Paris Pastry

Valentine's Day Dessert Inspiration!

2012-02-08T20:31:00.014+01:00

Before I start baking some of my Valentine's Day desserts for this Tuesday,
here's a look back on romance-inspired recipes from previous years!

Vote!

2012-02-05T11:50:00.001+01:00

Blackberry Meringue Cream Pots - 3rd Blogoversary!

2012-02-04T11:30:00.000+01:00

Today my baby is turning 3 years old! Three years of hundreds of recipes, kilos of chocolate, and countless of sweet comments by you. I must admit, a recipe as easy as these blackberry meringue cream pots almost don't suit a birthday, but there will be a bigger celebration in the very near future. You'll just have to wait and see, but you can bet your ass it is paired with a fabulous giveaway!

Back to the blackberry meringue cream pots, or "black and white creams" as Nigella Lawson originally dubbed them. I changed the name to make it more descriptive for the weekly poll. And I love the word pots. And I love these. With just 4 ingredients, they make one of the most simple, easy & delicious desserts I can think of. Rating: 4- out of 5.

Black and White Creams: Nigella Lawson

Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons cassis liqueur
- 1 ¾ cups blackberries, plus ¼ cup reserved for garnish
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 meringue nests (from a packet)

Instructions:
- Add the cassis to the 1 ¾ cups blackberries and mash lightly with a fork.
- Whip the cream in a large bowl until thick but still soft. Roughly crumble in 1 of the meringues nests - you will need chunks for texture as well as fine dust.
- Fold in the fruit mixture and arrange on a serving plate in a mound, then crumble over the remaining meringue. Decorate with the remaining ¼ cup blackberries.

“Black and white are added together, in a way that doesn't make gray,
but rather a fabulous, 70's purple” Nigella muses.

Watch Nigella Lawson make these purple beauties at 8:35.

Vote!

2012-01-29T15:00:00.000+01:00

Pastel de Nata - Portuguese Mini Tarts

2012-01-29T12:56:00.027+01:00

I snapped this photo with my phone when I was waiting for my flight from Lisbon, Portugal. I stayed with a friend at her house in Portugal for a week this past summer. Knowing what a pastry-lover I am, she introduced me to Portugal's most common pastry; pastel de nata (plural: pastéis de nata). It's a egg-based tart made out layers of puff pastry, a vanilla custard and caramel drizzled on top. I ate my last one at the airport and happily sipping sweet white wine (flying is so much more fun tipsy ;)

And during the cold month of January I am recreating this wonderful tart that reminds me of long, lazy summer days. The recipe is by Jamie Oliver (can you tell I have a thing for celebrity chefs?) from his book 30 Minute Meals. And honestly, it didn't take a minute longer to make them. Such an easy, great recipe to make something that is sweet, satisfying and fulfilling. I don't recall the pastéis de nata I ate in Portugal to have an orange flavor like these, but it was a nice addition. Rating: 4 out of 5.

Quick Portuguese Tarts: 30 Minute Meals - Jamie Oliver, found here.

Ingredients:
- plain flour, for dusting
- 1 x 375g pack of pre-rolled puff pastry
- ground cinnamon
- 125g crème fraîche
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons golden caster sugar
- 1 orange

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Dust a clean surface with flour. Unroll the sheet of pastry, then cut it in half so you end up with two 20 x 20cm squares of pastry (put one in the fridge for another day). Sprinkle over a few good pinches of ground cinnamon, then roll the pastry into a Swiss roll shape and cut into 6 rounds. Put these into 6 of the holes in a muffin tin, and use your thumbs to stretch and mould the pastry into the holes so the bottom is flat and the pastry comes up to the top. Put on the top shelf of the oven and cook for around 8 to 10 minutes (set the timer), or until lightly golden.
- Spoon the crème fraîche into a small bowl. Add the egg, vanilla paste or extract, 1 tablespoon of golden caster sugar and the zest of 1 orange. Mix well.
- Take the muffin tin out of the oven, and use a teaspoon to press the puffed up pastry back to the sides and make room for the filling. Spoon the crème fraîche mixture into the tart cases, and return to the top shelf of the oven. Set the timer for 8 minutes.
- Put a small saucepan on a high heat. Squeeze in the juice from the zested orange and add 4 tablespoons of golden caster sugar. Stir and keep a good eye on it, but remember caramel can burn badly so don’t touch or taste.
- Pour some caramel over each tart (they’ll still be wobbly, but that’s good). Put aside to set.

So I'm curious to find out, do you ever cook something
you've discovered on vacation?

Neapolitan Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

2012-01-24T11:31:00.020+01:00

As Paris Pastry's third blogoversary approaches, I thought about the first few posts I wrote that are still one of the most popular. The mille feuille crêpes cake, autumn meringue cake and the neapolitan cake. Three years later my baking skills have improved and certainly the photographs I take are done with more care. But the taste, I wouldn't want to change that.

Last time I made this cake I used three cakes mixes, but this time, everything's made from scratch. Sounds like an awful lot to make three different cake batters, but it wasn't; I just made one cake recipe and added cocoa powder and pureed strawberries to 2 different layers. Et voilà! Out came a gorgeous 3-layer cake that I hope Italians would be proud of. Certainly a looker this cake is! Rating: 4- out of 5.

Neapolitan Cake: adapted from Martha Stewart's Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients:
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup pureed strawberries

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; set over very low heat.
- With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until thick, lightened in color, and mixture holds a trail for several seconds when beater is lifted, 4 to 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients just until incorporated.
- Bring milk and butter to a boil. With mixer on low speed, add hot milk mixture to batter; mix just until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Divide batter into 3 equal parts. Mix cocoa powder with one of the batters, and the pureed strawberries with the other. Transfer batters to the three prepared pans, and smooth top.
- Bake until golden and pulling away from sides of pan, 30 to 45 minutes. Cool cakes 10 minutes in pan; remove from pan, and transfer to a rack to cool, right side up.

Whipped Cream Frosting: makes enough for a 3-layer cake

Ingredients:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ⅔ cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
- Put heavy cream and ⅓ cup of confectioners' sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Whip up the cream until soft peaks form with an electrix mixer. Add the remaining ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar and mix until whipped cream remains a trail from the electrix mixer.
- Put in the refrigerator and let stiffen for 30 minutes before using.

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Blondies

2012-01-18T18:34:00.021+01:00

After a week of a heavy cold, snotting my nose out and lying in bed I wasn't much in the mood for peanut butter blondies. It's not that I wasn't in the mood for baking, or for blondies for that matter, just not peanut butter. The ingredients I bought for the recipe were giving me the death stare and saying "use us or we'll expire", and after 7 days I couldn't procrastinate any longer. So here they are... sometimes baking the weekly poll can be a pain.

But having said that, I'm glad I made them because they are yummy. Yummy as in snacking on them before, throughout and after mealtime. I did made a few alterations on the original recipe. Mainly to make them a little less PB-flavored, so I reduced the amount of peanut butter in the blondie batter and omitted the topping. Instead I decided to drizzle the top with white chocolate chips and a few crushed peanuts. Rating 3.5 out of 5.

Peanut Butter Heath Bar Blondies: The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook - Allysa Torey & Jennifer Appel

Ingredients: (I made half this recipe and used a smaller pan)
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups smooth peanut butter (I recommend using only 1 cup)
- 2 ½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups self rising flour

Topping: (I omitted this and instead sprinkled ½ cup of white chocolate chips on top)
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 coursely chopped Heath Bars or chocolate covered toffee bars (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup finely chopped unsalted peanuts

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease and flour a 12 x 18-inch jelly roll pan.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour and beat until well incorporated. Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out moist with crumbs attached. Cool to room temperature.
- To prepare the topping: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the peanut butter chips and cream, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the mixture decoratilvey over the cooled blondies. Sprinkle with Heath Bars and peanuts.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, or overnight, before cutting and serving.

Vote!

2012-01-11T12:06:00.000+01:00

Cream Cheese Topped Brownies

2012-01-11T12:01:00.001+01:00

"So what are your new year's resolutions?"

"I never make them."

"Really? I thought you out of all people would try to cut back on desserts."

"Are you crazy?! What's the point of living if you can't have dessert?!"

A conversation between my co-worker and I after new year's day. I like not knowing what's ahead of you in a new year. After all, that's life... unexpected surprises; good and bad. But to me somethings will never change. Indulging in sweets and chocolate every day would be one of them. And with that in mind, I made these chocolate brownies.

These brownies are probably the cakiest kind you will ever come across. That's why the cream cheese topping stays put, even after baking. I love the ombre-effect from brown to beige, and the tiny chocolate swirls that shines through the cream cheese topping, can you see it? Good recipe, definitely a new family favorite. Though I should warn you if you're more sensible than me and made healthy new year's resolutions. Rating: 4 out 5.

Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Icing: The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook - Allysa Torey & Jennifer Appel

Ingredients:
- 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising flour)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 9 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

Cream Cheese Topping:
- 8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Insructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 12 x 18-inch jelly roll pan.
- To prepare the cream cheese topping: In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese and the sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat well. Add the flour and beat until incorporated. Set aside.
- To make the brownie: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, the baking powder and the salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Lightly beat the eggs, then add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Add the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and mix until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Pour the cream cheese filling on top, make a swirl pattern using a small knife if you want.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of pan comes out with moist crumbs attached. Let the brownies cool completely.

Rose Bundt Cake

2012-01-05T11:38:00.001+01:00

Sometimes a girl just needs to splurge. I repeat this mantra in my head twice a day when I'm eating dessert, but I recently had to say it to myself once again when I bought a silicone rose-shaped Bundt pan. It's pretty, girly and pink. Of course I had to buy it. It's a real rose cake: rose-shaped and rose-flavored. I used rose syrup and red food coloring for extra effect -- I'm kitsch like that. The cake recipe is the same recipe I used for the cream puff cake; a cake so good, it can be eaten with no frosting or frills. Rating: 5- out of 5. What a good start of the year :)

Rose Bundt Cake: adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons rose syrup, or 5 tablespoons rose water
- 4 drops red food coloring (optional)

Instructions:
- Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high until pale and fluffy, 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring milk and butter to a simmer over medium. With mixer on medium, gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat just until combined. With mixer on low, add milk mixture in a steady stream and beat until combined. Fold in vanilla and rose syrup or rose water. Add red food coloring if you would like to make the cake pink.
- Pour batter into pan. Bake until top is light golden and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan; turn cake out onto rack to cool completely (top side up), 30 minutes.

New Year's Eve with Baci di Ricotta

2011-12-31T11:30:00.001+01:00

Baci di Ricotta... sounds so incredibly luscious and Mediterranean. Truth is, in the Netherlands these are called oliebollen meaning oilballs and basically consists of fried dough. Not so glamorous. It's tradition to eat them on New Year's eve and I've been making them every year on December 31th since the end of time. No. Maybe six years in a row.

As I was making them, I thought of how to explain to American readers how these would taste like. I couldn't really think of anything to compare them to except for donuts. But the scent coming from my fryer smelled awfully familiar. Sun. Florida. Disneyworld. FUNNEL CAKE! That's it! This is a ball of funnel cake! (without the funnel-shape obviously)

I ~~ate~~ shared a funnel cake in Disneyworld a few years ago, see here. And to shake things up this New Year's eve - and also to use a more appealing name than "oilballs" - I used Nigella Lawson's recipe baci di ricotta or ricotta kisses in Italian. She writes about them: “I don't deny that having to stand stoveside frying 30 teaspoons of ricotta at the end of dinner is a slight drawback, but these are so good, I really do think it's worth it.” Agreed! Rating: 5 out of 5.

Baci di Ricotta: Nigella Lawson - Feast

Ingredients:
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- vegetable or corn oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar to serve
- Add a filling of your choice; raisins, chunks of apples (optional)

Instructions:
- Put the ricotta and eggs into a bowl and beat until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla extract. Add filling, if using any. Beat the mixture to make a smooth batter.
- Fill a wide, shallow pan with about 2cm of oil. Heat the pan of oil until a tiny blob of batter sizzles when dropped into the hot fat.
- Drop rounded teaspoons of the ricotta batter into the pan, about five or six at a time; don't be tempted to make them bigger, boring though this is, they will puff up on cooking. You need to turn them over quite quickly so it's best to do a few at a time. You don't want to get too frantic around all that hot fat. As they turn a golden brown, flip them over and leave them for a minute or so on the other side.
- As you lift them out of the pan, place the cooked baci di ricotta on some kitchen towel, just to remove the excess oil. Then pile the balls of heat-bronzed ricotta on to a plate in a rough-and-tumble pyramid shape, and push the icing sugar through a small sieve evenly but thickly over them. Eat straightaway. As if...

And no New Year's eve would be complete without a little firework :)

Happy New Year everyone! See you next year!

The Best Recipes of 2011!

2011-12-30T11:40:00.000+01:00

Take a look at my favorite recipes from 2010 {here} and 2009 {here}.

My Favorite Food Photography from 2011!

2011-12-27T11:30:00.000+01:00

I've put together a compilation of my favorite pictures I took of the pastries I
baked in 2011. But please do not hesitate to check out the recipes as well;
they're as mouthwatering to the mouth as to the eyes!

All of these were shot with a Sony DSC-W110.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:30:00.000+01:00

Wishing everyone a very joyful, happy & gift-packed Christmas!

By the request of making a cheesecake, I'm serving a
chocolate - peanut butter cheesecake to my family this year.
Click here to read my post about it.

Stay tuned for a chocolate pavlova and my annual favorite recipes!

Much Love,

Cream Puff Cake

2011-12-21T19:28:00.016+01:00

Christmas is nearing! And that means I'm spending a good amount of time in my kitchen, with my best friend The Oven. As spectacular as this cake looks, its relatively easy to make. It's just a matter of baking a cake, glazing it and arranging cream puffs on top. I loved the crown of glazed cream puffs, but the cake is also pretty great without them. Oh, and it's jam-filled! Yes, there's no end to the decadence this time of year :) Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Cream Puff Cake: Martha Stewart's Jam-Filled Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups thick fruit jam

Chocolate Glaze:
- 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 20 to 30 Chocolate-Glazed Cream Puffs (optional)

Instructions:
- Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high until pale and fluffy, 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring milk and butter to a simmer over medium. With mixer on medium, gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat just until combined. With mixer on low, add milk mixture in a steady stream and beat until combined. Fold in vanilla.
- Pour batter into pan. Bake until top is light golden and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan; turn cake out onto rack to cool completely (top side up), 30 minutes.
- With a serrated knife, trim top of cake to make it level, then split cake in half horizontally. Place bottom layer on a cake plate or serving platter and spread jam evenly on top with an offset spatula. Top with second layer.
- Make glaze: Place chocolate and corn syrup in a heatproof medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Immediately pour over chocolate and let sit 2 minutes. Stir until mixture is smooth. Pour glaze on cake and spread with offset spatula so it drips down sides. Refrigerate until glaze is set, 45 minutes (or up to 2 hours). To serve, arrange cream puffs (if using) on top of cake.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Vote!

2011-12-15T12:20:00.000+01:00

Cuisinart Mixer Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-15T10:54:00.009+01:00

is ...

Congratulations Becca!

You'll receive:
- Cuisinart Power Advantage 5-Speed Hand Mixer in White,
- Nordicware Seasonal Holiday Tree Pan
- Kikkerland Cupcake Memo Pad!

Please email me at DolceDanielle@yahoo.com with your contact information.

Thanks to everyone that entered and thanks to Wayfair.com!
Happy Holidays!

Colored Christmas Spice Cookies

2011-12-14T14:27:00.000+01:00

Christmas baking has started! And what better way to start the festive food-month than to make Christmas cut-out cookies! As much as I love baking cut-out cookies, I'm never up for the hours of work that comes after when you need to ice them with royal icing. So, I came up with a easy, fun & quick way to still make cut-out cookies look cheerful; tinted cookie dough! And to make up for the lack of flavor without icing them; spiced cookie dough! Double cheer :D! I absolutely adore these cookies, they're so sweet (literally & figuratively). Rating: 4 out of 5.

Spice Cookie Dough: adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Liquid or gel-paste food coloring

Instructions:
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, ground cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and pepper and beat until combined. Once the flour is incorporated, add drops of liquid or gel-paste food coloring until you get the desired color. Mix thoroughly.
- Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Roll out 1 disk on a lightly floured piece of parchment to a ⅛- to ¼-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Cut out desired shapes.
- Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are firm, 12 to 15 minutes.
- For sanding sugar cookies: Once cookies have cooled, warm up ¼ cup apricot jam in microwave until jam is runny. Brush cookie shapes with apricot jam using your fingers and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar.

Christmas & Cookie Exchange Recipes!

2011-12-10T11:30:00.001+01:00

Peanut Butter - Chocolate Pudding Parfaits

2011-12-07T17:56:00.024+01:00

Rediscover chocolate pudding's comforting simplicity and the indulgence of peanut butter whipped together with cream. And if you can handle it, topped off with crushed peanut butter sandwich cookies. I think you can handle it! To make beautiful layered parfaits, use a small ice-cream scoop with a spring-loaded handle. This way, you can drop whipped cream and pudding straight into glasses, leaving the sides clean. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Peanut-Butter Chocolate Parfaits: Martha Stewart - Everyday Food (04/2006)

Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 recipe cooled Chocolate Pudding (see recipe below)
- 6 peanut-butter sandwich cookies

Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, whip 1 cup cream along with sugar until soft peaks form. Reserve.
- Place peanut butter and remaining ½ cup (unwhipped) cream in another medium bowl; whisk until smooth. Add reserved whipped cream; gently fold in with a rubber spatula until combined.
- Creating alternating layers, spoon Chocolate Pudding and whipped cream mixture into 6 serving glasses or dishes. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Crumble cookies over parfaits before serving.

Chocolate Pudding: Martha Stewart - Everyday Food (04/2006)

Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt, add cocoa powder. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.
- Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.
- Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk pudding until smooth; divide among four serving dishes.

As much as I enjoyed making these (&nd eating), I can't wait to
start off with Christmas cookies and recipes! So stay tuned :)

Vote!

2011-12-07T11:00:00.000+01:00

[Closed] Cuisinart Mixer Giveaway by Wayfair.com!!! [Closed]

2011-12-03T21:19:00.028+01:00

December is here!

The holiday month has officially started! To celebrate and get into the festive
sing-a-long mood, Wayfair.com and Paris Pastry have teamed up for a giveaway.

You may remember the CSN Stores giveaways I hosted from time to time, well,
CSN has made some exciting new changes to their online store, including
changing their name to Wayfair.

ONE website for ALL of your purchases.

On Wayfair.com you can shop for anything from furniture and
home entertainment, to bakeware and cutlery. Truly a great online source
for Christmas gifts: playset kitchen, board games, bikes and scooters,
pet supplies, you name it.

The prizes:

Cuisinart Power Advantage 5-Speed Hand Mixer in White

Nordicware Seasonal Holiday Tree Pan

Kikkerland Cupcake Memo Pad

How To Enter:
(US residents only)

1. Visit this link: playset kitchen

2. Leave a comment here with your email address.
If you have a Blogger account and your email is on there, that's fine too.

3. For a second entry, become or be a public follower of Paris Pastry on Blogger.

4. For a third entry, follow Paris Pastry on Facebook.
See Facebook button on the top right bar ---

This giveaway closes on December 15th.
Good luck! And a huge thank you to Wayfair.com!

Giveaway is closed!

Cake Pops!!!

2011-11-28T16:08:00.011+01:00

Enjoy! - For You! - Congrats!
Buying a birthday-gift for a foodie must be the easiest job in the world. You just need to walk into some cook-supply store and pretty much anything on the racks a foodie will love. I think it is with this mantra that my friends/family bought me birthday gifts.

One of the things I got was Bakerella's Cake Pops Kit. Having never made cake pops before, this kit is the perfect starter's guide. It features Bakerella's book 'Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats', candy sticks, labels, bags and ribbons to make and decorate your cake pops.

The book I got is written in Dutch so I can't write the recipe down here for you, but the recipe I followed Bakerella has posted on her blog: click here for the recipe.

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Chip Drop Cookies

2011-11-24T22:54:00.000+01:00

I know the peanut butter - chocolate parfait has been leading the poll this past week and it will probably win (it better win! I already bought all of the ingredients), so it might seem like a little too much PB & chocolate here on Paris Pastry. No way! There no such thing as TOO much PB & chocolate. Ever. Think of these drop cookies as a prelude to the poll's winner.

As far as their tastefulness goes, they taste waaay better than the Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies but not as mindblowing as the Peanut Butter Surprise Chocolate Cookies. Nevertheless, the peanut butter/chocolate combo never tires me so I rate them 4 out of 5.

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Chip Drop Cookies: The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook - Allysa Torey & Jennifer Appel

Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 5 tabelspoons solid vegetable shortening
- 1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon
- 1 large egss, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup peanut butter chips

Ingredients:
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Sprinkle lightly with the sugar. Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completelty.

Ooh, I almost forgot: Happy Thanksgiving!

Feast

2011-11-17T23:10:00.005+01:00

Shots of my 24th birthday cakes:
Gooseberry Meringue Tart and Apple & Apricot Tart.

Bonne Nuit,

Glazed Breakfast Buns

2011-11-15T17:45:00.012+01:00

Voilá! Breakfast is served! Though I made these in the morning, I didn't get to eat them till late afternoon. Which, with these "breakfast" buns, is just about the perfect time of the day to eat them. The recipe makes it seem like they're delicate breakfast muffins, but I like to think of them as delicious individual-sized cakes. I absolutely loved the texture of them; they're made with 6 eggs, so they're quite heavy and remind me of a Belgian waffle. Not a bad thing :)! Definitely one of those easy, throw-together recipes that will satisfy just about everyone. Rating 4.5 out of 5.

Glazed Breakfast Buns: The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook - Allysa Torey & Jennifer Appel

Ingredients: makes 18 large buns
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ¼ cups sugar
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla

Glaze:
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans (or nut of your choice) or 1 ½ cups walnuts (or nut of your choice)

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 18 large muffin cups.
- To make buns: In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, on low speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk and vanilla, in three parts, beating until well incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of bun comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow buns to cool for about 30 minutes.
- To make glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and the water until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the buns and sprinkle generously with chopped nuts

Vote!

2011-11-12T20:15:00.000+01:00

Blueberry Blintzes

2011-11-12T11:30:00.000+01:00

These paper-thin crepes can be filled with just about anything. But for this rendition, a handful of blueberries is blended into a velvety mixture that's spooned into golden, delicate pancakes. You can serve them after dinner or even at brunch - more proof that blintzes can be enjoyed many ways. When you're forming blintzes, be careful not to overfill each crepe. That way, the creamy mixture is less apt to seep out as you fry the blintzes, making for a neater presentation. Hooray for sweet mornings like these ♥! Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Blueberry Blintzes: Martha Stewart Living Magazine (9/2006)

Ingredients: makes 12
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

For the Filling:
- 16 ounces cottage cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved, bean discarded
- ½ pint (about 1 cup) blueberries

Instructions:
- Make the crepe batter: Whisk together milk, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in flour and salt; set aside.
- Make the filling: Puree cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla seeds in a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in blueberries. Set aside.
- Make the crepes: Stir together remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter and the oil in a small bowl; reserve ¼ cup for cooking blintzes. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly brush pan using remaining butter-oil mixture. Pour a scant ¼ cup batter into pan; swirl to form an even layer. Cook until bottom is lightly browned, about 1 ½ minutes. Using a heatproof spatula, flip crepe; cook 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining butter-oil mixture and batter.
- Transfer a crepe to a clean work surface. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons filling onto crepe 1 inch from bottom and sides. Fold bottom over filling. Fold in sides, and roll up. Set aside, seam down. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.
- Heat the reserved ¼ cup butter-oil mixture in clean pan over medium heat. Working in batches of three, fry blintzes, turning once, until golden and crisp, 2 to 2 ½ minutes per side. Place two blintzes on each plate and dust with confectioners' sugar.

I may be new to making blintzes, but apparently they've been around
for centuries. Proof that our forefathers also had a liking for sweet breakfasts :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2011-11-08T19:36:00.021+01:00

Can you believe these weird-looking pre-oven cupcakes makes ...

... these?

They're like tootsie pops; they look completely normal from the outside, but have a delicious surprise inside! Yes, I'm rebaking one of my favorite cupcakes which I made nearly two years ago. Like then, I used a brown sugar pound cake recipe for the cupcakes and topped them off with a chocolate frosting. As far as the cookie dough concerns, I don't recommend using your favorite chocolate chip cookies recipe because they might not work inside the cupcakes. As you see, my cookie dough recipe doesn't call for baking soda, baking powder nor eggs, which makes them not own up much space within the cupcake when baking. Rating: 4 out of 5.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: makes enough for 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup miniature chocolate chips

Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and the water and mix well. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Make a flat disc out of the cookie dough, wrap it in plastic and store in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Get on with the cupcakes. When ready to use again, break the cookie dough the size of a tablespoon and roll the cookie dough into a ball.

Brown Sugar Pound Cupcakes: Martha Stewart - Baking Handbook

Ingredients:
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk

Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined.
- Add the reserved flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk; beat until combined. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and fill each cupcake case half full (when making chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes).
- Bake until cupcakes are golden brown, for 20 - 25 minutes. Leave cupcakes in pan to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Frosting: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
- ⅓ cup sour cream

Instructions:
- Sift sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
- Put butter and cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high until fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add sugar mixture. Mix in chocolate and sour cream. Use immediately!

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

2011-10-31T15:35:00.008+01:00

Happy Halloween!
I haven't been that much into Halloween this year. Usually, I start baking Halloween-themed sweet treats halfway September. But this year, these sort-of-Halloween-looking cupcakes are the first thing I've made for Halloween. Better late than never, right? Wait. Today is Halloween. So it's not late.

To make these cupcakes Halloween-themed but with minimal effort, I added orange food coloring to the icing. This icing tastes better if made the day before the cake because the brown sugar gives the icing a slightly grainy, sugary texture that improves if you allow to set it overnight. I must confess, although tasty, the frosting didn't taste much like caramel so I would rate it a 3 out of 5. The devil's food cupcakes are very chocolaty and light in texture, they earn a 4 out of 5 rating.

Devil's Food Cupcakes: The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook - Allysa Torey & Jennifer Appel

Ingredients: makes 2 ½ dozen
- 2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well-blended.
- Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Caramel Frosting: The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook - Allysa Torey & Jennifer Appel

Ingredients: makes enough for one 3-layer 9-inch cake or 3 dozen cupcakes
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 5 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:
- In a large bowl, on medium speed on electric mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the milk, syrup and vanilla, and beat until smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes. Use immediately or store, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Vote!

2011-10-30T16:20:00.000+01:00

Autumn & Halloween Recipes

2011-10-24T11:59:00.002+02:00

A collection of past years Autumn & Halloween recipes.
Click on title or picture to view recipe.

Maple Bundt Cake

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Pumpkin-shaped Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Filling

Rustic Apple Tart

Boston Scream Pie
(chocolate - pumpkin cake with spiced pastry cream filling)

Warm Apple Crisp

Applesauce Quick Bread

Nightmare Before Christmas Cupcakes
(nutella-filled brown sugar pound cupcakes)

Ghoul-Graveyard Cake
(chocolate cake with blackcurrant filling)

Spider Cupcakes

Apple-Spice Layer Cake

Jack O' Lantern Cupcakes
(peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate frosting)

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Maple Walnut Cupcakes

Halloween Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin Quick Bread

Happy Halloween!

Apple Tart with Hazelnut Brown Sugar Topping

2011-10-21T12:03:00.012+02:00

Yes, I know I just made an apple tart last week, but this one is completely different, I promise! And anyway, as long as it's still Autumn, my apple-baking days aren't over. This recipe comes from NYC's Magnolia Bakery. Its secret lies in the magnificent topping; a hazelnut-brown sugar crumb topping. Allysa Torey, writer from 'The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook' writes: "This tart is a nice alternative to apple pie, and it makes a great dessert for a dinner party, especially if served with vanilla ice cream and perhaps some caramel sauce." and so that's what I did. Yum! Rating: 4+ out of 5.

Apple Tart with Hazelnut Brown Sugar Topping: The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook - Allysa Torey & Jennifer Appel

Ingredients for topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
- ½ cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts

For the filling:
- 3 cups thinly sliced tart apples
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crust:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Make the topping: In a medium-size bowl, mix together the flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the hazelnuts and, using your hands, toss until all the ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
- Make the filling: Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently until the fruit is evenly coated. Set aside.
- Make the crust: In a large bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolk, and mix well. Add the flour and baking powder, and beat until just combined.
- Gather the dough into a ball and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out to fit a 10-inch tart pan. Fit the dough into the pan and trim the edge flush with the rim of the pan.
- Transfer the fruit filling into the crust and sprinkle the brown sugar topping evenly over the fruit. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 to 2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Vote!

2011-10-16T23:22:00.000+02:00

Pithivier

2011-10-16T21:36:00.011+02:00

This classic tart has a filling of frangipane (an almond-flavored cream) enclosed between two layers of puff pastry. The tart was named for the French town in which it was created. It is one of my favorite French pastries! Almond-lovers will be wowed by this tart. From the golden-brown sheen of its decorative top to the intoxicating almond aroma emanating from its frangipane center - this cake just might become your new favorite! Rating: 5 out of 5.

Pithivier: adapted from Martha Stewart - Baking Handbook

Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup ground almonds
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 1 pound puff pastry
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions:
- To make the frangipane: In a food processor, pulse ground almonds, flour, sugar, and salt until fine crumbs form. With the machine running, add the butter and 1 egg, processing until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate frangipane until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry dough to an 18-by-11-inch rectangle, about ⅛ inch thick. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until chilled, about 10 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg with the heavy cream; set egg wash aside.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured piece of parchement paper. Using a 9-inch cake pan as a guide, cut out two 9-inch rounds with a sharp knife. With a floured 1-inch cookie cutter, cut out a hole out of the center of one of the rounds. Reserve remaining dough for another use.
- Spoon or pipe the chilled frangipane evenly over the center of the uncut round, leaving a 1-inch border. Working quickly, lightly brush egg wash over the dough surrounding the frangipane. Cover with the other round of dough, lining up the edges. Press the edges together firmly to seal, and trim with a sharp pairing knife. With the knife, score the top of the pastry, making curved lines from the hole in the center out toward the edges, to resemble a pinwheel. Place the filled tart in the refrigerator until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush the top of the tart with egg eash, being careful not to let any drip over cut edges, as it will prevent even puffing. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature 350F; cover edge of pastry with foil to prevent it from burning. Bake until center is well browned, about 30 minutes more. Remove from oven, and slide onto a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature.

A pithivier I ate in Paris from Maison Collet. Blogged here.

My first pithivier I tasted in Disneyworld. Blogged here.

Boston Cream Pie

2011-10-10T13:47:00.008+02:00

After baking for years I have discovered my own personal preferences; mostly, I like to bake things that are quick, delicious and individual-sized such as cookies, scones & tartlets. Pastries I save for whenever I'm in Paris. Cupcakes whenever I've got time and patience of my hands. And cakes whenever a birthday comes. My birthday isn't until november but I felt like making a beautiful layer cake that was easy to decorate. I quickly turned to one of my all-time favorite cakes: a Boston cream pie.

I lost count of how many Boston cream pies I have baked over the years. I do remember that it was one of the first things I ever baked. Like then, this cake still mesmerizes me. The soft, airy cake with a luscious vanilla pastry cream, topped off with a thick chocolate ganache wins me over every single time and this particular recipe has been the best one yet! Rating: 5 out of 5.

&nd now I present to you the components of a Boston cream pie:

Boston Cream Pie: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ recipe cooled Vanilla Pastry Cream (see recipe below)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; set over very low heat.
- With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until thick, lightened in color, and mixture holds a trail for several seconds when beater is lifted, 4 to 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients just until incorporated.
- Bring milk and butter to a boil. With mixer on low speed, add hot milk mixture to batter; mix just until smooth. Mix in vanilla; transfer batter to prepared pan, and smooth top.
- Bake until golden and pulling away from sides of pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan; remove from pan, and transfer to a rack to cool, right side up.
- Fill cake: For easy cleanup, place a piece of waxed paper under rack. With a serrated knife, split cooled cake horizontally (leave bottom half on rack). Spread bottom half with Vanilla Pudding to within ½ inch of edge; gently place top half of cake on pudding layer.
- Make Chocolate Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat, and add chocolate; stir until smooth.
- Set aside to cool to room temperature and to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. When glaze has thickened, pour over filled cake. Using a small metal spatula, spread glaze to edges of cake, allowing it to drip down sides. Let glaze set, 15 to 20 minutes. Leftover cake can be refrigerated, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

Vanilla Pastry Cream: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if making chocolate pudding)
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. If making chocolate pudding, add cocoa powder. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.
- Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.
- Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk pastry cream until smooth.

Rustic Apple Tart

2011-10-06T12:23:00.000+02:00

If an unexpected force of nature were to come and I would be stuck inside my house with no way of getting to a nearby grocery store, I'd still find a way to bake. I would just try to make it to my backyard and pick some apples, pears and walnuts from my trees. Well that's what I did with this tart (minus the part of house-arrest due to weather circumstances).

I used my own home-grown apples and the other five ingredients are always at hand. You can make this delicious, dramatic dessert with just six common ingredients. It's actually a cross between a pie and a fruit crisp: the brown-sugar crumb mixture serves as the crust as well as the topping. Few ingredients, easy to assemble, great tasting: rating 5 out of 5.

Rustic Apple Tart: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 3 pounds (about 6) tart apples, such as Granny Smith
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Using an electric mixer or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until the mixture forms pea-size pieces. Press ⅔ of the mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel apples, cut into thin slices, and place in a bowl. Pour off any accumulated liquid. Toss apple slices with remaining teaspoon cinnamon and lemon juice, and put them in the prepared pan, pressing down gently as you pack them in (they will mound above the edge of the pan). Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top.
- Put the pan on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and let the cake cool in the pan to set. Serve at room temperature

My apple tree.

Vote!

2011-09-30T22:58:00.000+02:00

Healthy Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

2011-09-30T21:41:00.010+02:00

I'm always intrigued by a recipe that substitutes certain ingredients to be more healthy. I know that a dessert-recipe is still filled with calories, carbs and sugar, but at least I feel a teeny bit less guilty when I'm eating it. The advantages of whole wheat over white flour is that whole wheat flour has more nutrients, such as protein and fiber. I must be honest, and say that while I'm normally ecstatic about healthier options for food (such as my vegan oatmeal cookies or healthy banana - chocolate chip waffles), this recipe just wasn't that great. Okay, but not great. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies: Martha Stewart - Everyday Food

Ingredients:
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ⅔ cup packed dark-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
- ½ cup dried currants or raisins

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and baking powder; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and stir to combine; mix in oats and currants.
- Using two tablespoons of dough per cookie, roll into balls; place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
- Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cinnamon Buns

2011-09-26T20:06:00.004+02:00

Sometimes I bake things that haunt me for the rest of the year. These things are usually the baked treats that score a 5 out of 5 and are eaten all-too-quickly. The recipe of which I adapted this from is one of them; the infamous Sour Cream Buns. I've been meaning to bake them more frequently (read: every day), but I don't think that eating 7 cinnamon buns a day would be very healthy. So, I've managed to wait at least a few months before making them again. And boy, were they good!! That beautiful texture of the bun paired with a crunchy cinnamon/cocoa filling and CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES!... *sighs*. Rating: of course a 5 out of 5.

Chocolate Cinnamon Buns: adapted from Sour Cream Buns

Ingredients:
- 1 package (2 ¼ teaspoon) active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water (105°F)
- 1 carton (8 oz) sour cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- 3 to 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoons chocolate sprinkles

For the icing:
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a small saucepan, combine sour cream, granulated sugar, shortening, and salt. Heat and stir over medium-low heat until warm (120°F) and shortening is almost melted. Stir in baking soda. Stir sour cream mixture and egg into yeast. Stir in as much of the flour as you can.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total). Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Grease twelve 2 ½ -inch muffin cups, set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle; spread with softened butter. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and cocoa powder; sprinkle cinnamon/cocoa mixture evenly over dough. Repeat with the chocolate sprinkles. Roll up, starting from a long side; seal seam. Slice into twelve 1 ½ -inch-wide pieces. Place each bun, cut side down, in a prepared muffin cup.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until ¼ to ½ inch above top of cups (about 45 minutes). Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove buns from pan.
- Combine confectioners' sugar with cocoa powder and vanilla, and enough milk to make an icing, of drizzling consistency; drizzle over rolls. Serve warm.

Uniced and waiting to be eaten =)

Vote!

2011-09-22T15:57:00.000+02:00

Marzipan-Filled Brioche

2011-09-22T15:56:00.000+02:00

One of the hardest things about being a food-blogger is that you can never eat anything you've baked straight away. While it's still warm and fresh out of the oven, you have to wait until it's completely cooled and the lighting is good so you can photograph it. I know. It's hard. That freshly-baked smell that lingers through your kitchen is almost unbearable when your stomach is rumbling. Today I cheated. I already cut two slices of marzipan-filled brioche and stuffed them into my mouth as quickly as I could before I shot a single photo. Bad girl!

You can tell from the weekly poll that I'm currently in a yeast-phase of baking. Also, the yeast and marzipan were nearing their expiration dates very soon. So I rolled up my sleeves and made them useful. This recipe is adapted from a great and relatively-easy chocolate swirl brioche that I've made once before. I substituted the chocolate for marzipan, et voilà, an almond-scented brioche with a crunchy marzipan center was born! Rating: 5- out of 5.

Marzipan-Filled Brioche: adapted from Martha Stewart's chocolate swirl brioche

Ingredients: makes 2 loaves
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, softened, plus more for bowl and pans
- 2 tablespoons warm (105 degrees to 110 degrees) water
- ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 to 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- 2 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 9 large eggs
- 4 ounces marzipan, shaped into a log
- Coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions:
- Butter a large bowl; set aside. Stir together warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the yeast in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Put 4 cups flour, remaining ¼ cup sugar, and the salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add yeast mixture; mix on medium speed until combined. Add 8 eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition; mix until well combined, about 2 minutes. Replace paddle with dough hook. Mix on medium speed 2 minutes.
- Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Mix until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 10 minutes. If dough is very sticky and wet, add up to ½ cup flour (only the bottom quarter of the dough should stick to the bowl); mix until combined. Transfer dough to buttered bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, about 1 ½ hours. Punch down dough; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours).
- Butter two 8½-by-4½-by-2½-inch loaf pans; set aside. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half into a 7-by-15-inch rectangle. Cut marzipan-log into half and place horizontal on the short side of the dough. Starting from a short side, tightly roll each into a log; pinch seam to seal. Place each log, seam down, in a buttered pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel; let rise at room temperature until dough reaches rim of pans and no longer feels cool, about 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly beat remaining egg; brush tops of loaves with egg. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until tops are deep golden brown, about 35 minutes (cover with foil after 20 minutes if browning too quickly). Run a knife around edges of pans to loosen, and turn out onto a wire rack; let cool completely.

Before you declare me insane, it's actually normal to eat
chocolate sprinkles on bread in some European countries :)

Toffee Blondies Cupcakes

2011-09-19T11:30:00.000+02:00

As the weather cools and rays of sun make way for leaves of Fall, other things begin to come out of hiding as well. I'm talking about food-items. Inevitably you'll bump into pumpkin this, pumpkin that, apple this, apple that, candy corn this-you get it! For me, this means I'm craving blondies, brownies & bars again. The sweet combination with the nutty walnuts is something I save all year for this season. Although these toffee blondies cupcakes didn't have any nuts in them, they tastes quite hearty. The texture was more like a blondie than a cupcake, and the bits of chocolate-covered toffee was wicked! Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups packed light-brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 chocolate-covered toffee bars (1 ¼ ounces each), finely chopped, about 1 cup (I used Twix bars)

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a standard 12-cup (each 2 ½ inches wide) muffin pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour mixture, and beat just until combined (do not overmix). Fold in chopped toffee.
- Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each about halfway. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.
- Transfer to wire rack; cool 10 minutes in pan. Turn out blondies onto rack; cool completely, top side up.

Vote!

2011-09-15T11:32:00.000+02:00

Cookie Art

2011-09-15T11:31:00.000+02:00

These abstract-art cookies were inspired by Jackson Pollock. My first real-life sighting of a Jackson Pollock painting was at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC two years ago. Though modern abstract-expressionism isn't my favorite type of art, it sure translates well to a cookie. I started by making white 'blank canvases' and then I let the inner-artist (and kid) in me take over. You can get as creative with colors and patterns as you want. They were fun to make and, more importantly, fun to eat! Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Basic Vanilla Cookie Dough: recipe and idea from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.
- Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Roll out 1 disk on a lightly floured piece of parchment to a ⅛- to ¼-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Cut dough into large rectangles and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 13 - 15 minutes, or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Vanilla Cookie Icing: AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- Assorted liquid food coloring, for decorating

Instructions:
- Combine ingredients and whisk to combine. Thin with more milk, as needed.
- Make a "blank canvas" of icing on each cookie, using 1 teaspoon vanilla cookie icing by swirling the icing with the back of a teaspoon. Drizzle other colors of cookie icing on top.

Chocolate Truffle Cakes

2011-09-12T17:49:00.001+02:00

In my last post I raved about my Heath toffee brownies as being The Best Brownies. I adapted that recipe from this one. I had made these chocolate truffle cakes a few days earlier and fell in love. I love how these are individual-sized and remindful of naked cupcakes. For extra fudgy results, make these cakes a day ahead; wrap them well in plastic wrap, and reheat them by either placing them in the microwave for a few seconds or popping them back into the oven for a minute. Serve with ice cream and prepare to die and go to heaven! Rating: 5- out of 5.

Chocolate Truffle Cakes: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients: makes 6 cakes
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for muffin tin
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
- Put chocolate, butter, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat, and let stand until cool and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Process eggs and remaining tablespoon sugar in a food processor until pale and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Sift flour and salt into egg mixture; pulse to combine. Add chocolate mixture ¼ cup at a time; pulse each addition until combined, about 10 times. (Batter will be thick.)
- Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups three-quarters full; swirl tops with back of spoon. Bake until tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately turn out onto wire racks; reinvert, and let cool.

Heath® Toffee Brownies

2011-09-08T20:35:00.004+02:00

I found a bag of Heath® toffee bits in my baking cabinet nearing its expiration date. I was saving the bag for a special recipe, but for a long time no recipe seemed good enough for the toffee bits. They're quite picky, you see. One of my friends recently made me a batch of toffee brownies, which her boyfriend hated, which meant more for me :D and they were amazing. I decided to have my own go at toffee brownies. Adding the toffee bits to brownie-batter will make your brownies look like this:

Okay, well you can hardly see the toffee bits once the brownies are baked. Presumably they're melted. Or disappeared. Or eaten (not me!). But they do give the brownies a toffee-colored surface that gently cracks when you cut them. Out of the oven came the world's most perfect brownies. Not too cakey, not too fudgy, yet full-on chocolate and toffee. And this all coming from "not-really-a-brownie-person". Rating: 5 out of 5.

Heath® Toffee Brownies: my own recipe, with help from this recipe.

Ingredients:
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 14 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 bag of Heath® toffee bits

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a square 9 x 9 brownie pan. Dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
- Put chocolate, butter, and 1½ tablespoon sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat, and let stand until cool and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Process eggs and remaining tablespoon sugar in a food processor until pale and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into egg mixture; pulse to combine. Add chocolate mixture ¼ cup at a time; pulse each addition until combined, about 10 times. (Batter will be thick.) Stir in toffee bits.
- Spoon mixture into the prepared brownie pan. Bake until top are springy to the touch, 30 to 40 minutes (they might need a bit longer, check with a cake tester). Let cool to room temperature.

Brownie Tic-Tac-Toe! Who's playing with me?
The winner gets one brownie. Yes, just one.

Vote!

2011-09-05T11:12:00.000+02:00

Cinnamon - Sugar Mini Doughnuts

2011-09-05T11:11:00.000+02:00

Another recipe from 'Little Treats'. I was thinking of making either muffins or something with yeast, and this recipe kind of seemed like a little bit of both; doughnut meats muffin. "Made in a mini size so they are even more delicious, who can resist the softness of fresh doughnuts, and the fun of licking the cinnamon sugar off your fingers when you have finished your little treats." Rating: 4- out of 5.

Cinnamon - Sugar Doughnuts: Little Treats

Ingredients for doughnuts cakes:
- ½ cup butter (90g)
- ½ cup superfine sugar (100g)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (175g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5ml)
- A pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (1,5ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (120ml)

Ingredients for coating:
- ½ cup butter (90g)
- ½ cup superfine sugar (100g)
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (10ml)

Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Lightly grease two 9-hole mini muffin tins.
- To make the doughnut cakes, cream together the butter and sugar until light. Beat in the egg, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a bowl. Add a third to the creamed mixture and stir until almost mixed. Stir the vanilla into the milk, then pour half into the mixture and stir briefly.
- Stir in half of the remaining flour mixture, followed by the rest of the milk and ending with the rest of the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 12 minutes until firm. Leave in the tins for a few minutes, then turn out and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the coating, melt the butter, then pour into a bowl. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.
- Roll each doughnut cake first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar until thickly coated.

'Spun Sugar Paperie' Watercolor Notecards Winner is...

2011-09-03T18:37:00.005+02:00

Congratulations!

You get a set of 6 of your favorite notecards!

Please email me at DolceDanielle@yahoo.com for your contact information.

Thank you Spun Sugar Paperie and everyone who entered!

Love,

Earl Grey Cupcakes

2011-09-01T11:29:00.000+02:00

Not including my Lemon Butter Cookies, this is the first recipe I am trying from Little Treats. You know, the book I told you about? Scroll down if you don't remember! Little Treats is divided into 5 chapters;

Indulgent Chocolate
Frivolous Cupcakes
Whoopie Pies & Crumbly Cookies
Decadent Cakes & Desserts
Scrumptious Sweets

These Earl Grey Cupcakes obviously fall into the 'Frivolous Cupcakes' chapter, which has super yummy-looking recipes such as mint surprise cupcakes, pavlova cupcakes, ice-cream and toffee cupcakes, under-the-sea cupcakes to name a few. You might wonder why I chose earl grey cupcakes, admittedly they don't sound very attractive.

Well I like tea. A lot. And I love how tea leaves look in a cake, almost like poppy seeds. The cake texture was absolutely perfect, the earl grey flavor was present yet not overpowering. The book recommends a lemon cream cheese frosting, but I'm not too fond of cream cheese on cakes so I made my own lemon buttercream frosting with it. Rating: 5- out of 5.

Earl Grey Cupcakes: Little Treats

Ingredients for the cakes:
- 2 Earl Grey tea bags
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (175g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5ml)
- 1 ¼ cups superfine sugar (275g)
- ½ cup butter, softened (100g)
- Zest from ½ orange, finely grated
- 3 eggs, beaten
- ¾ cup milk (175ml)

Ingredients for the candied orange zest:
- Zest from 2 oranges, cut into strips
- 1 cup superfine sugar (100g)
- ¾ cup water (175ml)

Ingredients for the lemon frosting:
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar (75g)
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened (75g)
- ¾ cup cream cheese, room temperature (175g, 6oz)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (5ml)

Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with large cupcake or muffin cases.
- To make the cakes, grind the contents of the tea bags in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar until fine, then sift into a bowl with the flour and baking powder, discarding any larger pieces left in the sieve.
- Put the sugar, butter and orange zest in another bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Do not overbeat.
- Divide mixture between the cake cases. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until golden and springy. Leave in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- While the cakes are cooling, make the candied orange zest. Bring the zest, sugar and water to the boil in a small saucepan, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the zest is translucent. Turn off the heat and leave to cool in the syrup.
- To make the lemon frosting, beat the confectioners' sugar and butter until smooth, then beat in the cream cheese. Finally, beat in the lemon zest and juice.
- Ice the cakes with the lemon frosting, then top with candied orange zest and a little of the syrup.

Little Treats - Foulsham Publishers

2011-08-28T16:54:00.007+02:00

Do you see it?

Zoom in a little closer, would you.

Can you spot me?

Remember this recipe?

My Lemon Butter Cookies made it into an actual cookbook! My photos and all :D

Pretty cool, huh? I can't believe my photo was chosen to be on the cover!

You can order Little Treats on Amazon here (US) and here (UK).

Or, if you'd like to revisit my post about the Lemon Butter Cookies, here.

It really is a sweet little cookbook, I've made some recipes from it (stay tuned!)
and they've all been super delicious so far.

Much love,

Daniëlle

Giveaway: 'Spun Sugar Paperie' Watercolor Notecards! - Closed

2011-08-24T12:18:00.009+02:00

Bonjour again!

I hope you enjoyed the 'Parisian Pastries' posts I've done the last few weeks.
Now that I'm home again, I've been enjoying long mornings of baking again.
It's always great to find inspiration on vacation for baking.

I did bring you something from vacation: a giveaway!
Spun Sugar Paperie is donating one lucky reader a set of her
watercolor, Paris-inspired notecards.

The winner gets to choose his/hers 6 favorite notecards.
This giveaway is open to readers all over the world.

All you have to do is:

1) Visit Spun Sugar Paperie's shop on Etsy and tell me which item(s) you like.
(not your favorite 6 notecards from above, just other items in the shop)

2) Leave a comment with your contact information. If you have a Blogger account,
and your email is on there, that's fine too.

3) For a second entry, become or be a public follower of Paris Pastry on Blogger.

4) For a third entry, follow Paris Pastry on Facebook.
See Facebook button on the right bar -->

This giveaway closes on September 3rd.
Bonne chance!

This giveaway is closed!

Paris Pastries: Ladurée at Rue Bonaparte

2011-08-21T11:40:00.001+02:00

Bonjour Paris Pastry readers!

After my lovely experience with Ladurée at the Printemps, I hunted down
one of their stores in the 6th arrondissement in Paris.

The shop lies on the corner of a quiet street.
Ladurée's signature green facade can be spotted from afar.

Ombre-effect macaron towers stand in the window display on one side.

Ice cream 'glacé' cups stand on the other side.

Raspberry macaron tower.

Confitures and miel (jams and honey).

Even bath products.

Ladurée's shop on Rue Bonaparte is not just for picking up pastries, you can
also eat a 3-course meal in the restaurant.

I am not the biggest fan of baking macarons myself, so when I'm in Paris
I have the luxury of buying them.

I bought cinq (five), 4 flavors I hadn't tried before.

Melon, Salted Caramel, Rose, Minty Strawberry & Almond - Cherry.

Rose will always be one of my favorite macaron flavors, which I have
succesfully recreated myself, but I was pleasantly surprised with some
of the new flavors like melon and minty strawberry.

The salted caramel wasn't just filled with a caramel buttercream, but
instead had a thick caramel sauce-like filling!

Bonne Journée,

Daniëlle

Paris Pastries: Stohrer & Maison Collet

2011-08-18T12:11:00.002+02:00

Bonjour mes amis!

Today I'm showing you two great pâtisseries that are near my apartment.

First, the legendary Stohrer, which has been around since 1725.
Nicolas Stohrer was the royal pâtissier of King Louis XV.
Louis XV's favorite recipes were puits d'amour and baba au rhum.

I bought myself (since I am an avid rum-lover) a baba au rhum, brioche soaked with rum.

The shop was closed till August 15th.

And on the 17th, people were drooling again over the window display.

'

Stohrer doesn't sell just sweets, they also have a variety of salades, salmon
and quiche, among others.

My baba au rhum.

Then, my local favorite has got to be Boulangerie - Pâtisserie Maison Collet.
The prices are low, food is great and the staff is very friendly.

While Maison Collet's brioche au sucre is fantastic, their croissants are perfection!

A three-layer millefeuille, and an éclair chocolat.

Pain au raisins.

I can't imagine how much I will miss having these great pâtisseries when my
holiday ends. But for now, I will enjoy and appreciate them for being so nearby
and having such delicious pastries!

Au Revoir,

Daniëlle

Paris Pastries: Ladurée & Pierre Hermé

2011-08-14T22:07:00.006+02:00

Bonsoir!

Today I bring you two of Paris' top pâtisseries; Ladurée and Pierre Hermé.

I stop by at Ladurée almost every time whenever I'm in Paris (see here and here).

Their pastries are perfection, their macarons colorful and the atmosphere is whimsical.

On Friday I went to department store Printemps in Paris' 8th arrondissement.
Between the floors of countless clothes, there was a small Ladurée cafe tucked away.
I sat down and ordered a Saint-Honoré Rose Framboise, as well as a mint-chocolate iced tea.

It was fabulous!

Later that day, I walked to Pierre Hermé to pick up something sweet.
I decided on a tarte citron, as I have made Pierre Hermé's lemon tarts 2 years ago.

The shop:

The window display:

The box:

Pierre's lemon tart:

My lemon tarts:

See here my first visit to Pierre Hermé.

And for ice cream-lovers in Paris (the famed Berthillion closes it doors in July and August)
I recommend that you try Deliziefollie in the 1st arrondissement, right off Les Halles.

Jamie Cahill writes in 'The Patisseries of Paris' about Deliziefollie:
"Deliziefollie's luscious gelato has won over Parisians to Italian-style ice
cream. Ever conscious about overindulging in rich treats but not willing to
sacrifice taste, Parisians love gelato, perceived as Italy's lighter alternative to
French glace."

Salted butter caramel - caramel au beurre salé.
Delicioso!

You can check out my blog French Mademoiselle to see what I'm up to every day in Paris!

Bonne nuit,

Daniëlle

Paris Pastries: Eric Kayser & Fauchon

2011-08-10T19:57:00.004+02:00

Bonjour!

It has taken me 5 days to realize that there is a Eric Kayser boulangerie
just steps away from my apartment.

Both Jamie Cahill and Dorie Greenspan recommend a trip to this artisan boulangerie.

"Eric Kayser, boulanger extraordinaire, is a household Paris name
known for his excellent breads. His eleven shops around the city
(and others in France and around the world) sell every imaginable
variety and combination of grain, nut, cheese, or fruit. The
impressive bread selection overshadows the sweet counter."
writes Jamie Cahill in 'The Pâtisseries of Paris'.

Dorie Greenspan recommends Kayser's baguette, fondants aux pommes,
tarte Normande and brioche au sucre.
Yesterday I bought the latter and a croissant for le petit déjeuner.

So in love with their brioches, I bought another today and a lemon tarte with
a meringue topping!

Late in the afternoon I stopped at Fauchon.

You may remember that I baked their coffee éclairs a while ago.

And today I enjoyed one of their iconic éclairs.
The Mona Lisa éclair, otherwise known as éclair Joconde.

She was a delight. Inside and out!
Six euros. I find it a bargain for a real Mona Lisa!

"For many people, Fauchon is to food what the Louvre is to art:
the best place to get an overview of the field. Now that I think
about it, maybe a visit to Fauchon is even better than time at the
Louvre. After all, at Fauchon, the masterpieces are all there for
the taking - and tasting." says Dorie Greenspan in 'Paris Sweets'.

You can check out my blog French Mademoiselle to see what I'm up to every day in Paris!

- Daniëlle

Paris Pastries: Berko Cupcakes & Poilâne

2011-08-08T20:37:00.006+02:00

Bonjour!

Yesterday I ventured out to Centre Pompidou.
No, not for the art. For cupcakes.

It seems that the cupcake rage has flown over to France.
Berko Cupcakes is situated on 23, Rue Rambuteau.

They have an endless list of cupcake flavors,
as well tarts, cheesecakes and other sweet treats.

Some of the cupcake flavors included: Nutella, Lemon Meringue,
Speculoos, Salted Caramel, Banoffee, Violet, and many more.

I picked a Key Lime and a Rose cupcake.
They reminded me of the Triple Citrus and Rose cupcakes I baked myself.

My Rose Cupcakes that I made two years ago.

I also bought a sourdough bread loaf from Poilâne bakery.
Poilâne is one of France's most famous bakeries.

It is run by the third generation of the Poilâne family,
daughter Appolonia, who took it over in 2002 at the young
age of 17 after her parents died in a helicopter crash.
She is now a Harvard graduate.

You can check out my blog French Mademoiselle to see what I'm up to every day in Paris!

Bonne Journée!

Daniëlle

Paris Pastries: Angelina & Maison Collet

2011-08-06T10:50:00.009+02:00

Bonjour Paris Pastry readers!

I'm interrupting this blog's vacation status by bringing you some
visuals from my Parisian vacation.

Yesterday I went to Angelina on Rue de Rivoli in the 2nd arrondissement.
Jamie Cahill, author of the fabulous little book 'The Pâtisseries of Paris' writes about Angelina:

"Angelina is legendary for its hot chocolate and Mont Blanc pastry,
but the real appeal is its bustling vibe and elegant, Belle Epoque interior.
Bask in the spacious "see and be seen" room of oversized, gold gilt mirrors,
panels painted with pastoral scenes, and marble-topped tables - and be
transported to enchanting, turn-of-the-last-century Paris."

I ordered Angelina's specialty le chocolat Africain and sipped the
thick, luscious hot chocolate with great pleasure.

Dinnertime came around and for dessert I picked up a pithivier at a local pâtisserie.
I had my first pithivier in Disneyworld two years ago.
A pithivier is a round, enclosed pie usually made by baking two disks of puff pastry,
with almond paste stuffed in between.

Hope everyone's summer is going well, and I will bring you some more
pictures & stories of Paris's pastries in a few days.

Or you can check out my blog French Mademoiselle to see what I'm up to every day in Paris!

Bisous,

Daniëlle

Dark Chocolate - Almond Crackles

2011-07-13T00:27:00.001+02:00

Who makes Dark Chocolate - Almond Crackles in the middle of summer? A girl who has cookies on her mind, that's who! Or for that matter, a girl who loves almond and chocolate together :). Although crackles are usually eaten around Christmas, they provide for a hearty cookie with coffee/tea all year round. These were especially delicious: 85% dark chocolate, nutty almonds and sweet confectioners' sugar. Yum! Rating: 4+ out of 5.

Dark Chocolate - Almond Crackles: adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (such as 70 percent cacao), finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cup ground almonds
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
- Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Let cool.
- Pulse almonds in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Mix in chocolate. Reduce speed to low, and mix in almond-flour mixture. Refrigerate dough until firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners' sugar to coat. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
- Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool.

I'm signing off for 2,5 weeks now to do a bit of traveling.
Wishing everyone a very sunny & sweet summer!

‘Failed-Whoopie-Pies-Turned’ Banana Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

2011-07-07T00:41:00.000+02:00

With baking I have found that the most simple dishes are often the most delicious ones. But with this cake I discovered that sometimes the biggest fails can be turned into something wonderful. This recipe was originally a Banana Whoopie Pies recipe. I made the batter according to the instructions but as soon as I placed it into the oven, it became clear that the batter was too runny to be used as a whoopie pie cake. So, while the batter was still runny and less than 5 minutes into the oven, I scooped it into a Bundt pan and out came a moist, dense banana cake. Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Banana Bundt Cake: adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mashed banana (from 1 large ripe banana)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
- Juice of ½ lemon

Ingredients:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a Bundt cake pan. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Combine banana and sour cream in another bowl.
- Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed, until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and ½ teaspoon vanilla, beating until incorporated. Add banana mixture in 2 additions, alternating with flour mixture.
- Pour batter into Bundt pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 35 - 40 minutes. Cool cake to room temperature.
- Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Drizzle glaze over Bundt cake.

This golden-edged banana cake was super moist and ultra dense
- just the way I like it =)

Raspberry Plum Crumb Tart

2011-07-04T15:00:00.001+02:00

Between a broken oven, exams and dog-sitting, I've put the last poll's winner on hold for a bit. But here she is: Raspberry Plum Crumb Tart. And boy, is she worth the wait! A thick crumb bottom, topped with fresh raspberries and plums, baked in a luscious custard, and topped again with crumbs ... did I mention the air of spices this tart gives? Anyone who doesn't own a tart-pan, can breathe a sigh of relief because this tart is made in a springform pan. I'm serving this tart today, warm with whipped cream and ice cream =). Rating: 4 out of 5.

Raspberry Plum Crumb Tart: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), chilled, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
- ⅓ cup hazelnuts
- 1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup packed light-brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 medium-size, ripe but firm plums (about 12 ounces)
- 1 half-pint raspberries
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 large egg yolk
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup milk
- Grated nutmeg, optional

Instructions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Rub warm nuts in a clean kitchen towel to remove skins. Let cool. Place nuts in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until medium fine, about 30 pulses.
- Transfer nuts to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add 1 ½ cups flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, light-brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt; mix until just combined. Add butter, and mix on low speed until crumb begins to stick together, 2 to 3 minutes. Press 3 cups of crumb into the bottom of the prepared pan and about 1 ½ inches up the sides of the pan to form crust. Set remaining crumb mixture aside.
- Transfer crust to the oven; bake until it appears to be set, 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside.
- Slice plums in half, and remove pits. Slice into eighths. Scatter ¾ cup raspberries and sliced plums onto cooled crust; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon flour and ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk in egg, egg yolk, heavy cream, milk, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, and nutmeg (optional). Pour custard over fruit; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Transfer tart to the oven; bake until custard has set and is slightly golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Garnish with remaining raspberries. Let rest at least 25 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Happy 4th of July!

Vote!

2011-07-04T14:58:00.000+02:00

Ps. Oven broke. Door fell off. Be back when it's fixed!
(no doubt will cut my food intake in half this week)

No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake

2011-07-01T11:50:00.013+02:00

A baker without an oven? Mais oui, that's exactly what I am! Maybe you've read it; my oven door fell off, so I have been not baking for almost a week and a half now. What does a girl do without an oven? Well, she buys baked treats. Which was nice for a change as well. I felt like I took a breather from baking this past week. But, like an addiction, my hands started to itch, my mouth felt dry, my stomach rumbled, and finally I couldn't take it anymore. I made this easy, no-bake cheesecake topped with raspberries. A no-bake cheesecake tastes much lighter than a baked one. Which is just as well with this unbearable heat. Plus, you don't have to turn your oven on in your cramped, too hot already kitchen. Double win! Rating: 4.5 out 5.

No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake: adapted from Nigella Lawson's Cherry Cheesecake

Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (or any digestive biscuits)
- ¾ stick (75g) soft unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup double cream
- 10 ounces (300g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup confectionars' sugar
- ½ cup fresh rapberries, for topping

Instructions:
- Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until beginning to turn to crumbs, then add the butter and whiz again to make the mixture clump. Press this mixture into a 8-inch (20cm) springform tin; press a little up the sides to form a slight ridge.
- Beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Lightly whip the double cream, and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and smooth with a spatula. Put it in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, unmould it and arrange the raspberries in decorative fashion over the top.

This post ends on a happy note: my oven is fixed again! Pfewww...

Sour Cherry Clafoutis

2011-06-17T15:39:00.011+02:00

“Like most French country fare, clafoutis are simple to make. But they aren't quite as easy to define. Their name derives from a word meaning "to fill" in the dialect of Limousin, where they were created. Made from a dense, crepe-like batter and fresh cherries (or other stone fruits), clafoutis have a delightfully moist, chewy texture that is something like cake, something like custard. As they bake, the batter forms a golden crust and the cherries burst, forming puddles of thick syrup. Topped with whipped cream, they are an ideal finish for a casual outdoor dinner.” [Martha Stewart.com] Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sour Cherry Clafoutis: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients: Serves 6
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large whole eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pound fresh, ripe cherries, stemmed and pitted
- ¼ cup kirsch or brandy (optional)

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Use 1 tablespoon melted butter to coat six 4 ½-by-1 ¾ inch round baking dishes, and set aside.
- Place flour, ⅔ cup sugar, salt, and almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until mixture is finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add eggs, egg yolks, ¾ cup cream, vanilla scrapings, and lemon zest, and whisk to combine. Place in refrigerator, and let rest 30 minutes.
- Place cherries in a medium bowl; add kirsch, if using, and let macerate 30 minutes. Divide among dishes. Whisk remaining butter into batter; pour batter over cherries, and place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining sugar; bake until tops are golden and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Whip remaining ½ cup cream until soft peaks form. Serve clafoutis warm or at room temperature, topped with whipped cream.

Toasted Almond Lemon Bars

2011-06-14T16:32:00.015+02:00

I'm terrible with names. Whenever I meet someone for the first time, I have to ask twice (sometimes three times) for their names again. But besides names, I think my memory is pretty good. Counting on my good memory, I can say that I've never had a lemon bar. Could it be that a lemon-lover like myself has never tasted a lemon bar? Yup. It's true. I guess it's because lemon bars are not so common in Europe. You usually see a lemon tart or a lemon sorbet. Hmmmm, sorbet.

I ditched the 'ultimate lemon bars' to make these 'toasted almond lemon bars' instead. I love almonds and I love lemons, but I have never used the two together so I figured it would be worth trying. And I'm glad I did because they were wonderful. The sourness of the lemon filling tasted great with the nutty crust. They are quite heavy though, so I made little mini-sized bars. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Toasted Almond Lemon Bars: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book - Melissa Murphy

Almond Crust:
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 20 tablespoons (2 ½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces

Lemon Filling:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (about 7 small lemons)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, for sprinkling

To Toast the Almonds:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden and you can smell them. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Instructions:
- Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 - inch pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Make a parchment "sling" by cutting two pieces of parchment paper, measuring 16 ½ inches long by 12 inches wide (you can also use aluminum foil). Place one piece across the length, and the other across the width of the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges. You will use this sling later to lift the finished bar from the pan. Spray the sling with the cooking spray.
To Make the Crust: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, almonds, and salt to combine. Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1 ¼ inches up the sides. (This crust, once it is baked, needs to act as a liner in which to pour the liquidy lemon filling. So be sure to do a good job of pressing the dough up the sides - no cracks!). Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights (you can use dried beans or uncooked rice as pie weights as well). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Carefully remove the pie weights and the liner and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the whole crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
To Make the Filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the almond extract and flour, and whisk just until smooth. (Any longer and your filling will have a rubbery film.) Add the lemon juice, and whisk to just until combined.
To Complete the Bars: Pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm and lightly golden (mine needed 40 minutes). Remove to a wire rack to cool.
- When cool use the parchment sling to lift the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into twelve 3 x 3 ½ - inch bars. Remove from the pan and, using a small sifter, dust with the confectioners' sugar.

Vote!

2011-06-14T16:04:00.000+02:00

Rustic Nectarine Tart

2011-06-08T17:04:00.001+02:00

Nectarines are peaches' less-famous siblings. When it comes to the dessert course, a peach is more likely to show up than a nectarine. Peach cobbler, coconut-peach pie, peach melba, peach crumble... and the list goes on. What about nectarines? Is their smooth, plum-like skin not appealing? I have ditched the peaches (for now at least) and jumped over to nectarines this season. Starting with a beautiful, rustic, yet easy nectarine tart. Can you tell I like tarts?! What really makes this tart so great is the puffed-up, sugary crust. And, come on, how could anything made with puff pastry not taste fabulous? Rating: 5 out of 5.

Rustic Nectarine Tart: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed according to package instructions
- 5 large ripe nectarines (about 1 ¾ pounds) halved, pitted, and sliced ¼ inch thick
- ⅓ cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons seedless red-currant jelly warmed until liquefied

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place folded pastry on a lightly floured work surface; roll out to a 12-by-14-inch rectangle. Trim edges to make even.
- Place pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. With a sharp paring knife, lightly score dough to form a 1-inch border. Using a fork, prick dough inside the border every ½ inch. Sprinkle the border with 2 teaspoons sugar. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 10 minutes (or up to 1 day, covered with plastic wrap).
- Bake chilled dough until puffed and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, gently toss sliced nectarines with 1 tablespoon flour, remaining ⅓ cup sugar, and salt.
- With a fork, press dough inside border to make level; arrange nectarines in rows on top (or pile nectarines on top and then spread evenly).
- Bake, loosely tented with foil, until nectarines have softened, about 10 minutes.
- Brush nectarines with warm jelly. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. To serve, cut into eight pieces.

“This rustic nectarine tart is very easy to prepare, and it looks and tastes
just as sophisticated as the ones from a pastry shop or restaurant.”

Oat & Whole Wheat Scones

2011-06-05T13:34:00.011+02:00

Despite my frequent baking and love for desserts, I am actually a bit of a health freak. I indulge in sweet treats Every. Single. Day… but, with moderation. I love it when I come across a recipe that borders, dare I say it, healthy. Scones in general aren’t the most calorie-bombed snack you can eat, but I found this recipe that even went a step further; whole wheat flour, old-fashioned oats, buttermilk. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? By the way, has anyone realized that “Stressed” is “Desserts” spelled backwards? Rating: 4- out of 5.

Oat & Whole Wheat Scones: adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients: makes 8
- ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ cups old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup dried fruit, roughly chopped (optional)
- 5 ounces (1 ¼ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup buttermilk

Instructions:
- Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar & oats) with dried fruits, if using, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add butter, and mix on medium-low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, and mix until combined.
- Turn out mixture onto a clean work surface. With hands, quickly pat mixture into a rectangle that is 1 ½ inches high. Score rectangle into 8 triangles. Cover with plastic wrap, and transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from the freezer. Place scones 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes.

Sunday morning breakfast.
(not that I would even try baking past noon in 80˚F heat)

Neapolitan Bundt Cake

2011-06-01T16:30:00.002+02:00

Now I know that the poll's winner (banana cream macarons) are long overdue and macarons have been absent from this blog for a while. Truth is, I made them yesterday and they failed :(. Being the pesky little cookies that they are, I've decided to put the macarons on hold for a few weeks... at least till my exam week is over.

However, a beautiful Bundt cake will take their place this week! I got the inspiration for this cake when I was ~~eating~~ licking a naepolitan ice cream a few weeks ago. It made me reminisce of the three-layered neapolitan cake I made when I just started this blog. A three-tiered cake seemed a little ambitious during 75˚F weather, so I went the easy way and combined the three neapolitan flavors into one big & beautiful Bundt cake. Rating: 4 out of 5.

Neapolitan Bundt Cake: adapted from Martha Stewart's Classic Pound Cake

Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 sticks (1 ½ cups) softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 large, room-temperature eggs
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup fresh strawberries, pureed
- 2 drops red food coloring

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a Bundt cake pan. Combine all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, beating until just combined.
- Divide the cake batter in three parts. Add cocoa powder to one of them, mix until just combined. Add pureed strawberries and red food coloring to the second cake batter batch, mix until just combined.
- Spoon the vanilla cake batter into the Bundt pan. Next, the strawberry cake batter, and final, the chocolate cake batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn out the cake onto the rack to cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar, if using. Cake can be kept at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic, for up to 3 days.

“You don't think the strawberry center is too red?”
“Strawberries are red!”
“Oh, right.”

Despite my mother's confidence, I think I went a tad overboard
with the red food coloring. It's all or nothing for me ;)

Vote!

2011-05-31T09:04:00.000+02:00

Summer Strawberry Tart

2011-05-29T15:59:00.020+02:00

After a busy start of the week, followed by an even busier end of the week I finally managed to save a few hours for baking. Well ... cooking more like, because this summer strawberry tart (which I refer to as the "stunning strawberry tart") doesn't really involve baking. As soon as I heard about the 'two for one' deal on strawberries at the grocery store, I knew I would be making one of my all-time favorite dessert. Fresh, fragant strawberries sitting on a pool of vanilla pastry cream, held together by a rich tea biscuit base ... ♥♥♥! Rating: 5 out of 5.

Summer Strawberry Tart: various of my favorite recipes combined.

Ingredients:
- 3 cups rich tea biscuits crumbs
- 8 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
- pinch of salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 200 gr fresh strawberries, cut in vertical slices

Instructions:
- Process the crackers and the butter to a sandy rubble in a food processor and press into the sides and the bottom of a deep-sided fluted tart pan. Put it in the freezer or refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, ¼ cup sugar, vanilla bean with seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining ¼ sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about ½ cup of the hot-milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. Continue adding milk mixture, ½ cup at a time, until it has been incorporated. Pour mixture back into saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove and discard vanilla bean.
- Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter, and beat on medium speed until the butter melts and the mixture cools, about 5 minutes.
- Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Just before using, beat on low speed until smooth.
- Spread the pastry cream onto the bottom of the chilled tart pan, covering the base evenly. Arrange the strawberries gently on top of the pastry cream in a decorative manner. Refrigerator the tart, preferably overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

Lemon Soufflés

2011-05-20T15:04:00.014+02:00

"These individual souffles are easier to make than you might think. To help them rise properly, use upward brush strokes to butter the dishes." I've been long baffled by how easy and quick soufflés are made. They look so impressive; like an airy, pale skyscraper popping up from your ramekin - *giggles*. Besides being easy to make, they're easy to eat because they're so light you can always squeeze room for them after dinner. Light, yet so satisfying. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Lemon Soufflés: adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more, room temperature, for dishes
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for dishes
- 4 large egg yolks
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- ½ cup whole milk
- Garnish: confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter six 12-ounce souffle dishes, and then dust with granulated sugar. Whisk together yolks, flour, zest, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
- Bring milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Slowly pour milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent yolks from cooking. Return mixture to pan, and whisk until thick like a pudding, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain through a sieve, and whisk in butter and lemon juice.
- Beat whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining granulated sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form. Stir a third of the whites into the yolk mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites using a rubber spatula.
- Fill each souffle dish to the top, and smooth. Run your thumb around edges to remove batter from rims.
- Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until souffles rise and are golden, about 16 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve immediately, before souffles lose their height.

Like I said the last time I made souffles, they need to be served immediately,
else they'll defloat.

Triple Citrus Cupcakes

2011-05-14T12:28:00.000+02:00

The joy of making these started right at the supermarket where I stocked up on oranges, lemons and limes. They're sitting bright and beautiful on my kitchen counter. The colors are enough to put me in a happy mood all day :D. I was a little scared to abandon my trusted Magnolia cupcake recipe, and the amount of eggs and lack of baking powder worried me also, but all went very well and the cupcakes exceeded my high expectations. The texture of the cake was lovely, and the glaze added a sweet, yet tangy touch. Rating: 5 out of 5.

Triple Citrus Cupcakes: Martha Stewart - Cupcakes

Ingredients: makes 36
- 3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 3 lemons)
- 3 tablespoons finely grated orange zest (from 2 oranges)
- 3 tablespoons finely grated lime zest, plus more for garnish (from 3 limes)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 9 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour and salt.
- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl every few minutes. Add citrus zests. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla. Add eggs, three at a time, beating until until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in four batches, beating until completely incorporated after each.
- Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full; tap pans on countertop once to distribute batter. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
- To finish, dip tops of cupcakes in glaze, then turn over quickly and garnish with zest. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Citrus Glaze: Martha Stewart - Cupcakes

Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon finely grated citrus zest, such as orange, lemon, or lime
- 3 tablespoons fresh citrus juice, such as orange, lemon, or lime

Instructions:
- Whisk all ingredients until smooth and combined. Use immediately.

A sweet, yet refreshing treat; perfect for this weather ♥!

Vote!

2011-05-11T11:59:00.000+02:00

Green Tea Madeleines

2011-05-11T11:39:00.016+02:00

Classic madeleines are King to me, but I also take joy in toying around with small tweakings to the classic recipe. Case in point: green tea madeleines. It makes so much sense adding green tea leaves to the madeleine batter, as people normally eat madeleines with tea. I found that these were a bit on the sweet side. Perhaps next time I'll omit the honey. But other than that, pure bliss in the form of a madeleine =)! Rating: 4- out of 5.

Green Tea Madeleines: adapted from Mariage Frères, Dorie Greenspan - Paris Sweets
Makes 20 large madeleines

Ingredients:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (105g)
- ½ teaspoon double-acting baking powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar (100g)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (70g, 2½ oz)
- 2 tablespoons green tea leaves

Instructions:
- Sift together the flour and baking powder and keep close at hand. Working with a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and honey together on medium-high speed until they thicken and lighten in color, about 2 to 4 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla. Melt the butter, add 2 tablespoons green tea, and allow the tea to infuse for 3 minutes before starining out the leaves and discarding them. Switch to a large rubber spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Cover the batter with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface to create an airtight seal, and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably longer.
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If your madeleine pan is not nonstick, generously butter it, dust the insides with flour, and tap out the excess. If the pan is nonstick, yo still might want to give it an insurance coating of butter and flour. If it is silicone, do nothing. No matter what pan you have, place it on a baking sheet for easy transportability.
- Divide the batter among the molds, filling them almost to the top. Don’t worry about smoothing the batter, it will even out as it bakes.
- Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, small ones for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and golden and spring back when touched. Pull the pan from the oven and remove the cookies by either tapping the pan against the counter (the madeleines should drop out) or gently running a butter knife around the edges of the cookies. Allow the madeleines to cool on a cooling rack. They can be served ever so slightly warm or at room temperature.

Normally, I dunk stale madeleines in my tea, but with these,
even freshly-baked they're heading towards my tea cup.

Sour Cream Breakfast Buns

2011-05-07T09:07:00.001+02:00

Mother’s Day really is all about breakfast. Breakfast in bed, late breakfast, breakfast at a local diner, or breakfast all day long. I’ve really enjoyed making things with yeast lately, so I’m super happy the sour cream breakfast buns won the poll. The sour cream gives the breakfast buns the most beeeeeeeeeeautiful texture I have ever seen inside a cinnamon bun. Kinda makes me wish I had taken a picture of a sliced bun, but oh well.

I found the recipe on a website called Diana's Desserts. The recipe comes from Marie Beesley, who's been a farm wife for 53 years. I'm guessing in all those years it has been tweaked to perfection because these breakfast buns tasted Amazing!! Rating 5 out of 5.

Sour Cream Breakfast Buns: Diana's Desserts

Ingredients:
- 1 package (2 ¼ teaspoon) active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water (105°F)
- 1 carton (8 oz) sour cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- 3 to 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the icing:
- 1 teaspoon sour cream
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a small saucepan, combine sour cream, granulated sugar, shortening, and salt. Heat and stir over medium-low heat until warm (120°F) and shortening is almost melted. Stir in baking soda. Stir sour cream mixture and egg into yeast. Stir in as much of the flour as you can.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total). Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Grease twelve 2 ½ -inch muffin cups, set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle; spread with softened butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over dough. Roll up, starting from a long side; seal seam. Slice into twelve 1 ½ -inch-wide pieces. Place each bun, cut side down, in a prepared muffin cup.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until ¼ to ½ inch above top of cups (about 45 minutes).
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove buns from pan.
- Combine confectioners' sugar with a teaspoon sour cream, and enough milk to make an icing, of drizzling consistency; drizzle over rolls. Serve warm.

Vote!

2011-05-07T08:25:00.000+02:00

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

2011-05-05T17:55:00.011+02:00

Every year there are a few things that remind me that the month of May is upon us: various national holidays that give me a few days off, temperatures above 70 degrees fahrenheit, but probably my favorite reminder of May are ... strawberries :D! I love how the first batches of strawberries are always enormous ones. They get smaller and smaller as the summer goes by. These cookies are true to their name; tasting more like shortbread than a cookie. They are quite delicate and crumbly, but easy to devour! Rating: 3 out of 5.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into ¼-inch dice (2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
- Using a 1 ½-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

These tender cookies are made with cream and studded with sweet
strawberries for a portable version of a classic dessert.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

2011-05-02T16:13:00.008+02:00

If you have been following this blog for a while, you may have noticed my love for two things: French desserts, and chocolate & peanut butter together. Smearing peanut butter on just a regular bar of chocolate gets tiring after a while so I decided to put in an extra 5 minutes of work and makes these gold-wrapped beauties. They're called "easy" because this recipe instructs that you melt the chocolate and peanut butter in a microwave, but I think I must be the only person in the world who always burns chocolate when microwaving it, so I prefer to use a double boiler. And even then, they're incredibly easy to make and it only takes 10 minutes to freeze them. Rating 4 out of 5.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients: makes 24
- 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)

Instructions:
- Line two 12-cup mini muffin pans with paper liners; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave, until almost melted, 1 to 1 ½ minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, place semisweet chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stirring once or twice, until almost melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Dividing evenly, use a spoon to layer semisweet chocolate and peanut-butter mixture into liners, beginning and ending with chocolate; sprinkle with peanuts. Place muffin pans in freezer until peanut butter cups are firm, about 10 minutes. Bring to room temperature before serving.

A sea of gold gems ♥.

Perfection Pound Cake

2011-04-28T21:00:00.009+02:00

With all the extravagant and delicious desserts to bake, I’m always in search of a great recipe for a pound cake. It’s not that I’m constantly looking for an even better recipe than the previous, I guess it’s more of an excuse for me to bake a pound cake every once in a while. And Dorie Greenspan gave me an excuse to bake one today, as I obviously could not resist making her “Perfection Pound Cake”. And perfection it was – delicious comfort as only a pound cake can give you. Rating: 5 out of 5.

Perfection Pound Cake: Dorie Greenspan - Baking From My Home To Yours

Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 ¼ cups cake flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8-½ x 4-½-inch loaf pan. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, a full 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater and reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 to 2 minutes after each egg goes in. As you’re working, scrape down the bowl and beater often. Mix in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated – don’t overmix. In fact, you might want to fold in the last of the flour, or even all of it, by hand with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top.
- Put the cake into the oven to bake, and check on it after about 45 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. If you’re using a 9×5 pan, you’ll need to bake the cake for 70 to 75 minutes; the smaller pan needs about 90 minutes. The cake is properly baked when a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven, transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan and turn the cake out, then turn it right side up on the rack and cool to room temperature.

I was going bananas over trying to find my cake knife,
which I apparently lost, but the pound cake is so buttery smooth,
any knife while glide right through it.

No-Fuss Fruit Tart

2011-04-21T15:01:00.020+02:00

“So here's the deal: there is pitifully little work to be done to make this berry-dazzler of a tart, and enormous pleasure to be derived from its consumption.”

No-Fuss Fruit Tart: Nigella Lawson - Nigella's Kitchen

Ingredients:
- 27 sheets graham crackers or digestive biscuits (3 cups crumbs)
- 6 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
- 2 (8-ounce) bars cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup lemon curd, at room temperature
- 4 ounces blueberries (1 cup)
- 4 ounces blackberries (1 cup)
- 4 ounces raspberries (1 cup)
- 4 ounces red currants or pomegranate seeds (⅔ cup)
- 4 ounces small strawberries (1 to 1 ½ cups)
- 1 loose-bottomed 10-inch fluted tart pan, 2 inches deep

Instructions:
- Process the crackers and the butter to a sandy rubble in a food processor and press into the sides and the bottom of a deep-sided fluted tart pan. Put it in the freezer or refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a clean processor bowl, process the cream cheese and lemon curd (or just mix by hand) and spread it into the bottom of the chilled tart pan, covering the base evenly.
- Arrange the fruit gently (so it doesn't sink in too much) on top of the lemony cream cheese in a decorative manner, leaving some of the strawberries unhulled, with their picturesque stalks attached.
- Refrigerator the tart, preferably overnight, or for at least 4 hours. It does need to get properly cold in order to set enough for the tart to be unmolded and sliced easily.

Vote!

2011-04-18T22:22:00.000+02:00

Easter Cupcakes & Cakes

2011-04-17T20:40:00.019+02:00

Happy Easter baking!

Much love,

Lemon Trifle Cups

2011-04-14T20:37:00.012+02:00

YOU guys voted for the lemon trifle cups as my Easter dessert and yesterday I gave them a go! I always prefer to make my holiday dessert a few days/weeks before (as a test-run) and I'm sure glad I did, because I hated this lemon trifle. Yes, hated! I don't know where it went wrong; the lemon curd on its own was delicious ... so was the cream ... and the wine-soaked ladyfinger biscuits ... but together ... eh, not so much. But not to worry, I still got a week to find the perfect Easter dessert, so just keep checking in! And if you have any fantastic Easter recipe you want to share, just email me! Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Lemon Trifle Cups: Martha Stewart - Everyday Food

Ingredients:
- 10 Italian ladyfinger biscuits (from half a 7-ounce package)
- ½ cup dessert wine (such as Sauternes or sweet sherry)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup Lemon Curd (see recipe below)

Instructions:
- Place ladyfinger biscuits on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with dessert wine; let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk heavy cream with confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form.
- Place 5 soaked ladyfingers in a 2-quart serving bowl. Top with 1/3 cup lemon or raspberry curd, then half the whipped cream. Top with remaining ladyfingers, 1/3 cup curd, and remaining whipped cream; top with remaining 1/3 cup curd. Refrigerate 3 hours (or up to overnight) before serving.

Lemon Curd: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice
- 8 large egg yolks (egg whites reserved for another use)
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter (10 tablespoons), cut into ½-inch pieces

Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, zest, and egg yolks; whisk in lemon juice and salt.
- Add butter and place pan over medium-high. Cook, whisking constantly, until butter has melted, mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and small bubbles form around the edge of pan, about 5 minutes (do not boil).
- Remove pan from heat while continuing to whisk. Pour curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface of curd and refrigerate until cool.

Just about all I ate from this trifle.
(trust me, normally I would eat it all)

Vote!

2011-04-10T09:51:00.000+02:00

Monkey Bread

2011-04-10T08:58:00.019+02:00

“Making monkey bread lets kids do what they do best - play with their food - while they create something yummy.” I must be a kid then. Because I love getting my hands into food and I love creating something yummy, preferably something sweet! Naturellement, I loved making this. The yeast-scent of the bread, the cinnamon-sugar coating. It's one of those types of bread you can serve for breakfast/lunch/dessert and secretly snack in between those meals as well. Rating: 5- out of 5.

Monkey Bread: Martha Stewart Kids

Ingredients for bread:
- ¼ cup warm water
- 3 ¼ cups flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus pinch for yeast
- ¾ cup milk, warmed
- 2 tablespoons shortening, plus more for pan and bowl
- 1 package yeast

Ingredients for coating:
- 1 stick butter, melted
- ½ cup nuts, chopped (I omitted the nuts, I prefer monkey bread nut-free)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup light-brown sugar

Ingredients for icing: (I omitted the glaze; as if monkey bread isn't sugary enough)
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup milk

Instructions:
- Put the warm water and a pinch of sugar in small bowl; sprinkle yeast over top. Stir; let the yeast soften and dissolve, about 5 minutes.
- Place shortening, warm milk, sugar, salt, and egg in mixer bowl. Grease Bundt pan and a medium bowl.
- Once yeast is dissolved and foamy, add it to mixer bowl; mix well with dough hook. Slowly add flour. Knead on medium-low 1 minute or by hand 5 minutes. Place in the greased bowl; cover with plastic. Set dough in warm place and let rest 20 minutes.
- Make coating: Put melted butter in a bowl. In another bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts; sprinkle 2 tablespoons of nut mixture in Bundt pan. Cut dough into ½-inch pieces. Roll into balls.
- Dip balls in butter, then roll in nut mixture; place in prepared Bundt pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap; let rise about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in pan.
- Turn bread out of pan; cool 20 minutes on rack or plate.
- Make icing: In small bowl, stir milk into confectioners' sugar. Drizzle over bread.

Monkey bread ...

Pinch-me cake ...

African coffee cake ... sticky bread ... golden crown ... bubbleloaf ...

or whatever you want to call it, it is delish!

Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes

2011-04-06T20:29:00.013+02:00

How long do you think ice cream sundaes have been around for? 50 years? 70 years? … How about 119 years? Yep, that’s right. The first documented ice cream sundae was made on April 3rd, 1892 in the United States. There’s still controversy surrounding the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, but I think everyone can agree that it is one of the most delicious American desserts ever invented. I converted a classic sundae (vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles) into a cupcake (vanilla cake, chocolate ganache filling, whipped cream frosting, sprinkles) and enjoyed them as much as the real frozen kind. Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes: Vanilla Cupcakes from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients for cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cup self-rising flour
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for chocolate ganache:
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
- In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
- To make the chocolate ganache, warm the heavy cream and butter with the chocolate, chopped into small pieces, and bring to the boil in a thick-bottomed saucepan, by which time the chocolate should have melted. Remove from the heat and whisk till smooth and thickened. Let cool a little before using.
- Using a sharp, small knife cut out a 1-inch center. Set aside the 'cut-out' cake piece. Fill the cupcake with chocolate ganache. Top the filled cupcakes with the left-over cake piece, pressing down to flatten the cupcake. Continue with remaining cupcakes.

Ice Cream Sundae Frosting: My own recipe.

Ingredients:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
- Whip the heavy cream until it forms firm peaks, place it in the refrigerator to set while you get on with the rest.
- In a medium bowl, mix the shortening, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk together until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Use immediately.

The temperatures are going up, and I'm enjoying it all with ice cream sundae cupcakes!

Vote!

2011-03-31T13:51:00.000+02:00

Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-03-31T12:59:00.016+02:00

Of all the gazillion chocolate chip cookie recipes, this one caught my eye. The word "secret" was alluring, but what won me over was that chocolate-genius Jacques Torres had created the recipe. Jacques Torres, known as “Mr. Chocolate,” is a pastry chef and the master behind the world-renowned chocolate company. Torres’s specialty is in creating fresh, hand-crafted chocolates that are free of preservatives and artificial flavors. The "secret" ingredients in this recipe are bread and pastry flour, which gives the cookies a more cake-like texture ... simply divine! Rating: 5 out of 5.

Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cup packed light-brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups pastry flour
- 1 ½ cups bread flour
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pound (2 ⅔ cups) Jacques Torres House (60 percent cocoa) chocolate or other best-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
- Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I'm not fortunate enough to have tasted real Jacques Torres chocolate,
instead I used Hershey's chips. But the recipe was wickedly delicious anyway.

Raspberry - Blueberry Biscuit Cobbler

2011-03-27T11:00:00.000+02:00

One of the first things I baked when I caught the baking-bug was a peach cobbler. Thinking back about that old Betty Crocker recipe and the canned peaches that I used, makes me cringe. At the time, I had no idea that fresh fruits makes the world of difference when it comes to cobblers. Well, older and wiser I bought the most beautiful raspberries and blueberries. Is it sad that fresh fruits make my day? Rating: 3 out of 5.

Raspberry - Blueberry Biscuit Cobbler: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 1 pint (about 12 ounces) fresh raspberries
- 1 pint (about 12 ounces) fresh blueberries
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ⅓ cup instant tapioca
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Zest of ½ lemon
- ½ teaspoon, plus 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cake flour (not self-rising)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into small pieces
- ¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- Sanding sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, toss together raspberries, blueberries, 1 ¼ cups sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt; stir to combine. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Divide filling among six 10-ounce baking dishes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, remaining ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add yogurt, and stir with a fork to form a moist dough with the consistency of thick cake batter. Using a large spoon, top filling with dollops of dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Brush tops of dough with cream; sprinkle lightly with sanding sugar. Transfer baking dishes to prepared baking sheet; bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until biscuits are golden brown and juices are bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. (If the biscuits are browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.) Cool on a wire rack, at least 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The biscuit topping was moist and reminded me of corn bread.
The fruit filling was luscious, rich and sweet, which kind of caught me
by surprise because normally fruit fillings have a freshness to them.

Fashion Café Pouchkine at Le Printemps

2011-03-24T10:49:00.001+01:00

A few weeks ago I went on a day trip to Paris.
Paris is a 4/5 hour drive away from me so I try to visit it
as much as I can. With only one day, I, of course,
spent it shopping! Avenue Montaigne, Avenue des
Champs-Élysées and not to forget the Printemps.

While I was at the Printemps (a luxury department store),
I had lunch at Fashion Café Pouchkine.

Pouchkine is a legendary café normally based in Moskou.
It has opened up a pâtisserie on floor -1 of the Printemps.
Russian gourmet food meets Parisian elegance.

In celebration of fashion week, pastry chef Emmanuel Ryon has
created several haute pastries inspired by fashion houses
such as Chloé, Dries van Noten and more.

Now I normally save such posts for my other blog French Mademoiselle,
but the whole experience was so amazing and delicious,
it'd be silly not to share it on my food blog.

If you'll remember last year I ate at the exact same place
at Ladurée's Alice In Wonderland Tea Party.

Located between the escalators of the store, Pouchkine
has created an elegant little café.

The walls are covered with Russian decor and beautiful bags.

Glittery Eiffel Towers light up the scene.

The pâtisserie counter is drool-worthy.
(so is the cute waiter, shhh, don't tell anyone)

I ordered a Rose Pouchkine.

From the outside, it looks like a delicate white chocolate flower.

From the inside, a pistachio biscuit with an orchard fruit compote
and a light mousse makes you knees weak.

On the Viennoiseries menu, I ordered a blueberry brioche.

Sweet brioche bread with almonds and a luscious blueberry filling.

Topped it off with a Café au Lait.

And, as a souvenir to bring home with me, I picked up a box
of macarons at Ladurée's macaron counter.

Top: Lemon - Orange Blossom - Rose.
Bottom: Salted Caramel - Raspberry - Green Apple.

If you're in Paris, Fashion Café Pouchkine is definitely to be recommended,
but keep in mind that this “pop up” café will only be at the Printemps till March 26.

Au Revoir,