Dressing it up

French Dressing

There is nothing better than a strong french dressing.  Here is a quick and easy recipe from last night's poultry class.  

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Dijion mustard

1 tablespoon vinegar of choice (balsamic, walnut, jerez etc) I prefer red wine vinegar

3-4 tablespoons good quality olive oil.  

good pinch of salt

Method

Put mustard into mixing bowl with vinegar and salt.  Gradually whisk in olive oil until well emulsified. Some like to add a finely diced shallot.  I am not such a fan.  

Crème Caramel

Being in a moderately hungover state today has prompted me to update a few of my recipes for you all to enjoy.

This recipe is from the cream class I did just before heading to Croatia.  It was really very yummy.  My photos didn't turn out too well so I have decided not to post them.

Preparation:  40 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Caramel

400g caster sugar

100g water

Lemon juice

Crème Caramel

1 litre full cream milk

250g caster sugar

2 vanilla beans

480g eggs

160g egg yolks

Method

Pre heat oven to 160 degrees celsius

Caramel

Mix water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Add about two tablespoons of lemon juice - this helps to slightly clean the caramel and give it a good colour.

Once cooked, pour caramel on to two silicon mats or two baking trays with baking paper.  Allow to cool.

#Tip: always place water into a saucepan before adding sugar as it is easier for the sugar to dissolve.  

Crème Caramel

Bring milk, vanilla seeds, pod and half of the sugar to the boil. Remove pod. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and the rest of the sugar.  Incorporate the egg mixture with milk/sugar mixture.  Strain - this is a must if you would like a smooth end product. 

Break the cooled caramel and generously place in the bottom of your mould.  Pour crème caramel mixture on top and cook in a bain-marie at 160 degrees celsius for about 12-15 minutes.  You don't want to overcook the cream so make sure you keep an eye on it.  

You can either serve in the mould or turn upside down and serve on a plate. Enjoy!  

Gateau fondant gourmand aux noix de coco et au chocolat

This little cake is really quite simple.  It was nice but maybe because it is so simple, I am not such a fan. 'Olly and Cat seemed to enjoy it for dessert so maybe I am on to something after all.

Ingredients 

200g  Good quality dark chocolate (50%)
125g  Desiccated coconut (this can be replaced with almond meal if you so choose)
125g  White sugar
1tblsp  Plain Flour (sifted)
125g  Butter (cut into small pieces and at room temperature)
5  Eggs




Method

Look at this goodness!

Melt chocolate in a bain marie.  Remove from heat and gradually add butter until all combined.  

In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick but light and fluffy.  Add egg/sugar mixture to chocolate and then add sifted flour and coconut. Mix together.

Grease and then lightly flour your moulds.  Make sure you tap out the extra flour.  Cook at 170 degrees for about 18 minutes (for a mould about the same size as a coffee cup - anything smaller and it requires less time).

Remove from mould and serve.

We found it easier to pipe the mixture

It is important not to store these little babies in the fridge.  The fridge will destroy the chocolate.  

Enjoy!  

Cakes at the back -
chocolate recipe to come...

Pate a tartiner au Gianduja (aka NUTELLA)

I am not sure how you actually make a spoon of
 this look good. I promise it is delicious! 

180g  Icing sugar
100g  Hazelnuts
100g  Blanched almonds

200g  Good quality milk chocolate
50g   Good quality dark chocolate (70%)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 100 degrees.  Lightly toast almonds and hazelnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes.  The aim is to to warm them up so the flavour comes out, you don't want to roast them entirely.  Let them cool.

Place icing sugar and roasted nuts in a food processor and blend.  Blend for a fairly long time - the oil from the nuts will gradually release and form quite a good paste with the icing sugar. Blend until the mixture basically clumps together in one large clump.

In a separate bowl and over a saucepan of water, melt the milk and dark chocolate.  It is important not to cook the chocolate, you only need to melt it (dark and milk chocolate melt at different speeds).  Remove from heat and stir chocolate so that it is mixed well.

In order not to form clumps in the final mixture, add a small amount of the nut paste to the melted chocolate.  Mix this well.  Now add all of this chocolate/nut mixture to the nut mixture in the blender bowl and blend again.  Blend until it is mixed well and to a consistency that you are happy with.

As this recipe doesn't have any eggs or fresh milk you can keep it for about two months in the pantry or fridge.  It is so much better than nutella.  I just had it for breakfast.  

Enjoy! 

Dark Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

150g whipping cream

150g dark chocolate (good quality and minimum 64% cocoa content)
53g butter, room temperature and cubed

Method

Weigh chocolate into medium-sized bowl.  Cut chocolate into small pieces if not already done.  Weigh whipping cream into a saucepan.  Weigh out butter.

Bring whipping cream to a boil.  Pour heated cream over dark chocolate in several stages, making sure it is smooth and well incorporated each time.

Let the mixture cool a little before adding the butter.  Incorporate the butter until smooth.  Place ganache into piping back.  Refrigerate around 40 minutes or until texture is workable.


This is also perfect for the inside of your maracons.

Strawberry Garnish

Ingredients

250g strawberries, diced
50g caster sugar
10g cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

Combine strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan.  Place over medium heat and cook until the strawberries soften.  Add the cornstarch and stir, continue to cook until the mixutre boils and thickens.  Remove from heat and let cool in the fridge (mixture will thicken some more).

This is perfect for the inside of your macarons.

Macaron Cookie - French Meringue Method

The French method actually gives you a slightly rough looking meringue.

Ingredients

180g ground almonds

270g powdered sugar

150g egg whites

100g granulated sugar

colouring of choice (powdered not liquid)

Method

Sift ground almonds and powdered sugar together into a mixing bowl.  Measure the egg whites and place into a clean mixer bowl.

Using a whisk attachment, start whisking the egg whites on medium speed and slowly add the sugar.  Gradually increase speed and continue to whisk the whites until they form a flossy stiff meringue and the sugar is dissolved.

Add the colouring and whisk just until combined.  Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the meringue a little at a time and gently blend.  Be careful not to over mix.

Place the mixture into a pastry bag with a size 10mm tip.  Place parchment paper onto a baking sheet and form small rounds.  Option: let rest on baking sheet 15-30 minutes. This helps the any air bubbles escape. Alternatively, you could gently tap the trap against the bench.

Bake at 160 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Let cool on cooling rack and then remove from paper.  The cookies should come off easily if they are cooked through.

Makes about 30 cookies.

# having the exact measurements is important for meringues. Also the reason you use powdered colouring is because liquid colouring makes the mixture too wet.

Macaron Cookie - Italian Meringue Method

The Italian method gives you a smooth meringue.

Ingredients

300g ground almonds
300g powdered sugar
110g egg whites
Colouring of choice (needs to be powdered not liquid colouring)
---
300g sugar
75g mineral water
110g egg whites

Method

Weigh sifted ground almonds and powdered sugar in medium bowl.  Add egg whites and food colouring and mix well.

Preparing the meringue: bring sugar and water to the boil and cook to 118 degrees celsius (this temp is very important).  When sugar is at 115 degrees, start beating the eggs with a whisk (use whisk on kitchen aid or other food processor). When sugar is cooked pour onto the beaten egg whites and continue whisking until the meringue is not hot anymore (50 degrees).

Carefully fold the meringue into the dry ingredients, a little at a time and very gently.  Put mixture into piping bag with size 10mm tip.

Place parchment paper on to baking sheet and form small circles.  Optional: let rest on the baking sheet 15-30 minutes.

Bake at 160 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Let cool on cooling rack and then remove from paper.  It should come off easily if cookie is cooked enough.

Makes about 70 meringues.

Crème Framboise and Crème Passion, Abricot

These two recipes are dangerous for the waist line but truly delicious and offer a nice alternative to the traditional chocolate and coffee creams used in eclairs.  Don't be fooled into thinking you can use liquid measurements for the passionfruit, apricot cream - you can't.  It doesn't work as well.   

Ingredients

Raspberry Cream

900ml good quality raspberry pulp 

90g caster sugar

90g caster sugar

200g egg yolks

75g custard powder

Passionfruit and Apricot Cream

450g passionfruit pulp

450g abricot pulp

90g caster sugar

110g caster sugar

200g egg yolks

80g custard powder

Method

Bring pulp and sugar slowly to the boil.  In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks, second batch of sugar and custard powder together.

Carefully pour the boiling fruit and sugar mixture into the mixing bowl.  Mix together and then pour entire mixture back into saucepan and return to boil for 2 minutes.  

Pour into shallow containers and cover with cling film. It is important that there are no air bubbles between the film and the cream - it will form a nasty film if you do.  Leave to cool.  Place into a piping bag if using creams for eclairs.  Enjoy! 

  

La pate a choux

100ml water

100ml milk
2g salt
2g sugar
80g soften butter
120g flour
4 eggs

Method

In a saucepan, place water, milk, salt, sugar and butter and bring to the boil.  Remove from heat and add flour - mix.  Return to heat for about 30 seconds to remove the moisture from the mixture.  This can take a bit longer than 30 seconds.  I thought 30 seconds was a little too short.  Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time.  You need the mixture to be thick, glossy and elastic.  If your flour is old, it is drier and will need the 4th egg, if it is new flour, it may be ok with just 3 eggs. Place in piping bag and pipe to your hearts content.  

Cook at 190 degrees for about 25 mins.  Cooking time does depend on the size of whatever it is you piped.  So, clearly if it is black, you've cooked it for too long and if it still white, not long enough.    

Dessert anyone? Mille feuille framboise pistache

Base
400g puff pastry
icing sugar

La creme pistache
500ml milk
80g egg yolks
25g flour
25g maize
120g sugar
50g pistachio paste
50g butter (room temp)

To ensemble
250g rasberries
pistachios

Method                                                                                                                                                       

Base

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

Divide the puff pastry into 2 pieces of 200g each and roll to a thickness of 2mm.  Place onto a lined baking tray, cover with cling film and put in the fridge to rest for 1 hour.

Remove from fridge, place another sheet of baking paper on top as well as another tray to weigh it down and place in the oven - cook for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove tray and top layer of baking paper.  While still warm, cut 18 rectangles 5cm x 9cm, dust with icing sugar and return to the oven at 230 degrees until icing sugar has caramelised.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Cuire la creme

Place milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolk and sugar until pale and it has thickened slightly, add the maize and flour and then slowly add milk.  Return saucepan to medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture has really thickened (this will happen quite quickly). Remove from heat, pour into a bowl and add the pistachio paste and butter.  Cover with cling film.  It is important that the film is on top of the mixture and it doesn't have any air pockets otherwise a nasty skin will form on the top.  Place in the fridge to cool or until ready to serve.

Once the cream has cooled, remove from fridge and beat until pale and it has thickened. Place cream in piping bag and get ready to decorate.

Pour le montage

Take three rectangles of puff pastry.  On the first rectangle, pipe pretty dollops of cream around the perimeter.  Place a row of raspberries in the middle.  It is important that the cream dollops are higher than the raspberries otherwise the next sheet will not stick.  We did an extra row of cream around the raspberries to help it stick. Do the same on the second rectangle.  Carefully place the second rectangle onto the first.  Dust the third rectangle with some fresh icing sugar and delicately place on top.  Decorate with another raspberry and some crushed pistachios et voila!