tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85123520102844304372024-02-07T05:54:02.947-06:00i wish baking was my real joblots and lots of bakingScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-14052202739124167552022-11-23T12:04:00.000-06:002022-11-23T12:04:25.886-06:00Pumpkin Spice Choux Cylinders<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzH986GDr6CbatdnnfeYtjhUAumGzLAQDZ7OvB39fuB9m5bxyW9EXh6peNeD-mQhAe52Js5gHH4FFlI6os5CQTXuXGxUkRIQHNUD42VYaJhdO_gexnT0JcEM_up5uJTnYE-bS9_Jd9Ux7kAareS_jlZFBJMFyMVU8DXt3tXmiGZGsM-61NTnoniUwMJg/s2051/choux2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="2051" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzH986GDr6CbatdnnfeYtjhUAumGzLAQDZ7OvB39fuB9m5bxyW9EXh6peNeD-mQhAe52Js5gHH4FFlI6os5CQTXuXGxUkRIQHNUD42VYaJhdO_gexnT0JcEM_up5uJTnYE-bS9_Jd9Ux7kAareS_jlZFBJMFyMVU8DXt3tXmiGZGsM-61NTnoniUwMJg/w640-h450/choux2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />I've been experimenting more with different choux shapes. It takes a lot of trial and error with the amount of choux paste needed for the shape you're trying to form as well as with the baking times. This particular cylinder took 2 hours to bake and only needs about 2 tablespoons of paste. It's crazy for me to think that that small amount of choux paste can puff up so much. I had to weigh it down with pie weights, rice and a marble mortar and pestle and the dough <i>still</i> would not be fully contained--lifting all of that weight up. But, as I mentioned previously through a lot of experimentation, I think I found the sweet spot so that the cake rings won't overflow while baking. <p></p><p>Since it's pumpkin spice season, and since I made my own pumpkin spice, I decide to fill them with a pumpkin spice pastry cream and then a simple chocolate glaze. </p><p>If you have the time and patience--and are interested in reimagined pastries--I think this would be a fun project. You can use just about any shape you want but the amount of choux paste and baking times will likely vary with each. </p><p>Happy Baking!</p><p>Recipe</p><p>For this form, I used a 2" diameter by 3" high stainless steel cake ring. The following recipe made 14 cylinders.</p><p>Choux Paste </p><p>8oz water</p><p>4oz unsalted butter</p><p>1/8tsp table salt</p><p>1T granulated sugar</p><p>4oz all-purpose flour</p><p>8oz eggs</p><p><br /></p><p>In a 3 quart saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a simmer over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to low, add the flour all at once and stir rapidly. A paste will form and once that happens, cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for about 3-5 minutes. You want the paste to be hot but not so hot it will cook the eggs. Start adding the eggs once at at time, stirring until fully incorporated. It will go from looking slimy and broken up, to looking like a paste again after each additional egg has been incorporated. Once all of the eggs have been incorporated, transfer the choux paste to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch tip.</p><p>Preheat the oven to 335 F. Line the cake cylinders with silicon cake ring bands and place them on a parchment or silicon mat lined baking sheet. Pipe 40g of choux paste into each cylinder and with a small spoon that's been wetted with cold water, smooth the batter out as best you can. Cover the tops of the rings with a perforated silicon mat, then weigh that down with a pan or bowl of pie weights, rice or something heat resistant and <i>heavy</i>. Bake in the oven for 2 hours. After the 2 hours, remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully remove the weights and peel of the perforated silicon mat covering the tops of the cylinders. Let the cylinders cool until you're able to pick them up without burning yourself and carefully push the formed choux up from the bottom and out of the mold. Carefully peel off the silicon bands and fill the choux cylinders as desired!</p><p>For the filling, I needed 4 cups of basic vanilla pastry cream--so use whatever recipe is your favorite. I added 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice to it in order to give it that seasonal flavor. </p><p>For the glaze, I needed 1 cup--and still had some leftover. The glaze was a simple ganache so again, use whatever your favorite eclair or cream puff glaze you fancy--just make sure you have about 1 cup to use for this amount of choux.</p><p><br /></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-47313352615002799792021-03-16T11:04:00.000-05:002021-03-16T11:04:29.551-05:00Eclair Cage - Pistachio Flavored<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2X852R_y1cRKTHxqN2VXPgn8C8Uet3BsCW5H5-cUWgSe3oQIDKxW4zc5KyR21o5EyoC40PyqbQ8fXbA_3BodfKqqE-46u_tyTG89tNMEF7Q3K0Ge5EEa6qrQI6Tzqa1hgVp16yKH5q3D/s828/IMG_1061.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="828" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2X852R_y1cRKTHxqN2VXPgn8C8Uet3BsCW5H5-cUWgSe3oQIDKxW4zc5KyR21o5EyoC40PyqbQ8fXbA_3BodfKqqE-46u_tyTG89tNMEF7Q3K0Ge5EEa6qrQI6Tzqa1hgVp16yKH5q3D/w400-h396/IMG_1061.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Eclairs are fairly simple. The pate choux pastry is one of the easier types of pastry dough to make. And due to the general nature of the dough, piping it out as eclairs or spooning it out for cream puffs is a rather forgiving task--they'll look rustic and craggy and that's just fine. But, I've seen a lot of Instagram posts where pastry chefs are making the most perfect looking eclairs that are perfectly cylindrical or capsule shaped. I saw one post referring to them as eclair cages. After searching for some recipes and instructional videos--which are not easy to come by--I started experimenting with different "cages" and trying to find a way to replicate some of the ones I've been seeing pastry chefs make. More than anything it involved figuring out just the perfect amount of choux paste to pipe into each cage so that it wouldn't rise outside of the cage or cower down inside of it. Eventually, I found a reasonable amount for a few different types of cages that I was using. The one I liked the best was the capsule shape because it emulated the typical eclair best. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I filled this one with pistachio pastry cream, topped it with a whipped white chocolate pistachio ganache and a dark chocolate disc with a chocolate transfer sheet design etched on top.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90RN_aKOBjNd4ViWL63HfJPSOQynp4eCS1TIqf3Ac1fpuG5ni3pGQkEt399G_FPFuymTWPiGiQleb5R0QLO8WqKXs1dm4pr5LdwCazcjvzH4mheoe19GQ7GRCC1b-2CCom_VWRUGezHBo/s828/IMG_1063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="828" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90RN_aKOBjNd4ViWL63HfJPSOQynp4eCS1TIqf3Ac1fpuG5ni3pGQkEt399G_FPFuymTWPiGiQleb5R0QLO8WqKXs1dm4pr5LdwCazcjvzH4mheoe19GQ7GRCC1b-2CCom_VWRUGezHBo/w400-h395/IMG_1063.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The following is what worked for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pate choux (choux paste):<br /><br />1c water<br />1 stick of butter<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1c all-purpose flour<br />4 large eggs<br /><br />In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter and salt. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the flour all at once and begin to stir it rapidly. Continue stirring--the mixture will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and form a sort of dough/paste mass in the middle. Once this happens continue to cook it while stirring constantly for another minute or two in order to cook off some more of the water. Then, remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool down for about 5 minutes--before you add the eggs you don't want the dough/paste to be too hot or else you'll cook them too quickly but at the same time you want the dough somewhat warm/hot. After your 5 minute cool-down, add each egg one at a time stirring after each addition until the egg is fully incorporated. It might look like the dough is breaking up but just keep stirring and it will come back together. Once you've added in each egg, let the dough cool to room temperature--or again you can place it in the fridge with a piece of plastic wrap over it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the choux paste is completely cooled, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a <span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: inherit;">7-1/2" x 2-3/4" x 1-3/8" high oval tart ring(s) with a silicone liner and place it/them on a silicone lined baking sheet. Place the pastry cream into a piping bag and pipe 25g of the choux paste into the tart ring(s) in an even layer. Place a second silicone mat on top of the ring(s) and weigh it down with a second heavy baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 60-75 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before removing each shell from its cage. Repeat with the remaining choux paste as desired.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0RdXoOqtdwQPYdAOr_zsnSzhX3lCDQESMQOLfFDDnviruPwNIJKecLvGka-6IFgrO23xlf_VDhh4_Wn20T55Dj4a7g4VMwrZw4c3Vnhg3fN8ElgpDzrZi2jVSvrfJlekygD6ZseleQUr/s832/IMG_1062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0RdXoOqtdwQPYdAOr_zsnSzhX3lCDQESMQOLfFDDnviruPwNIJKecLvGka-6IFgrO23xlf_VDhh4_Wn20T55Dj4a7g4VMwrZw4c3Vnhg3fN8ElgpDzrZi2jVSvrfJlekygD6ZseleQUr/w398-h400/IMG_1062.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><br /><p></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-17228894548781089372020-10-15T12:08:00.001-05:002020-10-15T12:08:52.460-05:00Pistachio Paste<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluxdRM4ldxgxwiIrdM-IBIBXlbP3siw5WCwbcQH-rzFIhyphenhyphen34I4a18OFGBAUHOSbI8ERVrtWbO1tMcRqJr1270I8Wj2TvltreGlXViX97SC3wWcw-xodBNumNXAJlHLq7c6B00LvUt_Gae/s1440/5FAE3983-A5FC-4D3E-9A2E-B20EDD03A27A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluxdRM4ldxgxwiIrdM-IBIBXlbP3siw5WCwbcQH-rzFIhyphenhyphen34I4a18OFGBAUHOSbI8ERVrtWbO1tMcRqJr1270I8Wj2TvltreGlXViX97SC3wWcw-xodBNumNXAJlHLq7c6B00LvUt_Gae/w640-h640/5FAE3983-A5FC-4D3E-9A2E-B20EDD03A27A.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>If you know something about patisserie, you have probably seen the use of nut pastes--hazelnut and pistachio seem to be the two most popular that I see. And for good reason because they taste fantastic and they're versatile. You can introduce them into a dessert as is or use them as a flavor in buttercream, mousse, pastry cream or in some other creative way.</p><p>Though, there are a couple of problems with them. For one thing, I notice that they are difficult to find in brick and mortar stores (they're certainly easy enough to find online). But, the second issue is that they are expensive. The good news is that they are easy to make on your own. All you need is a food processor or blender and a candy thermometer.</p><p>Ingredients:</p><p>125g raw, shelled pistachios (not roasted or salted)</p><p>30g almond flour</p><p>60g granulated sugar</p><p>20 grams of water</p><p>1/8tsp of almond extract</p><p>1-2T (approximately, divided) flavorless oil such as grapeseed or vegetable</p><p>Directions:</p><p>First toast the pistachios in the oven. Set the oven temperature to 300F. Place the pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet in one layer. Toast them in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Make sure they brown a bit but don't burn. They'll start to smell quite fragrant. Once done, remove them from the oven and set aside.</p><p>Next, place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil use a candy thermometer and cook until it reaches 250F. Once it reaches that temperature, remove it from the heat, pour the toasted pistachios into the saucepan and stir them into the sugar syrup using a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula. The goal here is to ensconce all of the nuts with the sugar syrup. The syrup will start to crystallize and that is normal and ok. After the crystallization has occurred, pour the pistachios into the bowl of a food processor (or blender but I prefer the food processor). </p><p>Add to the food processor bowl the rest of the ingredients but just 1 tablespoon of the oil and begin processing the mixture. It will go through stages where it becomes powdery, then clumpy and finally it will start to smooth itself out. At this point you need to determine how viscous you want your paste. If it seems too thick, add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil and then run the processor once more. Stop and check the processor again to check the viscosity. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil if you want it to be thinner and run the processor again until smooth. </p><p>Once you have achieved the consistency you want, you can store the pistachio paste in a jar or other container for later use. I usually store mine in the refrigerator and it keeps for quite a while.</p><p>Note: </p><p>The amount of oil you need seems to vary--in my experience. From what I've read, sometimes you really don't need a lot because once you start processing the nuts, the heat generated from the machine will sort of draw the natural oils out of the pistachios and force them into cohesion. But, that's never happened for me. So, I usually end up adding enough additional oil until I get the consistency I desire. Perhaps it's the type of nuts I use or my processor isn't powerful enough--not sure. Either way, I'm always pleased with the product.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-EqttYJtdx4RjsQovG_NLYBpk4YgvCyxvxVXK0Kp8kDVuTydK-8eNYZ9uO7OthJe6u5j5cyq4vw48y1aXDqw6T2u5ONaqC3TZPf1y66BAtJlWup5YRWtBKCS2cC5UkbuOY9Hb_SzN0T8/s1440/220FBA2F-6E3B-4815-B500-7A6DC7B6BA7A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-EqttYJtdx4RjsQovG_NLYBpk4YgvCyxvxVXK0Kp8kDVuTydK-8eNYZ9uO7OthJe6u5j5cyq4vw48y1aXDqw6T2u5ONaqC3TZPf1y66BAtJlWup5YRWtBKCS2cC5UkbuOY9Hb_SzN0T8/w640-h640/220FBA2F-6E3B-4815-B500-7A6DC7B6BA7A.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-76474658717307579332017-08-09T20:57:00.000-05:002017-08-09T20:57:20.814-05:00Yellow Cake Taste Test<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I bring to anyone reading this my own yellow cake taste test.<br />
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The idea of the taste test came from me feeling like I don't always have a go-to recipe for a lot of things--in this particular situation, yellow cake. I try a lot of different recipes and generally they are all great. But when it comes time to make, say a yellow cake, I feel like I could use that one or this one or that other one because what's the difference? I remember liking all of them so it shouldn't make a difference. But maybe it does.<br />
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There are several different methods for making cakes but only about three that are used to make a yellow cake: the creaming method, the reverse creaming method and the one-bowl method. And each one is <i>supposed</i> to produce a different end result. The creaming method should produce a cake that's good for stacking in layers--but still soft and tender. The reverse creaming method is supposed to produce a similarly sturdy cake that's good for stacking multiple layers. But, from what I've read it also has a denser crumb--but still tender and soft. Lastly is the one-bowl method which is probably the simplest of them all. For one thing--as the name implies--you do all of the work in one bowl. And in my opinion, it produces the best crumb that's soft and pillowy and most similar to a boxed cake mix. They're also usually made with all oil or at least some oil.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">My recipe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>How to Bake Everything</i><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTmjniFQr2eAq9My-hIhl0ydTUf-_rBOF69xVqZUjP-KcTHGwa5J2dFTYS5rq6Got53H7WwuBRvo3OvGnbz3AeTc4gNbTRe4fgUGKEabw_RLIYtuP5R7hUaccZBu2AuONi5c-VyIUlCRR/s1600/elev_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTmjniFQr2eAq9My-hIhl0ydTUf-_rBOF69xVqZUjP-KcTHGwa5J2dFTYS5rq6Got53H7WwuBRvo3OvGnbz3AeTc4gNbTRe4fgUGKEabw_RLIYtuP5R7hUaccZBu2AuONi5c-VyIUlCRR/s320/elev_3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Cooks Illustrated</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6h6Oc38XdMwJ9wBaK7kzjcvAV3LX8itYI88Q0nr1Cf0Caf3ueyJtW5tyt_MkONYzIFnbD8-kPmGIP8JnEmOG5P5_zLdeEXR2r4QJ2veGgCDPoWSDQqfz3QaiNFeL1NHohWXTZmq-3m5Al/s1600/elev_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1074" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6h6Oc38XdMwJ9wBaK7kzjcvAV3LX8itYI88Q0nr1Cf0Caf3ueyJtW5tyt_MkONYzIFnbD8-kPmGIP8JnEmOG5P5_zLdeEXR2r4QJ2veGgCDPoWSDQqfz3QaiNFeL1NHohWXTZmq-3m5Al/s320/elev_2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Cake Bible</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UgHj-y8yx48UvoBKOrXwROk9XNDjTWpSUdCDyhnVkQEy3KSCGCiNb4NIgS1up2pj6JSz4TSgHWLdGC0L6gqshehZBUDvuonBQBmTZ7SbeCq-v8gMGBg5dSMFGVazyIWGMK5GBXXRijbE/s1600/elev_6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="1071" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UgHj-y8yx48UvoBKOrXwROk9XNDjTWpSUdCDyhnVkQEy3KSCGCiNb4NIgS1up2pj6JSz4TSgHWLdGC0L6gqshehZBUDvuonBQBmTZ7SbeCq-v8gMGBg5dSMFGVazyIWGMK5GBXXRijbE/s320/elev_6.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>The Joy of Cooking</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZKw5uKF5aYnAgbwWZiIQJGvrm_ium8gfe4xM0I77PD3dKkcBDQm-Awb8EBxPFaVJzAjX_hr6wMP0Q2cdvC5lyWybubv6JK_ArZSD_phR6BZjoWVe5Enb2kSoP48kB2MD9JAmA9Y5YMCP/s1600/elev_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZKw5uKF5aYnAgbwWZiIQJGvrm_ium8gfe4xM0I77PD3dKkcBDQm-Awb8EBxPFaVJzAjX_hr6wMP0Q2cdvC5lyWybubv6JK_ArZSD_phR6BZjoWVe5Enb2kSoP48kB2MD9JAmA9Y5YMCP/s320/elev_4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Arthur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So, I made six yellow cakes using all three of those methods. I picked five of the recipes from different recipe books I had on hand and the sixth one was my own. I used the same baking pan, same oven and same types and brand of ingredients for each recipe where appropriate. And lastly, I frosted each of the cakes with the same chocolate frosting. Essentially I tried to be as scientific as I could.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytraDcS3IIjqT3nbzwVLrXg9Tjdw298HwhK99bkdoBAzoRXiACi9KP_gnKXN_MCPJKFelrRm9O_mLOr4hTGJ6N9OaSzPlj9J2F6HA08K9L2jFXnWXMLaKHmiCSbLuVqqu-zT5bPqStqD-/s1600/persp_5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytraDcS3IIjqT3nbzwVLrXg9Tjdw298HwhK99bkdoBAzoRXiACi9KP_gnKXN_MCPJKFelrRm9O_mLOr4hTGJ6N9OaSzPlj9J2F6HA08K9L2jFXnWXMLaKHmiCSbLuVqqu-zT5bPqStqD-/s320/persp_5.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My recipe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd1tylFk6w_IDn21M1j4i_VL4bHAO76c5RHhudMroCSm8Vkh5qnyEVJQUBQVtq6YdOhzHffEo-4ZSF7v12TL1iZnawDLNFMrwmSDh7y4eDu7fjqueErr2wkQlZG_kJ7vSrQ-G940AHHmA/s1600/persp_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1045" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd1tylFk6w_IDn21M1j4i_VL4bHAO76c5RHhudMroCSm8Vkh5qnyEVJQUBQVtq6YdOhzHffEo-4ZSF7v12TL1iZnawDLNFMrwmSDh7y4eDu7fjqueErr2wkQlZG_kJ7vSrQ-G940AHHmA/s320/persp_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>How to Bake Everything</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpenDrW8Fe3nDo3yBPcSzswJrHxwBjHll2_O5rgkAEDHMQbbevFoHBPeEQO_q5M2HQHMlbNJ4s40HFXn0K5g3w2pPJH0tBNAY8PROvjmmlI4RB_3IoUAQMyHde2MtoNN3qrJxuMUZfxYxR/s1600/persp_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpenDrW8Fe3nDo3yBPcSzswJrHxwBjHll2_O5rgkAEDHMQbbevFoHBPeEQO_q5M2HQHMlbNJ4s40HFXn0K5g3w2pPJH0tBNAY8PROvjmmlI4RB_3IoUAQMyHde2MtoNN3qrJxuMUZfxYxR/s320/persp_3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cooks Illustrated</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlLBdjvb9AxJ6C2TwzbLFa_yqd02BWZ7QsifHITWlLIPO9DF3Ux1k7KaJ-pp9is4ZcprjKGlt9nULyB_jtQ-O9U0Y5r6iSgwZGlPCrnbRY34QI0TUHI2gKLqMHycCgz0uCNaDC_o7i8vP/s1600/persp_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlLBdjvb9AxJ6C2TwzbLFa_yqd02BWZ7QsifHITWlLIPO9DF3Ux1k7KaJ-pp9is4ZcprjKGlt9nULyB_jtQ-O9U0Y5r6iSgwZGlPCrnbRY34QI0TUHI2gKLqMHycCgz0uCNaDC_o7i8vP/s320/persp_2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Cake Bible</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPANXzN1mvPetPSeQ0fZtxtHr0iZ2bu3N2fINIWDghwpMFnPhZpIsrM8KCVF0N6lLMBS7_FIIRqUTBxaBEGyYaWodO_L8CUYEs-JQO3cTiW4S7CfxDWX8GDz3YQtkeZuVdDsIIQ3ewtNdM/s1600/persp_6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPANXzN1mvPetPSeQ0fZtxtHr0iZ2bu3N2fINIWDghwpMFnPhZpIsrM8KCVF0N6lLMBS7_FIIRqUTBxaBEGyYaWodO_L8CUYEs-JQO3cTiW4S7CfxDWX8GDz3YQtkeZuVdDsIIQ3ewtNdM/s320/persp_6.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Joy of Cooking</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrn44YwrKLCIOnnXWUtaLJS8K-B3BnRyNcktGTGsj2Pkf6ckXsnW55DlYobeMlylGqP60srV1QdzvpMkZIK2g9B7ItxhGvOELe5A_w5f6fXFvxLWhfNOIlwOC8kbhmyzsuL5-wjvz6gVY/s1600/persp_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrn44YwrKLCIOnnXWUtaLJS8K-B3BnRyNcktGTGsj2Pkf6ckXsnW55DlYobeMlylGqP60srV1QdzvpMkZIK2g9B7ItxhGvOELe5A_w5f6fXFvxLWhfNOIlwOC8kbhmyzsuL5-wjvz6gVY/s320/persp_4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Arthur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I invited friends over, had them taste each of the anonymously numbered cakes and then vote for their top picks. And after tallying up all of the votes, my recipe actually came out on top--which was made using the one-bowl method. I promise I didn't rig the competition in my favor. My recipe doesn't necessarily use any secret ingredient. I think that by using the one-bowl method you do produce a cake that isn't super dense and is lighter. From what I've read a lot of that might have something to do with the fact that you're using oil. I don't know the exact science behind that but I'm sure I read about it at some point. And generally, as I mentioned earlier, you get a cake that's most consistent with a cake made from a boxed mix. You can take that for what it is--I personally am ok with it because I like the way boxed cake mixes taste.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFu4-RTTRrzaRrkfApIxRGTrggHHeoCykznki-7ZRb-3445AvZuL5aeyRCR33F3O4q3q6zjfZNzglm-LwFNiEqJT0SFrSH33y3_IBz1GAIi-FMbdJXvQo4KszAPbmqqB8DS5xhyU9EaHK/s1600/top+view_all+cakes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFu4-RTTRrzaRrkfApIxRGTrggHHeoCykznki-7ZRb-3445AvZuL5aeyRCR33F3O4q3q6zjfZNzglm-LwFNiEqJT0SFrSH33y3_IBz1GAIi-FMbdJXvQo4KszAPbmqqB8DS5xhyU9EaHK/s640/top+view_all+cakes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
I still think that all of the other recipes are great. But now that I've had a side to side comparison I can narrow down the yellow cake recipes in my repertoire and make use of them on an appropriate basis respective of their individual characteristics.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7Wsxyvf1xp35rfDMGFV75DGApnwc4MujtciuSvZXzEqM6MPGkl1xV_ooflSQwjJ7JS610AG-2bUmmlSxFeJMkLz1LoxA-ae8PwJ4dVCA2GkrKIWs5GeA2n3oID6fwNsfytatMhiztayC/s1600/all+cakes+not+frosted.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="1015" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7Wsxyvf1xp35rfDMGFV75DGApnwc4MujtciuSvZXzEqM6MPGkl1xV_ooflSQwjJ7JS610AG-2bUmmlSxFeJMkLz1LoxA-ae8PwJ4dVCA2GkrKIWs5GeA2n3oID6fwNsfytatMhiztayC/s640/all+cakes+not+frosted.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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For reference, the recipes I included--in most popular to least popular order--were from Mark Bittman's <i>How to Bake Everything</i>, <i>Cooks Illustrated</i>'s classic yellow cake, Rose Levy Beranbaum's all-occasion downy yellow cake from <i>The Cake Bible</i>, <i>The</i> <i>Joy of Cooking</i>'s yellow cake recipe, and King Arthur's classic yellow cake recipe which I found off of their <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/classic-yellow-cake-with-fudge-frosting-recipe">website</a>.<br />
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Recipe for my own yellow cake: makes one 9" yellow cake<br />
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145g unbleached cake flour<br />
150g superfine granulated sugar<br />
65g unsalted butter melted and cooled<br />
28g vegetable/canola oil<br />
75g (~1 1/2) large eggs at room temperature<br />
2/3c buttermilk at room temperature<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
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First, preheat the oven to 350 F. Then, butter the sides and bottom of a 9" round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.<br />
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In a large bowl of a stand mixer, sift in all of the dry ingredients and then using the paddle attachment, mix together everything for about thirty seconds on low. In a second medium bowl thoroughly whisk all of the wet ingredients together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Turn the mixer on medium speed and mix for about 1 1/2 minutes until everything is thoroughly combined--the batter will be very thin. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.<br />
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Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes and then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely before frosting.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-66072725378390816762016-04-28T15:03:00.001-05:002016-04-28T15:03:42.433-05:00Banana Nilla Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've made cookies from at least two James Beard Foundation award winners. Both recipes were amazing. At the same time, both recipes were rather involved--or at least included some extra steps. And, I don't mean that to act as a deterrent to anyone thinking about making something from a JBF award winner. I mean, there <i>is</i> a good reason why they've won the award. These cookies from Mindy Segal's <i>Cookie Love</i> were spectacular. There were a lot of steps involved in the making of these cookies but they weren't difficult steps. And if you have everything ready and able--or store bought--then it probably won't take you nearly as long. I didn't, which is probably the main reason I'm bringing this up. So, don't be like me--be more prepared. Now let's discuss the actual cookies.<br />
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What Mindy Segal has done is created a homemade recipe for Nilla Wafers. She then used them to sandwich a banana caramel buttercream filling and topped them off with two types of chocolate--a bittersweet and a caramelized white chocolate. The result is a decadent sandwich cookie that to me--due to the bananas--has a fairly accented fruity flavor--which is a good thing. The cookies are softer and more pillowy than actual Nilla Wafers and pack a good vanilla flavored punch. The bittersweet chocolate comes through nicely but I personally didn't think the caramelized white chocolate one did as much. In truth, I think it's more decorative than anything. But at the same time, I've been wanting to caramelize white chocolate for a while now and this project gave me a good reason to do so. And by the by, even though I don't necessarily think it came through with these cookies, caramelized white chocolate is pretty damn tasty on its own--well worth the effort of caramelization. <br />
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What I really like about these cookies is the pure fact that they are sandwich cookies. Basically my philosophy over sandwich cookies is the more the merrier. Barring the fact--but probably because of this very fact--that sandwich cookies are double the cookie--which means they are double the fat, sugar, refined flour, blah blah blah--they are my favorite type of cookie. I'll always take an oatmeal cream pie over a regular oatmeal cookie or an Oreo (preferably double-stuffed) over a simple chocolate wafer. And now I can state, with a clear conscience that I would definitely take a Mindy Segal Banana Nilla cookie over a simple Nilla Wafer. Yes, they're more decadent and more calories but they're a little more complex and a lot more fun to eat. <br />
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Recipe via <i><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-mindy-segals-banana-nillas-dessert-recipes-from-the-kitchn-218888">the kitchn</a> </i>for Mindy Segal's <i>Banana Nilla Cookies </i>(makes about 30 sandwich cookies)<br />
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Cookies<br />
<br />
1/3c unsalted butter at room temp.<br />
1/3c vegetable shortening<br />
1c powdered sugar<br />
2/3c granulated sugar<br />
2 extra-large eggs at room temp.<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 1/2 T water<br />
3c cake flour<br />
1 T baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes (I used Maldon)<br />
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Using a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salts and then set it aside. Then in a small bowl crack in the eggs and add the vanilla and water and set that aside. Next in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and shortening using the paddle attachment. Mix that until they are combined on medium speed. Add the sugars to the mixer bowl and cream the mixture on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. Then add each egg into the fat/sugar mixture one at a time--mixing just until it looks like cottage cheese. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and run the mixer for a minute more just make sure all that side and bottom stuff has been re-introduced into the mixture. Now add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed just until combined. Next, place a large sheet of plastic wrap flat on your work surface. Scrape the batter onto the plastic wrap and pat it into a rectangle. Wrap the batter up tightly and refrigerate it overnight.<br />
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The next day when you are ready to cut out the cookies and bake them, get out two baking sheets and cut out pieces of parchment paper to fit them. Then lay each sheet of parchment paper on your work surface--you're going to roll out your dough directly on each parchment sheet. Now, remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap it and cut it in half. Place one half back in the fridge and leave the other one out. Lightly dust one sheet of parchment paper with flour and place the one half of dough on top of it. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness (you can either place an additional sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll or lightly flour the surface of the dough while rolling). Once you've got the dough rolled out to 1/4 inch thickness, place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough, ease the sheet of dough onto a baking sheet and refrigerate it for one hour. Do the same thing for the other half of dough. Once the hour is up, preheat your oven to 325 F. Remove one sheet of dough at a time from the fridge and ease the sheet onto a work surface. Place a silicone baking mat or another sheet of parchment paper onto the baking sheet. Then with the dough, remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut out 2 inch circles of dough--re-rolling the dough with the trimmings and cutting once again as needed. Place your cookie circles on the prepared baking sheet, lower the oven temperature to 300 F and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cookies feel firm. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely before sandwiching. Repeat with the remaining half of dough. <br />
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Banana Puree<br />
<br />
2 medium overripe bananas<br />
2 T granulated sugar<br />
1/4c water<br />
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice<br />
<br />
Break the bananas up with your hands into chunks. Place them--along with the rest of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook them for about 5-7 minutes or until the bananas are soft and easily break apart when nudged with a spoon. Once that is done, place the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the puree into a small bowl, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the puree and let it cool completely.<br />
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Frosting<br />
<br />
1c unsalted butter at room temp.<br />
1c powdered sugar<br />
Seeds from half of a vanilla bean<br />
1 T vanilla extract<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes<br />
All of the banana puree you just made at room temp.<br />
1/2c homemade or store-bought caramel sauce at room temp.<br />
<br />
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high for about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add in the vanilla bean seeds, extract and salts and mix until fully incorporated and evenly distributed. Then add in the banana puree and mix in until fully incorporated. Finally, add the caramel sauce and mix until that is fully incorporated.<br />
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Assembly<br />
<br />
All of your cookies<br />
Frosting<br />
8oz bittersweet chocolate melted and cooled<br />
2oz caramelized white chocolate melted and cooled (<a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/06/caramelized-white-chocolate/">here</a> is a good link to how to go about caramelizing white chocolate)<br />
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On your work surface, pair up the cookies with a suitable partner. Fill a pastry bag with the frosting and pipe a tablespoon or two of the frosting on the bottoms of half of the cookies. Sandwich each cookie with its unfrosted partner. Dip each sandwich cookie into the bittersweet chocolate and set aside to set for a minute. Finally, using a fork or spoon drizzle the caramelized white chocolate over each sandwich cookie. Let the chocolates set and then enjoy at your leisure.<br />
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<i><br /></i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-25726708742770351362016-02-16T12:39:00.000-06:002016-02-16T12:39:47.593-06:00Buckwheat Linzer Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Doughs made with buckwheat don't look all that appetizing. They're the color gray. Incidentally, I dare someone to name one gray food that looks inviting. I for one can't think of any. <br />
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Luckily when you bake with buckwheat, it browns a bit so the appearance warms up. But before that--yuck. For this recipe I had to create this log of gray buckwheat cookie dough to chill so I could slice it up into cookie circles later and bake. As you can guess, the log of gray dough looked less than tempting--like some sort of generic sustenance that would be served to the masses in a post-apocalyptic earth science fiction movie. It was sticky, wet and of course...gray. The upside is that the old adage, <i>don't judge a book by its cover</i>, applies here. The resulting cookies were delicious.<br />
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This recipe is another one from Alice Medrich's <i>Flavor Flours. </i>I've been baking from this recipe book a lot lately--partly because I'm intrigued to see how some of Alice Medrich's gluten free creations turn out. Also because I've bought just about every flour specified in the book and I'm afraid it's going to go rancid if I don't start using them up faster. Nevertheless, its been fun. And the buckwheat linzer cookies--despite their pre-baked appearance--were delectable. They were buttery, sweet and soft. Aside from the color, the buckwheat adds a bit of a grainy texture to the cookie--which I didn't look at that as a negative attribute. A little texture is nice sometimes. <br />
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But at the same time I feel as though I need to have a traditional linzer cookie at my side in order to properly perceive the differences between the two types of flours. Plus, in addition to buckwheat flour this recipe calls for oat flour and white rice flour. Technically, the buckwheat flour is the predominant flour in the blend but I can't help but feel that with the added butter and sugar plus the other flours it might be hard to pick out the flavor of the buckwheat. Or...maybe my taste buds just aren't that sophisticated.<br />
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If anyone has any trepidation about baking with buckwheat, let me be the one to allay those concerns. It may look kinda gross before it's baked but it doesn't taste gross--unless you make it taste gross of course. I'm assuming, from my recent experience that you could use it to make any number of good baked goods--this recipe being proof of that in fact. It's different yes. But certainly not in a bad way--in a good way, a real good way.<br />
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Recipe<br />
<br />
55g (1/4c + 2 T) white rice flour<br />
70g (1/2c + 2 T) buckwheat flour<br />
65g (2/3c) oat flour<br />
1/4 tsp kosher salt<br />
1/8 tsp baking soda<br />
100g (1/2c) granulated sugar<br />
60g (1/4c) cream cheese cut into chunks<br />
170g (12 T) unsalted butter at room temp. and cut into chunks<br />
1 T water<br />
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1/2c of preserves--I used blackberry<br />
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Using the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the dry ingredients and process for about 30 seconds. Then add everything else and process until a smooth ball forms. Scrape the dough out of the food processor and divide it in half. With each half of dough, form it into a log that is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day when you are ready to get baking, place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and then preheat it to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set them aside. Next, take one chilled log of dough from the refrigerator and slice it into just a little less than 1/4 inch slices and place each slice on baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Make sure you have equal slices on each sheet--it will make the next step a little easier. Do the same thing with the other log of dough. Bake two baking sheets at a time for 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the upper rack. Place the one on the lower rack into the upper position and rotate it 180 degrees. With the baking sheet that was removed from the oven, use a 1/2 inch cookie cutter to cut circles in the middles of each cookie--the centers may or may not pop out--it doesn't matter whether or not they do. Place the baking sheet in the lower rack and bake both sheets for another 10-15 minutes or just until the edges start to brown a bit. Once done, remove each baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on each sheet. <br />
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Once the cookies are cooled, match all of them up and spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of preserves on the bottom of each one. Sandwich it with the cut-out top and enjoy.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-56599612507154885412016-02-05T10:31:00.002-06:002016-02-11T16:31:20.955-06:00Lemon Tart with Coconut Crust<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">I</span><span style="text-align: left;">n my neck of the woods, citrus is about the only fruit available during the frigid winter months. And if I really didn't like citrus, I'd probably be mad about that. Luckily I do like it--quite a bit in fact. Its got that tart bite that I find refreshing during the bleak winter months--and they're tropical fruits that hint at the warmth from which they are borne. And I fantasize about that warmth. My all time favorite citrus dessert is key lime pie. My ideal one has a tooth-achingly sweet and salty graham cracker crust that cuts up the key lime filling. </span></div>
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I found a recipe for a key lime tart in Alice Medrich's <i>Flavor Flours. </i>Unfortunately, I only had lemons on hand and no condensed milk so I couldn't make it. But, I could use the recipe for the crust. Not surprisingly--since this particular recipe book explores baking using just about any flour other than wheat flours--it doesn't call for my beloved graham cracker crust. Instead, it pairs itself with another tropical fruit, the coconut. Both shredded coconut and coconut flour join forces to create the base for this tart. The result is essentially a crust that tastes like a macaroon. And since the recipe for the crust is just about the same as one for macaroons, it's not all that shocking. The only difference is that it uses coconut flour. I think macaroons are pretty amazing so eating a crust in the form of a giant one is by no means a chore. </div>
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My only trouble with making this coconut crust was that it wasn't exactly the most structurally sound crust. Macaroons are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. But this crust was just chewy all over. So when I cut into the tart, it was more pliable than anything else so I never got a clean cut. I always ended up having to scrape off some of the crust from the bottom of the pan. Nevertheless, I think that if I baked it a bit longer, that issue would have been resolved. </div>
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In my mind, pairing two tropical fruits like this just seems to make perfect sense. And truly, they go together well--it was an excellent crust. I'm not saying I'm going to totally give up on a graham cracker crust for a key lime pie but it's certainly a nice alternative to have in your back pocket. </div>
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Recipe<br />
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Crust via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Flours-Buckwheat-Sorghum-Non-Wheat/dp/1579655130">Alice Medrich's <i>Flavor Flours</i></a><br />
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40g (1/3c) coconut flour<br />
100g (1c + 1T) unsweetened shredded coconut<br />
1/4 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
85g (6T) unsalted butter at room temp. and softened<br />
100g (1/2c) granulated sugar<br />
1 large egg white<br />
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First, preheat the oven to 350 F and then grease a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Next, using a large bowl combine all of the ingredients together until everything is well incorporated. After that, press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the tart pan--making sure that every inch is covered well and that the sides of the pan are thicker than the base. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven for at least 15 minutes. I baked mine for 15 minutes and I felt that it wasn't done so maybe in the time range between 15-20 minutes depending upon your oven. I would touch the bottom of the crust and if it seems fairly firm then it will probably be good. Once, the crust has baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before making the filling.<br />
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Filling<br />
<br />
100g (1/2) granulated sugar<br />
2T corn starch<br />
1/8 tsp salt<br />
1/2c water<br />
1/4c milk<br />
2 large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)<br />
1T unsalted butter<br />
1/4c fresh lemon juice<br />
1 tsp lemon zest<br />
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First, preheat the oven to 350 F. Then using a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks until lighter in color and set it aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn starch, salt, water and milk. Set the mixture over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture just comes to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour about a third of the mixture into the egg yolks and quickly whisk to combine. Pour that mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture. Set it over low heat while whisking constantly and cook just until it thickens and it starts to slowly bubble. Remove it from the heat and add the butter, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the filling and set aside while you make the meringue.<br />
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Meringue<br />
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2 large egg whites<br />
50g (1/4c) granulated sugar<br />
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In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, start whisking the egg whites on medium speed until they are foamy. Then slowly start pouring in the sugar. Whisk the whites on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peak form. Set the meringue aside while you assemble everything.<br />
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Assembly<br />
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Pour the slightly cooled filling into the cooled tart shell and make sure it's evenly distributed. Next, either spread the entire meringue over the tart or pour it into a piping baking with a plain tip and pipe any sort of design you wish. Once that's done, bake the tart for about 12-15 minutes until it is set and the meringue peaks have just started to brown. Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool completely before slicing into. <br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-46047103165695863842016-01-12T20:25:00.003-06:002016-01-12T20:25:57.036-06:00Black and White Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been feeling fairly unmotivated lately with respect to baking. Nothing seems to really capture my attention. I think part of it comes from the fact that I did a lot of it over the holidays and I feel a bit burnt out. I scoured all of my cookbooks and then through my list of saved recipes and baking to-do's and still, nothing really stood out. It was sad. <br />
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I <i>want</i> to bake but maybe it's just too soon... Or so I thought. Last night I had a budding inclination to make something. I still felt just so so about the idea but I mustered through my lackadaisical countenance and found at least one thing that gave me some inkling of motivation allowing me to break out my mixer's paddle attachment. And for whatever reason that inkling of motivation manifested itself in the form of black and white cookies. I mean the idea of making them just popped into my head without any discernable suggestion. But I went with it. <br />
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Admittedly, I see black and white cookies around quite a bit but never pick one up. Although, they always appeal to me. They have the best of both worlds--both white and chocolate icing. At the same time they remind me of those yellow smiley-faced cookies they sell at gas stations and convenience stores. And those I'm not into so much. <br />
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Actually, those are appealing too--mostly because of all of that icing they have slathered over them--but they're also fairly disappointing to me. The cookie is usually too hard and the icing tastes like nothing. So I just assume that the black and white cookie will be that way too. Yet, what I began to understand from some of the recipes and background information on the black and white cookie is that it's actually supposed to be more of a cakey cookie. Obviously this threw my mind through a whirlwind. I was confused. Distraught. Everything I had assumed about these cookies was suddenly askew. Luckily I rebounded quickly and just made the damn cookies. <br />
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As promised they were cakey and soft--not necessarily as I expected them to be--which was good. The icing on the other hand wasn't much to write home about--it's sugary sweet and good of course but it's not like it's the most amazing icing you'll ever taste. There weren't any added flavorings added to the white icing side and the chocolate just tasted liked chocolate icing--good but well...sugary. In the end, the thing I took away most from the black and white cookie is that it's a simple cookie. It's a good simple cake-like cookie. There's not much flair to it. It's iconic. And it's black and white on top.<br />
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Recipe slightly adapted from: <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9434-black-and-white-cookies">http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9434-black-and-white-cookies </a><br />
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I halved the recipe which made about a dozen 3 inch cookies.<br />
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What you need for the cookies:<br />
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175g granulated sugar<br />
113g unsalted butter softened<br />
2 large eggs at room temp.<br />
3/4c whole milk at room temp.<br />
1/4 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/4 tsp lemon extract<br />
140g cake flour<br />
177g all-purpose flour<br />
1/4 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp kosher salt<br />
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To make the cookies, first preheat the oven to 375 F. Then, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Using a medium bowl, whisk the flours, baking soda and salt together and set that mixture aside. Next, in a large bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy--about 5 minutes. Then add in the eggs, milk and both extracts to the creamed mixture and mix until fully combined. Then in a few batches, add the flour mixture--mixing on low speed just until it is incorporated. Once all of the flour has been added, remove the bowl from the mixer and begin scooping the spoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheets. You'll want to scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter for each cookie and place them at about 2 inches apart from each other. Finally, bake the cookies for about 17-20 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. After they are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before icing them.<br />
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For assembly....<br />
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Make the white icing first using:<br />
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113g confections sugar<br />
1/8c boiling water<br />
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In a small bowl, mix the boiling water and confectioners sugar until completely smooth. Then spread some of the white icing over half of each cookie. The quicker you work the better because the icing will start to harden as time passes--which will make it impossible to spread.<br />
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Then make the black/chocolate icing using:<br />
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113g confectioners sugar<br />
1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate<br />
1/8c boiling water<br />
1/2 tsp light corn syrup<br />
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Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl set over a pot of simmering water and stir until smooth and fully combined. Working quickly--because the same will happen to this icing as well if you let too much time to go by--spread the black icing over the other half of each cookie. Let the icing set and then enjoy the cookies!<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-7020315854606335282015-11-19T11:46:00.000-06:002015-11-19T12:38:07.717-06:00Salted Caramel Chocolates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I think I mentioned this in a post a while ago...but I can't remember when actually. Nevertheless, a few years ago I took a chocolate-making class via some Groupon. It was eye-opening to say the least. I mean, my eyes didn't just open but they bulged at the sight of the machine in the back kitchen that spewed out a thick stream of melted chocolate. If I could have just positioned my open mouth below that fountain of chocolate... <br />
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Aside from that godsend of a machine, our rather intense teacher exposed me to the process of tempering chocolate--which was honestly eye-opening. He spoke about the crystalline structures in chocolate and specifically those very important beta crystals that one must get into alignment at just the right temperature--via tempering the chocolate--in order for the finished chocolate product to have that gorgeous sheen on the outside and a crisp hard crack when broken. Unfortunately, attaining those two key characteristics has always been a challenge for me.<br />
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Now, there are a few different ways to temper chocolate. In the class, we did--what I would term--the "messy" way. We poured the un-tempered melted chocolate onto a marble slab, took a bench scraper and kept scooping and scraping up the chocolate back and forth onto the slab until our teacher gave it a quick look and told us to test it--and knowing what I know now, I have no idea how he would know without using a thermometer. I guess with experience you just come to know? Anyway, by testing it we took a small amount of the chocolate we had been working with and put it in the freezer to harden. If it was shiny and had a snap when broken, it was tempered. If not, we had to keep agitating it and testing it. The other--less messy--way is seeding. With seeding, you basically do all of the tempering in a bowl. And since temperature plays such a vital indicator of whether or not chocolate has been tempered--and I like being as exact as possible--I use a thermometer to help me determine how close I am to forming those famed beta crystals. Alas, even with my handy thermometer I can never seem to get a perfectly tempered chocolate. There's always streaks. Blah.<br />
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So, when I read an article on <i>Serious Eats </i>proclaiming that there is another way to achieve a perfect tempered chocolate that wasn't messy or labor intensive (i.e. stirring and agitating the chocolate until your arm feels like falling off), I was intrigued. Especially since it involved the use of a sous vide. The beauty with using a sous vide to temper chocolate is that--again since temperature plays such an important role--you can adjust the temperature fairly easily and hold that temperature. And once you've achieved the tempered state, you should be able to hold it in that state--provided you keep agitating the chocolate every once in a while. <br />
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I actually didn't have a sous vide at the time I read this article and the only thing I knew about them was that they were used to cook meat. Hence, the idea of one being used to temper chocolate was alluring. So alluring that I ended up buying a sous vide. And I've had it for about a year now and have used it fairly often--but to cook pork tenderloins, pork chops and chicken. But not to temper chocolate. I know, I know. The reason that sold me on buying it was the idea that I could temper chocolate perfectly. However, I think part of me was a little hesitant to try it out because I was afraid it wouldn't work and then I'd have to go back to the seeding method--which I can't seem to get right--and then tempering chocolate would just be another one of those things that is <i>eating away at my soul</i> because I can never make it work. Woe is me. Well, not really. Because the sous vide method actually worked pretty darn well. Is it perfect? No. But I did get a good shine and fairly good snap. There were some small disfigurements and the snap wasn't as crisp as I think it should have been. But maybe next time if I try pulling the chocolate out of the sous vide and agitating it more often I'll get those beta crystals in line a bit better. In any case, I was pleased with the results. At the same time, it's still another method that needs practice. And I don't think--as much as I dislike it--I will completely give up on the seeding method. It needs some practice too. But if you have a sous vide and you have trouble tempering chocolate via traditional methods then give this a shot because it really does work quite nicely.<br />
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Recipe for 12 - 2 inch diameter hemispheres (For a great tutorial on how to temper chocolate in a sous vide, visit <i><a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/the-food-lab-best-way-to-temper-chocolate.html">Serious Eats</a></i>)<br />
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16oz of dark chocolate (I used Callebaut semi-sweet) chopped<br />
1/2c salted caramel sauce (recipe follows for about 1 cup of sauce)<br />
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Salted caramel sauce<br />
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1/2c heavy cream<br />
2 1/2 T unsalted butter<br />
3/4 tsp kosher salt<br />
1 tsp vanilla bean paste<br />
3/4c granulated sugar<br />
2 T light corn syrup<br />
2 T water<br />
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First, using a small sauce pan, combine the cream, butter and salt. Heat the the mixture over low heat while stirring until the butter has melted and the salt has dissolved. Once that's been accomplished, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla and set nearby. In a medium heavy bottom sauce pan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat that mixture over medium-high heat. Let it boil up--bubbles will ebb and flow--just let it go until it starts changing color. Once it starts changing color, slowly swirl the pan around to distribute the heat evenly. After it gets to a good even amber color and the bubbles are much smaller, reduce the heat to low and carefully pour in the cream mixture while whisking constantly. Remove the caramel sauce from the heat and let it cool completely before use.<br />
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For Assembly<br />
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Temper your chocolate in whatever manner you have at your disposal. Once tempered, pour about half of the chocolate into the mold to line the insides of the hemispheres with it. Turn the molds upside down and tap out any excess chocolate--make sure that the surfce of each hemisphere is completely covered in chocolate. Place the chocolate mold aside to set. After it's set, fill the chocolate lined hemispheres with your completely cooled caramel sauce--I put about a tablespoon in for these particular molds. Then, pour the other half of your tempered chocolate over the caramel to fill the rest of the molds. Use a bench scraper to scrape evenly along the surface of the mold to remove any excess chocolate and to ensure that each chocolate has a nice flat even bottom. Set the chocolates aside to set/harden. Once they have set, turn the mold over carefully and tap out the chocolates. Enjoy.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-84103665519647027622015-11-07T20:29:00.000-06:002015-11-07T20:29:53.396-06:00Red Wine Poached Pear Tarts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is such a simple dessert. Puff pastry and fruit. That's it. <br />
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Of course you can dress it up a bit in any number of ways. But if you didn't, the buttery flaky puff pastry and sweet ripe fruit would hardly be a disappointment in itself. On the other hand, there's certainly no harm in sprucing it up. <br />
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Like maybe you can poach some pears in a sweet red wine syrup and let them marinade in the red wine syrup for a few days in the refrigerator. <br />
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Then cut some squares of puff pastry out, slice up the poached pears and place them on top of the pastry and bake them. It's still pretty uncomplicated--assuming you have some readily available puff pastry. <br />
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I like that it's not too sweet either. Buttery? You betcha. But not that sweet because the sweetness really just comes from the fruit and the syrup that the pears are poached in. <br />
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I might even go as far as designating this is a healthy dessert. But I won't. Because it's really not healthy--I mean there's a lot of butter in that puff pastry. So it's not healthy--but it's damn good.<br />
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Recipe<br />
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2-2 1/2 pounds puff pastry dough<br />
4 medium red wine poached pears (recipe follows)<br />
1/4c of granulated sugar<br />
1 egg and 1 tsp of water for the egg wash<br />
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For the red wine poached pears:<br />
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2 1//2c dry red wine--I used a cabernet<br />
1/4c granulated sugar<br />
1 cinnamon stick<br />
pinch of cloves<br />
4 firm medium pears peeled--ripe but still fairly firm<br />
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Using a 3 quart saucepan, combine the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves. Place the saucepan on the stove and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Once it has come to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and gently add the pears. Cook the pears for 15-20 minutes in the simmering liquid--turning the pears every so often so that each pear is evenly cooked and colored by the red wine poaching liquid. Make sure not to overcook the pears so that they are still firm once they are evenly colored. If at any point they seem to be getting mushy, remove the pears and poaching liquid from the heat. In any case, once they are fully cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat, place the pears so that they are sitting upright in the pan and let them cook completely. After the pears have cooled, place them and all of the poaching liquid in an airtight container, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3-4 days.<br />
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When the pears have sat in the poaching liquid for at least 24 hours, get ready to bake the tarts. First, line two large baking sheets with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set them aside. Then, on a well floured surface roll out the puff pastry into at least an 8 inch wide by 16 inch long by 1/8 inch thick rectangle. Cut eight 4 inch by 4 inch rectangles out of the larger rectangle and place four of them on one baking sheet and the other four on the other baking sheet. Cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator while you get the pears ready. Next, slice each pear into 1/8 inch thick slices--discarding any of the core pieces. Once that's done place oven racks in the lower and upper third sections of your oven and preheat it to 450 F. Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator, distribute the pear slices evenly between the eight pastry squares and arrange them in any way you prefer. After the pears slices have been arranged, sprinkle the sugar over each tart. Then, in a small bowl whisk together the egg and water. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the exposed pastry that borders the fruit--not the sides of it. Finally, place one baking sheet in the upper and one in the lower rack. Bake them for 20 minutes at 450 F switching the two baking sheets between the two racks after the first 10 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of baking, decrease the oven temperature to 400 F, switch the baking sheets again between the two racks and bake them for another 20 minutes switching the baking sheets between the two racks one more time halfway through the second 20 minute period. Confused? Well, just switch up the baking sheets every once in a while to ensure that they bake evenly since they are on separate oven racks. Anyway, after a total cooking time of 40 minutes remove the baking sheets from the oven and let them cool completely. Enjoy.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-56459734552714287282015-10-26T21:00:00.000-05:002015-10-26T21:00:02.880-05:00English Muffins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was discussing with a friend our mutual affinity towards English muffins. We both admitted that we like them better than bagels. Personally, I like them because they are generally a little less substantial and offer up a bunch of nooks and crannies for your butter to melt into. That's pretty amazing. <br />
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Plus, the dough for them is a little spongier which lends the butter another way to get soaked up even when it isn't falling into some crevice along the surface. That's just the magic of an English muffin I guess.<br />
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So I went about trying to make them. I used the recipe from <i>Bouchon Bakery </i>which was different than most recipes I found online. The biggest difference was that these were baked in the oven versus cooked over a skillet. <br />
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Also, I had to use a starter which meant I had to make a starter--which meant I couldn't actually make the muffins for at least a week more--which was kind of a drag. Nevertheless, I made the starter and eventually set to task.<br />
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The thing with baking them versus frying them over a skillet is that they tend to look more like actual muffins in that they had a stump and a muffin top. I've never seen an English muffin look like that and the recipe didn't mention it. <br />
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So I assumed I made a misstep at some point. What I did was place each portion of dough into a three inch pastry ring to proof. And--yay--they proved really well but were rising out of the pastry rings in a mega way. <br />
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So I tried to contain them within the confines of the rings--i.e. getting rid of the muffin top--which concluded in me deflating them a little. It kind of worked but I think that may have stunted the formation of all of those nooks and crannies we are so used to seeing in a normal English muffin. <br />
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On the flip side, they were still light and the texture seemed spot on. That said, overall it was a good recipe but I think that I might try and cook them on the stovetop next time just for kicks.<br />
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Recipe via <i>Bouchon Bakery</i> by Thomas Keller<br />
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274g all-purpose flour<br />
25g granulated sugar<br />
11g instant yeast<br />
1/2 tsp sea salt<br />
247g of your favorite starter<br />
274g whole milk warmed to 75 F<br />
22g vegetable oil<br />
22g coarse corn meal<br />
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First, set a baking stone on the middle rack of your oven and then preheat your oven to 425 F. Next, in the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Using the paddle attachment mix the dry ingredients on low until they are evenly distributed. Then add the starter and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. After that 2 minutes is up, slowly add the milk and the oil to the bowl while the mixer is still running for another 2 minutes or just until everything is fully moistened and the mixture is smooth. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and then mix on medium speed for 2 more minutes. Then, cover the bowl and let the dough rise for an hour at room temperature. <br />
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Once the hour is up, get your molds ready. I didn't have the suggested molds referenced in the cookbook (Flexipan cylinder molds from JB Prince) so I used eight 3 1/4 inch pastry rings. I greased the insides of them and placed them on top of a silicone lined baking sheet. Then I sprinkled the corn meal on the bottom of each pastry ring. Next I divided the dough evenly between each pastry ring, covered it with a tea towel and let it proof for about a half hour. After they proved really <i>really</i> well, I tried to push the dough that was flowing outside of the edges back into the safe confines of the pastry rings--which may have been a mistake... Anyway, once you think the muffins have proved enough, smooth the tops out with a wet finger if you like. Get a water bottle ready and then place the baking sheet on the baking stone in the hot oven, quickly spray water in the oven and close the door fast. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove the freshly baked muffins from the oven and let them cool. Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-21241074267301054692015-09-25T13:23:00.003-05:002015-09-25T13:23:43.212-05:00Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If I had to choose one savory food to live with for the rest of my life it would probably be pizza. And it could be any type of pizza--I mean I do have my favorites but I wouldn't necessarily pass up a slice of thin, pan or deep dish either. If I could accompany that pizza with a dessert, then I'd likely choose chocolate chip cookies. <br />
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Similar to pizza, I love all types of chocolate chip cookies. I like them big, small, crunchy, chewy, gooey or some variation/combination of any of those. So when I see a new recipe claiming to be "the best chocolate chip cookie recipe," I'm sold. Regardless if it is actually the best, it's a pretty sure bet that I'm gonna like it. However, this particular cookie recipe wasn't claiming to be the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. <i>But,</i> it was voted the King Arthur's 2015 best recipe of the year. You read that, right??? The <i>recipe</i> of the <i>year. </i><br />
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That means--as far as I can tell--that out of ALL of the recipes King Arthur came up with, a chocolate chip cookie recipe seized the day and came out as number one. Naturally, I decided to give the recipe a try. And I'm glad I did. Not only did the recipe make like 20 giant-sized cookies, they were all titillating to my taste buds. <br />
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As the title indicates they weren't just chocolate chip cookies, they were chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. But they weren't oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. By that I mean that they were chocolate chip cookies with some oatmeal in them. They weren't oatmeal cookies with some chocolate chips in them. See the distinction? Good. <br />
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Now, these were the crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle type of cookie. They also had a ton of chocolate in them. The original recipe called for chocolate chips but I had these chocolate discs on hand--which I purchased in bulk from our local chocolate factory--so I used them--which I must confess was a superb choice because it created giant pools of chocolate instead of dispersed puddles throughout the cookie. <br />
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Another thing about these cookies that I really feel contributed to their unique character was the vanilla. The recipe called for a full tablespoon of vanilla extract. That's kind of a lot compared to most tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipes--they usually have a teaspoon at most. And that teaspoon provides a hint of vanilla. This tablespoon made the vanilla loud and proud. Well not loud. But it was definitely present and I liked that. <br />
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Although it did make me wonder if the vanilla was what made the cookie so great. Like if I added a tablespoon of vanilla extract to any chocolate chip cookie recipe, would it stand out? Then I thought about it some more and decided that no, that wouldn't necessarily happen. And the vanilla certainly contributed to the greatness of these cookies but there were definitely other factors at play. I think that the amount of chocolate in them didn't hurt and the oatmeal gave it a bit more texture and crunch--which was a big plus.<br />
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I will concede that my opinion may not be so unbiased since I did readily admit that I've never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn't like. But....nevertheless all in all, a well developed recipe worthy of its title. <br />
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Recipe via King Arthur found <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies-recipe">here</a><br />
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227g unsalted butter at room temp.<br />
213g light brown sugar<br />
99g granulated sugar<br />
1 large egg at room temp.<br />
1 large egg yolk at room temp.<br />
1 T vanilla extract<br />
241g all-purpose flour<br />
99g old fashioned oats<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1 tsp kosher salt<br />
510g chocolate chips, discs or chunks<br />
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First, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set them aside. Then preheat the oven to 325 F. Next, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. After that, using the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars together until smooth--I did it for about 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Then, stop the mixer, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time--mixing well between each addition. Then add the vanilla and mix just until combined. Now add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed just until the they've been fully incorporated. Finally throw in the chocolate and mix on low speed just until it has been dispersed as evenly as you wish throughout the cookie batter. And now measure out about 1/4 cup full of batter and drop them onto the baking sheets leaving at least two inches around each lump of batter. Bake the cookies for about 15-16 minutes. Once they're done, remove them from oven and let them cool for about 8-10 minutes on the pan before removing them. Eat. Love. Pray. Gay.<br />
<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-77100038032282718812015-09-18T09:35:00.002-05:002015-09-18T09:35:49.022-05:00Banana Layer Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After making several of Christina Tosi's signature creations, you'd think I'd already be prepared for what's in store and thus my jaw wouldn't drop while reading through one of her recipes. But with this one, my jaw still dropped a bit. There's <i>a lot</i> of background work that I needed to do before I could even crack an egg for the actual cake. I don't want to give the wrong impression with how I feel about her desserts because the truth is that I have <i>never</i> been disappointed after first bite--and every subsequent bite for that matter. They're astoundingly delicious. The ingredients and flavors she's crafted just work so well. <br />
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Yes, I had to make my own feuilletine and hazelnut paste--they're those types of ingredients I imagine are only readily available in Paris--or on <i>Amazon. </i>And then I had to use those ingredients to make like, a bazillion other components for the cake. But, these desserts are a project and--in case it's not fairly evident from the subject matter on my blog--I love baking so it's not exactly a chore to have to do all of this sort of logistical work. <br />
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Plus, it's pretty easy to make your own feuilletine--and I think it's good baking experience, or--if you will--builds strong baking character. Plus, maybe you'll save a few bucks making your own. And if you don't like doing any of that, then pretty much any ingredient is just a mouse click away.<br />
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Now the flavor of the cake is not just banana--it's extra banana. Not only do you get the banana flavor from the actual bananas but there's an extra boost from some banana extract. And unbeknownst to myself--previous to this endeavour that is--banana extract is readily available in most supermarkets! So that was actually an easy ingredient to retrieve. The banana cream obviously has some excellent banana-rama kick and is as good as any banana cream you'll find in your favorite banana cream pie.<br />
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What I like so much about Christina Tosi's cakes is that--as I mentioned earlier--the ingredients <i>really</i> are well crafted together. Like there's just a perfect amount of banana cream and chocolate ganache sandwiched between the cake layers. And the "crunch" she refers to has some salt in it that offsets the sweet quite nicely. There's different texture and taste in the cakes that seems almost perfectly balanced. <br />
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I did have a tiny issue though. And of course it had to do with the fact that--I'm almost positive anyway--I made some of my own ingredients. Specifically, the hazelnut paste. I found a recipe for hazelnut paste and making it wasn't a problem. I thought it came out right because it had the same sort of consistency that the store-bought almond paste has--pretty thick and not <i>easily</i> spreadable. But whatever the case, I don't think it worked too well with the last component I needed for the cake which was the hazelnut frosting. <br />
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The frosting base is just powdered sugar and butter and then essentially you just mix in the paste. But because the paste I made was more viscous than anything, it didn't form a very spreadable frosting. So, whatever Christina Tosi uses--and she actually does list her specific make and model of ingredients in the front of her book--must be a different type of paste than what I made. In retrospect, I probably could have added more butter to make it more spreadable and that may have done the trick. Nonetheless, I worked with what I had and in the end, I don't think it made a negative impact on the finished product. <br />
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I often think how Christina Tosi's cakes are like super-sized french entremets. You know, those little artsy cakes that have lots of different layers and textures? In that same sort of way, this three layer six inch cake may look simple--maybe because it's not ornately frosted or topped with some slick looking fondant--but that's just a deception. And I can attest to that because it took me over a week to get this thing together--albeit I was working full time too. Nevertheless, if you venture to make one of the famed <i>Milk Bar's</i> cakes, beware it's not something you can necessarily whip up so quickly. At the same time, after all is said and done, I'd bet money that you will not be disappointed. <br />
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<br />
Recipe<br />
<br />
Components needed for the cake<br />
<br />
Banana cake<br />
55g (1/4c) milk<br />
Chocolate hazelnut ganache<br />
1/2 recipe of hazelnut crunch (you can just divide the recipe in half now if you don't want to make all of it)<br />
1/2 recipe of banana cream (you can just divide the recipe in half now if you don't want to make all of it)<br />
Hazelnut frosting<br />
<br />
Banana cake<br />
<br />
85g (6 T) unsalted butter at room temp.<br />
200g (1c) granulated sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
110g (1/2c) buttermilk<br />
20g (grapeseed oil)<br />
2g (1/2 tsp) banana extract<br />
225g or 2 very ripe bananas<br />
225g (1 1/3c) all purpose flour<br />
3g (3/4 tsp) baking powder<br />
3g (1/2 tsp) baking soda<br />
2g (1/2 tsp) kosher salt<br />
<br />
First, grease a quarter sheet pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Then, preheat the oven to 325 F. Next, in a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt and then set it aside. And then using a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil and banana extract and set that aside. Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy on medium-high speed--about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the egg and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl again, turn the mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly stream in the buttermilk-oil-banana extract mixture. Then turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for another 5-6 minutes or until the mixture has doubled in size and all the ingredients are fully combined and look cohesive. Turn the mixture down to its lowest speed again and add the bananas and mix just until they have broken up and are evenly distributed within the batter. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake the cake for about 25 minutes or until it's fully set. Remove the cake from the oven, and let cool before removing it from the pan. <br />
<br />
Chocolate hazelnut ganache<br />
<br />
55g (1/4c) heavy cream<br />
60g (2oz) gianduja chocolate chopped (I used <a href="http://www.valrhona-chocolate.com/shop/Guanaja-70-10975.html">this</a>)<br />
65g (1/4c) hazelnut paste (I made mine from <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/03/test-kitchen-tips-homemade-hazelnut-and-almond-paste.html">this recipe)</a><br />
38g (3 T) fudge sauce<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
<br />
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the cream. Then, using a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it comes to a boil. Next pour the cream over the rest of the ingredients and let it set for about a minute. Then, lightly whisk until the mixture is fully homogeneous. Store the ganache in an air tight container until ready to use.<br />
<br />
Hazelnut crunch<br />
<br />
110g (1/3c) hazelnut paste<br />
80g (1/2c) hazelnut brittle<br />
80g (1c) feuilletine (I used <a href="http://bravetart.com/recipes/Feuilletin">this recipe</a> to make mine)<br />
20g (2 T) confectioners sugar<br />
3/4 tsp kosher salt<br />
<br />
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, combine all of the ingredients until everything is evenly distributed. Store the crunch in an airtight container until ready for use.<br />
<br />
Banana cream<br />
<br />
225g or 2 ripe bananas<br />
75g (1/3c) heavy cream<br />
55g (1/4) milk<br />
100g (1/2c) granulated sugar<br />
25g (2 T) corn starch<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
3 large egg yolks<br />
2 gelatin sheets<br />
40g (3 T) butter<br />
1/2 tsp yellow food coloring<br />
160g heavy cream<br />
160g confectioners sugar<br />
<br />
Using either a blender or food processor, puree the bananas, cream and milk until smooth. Then add the sugar, corn starch, salt and eggs yolks and mix until fully incorporated. Now, pour that mixture into a medium heavy bottomed saucepan. Clean the food processor or blender. After that, bloom the gelatin in cold water. Heat the mixture in the saucepan over medium heat whisking constantly until it starts to bubble and thicken. Once it starts to bubble let it boil for 2 minutes whisking constantly. Then pour the mixture back into the blender or food processor, add the bloomed gelatin (remember to wring out the excess water from the gelatin before adding it to the banana cream), butter and food coloring and blend until fully combined. Pour the mixture into a heat safe bowl and chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled. Once the banana cream is chilled, pour the remaining heavy cream and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk until medium stiff peaks have formed. Stop the mixer, add the cold banana cream and whisk slowly until fully combined. Store the banana cream in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.<br />
<br />
Hazelnut frosting<br />
<br />
25g (2 T) unsalted butter at room temp.<br />
65g (1/4c) hazelnut paste<br />
20g (2 T) confectioners sugar<br />
1/8 tsp kosher salt<br />
<br />
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter using the paddle attachment. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until fully smooth and fluffy. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use BUT bring to room temperature before using.<br />
<br />
To assemble the cake<br />
<br />
You'll need a six inch cake ring for the assembly. First, invert the-cooled banana cake (I find that having the cake cold or even partially frozen helps with this part) onto either a silpat or a piece of parchment paper. Using the cake ring, cut out two circles. Clean your cake ring. Then, place the cake ring on a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Line the inside of the cake ring with either an acetate strip that's 9-12 inches wide or--if you're like me and don't have acetate strips on hand--you can use parchment paper to do this--grant it, it's not as sturdy as the acetate but it gets the job done just fine. For the parchment paper, just cut out a piece that will line the inside circumference of the cake ring and that is about 9-12 inches wide. Now, place 55g or 1/4 cup of milk in small bowl and set it next to your work space. Take the cake scraps (everything leftover from the two circles you cut out) and using your fist or some other tool you deem workable, gently mash them into an even layer at the bottom of the cake ring. This will be your bottom layer. Now get your milk. Using a pastry brush, brush about half of the milk onto the mashed up cake scraps at the bottom of the ring. Then, using the back of a smallish spoon, spread half of the ganache over the cake in an even layer. Next, spread 1/3 of the hazelnut crunch over the ganache. After that, using the back of a smallish spoon, spread half of the banana cream over the crunch as evenly as possible. This completes the first layer. For the second layer, place one of the cake circles you cut out over the banana cream. And then repeat everything you did for the first layer starting with brushing the top of the cake with the remainder of the milk--spread the rest of the ganache over it, then 1/3 of the crunch and finally the remainder of the banana cream. Your second layer is now complete. To finish, place the remaining cake layer over the banana cream. Spread the hazelnut frosting over the top of the cake and then sprinkle the remaining crunch over the frosting. After that, place the cake in the freezer to set for at least 12 hours. The day you're ready to eat the cake, take it out of the freezer, and using your thumbs pop it out of the cake ring (pushing it out from the bottom), place it on your cake platter, remove the parchment paper and let it defrost for at least 3 hours. Then eat.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-29618161856665742242015-09-03T16:17:00.002-05:002015-09-03T16:17:48.021-05:00Basil Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I may have mentioned this before. I probably shouldn't have. I'm actually reluctant to mention it at all because it's something that I believe sets me apart from pretty much everyone else in the whole wide world--and not in a good way. The thing is, I'm not the biggest fan of ice cream.... I like it ok. I remember once a while back I was chatting with an acquaintance of mine and he had just moved to the neighborhood I live in. He told me he discovered this place, George's, and I happily added that I knew all about George's because they have the best chocolate fudge cake. He laughed at me because he found it odd that I mentioned a cake instead of the gallons and gallons of ice creams they have on display sitting below a menu that lists a plethora of different flavors as well as sundaes.<br />
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In short, George's is really more of an ice cream destination for most people--although they do have quite a selection of other types of non-frozen desserts--including that delectable chocolate fudge cake I adore/prefer over all of those aforementioned ice cream flavors. Don't get me wrong, I think ice cream is good. But I'd much rather have a brownie or piece of cake over it. At the same time, my lack of enthusiasm for ice cream doesn't prevent me from wanting to make it. I mean I do have my own ice cream maker and truth be told, over the years I've made quite a bit of it. But I think it's more the novelty of it--homemade ice cream is a little more rare than cake or brownies. And as boring as it may be, vanilla ice cream is probably my favorite flavor. It's also the most basic and simplest ice cream flavor to make--so I make it more than any other flavor. Plus, it pairs so well with everything--especially chocolate cake and brownies... Nevertheless, on occasion I like to expand my horizons and try something a lil different. And since it's summer and I have an abundance of basil growing on my balcony, I knew that when I came across a recipe for basil ice cream I had to give it a shot.<br />
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The closest thing that basil ice cream tastes like is green tea ice cream. Not surprisingly, it does taste basily--but not overwhelmingly so. And I can't honestly say that I <i>loved</i> it (setting aside my moderate passion for ice cream in general) but I also don't think it's bad at all. Though, what I think really elevates it is adding in some fresh berries--or some sort of fruit sauce--like cherry sauce--which is what I had on hand. I'm not sure why or what the reasons are, but in the same way that vanilla ice cream and brownies go well, basil and berries pair quite nicely too. Throw in some white chocolate magic shell (I made my own which was extremely easy) and you've got an amazing alternative type sundae. It might seem like a very odd flavor but--as I mentioned earlier--it's no stranger than green tea ice cream. So if you like that, then you'd probably enjoy this. It's actually kind of a refreshing flavor--worth a try. And for someone who isn't the biggest ice cream lover, I think that's saying something.<br />
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Recipe slightly adapted from <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Basil-Gelato"><i>Saveur</i></a><br />
<br />
2 cups basil leaves<br />
2 cups heavy cream<br />
1 cup whole milk<br />
3/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
1 T lime zest<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
6 large egg yolks<br />
<br />
First, combine everything in a blender until completely smooth. Then transfer the mixture to a medium or large saucepan. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has just almost come to a simmer. Once heated through, remove from the heat and pour it through a fine mesh sieve over a large clean bowl. Discard the leftover basil leaves. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, freeze the mixture according to the instructions for whatever ice cream maker you utilize. Enjoy!<br />
<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-51634989559334958232015-08-25T10:00:00.003-05:002015-08-25T10:00:48.286-05:00Almond Berry Tarts<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
I’ve recently discovered how to make my own almond
cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how I can replace
the almonds with pistachios or hazelnuts or pecans…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, a whole new world full of joy has just been
revealed to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And with summer
fruit season in full swing, it’s fairly inevitable that I should pair the
two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<br />
It’s funny because pastry
chefs have been using almond creams and pistachio creams to do just that for a
while and I’ve probably been eating them often enough but never realized
precisely the bliss my taste buds were experiencing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I’ve been putting this knowledge to good use lately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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I read about almond cream from Dorie
Greenspan in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baking Chez Moi</i> and
while she was discussing it, she offered up the tidbit of replacing the almonds
with other nuts like pistachios.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I actually made pistachio cream first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I fell in love with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I tried a pecan cream and was
equally smitten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I made
two galletes with some fresh summer fruit—one with pistachio cream and one with pecan cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not for some technical difficulties
(new camera coupled with some personal technical density) they both would have
probably made it onto my blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nevertheless, I come here bearing a new product with almond cream—one of
the tree nuts I had yet to try my hand at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it did not disappoint either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I paired the almond cream with some raspberries and
blackberries and threw them both into some partially-baked p<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">âte sablée</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire combination wasn’t too sweet
or rich—it was pretty right on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhdXxzwNjvdlDNT93hgBXSou5RcIpT1AApfSvsRGM1bg8bLyfxthH3-RwIA6ydtY9MUCU_FZhDnV_cYa2d5ZavRj4nbU1tEXH1B2wte8yCxKzL-CDgtI5IenLZEXJpBKVYYKMurMaI8fI/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhdXxzwNjvdlDNT93hgBXSou5RcIpT1AApfSvsRGM1bg8bLyfxthH3-RwIA6ydtY9MUCU_FZhDnV_cYa2d5ZavRj4nbU1tEXH1B2wte8yCxKzL-CDgtI5IenLZEXJpBKVYYKMurMaI8fI/s640/FullSizeRender+%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Admittedly, I think I prefer the pistachio and pecan creams over the
almond cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s not as
though I’d ever pass on an almond one—it’s pretty delicious
nonetheless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The great thing about
these recipes is that they are super easy to make—professional pastry chefs use
them all of the time and that’s probably because they’re equally delicious and
easy to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That said</span>, I
certainly don’t think this is something that the every day baker couldn’t or
shouldn’t tackle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an amazing
addition to spruce of a fruit tart at any time of the year.<br />
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<br />
Recipe<br />
<br />
<span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pâte sablée from <i>Baking Chez Moi </i>by Dorie Greenspan (enough dough for 1 double crust pie for a standard 9 inch pie pan <i>or</i> six 4 inch individual tart pans with some dough still leftover)</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">408g (3 cups) all purpose flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">120g (1 cup) confectioners sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">1/2 tsp sea salt</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">256g (18 T) chilled unsalted butter and cut into small quarter-inch cubes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">2 large egg yolks</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">First, butter your tarts pans and set aside. Then, prepare the dough. You can do this in a food processor or by hand. I did mine in my food processor so here's how that went... Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse to combine. Place the butter in the food processor and pulse until the mixture has clumps the size of peas--you may need to manually stir the mixture up a bit to make sure the butter has been distributed evenly. Add the egg yolks and pulse until they have fully moistened the dough. Remove the dough from the bowl of the food processor and place it on a work surface. Lightly knead it just to make sure there aren't any dry bits leftover. After that, you can either roll the dough out and place it into the tart pans or press it into the pans. I pressed my into the pans--which I found to be easier. Once the pans are lined with dough, prick the bottoms of each tart pan all over with a fork. Place the tart pans on a large baking sheet, cover it with plastic wrap and then place the pan into the refrigerator to chill until you're ready to par-bake them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">Almond Cream </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">from </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">Baking Chez Moi </i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">by Dorie Greenspan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">85g (6 T) unsalted butter at room temp.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">132g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">75g (3/4 cup) almond flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">2 tsp all purpose flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">1 tsp corn starch</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">1 large egg</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">2 tsp vanilla extract</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Attach the bowl to the mixer and using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until it's creamy--1-2 minutes. Then, add the sugar to the bowl and beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy--3-5 minutes. Add the flours and corn starch and beat until fully combined. Next, add the egg and beat until it has been fully combined--making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl so that all of the ingredients have been thoroughly combined. Lastly, add the vanilla and beat until it has been combined. Store the almond cream in an air tight container in the refrigerator until read to use.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">Assembly</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">1 - 1 1/2 cups of fresh raspberries and blackberries</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;">First, par-bake the dough-lined tart pans. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line each dough-lined tart pan with parchment paper and fill each one with pie weights. Bake them for about 12-15 minutes and then remove them from the oven to cool completely--and remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Once the par-baked dough is completely cool, preheat the oven to 350 F. Then, divide up the almond cream evenly between each pan and spread it evenly over the bottom of each one. Divide up the berries between the tart pans and spread them atop the almond cream. Bake the tarts for 30-45 minutes or until the almond cream has puffed up and slightly browned. Remove the tarts from the oven and let cool. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span></div>
Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-3072745547845799392015-08-21T13:33:00.002-05:002015-08-25T10:01:00.053-05:00Basque Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhyphenhyphen-UOq-omjI01Jfh2DDp4rqpWzujPnW8nACGkaKrMs-bKh6NpUIhM3mh4R-yn4ayN9E2ApZFCu5t44LObj83juokn_upp-hUJHpQMOXI4EIBRv9hcizngOJdXhvUXJ6zhukLAJhqC2me/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252814%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhyphenhyphen-UOq-omjI01Jfh2DDp4rqpWzujPnW8nACGkaKrMs-bKh6NpUIhM3mh4R-yn4ayN9E2ApZFCu5t44LObj83juokn_upp-hUJHpQMOXI4EIBRv9hcizngOJdXhvUXJ6zhukLAJhqC2me/s640/FullSizeRender+%252814%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Ever since I discovered the basque cake at a cafe--Floriole to be specific--in my hometown, I've been kind of obsessed with finding a recipe that rivals it--or at least comes close to it. I suppose I could just politely ask for the recipe from said establishment, but I have my doubts that they'd give it to me.<br />
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<br />
Nevertheless, I think this particular concoction that I came across comes pretty damn close--maybe a few tweaks and it would be even closer. But even on it's own--without comparing--it's a heartstopping cake. And it literally might stop your heart. I have never made a single cake that has a POUND OF BUTTER and a POUND OF SUGAR in it--plus a full tablespoon of kosher salt. <br />
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This has to be the richest cake known to humankind. It's not a cake for those who are trying to "cut back." It's not a cake for those who are looking to eat better. This cake is very very bad for you. But....at the same time it's soooo darn good for you too. If this were the last cake I was to eat before I died, I would probably die happy.<br />
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That said--admittedly I experienced certain bouts of angst during the process of making this cake. Specifically when I had to weigh out the pound of butter and sugar. I kept asking myself, '<i>Should I really do this? Is this right? Should I find another recipe? Am I gonna die after eating this thing?'</i> All of those answers became quite clear after the first bite--<i>yes, yes, no way, who cares--this is so f'ing good</i>. This is the kind of the dessert that's really just good for your soul.<br />
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<br />
Recipe adapted from Amanda Rockman's Basque Cake recipe via <a href="http://www.lottieanddoof.com/2014/04/lottie-doof-amanda-rockman/">Lottie + Doof</a><br />
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16 oz unsalted butter at room temp.<br />
16 oz granulated sugar<br />
2 tsp vanilla bean paste<br />
3 large eggs at room temp.<br />
10.5 oz cake flour<br />
2.5 oz almond flour<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
1 T kosher salt<br />
6-8 oz of cherry preserves<br />
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First, butter and flour an 8, 9 or 10 inch spring form pan (the original recipe I found called for an 8 inch pan but I only had a 10 inch one so I used it and it worked fine). Next, preheat the oven to 325 F. Then in a medium bowl, combine the flours, salt and baking powder and whisk to combine--set it aside. Now, place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, and then using the mixer and the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for about 3-5 minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix just until it's fully incorporated. Then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Next begin adding each egg one at a time beating well so that each egg is fully incorporated into the mixture before the next egg is added--scrape down the bowl as necessary. Finally, the add flour mixture and mix on low speed just until it has been completely incorporated into the mixture. <br />
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Now for assembly--you can choose to do this a couple of ways. The first way is by spooning half of the batter into the baking pan and spreading it out and creating a bit of a well in the middle where the cherry preserves will sit. Or, place the batter into a piping bag and then pipe half of the batter into the pan and create a well that way. Either way you go about it will work as far as I'm concerned. Nevertheless, once you have half the batter spread in the bottom of the pan with a well in the center of the batter, spoon the cherry preserves into that well. Then pour/pipe the rest of the batter on top of the preserves and cake batter and smooth out the top evenly. Finally, place the cake in the oven to bake for at least an hour--mine took about 75 minutes (like the original recipe stated). The cake is done when it's set and as the original recipe stated--err on the side of baking longer because the cake has so much fat in it, it would be quite difficult to dry it out. Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let cool completely before removing it from the pan. Eat in small portions--if you can resist...<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-24005366714746635042015-07-13T18:35:00.000-05:002015-07-23T09:11:00.857-05:00Pistachio and Raspberry Financiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Financiers were once described to me as little tea cakes. And when they were, I conjured up the image of a proper English tea time with elderly woman wearing big hats sipping Earl Gray from floral printed cups all while sitting next to tiered trays of several different types of these tea cakes. <br />
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It seemed so elegant--and I imagine that that image actually comes to fruition some where in the world--or at least at one point in time it did. <br />
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And even if it doesn't today it doesn't change the fact that, still, there is something elegant and quaint about financiers. <br />
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They're not ornate or ostentatious by being garnished with piped frosting or layered with different types of mousse. It's just the cake and any flavor added to the batter by way of nuts or fruit. Nothing is overly embellished and everything about them is restrained--but not dull.<br />
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So simple that I can't seem to find anymore words to write about them--albeit a few notes/words of advice. <br />
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Financiers are usually baked in little rectangular loaf-like pans--which I happen to own. If you don't, it's not uncommon to use mini muffin/cupcake pans, which the author (Dorie Greenspan) of this recipe points out. That said, the recipe baking times may differ a bit depending on which type of mold you use--so you'll need to keep any eye out for that. I have another recipe that specifies the financier molds I have so I referenced that for the baking time and tested it out a bit on my first batch. Initially, the first batch seemed a bit over-baked. I felt like they were a bit too crunchy on the outside edges. So, I reduced the baking time for the next few batches and that seemed to allay that issue. However, during the next few days--while being stored in an air tight container--the financiers seemed to soften up a bit and their texture was even more cake-like--which pleased me. I've read from other recipes that financiers are best the day they are baked and then a few days after. I completely disagree with this. I think they taste even better as they age a bit---I mean I'm not talking anymore than a week--but after a few days I think they taste even better--in fact I happen to think this about a lot of desserts that aren't deep fried. But anyway, contrary to what most recipes state I think these will keep great for up to a week in an air tight container--<i>and</i> at room temperature.<br />
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Recipe slightly adapted from <i>Baking Chez Moi</i> by Dorie Greenspan<br />
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170g (12 T) unsalted butter<br />
180g (+/- 6 large eggs) egg whites<br />
99g (3/4c) roasted and salted shelled pistachios<br />
200g (1c) granulated sugar<br />
90g (2/3c) all-purpose flour<br />
pinch of sea salt<br />
123g (1c) fresh raspberries<br />
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Place the egg whites in a small bowl and using a fork or a small whisk, whisk the whites just until they are broken up and then set them aside. Next, using a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat--whisking often so you don't let any of the butter burn. Essentially you're browning the butter--although Dorie Greenspan doesn't specifically state that. She states to melt the butter until it just about turns a "pale golden" brown color. So, I guess you're <i>slightly</i> browning it. Anyway, once it just starts to brown remove it from the heat and pour it into a measuring cup and set it aside. Then, take the shelled pistachios and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the pistachios until they are a course grind--be careful not to over-process them or else you might form an oily paste. Add the flour, sugar and salt to the ground pistachios and pulse until they are well combined with the pistachios. Next, pour the mixture from the food processor bowl into a clean medium sized bowl. Pour the egg whites into the dry ingredients and whisk gently just until fully combined. Lastly, slowly pour the butter mixture into the egg white mixture and whisk just until combined. I poured the butter mixture in incrementally--so I poured a little in and whisked it just until combined and continued doing that until I poured all of it in. Once all of the butter is mixed in, place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the batter and refrigerate the batter for a least 8 hours or overnight. Once the batter has been chilled, butter your molds (I used 3 1/4 inch by 1 3/4 inch rectangular molds) and then place them on a baking sheet and into the fridge to chill. Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Divide the batter evenly between the molds (about 25g or 1 1/2T for each rectangular mold). Place at least one raspberry in the middle of the batter of each financier mold. Then, bake the financiers for about 17-20 minutes. As I mentioned previously, I had to lower my baking time and that time ended up being 17 minutes. Once the financiers are done--they should be springy when you lightly touch the top of one--remove them from the oven and immediately remove them from the mold and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Store the cooled financiers for up to a week in an air tight container.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-48693810579103872962015-06-24T15:19:00.003-05:002015-06-24T15:19:20.376-05:00Strawberry Sour Cream Scones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been buying a crap load of strawberries. They are my favorite berry--and they were having a two for one deal at the farmers market the other day. That said, I'm getting a little frazzled trying to figure out how to consume all of them before they go bad. I eat them every day--either on their own or in my cereal--but I still have a lot. I mean I know I can make pies or cakes or jams but sometimes I want something a little different. So when I came across an article on <i>The Kitchn </i>that so <i>conveniently</i> presented me with a slide show of just things to do with your spring/summer berries, I was like f yeah. And then scrolling through it I came across these scones. <br />
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I never think of making scones. I like scones. My partner loves them. They're not hard to make. My only problem with them is that they are really only good the day of baking them--like donuts--which is kind of a drag... After a day they seem to get a bit dry and a little less palatable. But that wasn't really a factor for me. And I'm glad it wasn't because these scones were delectable. The strawberry to dough ratio was perfect. They were moist and tender. And they had a crumb topping. I <i>love</i> crumb toppings. Crumb toppings--with all of their butter and sugar--can really elevate a baked good for me and this one did not disappoint. <br />
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So, if you're looking for an alternative from strawberry shortcakes or strawberry rhubarb pie, and want to expand your strawberry baked goods repertoire then make these guys because strawberry season is short and you should explore their presence in a variety of baked goods--especially these scones.<br />
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Recipe from <i><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-strawberrysour-cream-scones-85218">The Kitchn</a></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
5oz (2c) all purpose flour<br />
1.75oz (1/4c) granulated sugar<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp kosher salt<br />
4oz (1/2c) cold unsalted butter cut into small 1/4 inch cubes<br />
6oz (3/4c) cold sour cream<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 tsp vanilla bean paste--or extract<br />
1c chopped fresh strawberries<br />
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First, line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Next, in a large bowl sift and whisk all of the dry ingredients together. In a separate small bowl, whisk the sour cream, egg and vanilla together until well blended and then set it aside. Toss the cubed butter into the flour mixture and using a pastry blender--or a fork--cut the butter into the flour until it resembles course bread crumbs. Then, pour the wet ingredients--not the strawberries--into the dry. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry just until incorporated--don't keep folding or else you are going to form some gluten strands and have a tough end product. Next, place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and gently pat--most easily with either a spatula or the back of your hand--it into a rectangle that's about a half of an inch thick. Spread half of the chopped strawberries over the rectangle and gently press them into the dough--they do not have to be fully embedded within the dough. Then--most easily with the use of a bench scraper--fold the rectangle in half and pat it again into another rectangle that's about a half of an inch thick. Spread the remaining strawberries over the rectangle, press them gently into the dough and fold it in half again. Gently pat the dough into another rectangle, fold it in half and do that one more time--you are just trying to thoroughly fold the strawberries into the dough. Lastly, after your final "turn" pat the dough into a large circle that is an inch thick on the baking sheet. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour--I did mine overnight. In the meantime you can make the crumb topping.<br />
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Crumb topping<br />
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1.75oz (1/4c) all purpose flour<br />
1.25oz (1/4c) brown sugar<br />
1.5oz (3 T) cold salted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes<br />
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In a small bowl--whisk together the flour and sugar. Then--using either your fingers, a pastry blender or a fork--blend the butter into the flour/sugar mixture--into a crumble if possible. My mixture just formed a big mass so I refrigerated it overnight and then I crumbled it the next morning when it was nice and cold. At any rate, cover the mixture with plastic wrap and chill it until your scone dough has chilled.<br />
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For assembly<br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 F. Remove the scones from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap as well. If any strawberries have fallen out of the dough, just gently press them back into it. Crumble the crumb topping evenly over the dough and then cut the dough into eight equal wedges. Carefully separate each wedge from its neighbor--as much as possible. They will rise and spread out so ideally a two inch gap would be nice. Finally, bake the scones for 18-20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let cool just enough until you can pick one up with your hand and it doesn't burn you. Serve warm. <br />
<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-63557424369049955922015-06-07T20:52:00.000-05:002015-06-07T20:52:01.266-05:00Rhubarb Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes it seems hard for me to find recipes that I would think shouldn't be too hard to find. For example, the subject of this current post. I wanted to find a recipe for a rhubarb cake. But let me be clear. I didn't want a recipe for a yellow cake that had chunks of rhubarb scattered throughout. I wanted a cake where pureed rhubarb was added to the batter to create a rhubarb cake--similar to what one would do to create a banana cake. <br />
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As I mentioned, I couldn't find it. So I made one up. But then bothersome things began happening. First, some odd chemical reaction occurred when I added the pureed rhubarb to the already mixed cake batter. It fizzled and popped like a freshly opened carbonated beverage.<br />
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I guess maybe it had something to do with the acid in the rhubarb reacting with the baking soda or baking powder that I had already mixed into the batter. But I'm no chemist so I can't precisely say for sure what went down. Also, the cake turned from a pink to a green when I took it out of the oven. That wasn't so much of a surprise because rhubarb does have a lot of green pigments and I've seen that happen before when rhubarb meets the heat. <br />
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But it was a gross looking green--like vomit green. And then there was the actual taste and texture of the cake. I'll be honest, it tasted nothing like rhubarb to me. It didn't taste bad. In fact, it tasted good--just like a yellow cake. But not like rhubarb. And the texture of the cake was all wrong. It was overly spongy and moist--more like a bread pudding. Thus a fail on my part. <br />
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Perhaps this is the reason why I couldn't find a recipe. Perhaps not. I actually think that with some tweaks, I could get it right. So, maybe next season. On the plus side, making this cake gave me the opportunity to pretty it up in a special kinda way. I had been wanting to try this decorating technique since I saw it last spring on <a href="http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2014/05/rhubarb-wrapped-pineapple-mousse-cake.html"><i>Sprinkle Bakes</i></a>. By the way, if you want to see a woman who makes some truly beautiful desserts with a real creative hand, check out her site here.<br />
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Some of it isn't necessarily my style but nevertheless, they all appear very well crafted. And when I saw this cake posted, it made a visual impact on me. Since I keep buying an obscene amount of rhubarb I had plenty on hand to make it happen. At first, I was getting a little frustrated with peeling the thin layers of rhubarb off from the stalk. It may have had something to do with my dull vegetable peeler. So if you are going to attempt this, then make sure you have patience and a good sharp peeler. But that was the hardest part about the process. The rest was pretty simple and not too time consuming. My pattern wasn't as uniform or pretty as the one on <i>Sprinkle Bakes</i> but I liked it. I'm calling it nouveau rustic.<br />
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Recipe for two six inch rhubarb cakes<br />
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190g cake flour<br />
200g granulated sugar<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
2/3c buttermilk at room temp.<br />
100g butter melted and cooled to room temp.<br />
40g vegetable oil<br />
100g eggs at room temp.<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
3/4 lb or 3 c of rhubarb chopped to 1/2 inch wide<br />
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*Fair warning--this recipe was not such a big success but here goes anyway...<br />
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First, cook the rhubarb. Place the chopped rhubarb in a medium non-reactive saucepan with 3/4c of water and bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the mixture to a simmer and continue to cook until the rhubarb softens and begins to break down--about 15-20 minutes. Then, remove the rhubarb from the heat and let cool completely. Once, it's cooled to room temperature place the rhubarb in a blender and puree it until it is smooth. Set the rhubarb aside. Next, start the rest of the cake by preheating the oven to 350 F. Butter two six inch cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift all of the dry ingredients together. In a separate medium bowl, whisk all of the wet ingredients together--except for the rhubarb puree--until well combined. Pour all of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using the paddle attachment, mix the dry and wet ingredients together on medium speed for about two minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Pour the rhubarb puree in the batter, turn the mixer back on and mix until the rhubarb has been fully incorporated into the mixture (when you add the rhubarb it may fizzle and pop). Stop the mixer and divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool completely before removing them from the pans.<br />
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For the frosting, I made a swiss meringue buttercream base, pureed some strawberries I had and mixed it into the base. And for the rhubarb wrapped decorating technique, I used the the link above from <a href="http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2014/05/rhubarb-wrapped-pineapple-mousse-cake.html"><i>Sprinkle Bakes</i></a>.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-44787186496498946662015-05-22T09:45:00.001-05:002015-05-22T09:45:03.182-05:00Tiger Cakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dorie Greenspan's newest addition to the written word, <i>Baking Chez Moi</i>, is a baking tome. And it's amazing--albeit a bit overwhelming for me. There is a wealth of recipes to choose from. Unless you are looking for something very specific or something that has specific ingredients, you'll be hard-pressed over deciding just which recipe to sate your sweet tooth. Unfortunately--but not that unfortunate because I love perusing through this book--this is what happened to me the other night. <br />
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I was paging through the book with the intent of choosing one thing to make. My only criteria was that I needed to have all of the ingredients already on hand because it was eight o'clock at night--on a weeknight--and I wasn't even considering the idea of leaving my apartment. Luckily, I ran across quite a few recipes that I <i>could</i> make. But after reading through many of them I realized that I had to amend my criterion to not just ingredients I already had on hand.<br />
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I also needed a recipe that was fairly simple and not time consuming to make because it was just two hours before my bed time. Finally, my search ceased with the turn of a page and the visual of these guys....these...."tiger cakes" that befell my eyes. When I started reading through the recipe I started to think that they were just inverted cupcakes. But they're not. <br />
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For one thing, they are mostly made with almond flour. So if anything they are more like financiers with some chocolate chunks. Also, after sampling the batter the first thing that came to mind was chocolate chip cookie dough. For me, it was a dead ringer. After baking them, that correlation didn't break because they tasted like little chocolate chip cookie cakes with an additional flavor and texture courtesy of the almond flour. They were addicting too--so easy to just pop one in your mouth and then another and another--just like a can of Pringles--except insurmountably better than Pringles. <br />
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As for the name....from what I read in the book, the chocolate is somehow supposed to create striations within the batter--so you'd have alternating stripes of chocolate and cake batter I assume. But I didn't really notice this with my tiger cakes. The chocolate just embedded itself within the batter as though it would within a chocolate chip cookie. So I don't know what was supposed to occur. Maybe I did something wrong. But, whatever--tiger stripes or not--these little cakes were delicious.<br />
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Recipe unintentionally--gladly--adapted because I didn't have unsalted butter from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Chez-Moi-Recipes-Anywhere/dp/0547724241">Baking Chez Moi</a></i> by Dorie Greenspan<br />
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3 large egg whites at room temp.<br />
1c (100g) almond flour<br />
2/3c (132g) granulated sugar<br />
3 T all-purpose flour<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
8 T (113g) salted butter (the original recipe calls for unsalted butter and also 1/4 tsp salt but I had only salted butter so I used that and omitted the salt)<br />
85g finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate chunks<br />
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First, preheat the oven to 350 F and butter 24 mini cupcake molds. Then, pour your egg whites in a large bowl and whisk them just until they are broken up. Add the almond flour and stir until all of the flour is moistened. Next, add the sugar, all-purpose flour and vanilla and stir until fully combined. Then, using either the microwave or the stove top, bring the butter to a boil and then gradually add it to the batter stirring each time before you add some more butter until all of it is fully combined. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chunks. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake molds and bake the cakes for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick that is inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool for a couple of minutes before removing them from the molds. After the cakes have been removed from the pan let them cool completely before glazing them with the chocolate.<br />
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Recipe for chocolate glaze (the book uses a basic ganache but I already had this glaze leftover from some eclairs I made earlier and I thought it would work just as well)<br />
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3oz unsalted butter<br />
5oz semi-sweet chocolate cut into chunks<br />
1 T light corn syrup<br />
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First clarify the butter and then set it aside while you melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl. Add the still warm clarified butter and corn syrup and stir until fully combined.<br />
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To assemble, just dip each of the cakes in the chocolate and let the chocolate set before consuming--or don't and eat them as you will... <br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-85118366410903767682015-05-07T10:08:00.000-05:002015-05-11T09:12:36.370-05:00Chestnut Sponge Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I purchased Alice Medrich's new cookbook, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Flours-Buckwheat-Sorghum-Non-Wheat/dp/1579655130">Flavor Flours</a>. </i>It caught my attention when I first heard about it because I'm always curious to see if you can replicate traditional desserts and pastries (ones that use wheat flours) using non-traditional ingredients (ones that don't use wheat flours) and have them still taste...well, good. My default impulse is to assume that the end result of these types of desserts is just mediocre. And honestly, that's not a fair assessment on my part because it's rare for me to veer away from using a good old fashioned all-purpose flour. Maybe that will change with this new cookbook. Yet, I don't believe that the intent of this cookbook is to convert people away from wheat flours. It's not even a book meant to rouse healthier eating or aimed specifically at gluten free bakers--at least not intentionally. Instead, Alice Medrich is hoping to open up our taste buds to a completely new realm of flours and how they can alter--and maybe even enhance--desserts that we know so well with wheat flours. So in that sense, I love the book and am truly excited to try out many (<i>all</i>) of these recipes. That stated, shortly after I read through the introduction of the book, I bought a slew of the flavor flours. I didn't even know what recipe I wanted to start with--it was semi-impulsive. But after browsing through the recipes--and simultaneously running through in my head my new flour inventory--I decided on the chestnut sponge cake. It was simple with the most basic of ingredients--aside from the flour of course. At first, when it came out of the oven and I removed it from the pan I thought it would be dry because I saw some dry-like crumbs at the edges of the cake. It also didn't seem as spongy as a wheat flour cake. When I went to lightly press my finger on the top of the cake, it seemed <i>harder</i> than a cake I normally make. It didn't rise much either. But that could have been a result of me deflating the batter too much during the folding process too. I guess I wasn't sure what it was supposed to look--or taste--like. But all fears were extinguished when I actually bit into the cake. It wasn't dry and it tasted kinda like a gingerbread cake with some nuttiness. There was no disappointment or a feeling of mediocrity towards it. I was pleased with the outcome and left with a definite sense of hope towards the non-wheat flour baked goods. I have a feeling that they will be a valuable asset within my baking stockpile. <br />
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Chestnut sponge cake recipe from <i>Flavor Flours</i> by Alice Medrich<br />
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3 T (45g) clarified butter<br />
1c (100g) chestnut flour<br />
2/3c (130g) granulated sugar<br />
4 large eggs<br />
pinch of salt<br />
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First, line the bottom of an 8 inch round cake pan with a piece of parchment paper and set it aside. Place one of your oven racks in the lower third tier of your oven and preheat it to 350 F. Set aside a large bowl. Take the clarified butter and pour it into a small microwaveable-safe bowl and set aside. Then, in a different medium bowl whisk 2 tablespoons of the sugar, salt and the chestnut flour together and set that aside. Next, place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer and attach the bowl to the mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until they've tripled in volume and have thickened up. Before the eggs have tripled in volume--while your mixer is still running--heat the butter in the microwave until it's hot and then pour it into the large bowl you've set aside. Once the eggs are done, stop the mixer and remove the bowl from it. Now, pour 1/3 of the flour mixture over the top of the eggs and fold it into them until almost all of the flour has been incorporated. Then, pour half of the remaining flour mixture over the eggs and fold until almost all has been incorporated. And repeat with the remaining flour mixture. Next, take about 1/4 of the batter and pour it into the large bowl that contains the clarified butter and gently fold the two mixtures together until they are well combined. Lastly, pour the buttery batter mixture into the eggy flour batter and fold until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20-30 minutes (I left mine in for 22 minutes and I think it could have been done in less time--it all depends on your oven though). Remove the cake from the oven and let cool before removing from the pan.<br />
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Once the cake was cooled, I frosted it with some leftover pecan whipped cream I had from a prevous project. I thought it would be a nice complement for it. Alice Medrich's exact recipe uses a pear butter and creme <span style="line-height: 23.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">fraîche</span></span>--but I didn't have any ingredients to whip that up so I went with what I had...<br />
<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-92055419983521327202015-04-28T09:33:00.001-05:002015-05-19T10:32:45.883-05:00Sourdough Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When it comes to baking, bread has never been my forte. It has always come out heavy, dense and hard as a rock. In part, I put the onus on yeast which never seems to want to reside happily within the confines of my kitchen. But honestly, I can't blame the yeast completely. My apartment as a whole seems to lack good thermal regulation--it's too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer.<br />
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And since yeast is very particular about the temperature in which it inclines itself to flourish, I don't always have much luck. However, it's spring now and the heat is off, the air conditioner has yet to be called to duty and it just so happens that the temperature in my kitchen has been consistent. It has consistently been at just the right temperature for my diva-like yeast to strut its stuff. Thus it's bread making season for me. <br />
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With the help of an even keel temperature in my kitchen and King Arthur, lately I've been making some pretty good breads. So I feel that my latest project should not go unmentioned. As all of you who have ever made a sourdough know, it requires a starter. And a sourdough starter is created by capturing wild yeast in your own home. <br />
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Basically, if you set out a bowl of flour and water mixed together, it will attract yeast. By nurturing it--feeding it more flour and water--you encourage the yeast to grow and thrive. It will double in size, it will effuse a fruity and tangy aroma and it will be bubbly. <br />
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It's important that you grow a good starter because when you go to actually make your bread, you don't add any additional pre-packaged yeast to the dough. You are relying solely on the wild yeast you have caught as the leavening agent. So you have to be good to your starter--feed it, keep it warm (but not <i>too</i> warm) and safe, love it, maybe even sing to it. It's basically your child or--if you prefer--your pet. <br />
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After a week, I felt like I had raised a good starter. It doubled in size after I fed it, it smelled fruity and tangy and it had some bubbling goin on. I've never been prouder. The rest of the process--as far as the actual making of the bread--was fairly straightforward. The one thing about this dough is that it's pretty sticky. But <i>luckily</i> you don't spend a lot of time kneading it. However, you do have to form it into tight boules and due to its sticky nature, it's a little difficult to handle. Yet with some lightly floured hands and some perseverance, it is manageable. <br />
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Another thing about this bread was that you need to provide some steam in the oven for the first five minutes into baking. Apparently this helps create a good crust. Since I don't have an oven that creates steam, I did what my King Arthur cookbook suggested. Before I preheated the oven, I placed an empty cast iron skillet in it on the rack directly below the rack that I used to bake the bread on. Once the oven was preheated--and right after I placed the unbaked dough in it--I poured about a half of a cup of already very hot water into the cast iron skillet and poof, there was my steam. It was almost magical.<br />
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Anyway....for my first sourdough I think it came out well. It was kind of spongy (which I think is the right texture) and had that tang that you'll find in most breads of that nature. The crust was crusty as it should be--I'm not sure what else to say about that. Although, I may have over-baked one of the boules a bit so part of its crust was a little darker than I would have liked but I wouldn't say it was burnt. <br />
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I have to admit that I have always been a little intimidated by bread baking. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that there's a lot of history behind it--I mean that it has been around a <i>really </i>long time. And in that time people have had time to perfect it and make it a true craft. And that is what gives me a little pause when I think about baking some bread--there's a lot to learn in both technique and the different mediums used to make it which seems overwhelming. Nevertheless, I think I'm off to a good start.<br />
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Recipe ever so slightly adapted from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Flour-Whole-Grain-Baking/dp/0881507199">Whole Grain Baking</a></i> by King Arthur Flour<br />
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1c (9oz) ripe whole wheat sourdough starter<br />
1 2/3c (6 5/8oz) white whole wheat flour<br />
2 2/3c (11 1/4oz) white unbleached bread flour<br />
1 1/2c (12oz) water at room temp.<br />
1 T honey<br />
2 tsp kosher salt<br />
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Using the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the starter, flours and water together on the lowest possible speed until the flours are moistened. Then, let the dough rest for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes are up, add the salt and honey to the bowl. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and--on low speed--run the mixer for 2-3 minutes. Turn the mixer off, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let the dough proof for 45 minutes. After the 45 minutes is up, flour your work surface well. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the work surface. Flour your hands and lightly pat the dough into a rectangle--maybe 12 inches long by 6 inches wide (there wasn't any specified dimensions in the cookbook so I think that's about the size I patted the dough out to). Next, using a bench scraper fold the rectangle of dough into thirds like a letter--at the short sides. Then, fold it again--like a letter--at the short sides. So now you have a rather bulbous rectangular prism of dough. Place it back in the bowl, cover the bowl and let the dough proof again for another 45 minutes. FYI, apparently this folding of the dough between proofs is a sort of substitution for punching down dough that has already proofed once. After this second 45 minutes of proofing is up, you're going to do the same thing you did after the first one. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a well floured surface, pat it into a rectangle and then fold it into thirds twice. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover the bowl and let it proof for another 45 minutes. At the end of the 45 minutes, place a baking stone or pizza stone in the middle rack of your oven. Then place an empty cast iron skillet on the rack below the one where the stone is sitting. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Next, take two bowls that are close in size and line them each with a tea towel--or some sort of linen towel--and then sprinkle some flour over the towels. No, pull the dough out of the bowl and place it on a well-floured surface. Divide the dough in half, flour your hands and shape each half into a boule. Place each boule into a prepared bowl, cover them and let them proof for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile--your oven is preheating and your dough is in its final proof--heat at least a half of cup of water on the stove and bring it almost to a boil. Then, line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper--or turn a rimmed baking sheet over so the bottom is the top and line it with parchment paper. When the oven is preheated and the boules are done proofing, turn the bowls (I know it's confusing--the whole boule/bowl thing--I'm sorry!) upside down onto the parchment paper so that the boules fall out of the bowls and are sitting atop the parchment paper. Remove the tea towels and dust away any excess flour sitting on the dough. Open the oven door and quickly transfer/slide the parchment paper with the boules from the baking sheet to the hot baking stone. Right after they are safely on the stone, take the hot water and carefully pour it in the hot cast iron skillet (it will sizzle and steam up). Quickly close the door and let the dough bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature of the oven to 425 F and let the bread bake for another 20-30 minutes--or until the internal temperature of the bread reads 210 F. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool before slicing into.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-51027696537116230012015-04-21T11:36:00.002-05:002015-04-23T09:11:13.679-05:00Carrot Cake with Pecan Cream Frosting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The main impetus for making this cake was based on a recently acquired ability that I've happily added to my baking repertoire. And that would be making my own nut pastes. Nut pastes can be expensive and aside from almond paste--which seems to be more readily available--hard to find.<br />
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Unless you order them online of course. But I don't always feel like waiting or paying for that stuff. So, I found a great step by step recipe/guide to making a pistachio paste and it's very easy. And I figured that I could adapt it to use with other nuts as well. With that, I decided I wanted to make a pecan paste. <br />
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But then I was wondering what the heck I was going to do with it. Honestly, I'm not sure what to do with nut pastes except eat them all by themselves--they're pretty darn good on their own. Nevertheless, I was thinking that maybe they'd make a good flavoring agent in a frosting for a cake. So, I had a possible pecan butter cream or whipped cream frosting on deck but no cake yet. And I guess I could have made any type of cake but carrot cake--with it's spice-heavy make-up seemed like a good match. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PAC-MAN shot</td></tr>
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Plus, sometimes people put nuts into their carrot cakes right? But instead of incorporating the nut element into the cake, I decided to do it with the frosting. Ingenious. I know. Probably <i>never </i>been done before. <br />
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And actually--admittedly--I'm not a huge proponent of cream cheese frostings--which is commonly used for carrot cakes. In fact, aside from a cheese cake--which is supposed to be cream cheesy--I could live without the stuff (I know--perhaps I speak baking blasphemy). I don't like it in frosting or mousses--I feel like it's used a bit too liberally. <br />
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People want something that has some body to it so they turn to cream cheese--and it's a turn-off for me. So my pecan cream frosting seemed way better. I thought about developing my own carrot cake recipe but then I realized that I don't exactly know what I want that recipe to be like. I love carrot cake but I'm just not sure I've experienced <i>enough</i> carrot cake to accurately decide what I do and do not like with it. So with that, I decided on a recipe from my <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Cakes-Timeless-Recipes-Cupcakes/dp/1607741024">Vintage Cakes</a></i> cookbook. <br />
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This recipe was slightly different than some of the recipes I've seen in that it uses part all-purpose flour and part whole wheat pastry flour--maybe to give it a nuttier flavor? I'm not sure it came through in the finished product but it certainly didn't hinder any of the cake's other flavors--which were quite lovely.<br />
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Also, there's a note in the recipe with suggestions of what to add to your carrot cake--with the intent to "make it your own". Ingredients like currants, raisins, coconut and pineapple were mentioned. In an effort to find <i>my</i> own carrot cake recipe, I took up this suggestion and added some chopped-up pineapple to the batter. <br />
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I thought it was a nice addition but as odd as it may seem, I didn't like the way it looked in the cake--like the orange carrot color and the yellow pineapple. It seemed very un-carrot cake like. Again, I know it seems weird. But I also didn't think that it really added anything more to the cake. In other words, as far as flavor goes, I could take it or leave. So, when I finally do develop my own carrot cake recipe, I'll probably be leaving the pineapple out.<br />
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Recipe adapted from <i>Vintage Cakes</i> by Julie Richardson<br />
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1c (5oz) all-purpose flour<br />
1c (4 3/4oz) whole wheat pastry flour<br />
1 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1 tsp ground ginger<br />
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I used freshly grated nutmeg)<br />
1 1/2c (10 1/2oz) granulated sugar<br />
1/2c (3 3/4oz) packed brown sugar (I used light brown but you could used dark too)<br />
3/4c vegetable oil<br />
4 large eggs at room temp.<br />
1/2c buttermilk at room temp.<br />
1 lb peeled and coarsely grated carrots (about 3 cups)<br />
1c chopped pineapple (chopped to about 1/4 inch cubes)<br />
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First, grease the sides and the bottom of two round 9 inch cake pans. Then, line the bottoms of each pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium sized bowl, sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together and then whisk to fully combine them. Set them aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, combine the sugars and oil. Mix for about 3 minutes on medium speed--scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a couple times to make sure it all gets fully combined. Next, add the eggs one at a time--adding the next egg right after the previous one becomes fully incorporated into the batter. After all of the eggs have been incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix the batter for 3 minutes. It will increase in volume and lighten in color during this time. Now, turn the mixer down to its lowest setting and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating between them and the buttermilk--first add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then 1/2 of the buttermilk just until combined, 1/3 dry, rest of buttermilk and finally the remaining of the dry ingredients being careful to mix each addition until just combined. Finally, turn off the mixer and using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the carrots and pineapple just until evenly incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 baking pans. Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean and the top of each cake springs back when lightly touched by your finger. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool for about 30 minutes in the pans before removing them from the pans. Cool completely before assembly and frosting.<br />
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Pecan cream frosting recipe<br />
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3c of cold heavy whipping cream<br />
1/2c of granulated sugar<br />
1c pecan paste at room temp.<br />
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Before you start, place the bowl of a stand mixer and the whisk attachment in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. After the bowl and whisk are cold, pour all of the cream in the bowl and whisk on medium speed. When the cream has thickened up a bit slowly pour the sugar into the bowl while the mixer is running. Whisk until stiff peaks have formed. Turn the mixer off and switch to the paddle attachment. Add in the pecan paste and mix on low speed until it has been fully incorporated. Use the frosting immediately or refrigerate it--covered--until ready for use.<br />
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For assembly, spread a small amount of frosting on your preferred cake platter. Set 1 layer on top of the frosted cake platter and then spread about 1 cup of the frosting on top of the bottom layer. Top that with the second layer and then frost as desired with the remaining frosting. You may not need to use all of it--I had maybe a 1/2c to 1 cup left over. Slice and enjoy.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-24703962673110707272015-04-16T12:47:00.001-05:002015-10-18T12:34:25.383-05:00Kouign Amann<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't posted in a while. It's not as though I haven't been baking. I have. Like tons. The truth of the matter is that I've been obsessed with making two particular things that I just can't seem to get right. The infamously finicky Parisian macaron and laminated dough. <br />
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I don't even want to discuss the former of the two because I'm still irritated about it. And plus, how many more posts about macarons do we need in the food blogging world? Macarons are easy, they're not easy, blah blah blah. Instead, this post is dedicated to laminated dough--and moreover one of the wonders that can arise from it, the kouign amann. <br />
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Kouign amann is almost like a candied croissant. It's quite buttery but also sweet because the dough has been sprinkled with sugar so it caramelizes when baked. Because of my extreme sweet tooth, I think I enjoy them more than actual croissants. In the past month I've made them twice using two different recipes. <br />
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The first batch had some successful aspects but I was convinced that its flaws could be traced back to a problem I consistently have with laminated doughs which is that the dough tends to tear at certain points when I'm rolling it out. It's a really annoying. I've read all about why this may happen--the dough gets too warm maybe because the room is too warm so you have to let it chill. <br />
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Or, maybe everything is too cold. I've tried to make sure my butter block and my dough are the same temperature and all that but I still get some tearing. However, this last batch of laminated dough that I used to make the kouign amann started tearing at first but fortunately--maybe because I learned how to better roll out the dough--seemed to cease tearing. <br />
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And so most of those oh so delicate layers seemed to have remained in tact. Which is what I like to see. At least I think. I know that the purpose of laminated dough is to create those layers and for pastries, like croissants and mille feuille, it's usually clearly visible if you're successful at it. <br />
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But I'm not sure I'm convinced that it's equally as important with kougin amann. And I only question this because for one thing, you usually don't turn the dough as much as you would for something like croissants. And, I've been doing some...uhm..."research" from some trusted bakeries that make kouign amann and I've noticed that perhaps their laminated doughs that they use to make them aren't quite as layered. <br />
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They're delicious no doubt but comparatively not layered like a croissant. So I don't know what the deal is with all that but as long as my kouign amann come out light, buttery and caramelized--I'm ok with it.<br />
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Recipe slightly adapted from <i><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kouign-amann-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-190760">The Kitchn</a></i><br />
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1c water at room temp.<br />
2 tsp instant yeast<br />
2 3/4c all-purpose flour<br />
1 tsp kosher salt<br />
8 oz (2 sticks) cold salted butter<br />
1 1/2c granulated sugar--divided<br />
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The first thing that needs to be done is making the dough. Mix the water, yeast, flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix everything together on medium speed until a tacky, not sticky, smooth dough forms. If the dough is too sticky after mixing it, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it's tacky feeling. Alternatively, if it's too dry then you can add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the reverse occurs. After you've got a nice smooth tacky feeling dough, let the dough rest and rise until it has doubled in size at room temp. Once it has doubled in size, place the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.<br />
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Meanwhile, you can make the butter block. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a cool/cold work surface. Take your 2 sticks of butter and place them atop the plastic wrap. Now, you want to form a pliable butter block that when folded it won't crack--it should act like modeling clay does when it is folded over on itself. So, you will go through a series of pounding butter and folding it in an effort to make a more cohesive and pliable butter block. So, sprinkle some flour on the butter and--using a rolling pin--start pounding the butter so that you have one cohesive piece of butter and then pound it into a rectangular shape that's about a 1/4 inch thick. Then--preferably using a bench scraper or something other than your warm hands--fold the butter in half and pound it again until you have a rectangle that's about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle some more flour on the butter and fold it in half with the bench scraper, pound it back into a rectangle that's a 1/4 inch thick AND is approximately 6 inches wide by 10 inches long. Wrap the block in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready for use BUT, ideally you want your dough and butter block to be at the same temperature. So, if your dough has already been chilling in the refrigerator for a while and you are getting ready to roll it out, you probably only need to chill your butter block for just a little bit--maybe 15 minutes. You still want your butter block pliable and if it sits in the fridge for too long it will become rigid again and will likely crack when you start making your turns.<br />
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To roll out the dough, remove it from the refrigerator. Sprinkle your work surface with flour. Roll out the dough over the flour into a 12 inch wide by 20 inch long rectangle. Place your butter block in the middle of the rolled out dough so that the long side of the butter block is parallel with the short side of the dough. Fold the top half of the dough over the butter block and then fold the bottom half over it as well--like folding a letter. Press and seal the edges of the dough together and then fold it into thirds again. Rotate it so that narrower side is facing you--like a book. Roll the dough out--using more flour as needed to prevent any sticking--into a 12 inch wide by 20 inch long rectangle. Fold it into thirds again--like a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees so that the narrow end is facing you and roll it out again into a 12 inch wide by 20 inch long rectangle. Fold it into thirds again, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes is up, remove the dough from the fridge, sprinkle more flour on your work surface and roll it out to a 12 inch by 20 inch rectangle. Then, sprinkle half of the sugar over the surface of the dough and lightly press it into the dough. Fold the dough into thirds, rotate it 90 degrees and then roll it out into another 12 inch by 20 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on the dough and lightly press it into the dough. Fold the dough into thirds, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. <br />
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Meanwhile, prepare 12 - 4 inch pastry rings or a muffin baking sheet. Grease the rings or muffin cups with butter and sprinkle granulated sugar on the insides of them. Set aside.<br />
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Once the dough has chilled, roll it out again onto a well floured work surface into an 8 inch wide by 24 inch long rectangle. Then, cut the dough in half along the long side so that you now have two 4 inch wide by 24 inch long rectangles. Then divide each rectangle into 4 inch by 4 inch squares--you'll have 12 total. Next, push each square into its own pastry ring or muffin cup and fold the corners of each square over to the center of the square so that they all meet in the middle and then press lightly to seal. Then, cover the kouign amann and let rise for 30-40 minutes until they have risen and are puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350 F. Once you are ready to bake the kouign amann, sprinkle the tops of each one with some more granulated sugar and then place them in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. Once done, remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly before removing from the rings. Consume.<br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512352010284430437.post-63861847873748350052015-02-27T10:56:00.000-06:002015-02-27T10:56:41.435-06:00Homemade Twix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I only have one or two items under my 'Confections' category of my blog. So I feel like I'm lacking within this realm. A few years ago I took a chocolates making class taught by a local chocolatier. It was great fun. Our instructor--the chocolatier--was a bit of an odd bird, very passionate about chocolate making--which isn't what made him odd by the way--and intent on making us understand the different crystalline structures in chocolate. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTSiOd2Wxb5sAfU08eODg6cAHdQtLwsD9tiISQmS2KirHFL5BtVI_X7-rtmU2McRpAfsfVWf8HrhyphenhyphenuILayVHFJiNbaw-RSVGsA6LjRnDy44eZazYB81AGBuBWb3isEA5aEdb27YBOomD3/s1600/IMG_0901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTSiOd2Wxb5sAfU08eODg6cAHdQtLwsD9tiISQmS2KirHFL5BtVI_X7-rtmU2McRpAfsfVWf8HrhyphenhyphenuILayVHFJiNbaw-RSVGsA6LjRnDy44eZazYB81AGBuBWb3isEA5aEdb27YBOomD3/s1600/IMG_0901.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note: Once you keep chocolate cold and take it out of the cold, it starts to condense and don't look as pretty :-(</td></tr>
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Truth be told, the only one I can remember is the beta form which is the one you aim to form when you temper chocolate--the most important form really. When you get a bunch of beta crystals to form just so, that's when you get that pretty shine and that crisp snap that good tempered chocolate is supposed to have. Tempering chocolate is the key to making chocolates look professional. It's also probably the main reason why my 'Confections' category is so sparsely populated. <br />
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Tempering chocolate isn't necessarily easy for me in that I'm not always successful at it. In the class I took we tempered it using an old fashioned method (a.k.a the super messy method) of pouring it out onto a nice marble slab and scrapping it around the slab back and forth with a bench scraper until our instructor--the chocolatier--"knew" it was done. Well that was all well and good in class but not so much at home without an expert eye to tell me when it was tempered. <br />
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Luckily there is another method that's more suitable for home wannabe chocolatiers which is called seeding. Seeding is less messy and gives you actual mensurable temperatures to shoot for. But, you may have to stir the chocolate until your arm falls off or--at the very least--until it is painfully aching. The way it works is you melt about 2/3 of the of the amount of chocolate you are using until the chocolate reaches a certain temperature. Then, you remove the chocolate from the heat and little by little start adding the rest of the chocolate, stirring it until it melts and continuing to stir it--somewhat vigorously--thereafter until the chocolate reaches the tempered state temperature. It seems pretty simple right? Well, evidently not. <br />
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I've done it many times and like I mentioned earlier, sometimes I'm successful and sometimes I'm not. Sometimes, some of my chocolate looks perfectly tempered with an amazing shine and snap. Other times, it's got a few grayish white streaks running through part of it once it sets. I read an article recently by J. Kenji Lopez over at <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/the-food-lab-best-way-to-temper-chocolate.html"><i>Serious Eats</i></a> about three different ways to temper chocolate. His recommended method--that he claims is foolproof--is using a sous vide cooker--which I didn't know was possible. But now I want a sous vide cooker. Sure, they cost of hundreds of dollars but it seems well worth it if I can get a perfectly tempered chocolate in my kitchen. Plus, I hear them things are good at cooking perfectly juicy meat too so they sound like they are a gift from heaven. Nevertheless, a couple of weeks ago I decided to place my tempering chocolate woes aside and make Twix bars. <br />
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I love Twix bars. Caramel and shortbread cookie encased in milk chocolate is a simple combination but also a magnificent one. Plus it gave me a chance to practice tempering milk chocolate which I had yet to try. And I really wanted to make <i>perfect</i> Twix bars that were perfect rectangular prisms--just like you kinda get out of the package. I thought that if I froze everything just right and used a super sharp knife and a ruler to cut and measure everything up just so nicely that I could do it. But that didn't work out. After I assembled the shortbread and the caramel in a baking pan and froze it up for a day or so, I removed it from the cold and then the caramel quickly came to room temperature and then things got messy fast... Also, I tried to make these Twix bars "healthier"--not healthy--but "healthier" by making a whole wheat shortbread. This was ok but it made the cookie a little more crumblier so even when frozen it didn't always cut so pretty. And then there was the first attempt at tempering milk chocolate--which was actually the <i>Caramelia</i> baking chocolate courtesy of <i><a href="http://www.valrhona-chocolate.com/shop/Caramelia-36-10665.html">Valrhona</a>--</i>which is a mouth-watering chocolate that proves that dreams can come true. <br />
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Anyway, the thing about milk chocolate is that it has different temperatures for tempering than dark chocolates--most likely based on the fact that is has different ingredients and thus different properties. What did happen when I tempered it is that it did have a bit of a snap to it but not as much as one that comes along with tempered dark chocolate. But it didn't have a very big shine to it. But I have some thoughts on this. So as for the snap...well milk chocolate is "softer" than dark chocolate so that seemed like maybe it was ok. I mean, maybe milk chocolate can't form as many beta crystals as dark because of all of the other ingredients in it? I'm purely speculating here based on whatever makes sense in my head. Also, maybe that's why there wasn't a shine to it. Does tempered milk chocolate ever shine as much as dark--like maybe it's just not as glossy? Maybe. To make a long story short, I think I was actually successful at tempering this chocolate. There weren't any streaks and everything was smooth, it had a bit of a snap and some shine. And I'm comfortable with that conclusion.<br />
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Recipe<br />
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Shortbread<br />
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9T unsalted butter at room temp.<br />
1/4c brown sugar (light or dark)<br />
1 1/2c whole wheat flour<br />
1/4 tsp kosher salt<br />
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Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper--allowing an overhang of the paper on all sides so that you can easily pull the finished product out of the pan when ready. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy--a few minutes. Then add the flour and salt and mix until just combined and there isn't any dry flour on the bottom of the bowl. Now, press the dough into the prepared pan evenly. You can use a small glass or if you have a small rolling pin to smooth it out. If not, your hands work fine--I just wanted the top of my cookie dough to be smooth. Bake until lightly browned which may take 25-30 minutes. Once done, remove the pan from the heat and let cool completely.<br />
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Caramel<br />
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For the caramel, I used my go-to recipe that I found and have fallen deeply in love with from a blog called <i><a href="http://bakingamoment.com/simply-perfect-salted-caramel-sauce/">Baking a Moment</a>. </i>Double the recipe found <a href="http://bakingamoment.com/simply-perfect-salted-caramel-sauce/">here</a> and let it cool completely before assemblage. Another option for the caramel is using a different recipe that will cook the caramel to more of a soft ball stage. The reason for making a caramel like that would be so that you hopefully avoid the mess I had in using more of a caramel sauce. So, instead you would use more of a firmer caramel candy...<br />
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Chocolate<br />
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16oz of a chocolate of your choosing. I used a milk chocolate but dark would be delicious too. You can choose to temper it or not. If you do temper it and would like a good guide, visit <i><a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/the-food-lab-best-way-to-temper-chocolate.html">Serious Eats</a>.</i><br />
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Assembly<br />
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Pour the cooled caramel over the cooled shortbread cookie crust and even out. Then place the baking pan in the freezer until the caramel is as firm as possible--I let mine sit in there for about a day. Once the caramel is firm remove the baking pan from the freezer. Pull the whole assembly out of the pan using the parchment paper overhangs you created when you lined it--you may have to run a knife along the edges to loosen it up a bit. After it's out of the pan, remove the parchment paper and place the assembly on a cutting board. Cut the thing up into bars--a size of your choosing. In retrospect--due to the nature of the crumblier whole wheat dough--it might be easier to cut them into 2 inch square bars. Basically the wider the better because if you go too narrow then the cookie is more likely to be less structurally sound. Now that you have everything cut up, put it all back in the freezer to re-firm the caramel. When you feel your caramel is firm enough, then melt/temper your chocolate in a big bowl. Once it's melted--and as quickly as possible--dip the chilled bars in the bowl of chocolate one by one--I found that using two forks to lift it out of the bowl was easiest. Place the finished bars on a sheet of wax paper, parchment paper or a silicone mat and let the chocolate set. Once the chocolate is set, eat voraciously or store in an air tight container. I've been keeping mine in the freezer but any place would be fine as long as your chocolate doesn't melt.<br />
<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00257443423044192731noreply@blogger.com2