and set aside.
  3. Place the yolks and sugar and whisk until combined and sugar has dissolved.  Pour over the warmed cream and continue to whisk until combined.
  4. Place this mixture over a saucepan of simmering water and make sure that the base does not touch the water, otherwise it will curdle.  Whisk the mixture like a sabayon until thick, it took me 25 minutes although the recipe says 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from the heat and place over a bowl of ice and water and continue to whisk until cool.
  6. Cover with a plastic wrap which should be placed directly on top of the mixture.  Refrigerate a few hours to set.
  7. Roll out the pastry and set in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
  8. Blind bake the pastry in a preheated 200c oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden.  Remove, allow to cool.
  9. Pipe the custard over the tart shells and place back in the refrigerator to allow to set for an hour (the recipe calls for 4 hours)
  10. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar over each tart and caramelize with a blow torch.

Flavoured with ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

  • 200 grams unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
  • 10 ml white vinegar, chilled
  • 50 grams caster sugar
  • 85 ml cold water
  • 335 grams flour, chilled
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Note:  I have used one method in the book which was using a food processor.  The book gives details as well if you are going to make the pastry by hand.  I do encourage you to get a copy of the book.  There are many excellent recipes and techniques worth learning.

  1. Put the vinegar, sugar and water in a bowl and stir well until the sugar dissolved.
  2. Place the flour, salt  and butter in a food processor and pulse in 1 second bursts about 3 or 4 times to partly combine.
  3. Tip this over in a clean work surface and sprinkle the sugar/vinegar mixture.  Use the palm of your hand to smear the dough away from you and then gather together again and repeat the smearing process.  You may need to do this 2 to 3 times more.  You should still be able to see streaks of butter marbled through the pastry.
  4. Wrap the pastry and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
  5. Remove the pastry 20 minutes prior to using.  Sprinkle a little flour on the bench and rub some as well on your rolling pin.  Working from the center of the pastry, gently roll the dough away from you then turn the dough about 30 degrees and roll out again.
  6. Repeat the process until you have a flat round disc, about 3 mm think.  Sprinkle extra flour as needed but try to use a little as possible.
  7. Brush the tart tins (you will need 10 which are 8 cm in size or I used little muffin pans as well) with melted butter.
  8. Cut the pastry into the shape you need for the tart tins (eg. if using 8 cm, cut the pastry using an 11 cm cutter – the trick is to cut 2 cm larger than the diameter of the tin).
  9. Again, as mentioned earlier, no need to be too fussy – you are going for that rustic look.
  10. Set the pastry cases aside to rest for at least 20 minutes in the freezer so that the gluten relaxes and holds it shape.
  11. You are now ready to use the pastry and continue with the recipe above.

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Daring Bakers’ October Challenge – Lemon Lime Macarons

Posted in Bake, Dare, tagged , , , on October 26, 2009| 59 Comments »

Introducing:  The Lemon Lime Macaron.  My contribution to the Daring Bakers’ October Challenge… macarons.  I think this was one of the most widely anticipated challenges.  I had a lot of fun trying to come up with my own version.  I also made a Chocolate Mousse Macaron Cake for my husband’s birthday and that can be found here.

These macarons are very easy to make.  All you need is to make one batch of macarons and then divide the batch into two – colour one with yellow and the other one with green.  Make sure to be generous as the colour fades when placed in the oven.  You will also need two piping tips, a small one and a slightly larger one.

To make the shapes, simply get a round coin and draw patterns on your baking paper.  I used a 2 cm coin for mine.  Once you have separated the batter in two and coloured them, place the green batter in a piping bag fitted with the small piping tip.  Place the yellow batter in a piping bag fitted with the larger piping tip.

Use the green batter to make an outline around the circumference of the pattern and when done, use the yellow batter to fill the area inside the green batter.  Let dry around 30 minutes before baking.


Lemon Lime Macarons With Lemon Lime Curd Of Course!

Lemon Lime Macarons With Lemon Lime Curd Of Course!

Recipe

Macaron Shell recipe can be found here.

Lemon-Lime Filling

  • 75 ml of lemon juice
  • 75 ml of lime juice
  • Zest of lemon and lime used for juice
  • 2 egg yolks (perfect way to use those of the macaron shells)
  • 80 grams caster sugar
  • 10 grams corn flour
  • 60 grams cold butter, diced
  1. Bring the lemon and lime juice to a boil along with the zest.
  2. Beat the egg yolk and add the sugar and corn flour in a bowl.
  3. Once the juice is boiling, pour this in the bowl with the egg, sugar and corn flour.  Mix thoroughly.
  4. Transfer the mixture into a heavy based sauce pan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens, whisk constantly
  5. Strain the mixture and let cool slightly.
  6. Using a whisk blender (or just a whisk if you can manage), add the butter a little at a time.
  7. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

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The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.  Please check her website:  Baking Without Fear.

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Thanks to Tartelette who provided so much online support to everyone.  I am pretty sure that many decided to use her recipe instead of the original one.  Other blogs that I drew inspiration from are :  Veron of Kitchen Musings, Clement from Ala Cuisine (he was the first person I emailed for a recipe more than 5 years ago!), David Lebovitz, Canelle et Vanille, and The Savour Chocolate School.

Lastly, a big thank you to the ladies of Citi Corporate Affairs – these macarons are for you!  A big thank you for the World Chef Showcase tickets!

Note:  Piping tips used

Piping Tips Used

Piping Tips Used

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The “Flourless” Chocolate Mousse Macaron Birthday Cake

Posted in Bake, Dare, tagged , , , , on October 26, 2009| 39 Comments »

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

What do you get someone who doesn’t want anything for his birthday?

For those who have been following my posts (YES!  I do have some regular readers – that is, Mom, Dad, husband, and occasionally one sister when I force her to), you will recall the nightmare I had with my two labradors of which I chronicled here.  Well,  they aren’t always that bad.  Sometimes, they provide inspiration for the best ideas.

Let me tell you about it.

A few weeks ago I was down with the flu and I asked my husband to walk the dogs for me, which he did.  Coming home around 30 minutes later, I asked him (as I always do) “how was the walk?” and he replied “there was an accident”.  Take note, this was a few days after the infamous and expensive chocolate mousse incident!  My heart dropped.  I thought they must have gotten hurt or ate more chocolate.  I asked him what happened.

He said,  “go downstairs”.  Oh no.  I thought to myself.  I rushed down to find the lounge area covered in flour.  My dogs had decided to get a bag of flour on the kitchen counter (I know I should stop leaving food there and it has since been rectified) and have some fun.  They took the bag from the kitchen and brought it to the lounge and decided it would look great on the rug.

Special thanks to Baci & Bizou for deciding on the birthday cake to make!

Special thanks to Baci & Bizou for deciding on the birthday cake to make!

Now that I look back, it was a pretty funny sight but it wasn’t so funny that morning when I had to clean up the mess!

Anyway, that evening I told my husband,  that I needed a new bag of flour because I was going to practice on a chocolate cake I had never made for his birthday (yes, a bit OC but I thought I should have one go at the cake before serving it on his birthday).  He said “why don’t you just make a flourless chocolate cake”.  Brilliant!

What a great idea.  And then, I added my own twist and decided I was going to make it a macaron cake – they are flourless too!

Chocolate Mousse Macaron Cake

Chocolate Mousse Macaron Cake

So here it is:  The FLOURLESS Chocolate Mousse Macaron Birthday Cake inspired by those two crazy labradors.  It is also the first of my Daring Bakers’ Challenge for October.  My second post – lemon lime macarons can be found here.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.  Please do check out her website:  Baking Without Fear.

Ingredients

  • 125 grams almond meal
  • 125 grams icing sugar (not icing mixture)
  • 30 grams dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 100 grams caster sugar
  • 100 grams egg whites (from around 3 eggs)

Procedure

  1. Before you begin with the macs, find a 20 cm plate and draw the pattern on some baking paper.
  2. In a food processor grind the almond meal and icing sugar for around 5 minutes until very finely ground.
  3. Place the egg whites in an electric mixer and whip the whites until soft peaks
  4. Add the sugar, 50 grams at a time while the egg whites are being beaten.
  5. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks.
  6. Fold the ground almond meal mixture into the egg white mixture in three additions until fully amalgamated.
  7. Pipe on to baking trays which have been lined with baking paper.  Start from the center of the circle and go around until you end on the edge of the circle.
  8. Let the macarons dry for around 30 minutes until the “shells” are dry. Bake in a pre heated fan forced oven (150c) for 20 minutes.

Chocolate Mousse

  • 80 grams caster sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 200 grams dark coveture chocolate
  • 300 ml cream
  • Cocoa Powder for dusting
  1. Beat the egg yolks in a stand or electric mixer.
  2. In a sauce pan, heat 30 ml water and the caster sugar.  Bring to a boil.
  3. Add the sugar syrup to the egg yolks in a steady stream.   Whisk until the mixture is at room temperature and is light.
  4. Melt the chocolate in a microwave until melted and cool slightly until lukewarm
  5. Fold the chocolate into the egg mixture.
  6. In another bowl, whisk the cream until semi stiff peaks.
  7. Fold the cream into the chocolate/egg mixture.
  8. With a pastry bag, fill half a shell and cover with the other half
  9. Store in the refrigerator
  10. Dust with cocoa powder before serving.

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To Dan:  Wishing you a very happy birthday!  Sorry I don’t have a gift for you except this macaron cake (even if I did buy you something I would probably use your credit card anyway!) …  Love lots!  Kiss kiss… Baci, Bizou and Trissa

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The Great Australian Sausage Roll

Posted in Bake, tagged , , on October 25, 2009| 13 Comments »

Lamb Sausage Rolls

Lamb Sausage Rolls

I recently read that there is a new and harder citizenship test that needs to be taken before becoming eligible to be an Australian citizen.  It is comprised of a series of 20 multiple choice questions and applicants will have 45 minutes to complete the test.  Browsing through the internet,  I am ashamed to say that if taken today, I would have failed miserably.   I don’t know what Australia’s national floral emblem is (the golden wattle)  or what year did Federation take place (1901).  Looking at the test brought back some feeling of  anxiety about the time I was applying for my Australian citizenship.

When I applied for  citizenship there was no multiple choice test but an interview.  I knew beforehand that there were certain things you needed to know which was basically the rights and responsibilities of Australian citizens.  It wasn’t that this was  so hard to memorize (I recall there were six rights and four responsibilities) but on the day of the interview, my particular interviewer seemed to be having a bad day.  I was expecting some chit chat prior to being asked the questions but his first remark was along the lines of “okay, we don’t have much time, what are the four responsibilities of being an Australian citizen”.

“Number one, I said, obey the law”

“Two, vote at all elections”

He nodded his head.

“Three, serve on a jury if called upon”

“Correct, one more” he said.

And then my mind drew a complete blank.

“Ah, uhm… ”  I stammered.  I repeated the first three hoping the fourth one would miraculously come to mind but he seemed to be shaking his head from side to side as if to say “you ain’t gonna make it”.

How embarassing, I thought to myself.  I cannot FAIL this interview.

“Is it, make sausage pies?” I asked.

He burst out laughing.  “First of all, they are called either sausage rolls or  meat pies, there is no sausage pie! and second, that is not the fourth answer!”

His lightened mood put me at ease and then the answer came.

“Of course, the last one,  defend Australia should the need arise”

And that friends, is the story of how I finally made it to this wonderful country!  BUT I still think making a great sausage roll or meat pie  is one of the responsibilities expected of all Australian citizens.  So, if you are ever asked for that great  recipe – here it is!

Recipe

1/2 quantity puff pastry recipe – the puff pastry recipe can be found here.

Sausage Filling:

  • 500 grams minced lamb
  • 40 grams roasted pine nuts
  • 30 grams sultanas or raisins
  • 50 grams couscous*
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • fresh pepper to taste
  • 170 grams harissa (see recipe below)
  • egg wash for brushing
  • poppy seeds

Harissa

  • 3 red peppers, grilled, skinned, seeded and chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup water

To make the harissa

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large and heavy based saucepan.  Add the onions and cook a few minutes until translucent.
  2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook over low heat for  1.5  to 2 hours until it becomes like a paste.
  3. If not using immediately, cover with a layer of olive oil and store in the refrigerator.
  4. If using for the sausage roll recipe, see below.

To make the sausage roll  (make 8 to 10 rolls)

  1. Mix together in a large bowl the lamb, pine nuts, sultanas, couscous*, harissa, salt and pepper.
  2. Mix the meat using your hands for around 3 to 5 minutes until thoroughly mixed.
  3. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface.  Each sheet of puff pastry should be around 20 cm by 20 cm but this is really all up to you and how large you want your rolls to be.
  4. Divide the sausage filling and brush one end of the puff pastry with egg wash.DSC_0004
  5. Fold the pastry over the sausage filling and press down to “seal” (you don’t want the roll opening while baking)DSC_0007
  6. Brush with egg wash and poppy seeds.DSC_0012
  7. Bake in a pre-heated oven (180c) for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown
  8. Serve immediately.

*If couscous is not available, substitute two slices of white bread, edges removed and chopped finely along with one beaten egg

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The World’s Most Expensive Chocolate Mousse!

Posted in Bake, El Comedor, tagged , , on October 10, 2009| 34 Comments »

Chocolate Mousse Verrines

Chocolate Mousse Verrines

Here is the recipe for the world’s most expensive chocolate mousse.  Believe me, I tried to keep the costs down with the GFC and all but unfortunately, the bill for this mousse topped 800 dollars!
I set out to make a triple layer chocolate mousse which was made up of a layer of dark chocolate mousse, a layer of white chocolate and cream and finally a topping of dark chocolate sauce.  By the time I finished the first two layers I realized that I did not have the dark chocolate sauce and decided to substitute with nutella instead.
Chocolate Mousse and Macarons

Chocolate Mousse and Macarons

I finished the layers and left the nutella on the kitchen counter.
Early the next morning I heard some banging coming from the kitchen.  I went out to investigate.  What did I see, my dog Baci, lying on the ground licking an open jar of nutella!  My other dog Bizou, was standing right beside her,  as if to say “leave some for me!”
Now, any dog owner will know that chocolate is toxic to dogs,  as chocolates contain theobromine which a dog’s system cannot break down properly.  If eaten in sufficient quantities this can be fatal to dogs… So at 4:30 am we took both dogs (as we weren’t sure if Bizou had also eaten the nutella) to the 24 hour vet hospital.
Now again, any dog owner will know that treating a dog in a 24 hour hospital will cost more than your regular vet.  But faced between the choice of living with a huge vet bill or risk my dog having a heart attack…
The morning was spent at the vet’s office – first they induced vomitting and then they decided to keep the dogs for the day on a drip to make sure they did not suffer from dehydration.
The culprits looking so innocent!

The culprits looking so innocent!

Recipe (adapted from Meals & Memories  – El Comedor Cookbook)

Dark Chocolate Mousse

  • 340 grams dark/bittersweet chocolate, cut into bits
  • 115 grams butter, cut into bits
  • 2 teaspoons instand coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  1. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium bowl placed in a pan of barely simmering water.  Or melt in a microwave oven on medium heat for about 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir from time to time to hasten melting.  When melted and smooth, whick in the dissolved coffee powder and egg yolks.  Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. In a clean and dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, beating at high spead until stiff but not dry.  Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it.  Fold the remaining egg whites into the mixture until completely incorporated.  Pipe the mousse into serving cups and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.
We didn't do it!

We didn't do it!

White Chocolate Mousse (adapted from Verrines by Jose Marechal)

  • 1 gelatine leaf
  • 175 grams white chocolate, chopped
  • 250 ml  heavy cream
  1. Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft, then drain and squeeze out excess water.
  2. Pour 125 ml of the cream into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat.  Add the gelatine and stir until smooth.  Place the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl and pour the cream over this.  Stand for 30 seconds and slowly stir until amalgamated.  Allow to cool.
  3. In another bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form and fold into the cooled white chocolate mixture.  Remove the glass from the refrigerator and top with the white chocolate and allow to set.

To assemble:

Top with store bought chocolate sauce

Really, we were sleeping at that time!

Really, we were sleeping at that time!

Let’s run through the total cost:
Dark Chocolate   A$5.00
White Chocolate A$5.00
Cream  A$4.50
Sugar   A$0.75
Eggs A$2.00
Vet bill  A$792
Look on my husband’s face when he paid the bill… priceless!
pic web

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Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

Posted in Bake on October 2, 2009| 15 Comments »

Decadent Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

Decadent Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

My macaron adventures have left me with too many egg yolks that I need to put to good use.  If not using immediately, I’ve found that egg yolks freeze very well.  All you need to do is:

  1. Add one teaspoon of salt for every six egg yolks if to be used for a savoury dish
  2. Add one tablespoon of sugar for every six egg yolks if to be used for a sweet dish
  3. Mix the egg yolks thoroughly with the sugar or salt and freeze in ziplock bags.
  4. Ensure that you put a date and label clearly whether the egg yolks are for sweet or savoury
  5. The yolks can be kept for up to 10 months in the freezer according to this website.
  6. If using less than the six yolks, not a problem, just proportion the sugar or salt depending on how many yolks you have.
  7. Some people will also store these in ice cube trays.  Also a good idea!
  8. When ready to use, defrost the egg yolks in the refrigerator overnight.

Now, back to what to do with the left over egg yolks?  My fall back recipe has always been bread & butter pudding.  This time, I’ve replaced the raisins/dates that I normally add with chocolate.  If I may say so myself, a brilliant stroke of genius!

Best served warm and can be reheated in the microwave

Best served warm and can be reheated in the microwave

The recipe also reheats well, if you are lucky to have leftovers, 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave will do the trick!

1 Loaf Brioche, cut into about 18 slices and crust removed
6 yolks
175 g caster sugar
300 ml cream
250 ml milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped
125g salted butter – softened
180 grams of dark chocolate, chopped finely

This is the brioche I used, and no, they are not paying me to say this! Ha! :)

This is the brioche I used, and no, they are not paying me to say this! Ha! 🙂

Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Mix the milk, cream and vanilla bean in a pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Pour a fourth of the scalded milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk. Pour the rest of the mixture on to the egg yolk mixture and whisk continuously. strain through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, butter the brioche slices and cover the bottom of an over proof dish (I used a 9 inch round cake dish) with half of the bread. Sprinkle half of the chocolate. Add the other half of the brioche and then top again with the rest of the chocolate.

Pour half of the custard mixture and let rest for 30 minutes. Then pour the rest of the custard mixture and let soak for at least 1 hour. When ready to use, pre-heat your oven to 130c and bake the pudding in a bain marie for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Cool slightly and then sprinkle with icing sugar if you wish.

Side

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Closure

Posted in Bake on September 28, 2009| 20 Comments »

Ispahan Macaron

Ispahan Macaron

Many, many years ago I was in a relationship that ended before I was ready for it to end.  I was utterly devastated and it took a very long time before I was ready to move on.  I spent months crying over my friends shoulders, analysing what I did wrong and what I could do to get him back.  In those days, I never understood why it took me ages to get over it.

Then one day, I think I was watching Oprah on TV and they were talking about relationships and break-ups and they kept on saying this one word – closure.

It was only then that it hit me – that’s exactly what I needed.  When we broke up all the guy said then was he just “fell out of love” and then he said the famous five words “it’s not you, it’s me…”, being the proud person that I was, I just said “that’s fine” and we said our polite goodbyes, I turned my back and walked away.  So months later, I felt cheated that  I never had that proper last goodbye where I could find out what I did wrong and whether anything said or done could have changed the outcome of our relationship.  There were still a lot of loose ends that needed to be tied up so that I could finally move on.

But how do you get closure when it’s only months later when you realize you need it?  Too much time had passed that it would have been strange for me to pick up the  phone and ask that we have that last goodbye talk.  So I just let this feeling fade away on its own until one day I woke up and I just didn’t feel anything for him anymore.  No hate, no anger, no feeling of regret – just total ambivalence. .. Do you ever understand what a word means only when you experience it?  Finally… closure.

Ispahan Macaron

Ispahan Macaron

Same thing with macarons… I know, you must be sick of me talking about my struggles with macarons and how I agonized and analysed and wondered what went wrong, what could I do to fix it?  I would  trawl website and look at pictures of macarons and just feel this sense of frustration at not being able to make them.

Sometimes I feel the macaron was looking at me, apologetic without any feet saying “enough already, it’s not you, it’s me!  I’m a tough cookie to make… don’t even bother trying to make me anymore.  It’s a waste of time”

Even more so  when I saw the gorgeous pictures of Pierre Herme’s Ispahan Macaron.

The Ispahan is Pierre Herme’s signature creation of a macaron flavoured with rose, raspberries and lychee.  It’s beautiful to look at and even better to taste.  There are many flavours and combinations that have been created over the years but this is the classic.  This is the tiffany diamond ring, the little black dress and the Hermes Kelly watch of macarons.

So when I decided to try and make the Ispahan Macaron, I knew immediately the title of my blog.  Because I thought if I can make a close approximation of his famous macaron, then I can move on already.  No need to prove anything to myself anymore.  Closure.

Oh, and the one thing I forgot to tell you.  The difference between the macaron and the boy?  The macaron will always hold a soft spot in my heart.  🙂

Rose, lychee and raspberry flavoured macaron

Rose, lychee and raspberry flavoured macaron

Recipe (adapted from Pierre Herme)

Rose Coloured Macaron Recipe can be found here:

Raspberry Gelee

Ingredients

  • 420 grams raspberry puree
  • 35 grams caster sugar
  • 4 grams of gelatine leaves (gold strength)
  1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water.
  2. Heat the raspberry puree and sugar until the sugar dissolves and the puree comes to a boil.
  3. Remove the raspberry puree mixture from the heat.
  4. Remove the excess moisture from the gelatine and heat the gelatine in the microwave until it melts, around 15 to 20 seconds
  5. Temper the gelatine by adding a little bit of the raspberry puree to the gelatine and stir gently to combine
  6. Then add the raspberry and gelatine mixture to the rest of the raspberry puree.
  7. Pour into plastic ice cube trays and freeze until ready to use.

Rose and Lychee Ganache

Ingredients

  • 410 grams white couverture chocolate, chopped
  • 400 grams lychees in syrup
  • 60 grams cream
  • 3 grams of rose essence
  1. Drain the lychees from the can and puree them in a food processor. You will have around 240 grams.
  2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 20 second intervals
  3. In a separate sauce pan, bring the lychee puree and cream to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, remove from the heat and pour this on to the melted white chocolate.  Add the rose essence.  Mix well.
  4. Cover the mixture with cling film and reserve until ready to assemble.

To assemble

Assembling the macaron

Assembling the macaron

You will need fresh raspberries

  1. Pipe the ganache onto half of the macaron.
  2. Add the frozen raspberry gelee.
  3. Cover the sides of the macaron with fresh raspberries.
  4. Top with more ganache and cover with the other half of the macaron.

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