My first fondant cake (trial run) - White Butter Cake with Strawberries and Cream
Filling for a baby baptism.
Chocolate Macarons These cookies definitely lived up to their finicky reputation. My first attempt was botched by a few things. First, I forgot to add the cocoa into the dry ingredients until it was almost too late. I only remembered this modification after I had already folded in the first round of dry ingredients and adding it when I did resulted in some over-mixing of the dough. I hear that over-mixing macaron batter is a big no no so I assume this did not help the cause. Second, I piped the macarons way too big (about 2 inches instead of 3/4 inch). I wouldn’t say that this was a mistake due to my piping skills because I purposely piped them that big hoping it wouldn’t matter. This was a mistake because I don’t think these cookies can be successful at that size. After baking, they started to cave in and crack. No matter my frustration (at myself), I couldn’t possibly end my macaron experience on that note. So, like any perfectionist, I set out to try them again. For round two I chose to use a different recipe. The French Macaron recipe by David Lebovitz (with one minor adjustment in technique) worked out great. The recipe already called for cocoa so I didn’t have to remember something at the bottom of the page. I also made sure to create a template of the perfect size. I wouldn’t say that I was 100% pleased with the outcome, maybe 85%, but I was proud. They tasted great. Delicate and crispy outside with a subtle, chewy center. I have no complaints about the flavor. I was disappointed because I did not get the perfect “foot” I wanted and the tops were not as smooth as I have seen with other macarons. I will continue to perfect this cookie and certainly recommend that you give them a try. Here is the second recipe I used. The only modification I made was to let the piped macarons rest on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes (or until they form a skin) before baking. In David’s blog, he talks about not needing to do this but it was referred to me so I followed that advice. I don’t know if it really made a difference but will try both ways next time. This recipe also calls for baking both pans at the same time and I think I will bake them separately next time. Chocolate Macarons Makes about fifteen cookies Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway) by David Lebovitz Macaron Batter Chocolate Filling Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready. Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn’t quite fine enough. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone). Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart. Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet. To make the chocolate filling: Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the corn syrup. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using. Assembly: Spread a bit of batter on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together. (You can pipe the filling it, but I prefer to spread it by hand; it’s more fun, I think.) I also tend to overfill them so you may or may not use all the filling. Let them stand at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze. If you freeze them, defrost them in the unopened container, to avoid condensation which will make the macarons soggy.
1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar
½ cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces, 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)
3 tablespoons (25 gr) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar
½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
4 ounces (120 gr) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 gr) butter, cut into small pieces
Profiteroles with Hazelnut Mascarpone To celebrate New Years 2012, Alex and I decided to stay in. We had a super low-key celebration at home and we loved it. The only reason I initially wanted to go out was to have a nice dinner but thankfully, we were able to create that at home (and for a lot less $). These hazelnut profiteroles were my attempt to recreate our favorite dessert from our favorite restaurant. While they didn’t quite meet those expectations, they were quite delicious. Obviously, I don’t have the recipe from our favorite restaurant and I’ll have to order them again and pay better attention in order to recreate them so I used a recipe from Food Network for our dessert. The profiteroles were a cinch to make (I made 2 batches) but I do think they left a little something to be desired in terms of flavor. I’ll give these another try after our next visit to Stonehill Tavern. Stay tuned… In case you’d like to give them a try, here is the recipe: Ingredients: 1/2 cup water Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put a large bowl in the freezer to whip the cream. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, butter, and salt and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the flour and cinnamon all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture forms a ball, has a slightly sweaty sheen to it, and has pulled away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool for 3 to 4 minutes. It does not have to be cold, just cool enough so the eggs don’t cook when you add them. Using an electric mixer or lots of good old fashioned elbow grease, beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Do not add the second egg until the first is fully incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag equipped with a large straight tip and pipe 1-inch balls onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Be sure to leave at least 1-inch between each of the balls, they grow! When done, dip your finger in water and smooth the top of each ball where the pastry tip was removed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through the cooking time to insure even browning. The puffs should be light, airy, and dry inside. Cool on a rack. Put the heavy cream into the cold bowl and whip it to stiff peaks with a head mixer. Put the mascarpone in a large bowl and gently mix in the praline paste. When the praline paste is combined, begin to fold in the whipped cream. When the whipped cream is fully incorporated, spoon the mixture into a clean pastry bag. Cut the tops off each profiterole and fill with the mascarpone mixture. Replace the tops and drizzle with the warm chocolate sauce. Transfer to a large serving platter and garnish with chopped hazelnuts. Chocolate Sauce: 4 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate Fill a medium saucepan with 2-inches of water and put it over medium heat. In a bowl large enough to sit on the saucepan without the bottom touching the water, add the chocolate, cream, butter, corn syrup, and cinnamon. Stir until the chocolate has melted and everything is combined. This is a pretty quick process. When the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat, and spoon it over the filled profiteroles. This is best served warm! Yield: 3/4 cup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream, very cold
2 cups mascarpone, room temperature
1/2 cup praline paste
Chocolate Sauce, to serve, recipe follows
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped, for garnish
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 good pinch ground cinnamon
Christmas Cookies 2011
Each year at Christmas, I make cookie boxes for my co-workers and send a cookie platter to Alex’s work. In the past, I have attended cookie parties and have simply added a few of my own cookies to the boxes. However, this year, the cookie boxes were a creation all my own. As the sole contributor to the boxes, my goal was to give a tasty gift with variety in appearance, texture and flavor. My favorite new discovery was the Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps. These soft, chewy cookies are beautiful and packed with chocolatey, espresso flavor which is complimented by the soft, sweet powdered sugar on the outside. I also enjoyed making the Cranberry Thumbprints and always enjoy cranberry in my desserts. I do wish that I had added a bit of flavoring to the marshmallows and will, perhaps, add peppermint next year. Alex’s favorite, by far, were the Hazelnut Meringues. According to his statement after his first cookie (I won’t disclose how many he ate) they were his favorite treat I have ever made!
This year’s cookie boxes included: Gingerbread Men, Cranberry Thumbprints, White Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps, Marshmallows, Hazelnut Meringues and Candy-Stripe Cookie Sticks
Christmas Dessert Baking 2011
Poached Pears with Gingerbread (click here for the recipe)
My only recommended change to this recipe would be to make the poached pears the day before serving the dessert. I poached my pears the day of and had a few left over. When I tasted the leftovers the next day, the flavor was incredible. If you do not have time to make them ahead, don’t worry, they are quite tasty when made the day of but definitely better on day two.
Chocolate-Coconut Charlotte (click here for the recipe)
This is my second time making this recipe and I am always pleased with it. It is a lot of work but the finished product is a lovely combination of chocolate and coconut.
Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Spun Sugar Garnish.
For Christmas this year, I have been gifted with a new camera! That’s right, The Sugar Spoon is fancy now. No more pictures on my Android phone!! And also right, I opened my Christmas present early. Knowing that I was getting the camera (Black Friday style) I couldn’t possibly wait until Christmas to open it and use it (even if that is usually a rule I truly believe in)!
For this special occasion, I wanted to make something special, something with shimmer, detail and worthy for my first baking “photo shoot”. And I am quite pleased with the results of my challenge, Spun Sugar.
I have seen this recipe in my baking book many times and have always thought, ‘One day I am going to just go for it. I may destroy the kitchen, I may badly burn myself but I am going to learn to spin sugar.’ Well the good news is, I did neither of those horrible things, I learned a lot and I think it turned out quite nicely. I took note of a few things I will change and try differently next time (i.e. use a cut-off whisk and not two forks, use thicker wooden sticks so the sugar grabs easier to it). I cannot wait until I can try this again.
Oh…and the cakes….yeah, those tasted great too but to be honest, I only made them to have something to put the spun sugar on!!
Recipe coming soon….
An Apple a Day….This weekend, my kitchen had somewhat of an apple theme. I was at my local Trader Joe’s (love that place) getting the ingredients for the Apple-Blackberry Pie with Fall Leaves Pate Brisee that I wanted to make, when I ran across these mini apples that I knew would be perfect for candy apples. I had never made candy apples before but since they are one of my favorite fall/fair treats and I had just stumbled across the perfect apple, I had the sudden urge to try them.
With 2 lbs. of granny smith apples and the mini apples in tow, I went home and got to work. I first made the candy apples with cinnamon stick handles using, of course, a Martha Stewart recipe.
The candy apples were delicious. There is a distinct flavor that is the “candy” of a candy apple and I was so pleased to have achieved it. The recipe is super easy and if you have kids or are a kid at heart, give this recipe a try. It is worth it.
I then got started on the Pate Brisee. This shortcrust recipe is quite simple (with the help of my trusty food processor) and has been added to my arsenal of crust recipes! On Saturday, after letting my Pate Brisee chill overnight, I picked back up on the Apple-Blackberry Pie with Fall Leaves Pate Brisee. The rest of this recipe was easy too. The fruit filling came together quickly with hardly any work at all but the end result was amazing. The apples are great and everyone loves an apple pie, but the blackberry adds that kick in the pants that this pie needs. Paired with some vanilla ice cream, this dessert is definitely a “can’t-have-just-one-piece” kind of pie and certainly landed on my list of Recipes to Make Again”!
Enjoy!
When I asked my little Brother-in-Law what he wanted me to make for his 21st birthday dessert, I was surprised when he requested Glazed Doughnuts, “like the ones at Krispy Kreme”. I have made doughnuts before and they were good but not great (and certainly not like Krispy Kreme) so I was open to the challenge. I found this recipe on AllRecipes and will never use another. This recipe is easy and the doughnuts taste delicious (not quite Krispy Kreme status but close!). The dough holds its shape well so you get nice, round, fluffy, full doughnuts. You can click on the picture for the recipe. Enjoy!
After weeks of traveling and a schedule far too busy for baking, I am finally back in front of the oven! For this special occasion, I wanted to make something that has been on my list for a long time, Pavlova. This elegant dessert has always seemed challenging to me because of its meringue base and delicate nature but it is actually quite simple. I am excited to have tried it and I can’t wait to perfect this crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, light and airy treat!
