Archive for October, 2009

There was a time I hated French and France. I felt ill before every French class in high school, and I had 5 classes per week. Before I finished high school I was even forced to have a French certificate because everybody in my class had it and I felt really frustrated about it. When I went to University I didn’t tell anyone I knew French as I wanted to forget about it. But, some time ago I started to love all things french again and it was due to a few wonderful people and confections: Pierre Herme, Hellen and macarons to name just the most important. You can imagine my joy when I saw October’s challenge: french macarons. Huray!!!!
The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.
Thank you Ami!!! Thank you Lis and Ivonne for the wonderful group you have managed to gather. Every month I am more and more amazed of the marvelous phenomenon that the DB group is.

For the macarons

90 g egg whites (24-48 hours old – separated from their yolks)
30 g granulated sugar
200 g powdered sugar
110 g almonds

Beat the egg whites till they are foamy. Then add the sugar slowly, until the whites become thick and glossy. (over beating can dry them too much and ruin your cookies, so be careful).
In a food processor ground the almonds and then add the powdered sugar and pulse a couple of times. Pass the mixture through a sieve.
Add the almonds and sugar to the whites, folding quick (3-4 times) at the beginning and then carefully until fully incorporated (no more then 50 folds) – the batter is supposed to form a ribbon when you drop it from a spoon and to flatten by itself if dropped on parchment paper.
Put the batter in the pastry bag and make small rounds on the parchment paper covering the baking sheet. Leave the cookies at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to harden their shells.
Preheat the oven at 150 degrees Celsius and bake the sweeties for 20-25 minutes, making sure you rotate the sheet at half time or so.
Let them cool down and then they can be stored in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature.

For the pistachio macarons, use half almonds and half pistachios.
For the rose macarons, after piping them sprinkle rose petals. For the coffee macarons sprinkle with crashed coffee beans – I used caramel flavored coffee beans from Gurmans.

The fillings:

Whiskey chocolate ganache – vanilla macarons with caramel coffee beans

Dark chocolate ganache with Earl Grey caramel sauce – vanilla macarons

Matcha white chocolate ganache – pistachio rose macarons

Vanilla mousse – rose macarons
Ginger chocolate mousse – pistachio macarons

Matcha white chocolate ganache
150 g white chocolate chopped
33 g butter
66 g heavy cream
5 g matcha

Place the finely chopped chocolate in a clean bowl and set aside. Bring the cream to a boil and incorporate the matcha powder. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit 1-2 minutes and them gently mix until the chocolate is melted completely. Add the butter, mixing as little as possible.

Ginger chocolate mousse

75 g chocolate
180 g whipped cream
ground ginger
4 g gelatin softened in 20 ml water
45 g pate a bombe
25 g cream
10 g chopped fresh ginger

Bring the cream and the ginger to a boil. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes
Melt the chocolate over a double broiler and set aside.
Pour the cream through a sieve and reheat it. Add the softened gelatin and mix until dissolved. Pour the cream mixture over the pate a bombe. Add the chocolate and then gently fold in the whipped cream.

Dark chocolate ganache

100 g heavy cream
140 g dark chocolate
20 g soft butter

Chop the chocolate and place it in a clean bowl. Bring the cream to a boil. Pour it over the chocolate. Let sit a few minutes and then gently stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted. Add the soft butter and stir only until combined.

Whiskey chocolate ganache

70 g heavy cream
30 g whiskey
140 g dark chocolate
20 g soft butter

Chop the chocolate and place it in a clean bowl. Bring the cream to a boil. Add the whiskey. Heat the mixture briefly but do not let it boil. Pour it over the chocolate. Let sit a few minutes and then gently stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted. Add the soft butter and stir only until combined.

Earl Grey caramel sauce

150 g sugar
75 g honey
60 ml water
20 ml strong Earl grey tea (I used 25 g Earl Grey leaves for 100 ml boiling water)
40 g salted butter

Place the first 3 ingredients in a pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Rise the temperature and let them cook until thicker (about 5 minutes) and they start to become caramel in color.
Remove from heat and add the tea. Add the butter and stir it in. Let it cool.

Ever since I started baking I have been searching and trying new ingredients and new ways to combine them. I love it. At the beginning of this year, I was suspected of celiac disease and that is when I started searching and experimenting gluten free baking and the wonderful ingredients that are gluten free. By far, I fell in love with buckwheat. It is just divine and also healthy. My daughter loves it too, so many of her school snacks include buckwheat in the ingredient list.
This quince sauce and buckwheat cake is one of our all time favorites.

Quince sauce and buckwheat cakes

125 g dark chocolate
100 g butter
2 g salt
4 yolks
100 g brown or demerara sugar
4 egg whites
15 g brown sugar
30 g hazelnut flour (I used almond flour as well)
40 g amaranth flour
40 g buckwheat flour
cinnamon
125 g quince sauce
50 g white chocolate (optional)
50-100 g chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C. Place muffin liners in a 12-muffin tray.

Make the quince puree: core and peel 1 large quince. Cut the quince in small pieces and place them in a pan with water just to cover them. Add a few cloves and 1 cinnamon stick and simmer it until tender. Drain the quince pieces and puree them with an immersion blender or in a food processor.

In a clean bowl place the dark chocolate and the butter and place it over a pot of simmering water. Let them melt and then set aside.

Beat the yolks with 100g of sugar until pale and thick. Add the quince sauce and fold gently. Add the chocolate/ butter mixture and combine. Add the flours, the salt, the white chocolate and the nuts if using. Mix until incorporated.

Beat the whites to soft peaks. Add the 15 g of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add the whites to the previous mixture and gently fold them in without deflating the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
Let them cool in the tray for a few minutes and them remove them and let cool completely.

As I said before, September and October are special months for me. Busy, full, but so very special. In October I celebrate both my parents and also my sweet, lovely (bunny) daughter.
This past weekend, my sis and I planned a surprise party for dad’s 60th birthday. It was so tiring, driving 1200 km in 2 days, but it was so worthy – we were all together (mom, dad, my sis, her kids, me, M and my daughter) again after 6 years. It was short, but overwhelming and full of sweet memories. We stayed in my grandparents house, the house where I grew up, the house that brings me back to my childhood and it feels as if my grandparents are there again. I can hear their voices, feel their touch and go back to being a child for a few seconds.
I also had a real fruit feast. At my parents house, autumn means trees loaded with apples and quinces, grapes and as of late figs – the best I have eaten in my life. I brought 2 bags home with me and I am planning to make us some fig tarts. I also saved some to eat with my yogurt in the morning.
Among other things (salmon mascarpone filled vol au vents, mushroom thyme filled vol au vents, sushi, empanadas, sheep and pork steaks) we had vanilla macarons with salted caramel ganache, a vanilla and caramel mousse chocolate cake and a mango and matcha mousse cake.

For the cake layer

4 eggs
120 g sugar
53 g flour
53 g cornstarch
15 g cacao powder
15 g melted and cooled butter

Preheat the oven at 185 degrees C. Butter and line with parchment paper a 29*38 cm pan.
Sift the cocoa, flour and cornstarch and set aside. Put the eggs and the sugar in a heat proof bowl and place it over a pan with simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water). Mix the eggs until they are 35 degrees C. Take off the heat and whip them until they triple in volume. Add the flour mixture and gently fold it in taking care not to deflate the butter. Add the melted butter and mix it in taking care not to leave butter on the bottom. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 10 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently pressed with a finger. Remove from the oven and cover with parchment paper. Invert the cake onto a cool pan. Cool completely. Remove parchment paper.

For the syrup
100 ml coffee
30-50 ml Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
sugar (to taste)

For the mango mousse

4 egg yolks
130 g sugar
50 ml water
8 g gelatin powder
300 g mango puree
320 ml whipping cream

Place the gelatin and water to bloom.
Whip the cream to soft peaks and refrigerate.
Place the sugar and water in a pan over medium high heat, cover it and boil until all sugar is dissolved. Uncover the pan and cook the sugar syrup to 238 degrees F.
When the syrup is ready, melt the gelatin in the microwave.
Whip the yolks while slowly pouring the sugar syrup over. Next add the melted gelatin while still mixing. Continue beating the yolks until tripled in volume, thick and cool.
Add the mango puree and slowly blend it in. Add the whipped cream and incorporate it gently.

For the matcha mousse

4 egg yolks
5 g gelatin
130 g sugar
50 ml water
320 ml heavy cream
vanilla bean
20 g matcha powder (use more or less depending on how strong you like it)

Place the water, sugar and vanilla bean in a pan, cover it and bring to boil over medium high heat. When it boils, uncover it, lower the heat and let it cook to 238 F. In the meantime soften the gelatin in some water and whisk the yolks. Place the softened gelatin on a water bath or in the microwave and melt it.
Once the sugar syrup reaches 238 F, remove the bean (you can scrape it later into the mousse), and with the slowly pour the syrup over the yolks while mixing. Next, pour the gelatin over the yolks and continue mixing until the mixture increases the volume, thickens and cools.
Whip the cream and matcha together and carefully fold the mixture into the yolks.

To assemble

Place the cake layer on a piece of parchment paper, inside your cake ring. Brush with coffee syrup. Pipe the matcha mousse and spread it evenly. Refrigerate for a while until set. Pipe the mango mousse over and level it as good as you can. Refrigerate overnight (to ease cutting I always freeze mine).
To cut the cake, use a very sharp knife and dip it in warm water before each cut