Baklava

Ah, Baklava, that intensely sweet morsel of flaky phyllo laced with pistachios and walnuts, and soaked in a honey-rose water syrup. How can one resist? One of our favourite lunches is to grab a beef shawarma or shish tawouk (chicken with roasted potatoes) at the local Lebanese shop, and end the most satisfying meal with several choice pieces of Baklava. Having gathered the ingredients, I made up a pan of Baklava, slathering 36 layers of phyllo with copious amounts of melted butter, and drenching the entire concoction in a deliciously sweet syrup.

Adapting a recipe for Baklava, I added my own touches by splashing in a generous drop of rose water, throwing in a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, and reducing a bit of the sugar in the syrup.

Baklava Recipe

1 lb Nuts, chopped (walnuts and pistachios)
1 lb Phyllo Dough, usually 18 pieces, cut in half
1 cup Butter, melted
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground Cloves
2 TBSP Brown Sugar

For the syrup:

1 cup Water
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Honey
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 TBSP Rose Water

Finely ground pistachios for garnish (optional)

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Thaw the phyllo dough according to manufacturer's directions (usually in the refrigerator overnight, or for 5 hours on the countertop). When thawed, roll out the dough and cut the dough in half so the sheets will fit in the pan. Cover with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.

Make the syrup by combining the cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice, honey, rose water, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 7 minutes, until slightly thickened. Cool.

Process the nuts into small, even-sized pieces. Combine with sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. In a saucepan, melt the butter on low heat.

Place a sheet of phyllo dough into the pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter. Repeat 7 more times until it is 8 sheets thick, each sheet being "painted" with the butter.

Spoon on a thin layer of the nut mixture. Cover with two more sheets of phyllo, brushing each one with butter. Continue to repeat the nut mixture and two buttered sheets of phyllo until the nut mixture is all used up. The top layer should be 8 phyllo sheets thick, each sheet being individually buttered. Do not worry if the sheets crinkle up a bit, it will just add more texture.

Cut into 30 equal-sized triangles using a sharp knife. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown, and edges appear slightly crisp.

Spoon the cooled syrup over the hot baklava and let cool for at least 4 hours. Garnish with some finely crushed pistachios, if desired.

Read more...

Mango Ice Cream with Mango Pudding

Desperately hanging onto the last remnants of summer, I whipped up a batch of Mango Ice Cream: rich, tropical, and refreshing! To make it even more of a treat, the ice cream was paired with Mango Pudding, equally rich and satisfying.

Mango Pudding is a dessert often served in Dim Sum restaurants, but it is extremely simple to make at home.

Mango Ice Cream

1/2 cup 2% Milk and 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
A pinch of Salt
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Alphonso (or Kesar) Mango Pulp
5 large Egg Yolks
2 cups Heavy Cream

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan.

2. Whisk together the egg yolks in a bowl and temper them by gradually adding some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the heavy cream and mango puree. Chill thoroughly and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Mango Pudding

Adapted from the recipe by Prasantrin at egullet.org

Yield: 12

30 oz Alphonso mango pulp (1 large can)
2c whipping cream
1-1/2c sugar
5-1/2c water
1 oz gelatine

Simmer gelatine, sugar and 3 1/2 cups water until the sugar and gelatine are dissolved. Mix the cream with 2 cups water and the mango puree. Add to the gelatine mixture.

Pour into a 13x9x2 inch pan, or in individual ramekins, and refrigerate.

You can use any combination of water and cream--I will often use 4 cups of cream and only 3.5 cups water. You can also increase the amount of mango pulp if you prefer a stronger mango flavour, and decrease the sugar if you prefer it less sweet. It's a very flexible recipe!

Read more...

Fudgy Brownies

I have eaten my fair share of brownies over the years, and have just stumbled upon one of the tastiest ones yet. I fall into the crispy-on-top, fudgy-in-the-centre camp, and these brownies, with the addition of chopped chunks of chocolate, strike the perfect balance.

The recipe from King Arthur Flour has a twist in its preparation. The butter and sugar is melted together, and then reheated a second time. This technique results in a thin, crispy, and shiny top crust. These brownies are so delectable that I almost single-handedly devoured the entire pan. Almost...

Fudgy Brownies

Yield: 24 servings

1 cup Unsalted Butter
2 1/4 cups Sugar
1 1/4 cups Dutch-Process Cocoa
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
4 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate, chopped into chunks, or chocolate chips

Optional: * 1 tsp Espresso Powder; 1 tsp Chocolate Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan or line with foil.

In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat and heat until mixture is very hot but not bubbling; it will become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the butter and sugar a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny, crisp top crust.

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, and stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla (also, espresso powder and chocolate extract, if using). Mix in the hot butter/sugar mixture until combined. At this point, you can allow the mixture to cool slightly (20 minutes) if you do not want the chocolate chunks to melt into the batter. Otherwise, stir in the flour and chocolate chunks immediately until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 28 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out with a few crumbs. Remove from the oven. Cool completely, then cut and serve.

Read more...

The Power of Adrenaline

It was a searingly hot but quiet evening at the Starland Recreation Area near Drumheller, Alberta, and every camper was enjoying the outdoors. I had just finished grilling up some ground sirloin patties stuffed with cheddar, and had made a tasty-looking burger topped with crisp turkey bacon for my little girl. Without nary a warning, an ominous black cloud reached its destructive fingers over the western hills, whipping up a whirling sandstorm, and causing utter pandemonium.

It was only the women and children at our campsite as the men had headed off to the nearby fishing hole to try to catch some Goldeye. It appeared that it would simply be one of the regular Alberta summer thunderstorms; but, this one turned out to be the craziest storm we have yet to encounter. It was like something out of a disaster movie. The swirling sand blinded our eyes as we desperately sought refuge for the elderly and young children. Tarps went flying, trees were felled, and barbecues were overturned spilling glowing embers everywhere. I quickly put my little girl into our tent with her dinner, hoping that the storm would blow over quickly. I decided to go back outside to retrieve more of our things when I turned around and saw that the wind had completely flattened our tent right on top of my child. With a fierceness of a mother bear protecting her cub, I swiftly ran to the tent, and swooped up my daughter in my arms. It was an act fuelled by sheer adrenaline - I felt superhuman! Tears were flowing, but we managed to stay safe, and, as an added bonus, the burger was saved, too.

Read more...

Rediscovering Fiction

For many years, I could not get into reading anything that was not non-fiction. It seemed to me that reading magazine articles, cookbooks, and biographies were more 'useful' and informative than a work of pure fiction. Recently, I started to delve back into the world of fictional stories, allowing myself to get caught up in the imaginary worlds. The power of the imagination, guided by the deft hand of a masterful writer, is an awe-inspiring thing...

I have just finished one of the truly outstanding novels of the late 20th Century: Beach Music by Pat Conroy. I picked up the 800-page novel because of a rave review of it on a messageboard. It appeared that it would have been a story to which I would not be able to totally relate, as it dealt with the great American South - a world away from my own. However, the story of Jack McCall and the numerous characters that are intricately entwined with his past is a glorious one full of heart-wrenching flashbacks. The stories of woe, of the atrocities of war, abuse, human suffering, cover a wide expanse of the 20th Century: the Holocaust, the Vietnam War, the turbulent 60s.

Pat Conroy's style of writing is extreme in its meticulous descriptiveness. When I first started reading the novel, the overly-ambitious descriptions of every scene were almost overwhelming. As I continued reading, I came to appreciate the deftness with which Conroy used words to create such vivid images. He is simply masterful. I believe that he has succeeded in crafting a story of epic proportions, and, as a result, has penned one of the best novels that I have ever had the pleasure to read.

I have always found it strange, but delightful, how the human mind can conjure up entire worlds based on mere words on a page. It is so interesting to come up with the look of a character, whether entirely imaginary or based on a real person, and watching them in the mind's eye interacting with all the other characters. Reading a novel is like being the director of a film, creating a vision of how one wants a scene to look, feel, sound, smell, and taste. To envelope oneself in the faraway world of a great story is to allow oneself, however briefly, to escape the drudgery of everyday existence.

Onto the next great novel! (I have already put my name on the list for the August 2009 release of Pat Conroy's first novel in 14 years. Let's hope that he has not lost his masterful touch.)

Read more...

The Peanut Butter Cup

The Reese Peanut Butter Cup has always been one of my favourite chocolate treats. Although not overly refined or sophisticated in its makeup - little scalloped chocolate cups of sweet and salty peanut butter - the humble peanut butter cup packs a mighty flavourful punch. I recall fondly those days of my childhood when my siblings and I would dress up in Hallowe'en costumes (I still remember the time I went as The Unknown Comic from The Gong Show in a tacky blazer and a paper bag on my head!) to go trick or treating around our neighbourhood. Back in the day (the mid to late 70's), the prized chocolate treats for our Hallowe'en loot bags were: 3 Musketeers, Crunchie, Coffee Crisp, Crispy Crunch, and Reese Peanut Butter Cups. Oh the joy on our faces whenever we discovered one of those in our bag.

So, with a craving for a homemade version of one of my favourite treats, I decided to 'pimp my peanut butter cup', and make it into a huge tart. The addition of graham cracker crumbs into the filling give it the distinct peanut butter cup texture, slightly rough, crunchy, yet smooth.


Peanut Butter Cup

1/2 cup Salted Butter
1 3/4 cup Icing Sugar
1 cup Unsalted Peanut Butter, smooth
3/4 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup Salted Butter
1/2 cup chocolate, milk and dark mixed

* Note: If you are using salted peanut butter, you can use unsalted butter. Saltiness is key to making the flavour taste right.

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in icing sugar. Add peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs, stirring until creamy. Spread mixture into 10" tart pan, patting down with your fingers.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt 1/4 cup butter. Add chocolate and stir until incorporated. Remove from heat and continue stirring until chocolate is smooth and shiny. Pour over peanut butter layer, spreading with a spatula to cover. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut into wedges with a pizza cutter or knife. Store in refrigerator.

Read more...

Vanilla Ice Cream

When it comes to ice cream, Vanilla beats out the rest for purity of flavour and functionality. It can be paired with almost anything, and will complement, rather than overpower, the other flavours. When ice cream is done right, it has little overrun with a dense, smooth, and creamy texture. Everyone who likes to make ice cream needs to have a reliable (an outstanding) Vanilla Ice Cream recipe.

Whenever anyone asks which flavour of ice cream I enjoy the best, the answer is always Vanilla. Yes, oftentimes others will think that this is a bland and non-adventurous flavour; but, when made with heavy cream and vanilla beans, there is nothing 'vanilla' about it!


Vanilla Ice Cream (adapted from the recipe by David Lebovitz)

1 cup Whole Milk
A pinch of Salt
3/4 cups Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean
5 large Egg Yolks
2 cups Heavy Cream

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk with the tip of a paring knife. Add the bean pod to the milk.

2. Whisk together the egg yolks in a bowl and temper them by gradually adding some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Rinse the vanilla bean and put it back into the custard and cream to continue steeping. Chill thoroughly, then remove the vanilla bean and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Read more...

Bo La Lot or is it Bo Vap Ca?

On a recent road trip out to the Vancouver, I had the opportunity to dine at Song Huong Vietnamese Restaurant (1613 Nanaimo Street) which offers traditional Pho and Bun, as well as Huế cuisine - a style of food rarely found in the Vietnamese restaurants I had frequented in Canada. On the menu was Bo 7 Mon, a special Vietnamese feast of beef prepared in seven ways: 1) Thinly-sliced pieces of meat dipped in a vinegar fondue with rice wrappers, mixed herbs (La Lot, Rau Ram, Thai Basil), small pickled onions, daikon and carrot, green banana slices, cucumber, bean sprouts, lettuce, and vermicelli - all accompanied by an anchovy-based sauce garnished with sliced lemongrass, chili, and peanuts; 2) 3) 4) Various beef 'sausages', some wrapped in the La Lot leaf; 5) Beef salad with grilled beef strips over vinegary shredded vegetables; 6) Beef Congee; and 7) Beef Ball wrapped in caul. It was an essentially satisfying meal that was very inexpensive ($25.95) since it could feed 3 hungry adults. It was also a lot of fun as you had to 'work' at making your own meal: cooking the sliced beef, dipping the rice wrappers, and deciding which of the fresh ingredients to add into your rice wrap. I also got to try a glutinous tapioca-based Huế dumpling that was filled with dried shrimp and pork and wrapped in banana leaves. It was great to sample a broader range of Vietnamese dishes, beyond the ubiquitous Pho.

My favourite of the Bo 7 Mon dishes was Bo La Lot - beef sausages wrapped in peppery La Lot leaves (a delicate relative of the Betel Leaf). Upon reaching home from my journey out West, I just had to try to recreate those tasty little morsels.

Adapting a recipe from Viet World Kitchen, I found the nifty tip of using the La Lot leaf's own stem to seal the sausage to be ingenious.



First, gather all the spices and sauces and placed them in a metal bowl.



Then, incorporate the beef and let the entire mixture sit for a short while as the La Lot Vap Ca (Fish Mint) leaves are prepared.  ** Note: I just found out that the leaf that I had thought to be La Lot is actually Vap Ca.  La Lot is more herbal in flavour while Vap Ca has a pungent, fishy taste.  Nevertheless, these "Bo Vap Ca" taste pretty good, too!



Snip off the larger leaves, ensuring that each leaf stem is intact, and give them a quick wash.



Then, on a work surface, lay down a leaf matte side up (shiny side down), roll a small amount (approximately 1.5 teaspoonfuls, depending on the size of the leaf) of the meat mixture into a sausage and place onto the middle of the leaf. Roll the tip of the leaf over the sausage and secure with the stem.



Line the rolled up Bo La Lot Vap Ca on a foil-lined baking sheet, and brush the tops of the leaves with a little oil. Grill under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, turning often so as not to char the leaves too much.



To serve, a small rice wrapper is dipped quickly into hot water (just a brisk dipping will do as this will ensure that the wrapper is soft yet elastic enough to hold whatever you put inside). A mixture of sweet, purple, and spicy types of basil, La Lot Vap Ca leaves, bean sprouts, chives, cilantro, green leaf lettuce, sambal belacan, and a sauce comprised of anchovy sauce, pineapple, rice vinegar, and fish sauce (Vietnames Dipping Sauce) is placed in the wrapper with a piece of the Bo La Lot Vap Ca. Everything is wrapped up into a tidy package and consumed with gusto, as the flavours burst with sour, spicy, and sweet notes. Delicious!

Bo La Lot (or Bo Vap Ca!)

2 Tablespoons Lemongrass, finely minced (about 1 medium stalk)
1 teaspoon Cumin **
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper **
1 teaspoon Garam Masala **
1/4 cup Scallion, minced
2 teaspoons Fish Sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Oyster Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Cornstarch (optional, if you want a firmer filling that does not weep as much during cooking)
1 lb Ground Beef

About 4 ounces La Lot leaves with the stems attached, enough to yield 26 to 30 large leaves
1 Tablespoon neutral flavoured oil, for brushing the tops of the leaves

Combine all spices and sauces with the ground beef, and form into little sausage shapes. Roll in the La Lot leaves, and secure with the leaf stems. Brush the tops of each leaf with a little oil. Grill under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, turning often so as not to overly char the leaves.

** Note: An Optional way to prepare Bo La Lot is to use Madras Curry Powder instead of Cumin/Cayenne Pepper/Garam Masala. I used these spices instead as I did not want an overly spicy dish due to having to feed it to my toddler. In addition, other recipes call for the use of Five Spice Powder.

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

1 cup Pineapple, minced (fresh is preferred)
3 Tablespoons Mam Nem (anchovy sauce)
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Red Chili, seeded
1 Tablespoon Sugar
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Rice Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Nuoc Mam (Fish Sauce)

1 stalk Lemongrass, minced, for garnish

Mix all the ingredients together.

Read more...

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, aka National Novel Writing Month, is an annual event that spans the entire month of November. It challenges the individual to take pen in hand, or to sit at the keyboard, and "write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together". It is a whirlwind of an event that brings about frustration, fear, anxiety, adrenaline rushes, and, ultimately, exultation - that is, if you actually manage to reach the goal of 50,000 words (equivalent to a 175-page novella).

I joined my first NaNoWriMo back in November of 2004. Always having loved the written word, I needed to test my mettle and see if I could actually produce a somewhat coherent and interesting tome in just over 4 weeks. It dawned on me that an autobiographical approach would be most suitable. Besides, it would be invaluable to record the significant events of my life, before I forget the minute details. So, after a harrowing 30 days of non-stop typing, I submitted my entry for review, and received my winner's certificate and icon. Woo hoo!

In 2005, I once again tried my hand at writing the requisite 50,000; but, alas, being 8 months pregnant, my energy levels were just not quite enough to reach the goal. However, come this November, 2009, I will once again throw my novelist's hat into the writing ring.

Read more...

Kueh Dadar

Kueh Dadar is one of my favourite SE Asian treats. It is a thin, pandan-flavoured crepe that holds a sweet and slightly smoky filling of shredded coconut, gula melaka, and pandan juice. It is one of the more accessible Malaysian kuehs - not too glutinous and more familiar in texture and taste.

My favourite of all kuehs, though, has to be Putu Piring, or Kueh Tutu - rice flour, coconut, and gula melaka steamed to perfection in odd funnel-shaped moulds that look like little conical hats. The best ones I have ever eaten were found at a roadside stall outside a residential street in Melaka - a place I would never have found without the aid of a knowledgeable local. They were the size of my palm, and had a subtle crunch from the slightly caramelized sugar. Amazing!

Kueh Dadar

Filling:

120ml Water
120g Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar), broken into pieces
60g Sugar
4 Pandan Leaves, torn into short strips
1 cup Coconut, shredded
Pinch of Salt

Batter:

1 Egg
130g All-Purpose Flour
50g Tapioca Flour
480ml thin Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Pandan Juice
Pinch of Salt
* Optional* Few drops of green Pandan colouring

Filling:

In a saucepan, boil together water, Gula Melaka, sugar, and pandan leaves, until the sugars dissolve. Strain the syrup, and simmer over low heat until thickened.

Add the shredded coconut and salt, and cook until almost dry.

Batter:

Whisk egg lightly in a bowl. Blend in flour, tapioca flour, salt, coconut milk, oil, pandan juice, salt, and colouring, if using. Combine well. Strain the batter to remove lumps.

Heat a non-stick pan over low-medium heat. Pour 1 Tbsp of batter into the centre of the pan. Tilt and swirl the pan to form a circular crepe. Fry for about 3 minutes until set.

Slip crepe onto a plate, and place 1 tsp of filling in a line along the centre of the crepe. Fold down a bit of the top and bottom of the crepe; then, roll up. Repeat with remaining batter and filling.

Read more...

Croissants

Mastering the art of croissant making takes patience. If you have several hours of pottering around the house, consider making a batch of homemade croissants. They are suitable for freezing, and can be easily thawed and baked on those days that you crave a splendid treat.

I adapted a recipe from foodbeam, using whole wheat flour. Just ensure that you cut long, narrow triangles that can be rolled into many layers for a more aesthetically-pleasing appearance and palate-pleasing flakiness. If you have dark chocolate, you can also opt to make pain au chocolat.

Croissants

Yield: 20

The Détrempe:

1000g Whole Wheat Flour
80g Butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp Powdered milk
150g Granulated Sugar
one Tbsp Fleur de Sel
450g Water, plus more if flour is not incorporating easily into a dough
25g Fresh Yeast

180g Butter, at room temperature

For the glaze:

1 Egg White, beaten

Make the détrempe by mixing the flour, butter, powdered milk, sugar, fleur de sel and water together until a dough forms. Knead in the crumbled yeast, then keep on working the dough until very smooth. Place in a large bowl and allow to proof at room temperature for a couple of hours, or until just doubled in size.

Punch down the dough, then roll into a 60x40cm rectangle. Spread the butter onto the far left two thirds. Fold the right end (butterless part) over the middle part, then do the same with the left part. You should have a 'book' with the spine on the left. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Next make a tour double, with an hour-long refrigeration. Make another tour double, and chill again.

Finally, give the dough a tour simple before rolling out into two 80x25cm rectangles (1/2cm thick), and cutting out long, narrow triangles. Make sure the triangles weigh around 180g before shaping them into neat croissant.

Proof the croissants at room temperature until doubled in size and glaze by gently brushing a beaten egg white all over the dough. Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 30 minutes, until golden.

Read more...

Cake Decorating Classes

I finally managed to complete the last of my cake decorating classes, the Gum Paste & Fondant Course, last September. Finding the time to take the last course was rather tricky; but, now that they are all done, I have been able to add the tips and tricks picked up from the instructor to my cake-making arsenal.

The Wilton Method of Cake Decorating provides a solid basis for anyone interested in learning the basics. Although not always my preferred style of decorating, it was a good chance for me to brush up on my skills. If given the choice, I will always opt for a made-from-scratch cake with real buttercream icing (Italian Meringue Buttercream being a favourite). The Wilton buttercream calls for vegetable shortening - something that I just do not wish to consume - although I do agree that it will create an icing more likely to hold its shape and withstand extremely warm conditions.

Read more...

The Most Extraordinary Lemon Cream Tart

With a big silver spoon in hand, I could consume this entire creation in a single sitting. However, being prudent, I choose instead to savour it over several days - each time in awe yet again of the perfection that is this cream. Yes, this is simply one of the most extraordinary concoctions ever. The smooth mouth feel of the butter-laden lemon cream is at once light on the tongue and richly satisfying. It is the definition of the term "luscious", and everyone needs to try it at least once.

Pierre Herme's Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart

Yield: 8 servings

Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons (298grams; 21 tablespoons; 10 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
1 fully-baked 9-inch tart shell (recipe follows)

Procedure

Getting ready: Have a thermometer, preferably an instant-read, a strainer and a blender at the ready. Bring a few inches of water to a gentle boil in a saucepan.

1. Put the sugar and zest in a large metal bowl that can be fitted into the pan of gently boiling water. Off heat, work the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs followed by the lemon juice.

2. Fit the bowl into the pan (make certain the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl) and cook, stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. You want to cook the cream until it reaches 82°C/180°F. As you whisk the cream over heat—and you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling — the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as the cream is getting closer to 82°C/180°F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. The tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Do not stop whisking and do not stop checking the temperature. And have patience—depending on how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

3. As soon as you reach 82°C/180°F, pull the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of a blender; discard the zest. Let the cream rest at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 60°C/140°F, about 10 minutes.

4. Turn the blender to high and, with the machine going, add about 5 pieces of butter at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed while you are incorporating the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going — to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to beat the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.

5. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and chill the cream for at least 4 hours or overnight. When you are ready to construct the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell.

Serving: The tart should be served cold, because it is a particular pleasure to have the cold cream melt in your mouth.

Storing: While you can make the lemon cream ahead (it will keep in the fridge for 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months), once the tart is constructed, it is best to eat it the day it is made.

Pâte Sucrée

Makes enough for one 9-inch crust.

Storing: Well wrapped, the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, it can be frozen unbaked, and baked directly from the freezer. Just add about 5 minutes to the baking time.

The simplest way to make a tart shell with this dough is to press it into the pan with your fingers.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in—you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses—about 10 seconds each—until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change—heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

To press the dough into the pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Do not be too heavy-handed—press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

To partially or fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, patch the crust if necessary, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack (keep it in its pan).

To fully bake the crust: Bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. (I dislike lightly baked crusts, so I often keep the crust in the oven just a little longer. If you do that, just make sure to keep a close eye on the crust's progress—it can go from golden to way too dark in a flash.) Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.

To patch a partially or fully baked crust, if necessary: If there are any cracks in the baked crust, patch them with some of the reserved raw dough as soon as you remove the foil. Slice off a thin piece of the dough, place it over the crack, moisten the edges and very gently smooth the edges into the baked crust. If the tart will not be baked again with its filling, bake for another 2 minutes or so, just to take the rawness off the patch.

Read more...

Caramel Chocolate Ganache Cake

Caramel Chocolate Ganache Cake , adapted from the Pierre Hermé Faubourg Pavé recipe, is my go-to one whenever a special occasion calls for a decadent treat. The smooth caramel chocolate ganache dances deliciously on the tongue, rich with buttery and sugary goodness.

Cocoa Cakes

1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon (40g) Dutched Cocoa
¼ cup (35g) Cake Flour
3 ½ Tablespoons Potato Starch
5 ½ Tablespoons (75g) Unsalted Butter
9 large Egg Yolks, room temperature
1 ¼ cups (150g) Sugar
5 large Egg Whites, room temperature

Butter 2 small cake pans (loaf pans, oval pans, or round pans) and line with parchment.

Sift cocoa, cake flour, and potato starch.
Melt butter and set aside to cool until barely warm to the touch.

Beat yolks + ½ cup + 2 TBSP (75g) sugar on med-high speed until pale (5 minutes).

Whip whites on medium speed until soft peaks. Gradually add in remaining ½ cup + 2 TBSP (75g) sugar and beat until firm and shiny.

Fold sifted dry ingredients + ¼ of whites into the yolk mixture. Stir a few tablespoons of the mixture into the cooled melted butter, stirring to incorporate the butter as much as possible. Then, add butter and remaining whites to the yolks. Fold together.

Pour into pans (3/4 full). Bake at 350F (180C) 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool 3 minutes in pans, then unmould onto racks. Cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature 2 days or frozen for 1 month.

Caramel Soaking Syrup

¼ cup (50g) Sugar
2 teaspoons (10g) Salted Butter (or unsalted with a pinch of salt)
6 tablespoons (100g) warm water

Put sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
As soon as the sugar starts to melt, stir with a wooden spoon.
Keep heating and stirring until a rich brown colour.
Standing away from the pan, drop butter into the pan; then, as it melts, stir it into the caramelized sugar.
Stand back and add the water. When the mixture comes to a boil, pull pan from the heat. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature. Syrup can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Caramel Ganache

6 ½ oz (185g) Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
4 ¼ oz (120g) Milk Chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (140g) Sugar
1 ½ tablespoons (20g) Salted Butter (or unsalted with a pinch of salt)
1 cup + 2 TBSP (275g) Heavy Cream
12oz (335g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature

Mix the 2 chocolates in a heatproof bowl.
Set a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over med-high heat and sprinkle 1/3 of sugar over the bottom. As soon as the sugar starts to melt and colour, stir with a wooden spoon until it caramelizes. Sprinkle ½ of the remaining sugar over the caramelized sugar, and, as soon as it starts to melt, stir it into the caramelized sugar in the pan. Repeat with the last of the sugar, and cook until deep brown. Stand away from the pan, and, while still stirring, add salted butter. When the butter is incorporated, add the cream. (If the mixture seizes and clumps, keep stirring and heating until it evens out). Bring mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Pour ½ of the hot caramel over the chocolate, and stir gently, starting in the centre of bowl and working your way out in concentric circles. When the chocolate mixture is smooth, add the remaining hot caramel, stirring from the centre out. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes, or until slightly warm.

While ganache is cooling, beat unsalted butter, using a paddle attachment or spatula. You want to soften the butter until the consistency of mayonnaise, but you do not want to beat air into it.

Using a spatula or whisk, gently stir butter into the ganache.

You will need to have the ganache at a creamy frosting consistency. Refrigerate for 5 minutes intervals, stirring frequently so it does not become too firm around the edges.

Assembly:

Cut each cocoa cake into 3 layers. Soak each cake layer with Caramel Soaking Syrup and slather on a layer of ganache. Cover entire cake with ganache.

Read more...

The Trifle

Time seems to flash by quicker these days. The years appear to meld into one big blur; yet, we must endure and try to seek purpose in things.

After indulging in too many rich sweets recently, I decided that a lighter, fruitier treat would be in order for tonight's dessert. Not made exactly as the original recipe, this is my take on the Anglo-Italian Trifle.

Nigella Lawson is the queen of trifles, and, indisputably, the Anglo-Italian Trifle is one of her most stellar. Having to make it a non-alcoholic trifle, I substituted a simple lemon syrup for the soaking liquid. Although Mascarpone would have been delightful to use, the price tag was rather steep; so, cream cheese was used in its stead, and performed admirably!

I have also made a raspberry version that was also very delicious and refreshing. That time, I splurged on the Mascarpone which leant a distinctly tart nuance to the trifle.

Read more...

Salted Butter Caramel Goodness

My obsession with getting an ice cream maker into my possession was bubbling over until I finally took the plunge and snapped up a KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment. It turned out to be a rather monumental undertaking, as it took days of pre-planning before taking the plunge: scouring numerous American magazines for a current Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupon, booking a trip to Las Vegas, and figuring out a way to convince someone else to drive me around Sin City to the nearest BBB. Of course, when I finally get to BBB, I was told that that particular store did not have the desired item in stock. However, due to an extremely helpful sales assistant, one lone box was found in the back storeroom, and I gladly handed over my credit card.

Immediately upon my return from Las Vegas, I knew the exact recipe that I would use to enter into the realm of ice cream making. It simply had to be a David Lebovitz recipe, and it simply had to be the Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream.

Read more...