Financier

Financiers, a small French cake, are as rich as the bankers they were named for. The financier is a light, moist teacake, sweet, tender and beautiful in their simplicity...........

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Eclairs

I have made eclairs and i have made eclairs, also i have made cream puffs but what is the difference between a cream puff and an eclair? Both are made with choux pastry, so, shape is only essential difference. Every time i make a batch of choux pastry, i will pipe some round and some long. To my grand kids, don't ask if they want cream puffs or eclairs. Renee will say she wants the round ones and Alexander prefers the long ones - no name calling. To me, somehow the round ones - cream puffs are more photogenic but eclair is the ugly duckling...............

To continue reading and the recipe with how-to is HERE

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Madeleines - Chef Daniel Boulud

This has been my 6th times that i have been on this page. Have been trying to post this but has always been interrupted by calls or whatever?? I hope i made it this time in posting this recipe. This following recipe was originally published in the cookbook “Chef Daniel Boulud – Cooking in New York City.” I knew this recipe would produce good Madeleines, as i have good faith in Chef Daniel Boulud to publish a reliable recipe. He did and this recipe is easy and a keeper. I have changed the method and instead of dusting with confectioner's sugar as suggested, i hae coated one end with melted chocolate to enhance the appearance as well as improving the flavor.

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Brioche Bread

Brioche is a light but rich French bread  made with a yeast dough enriched with eggs, milk, and butter. This recipe i am sharing is one which is made with oil and in a bread machine. 

The recipe for Brioche Bread is HERE Read More......

Almond Tuiles

It was the year 2000 that i was in Paris and it was there and then that i was introduced to authentic french cuisine. Thien, our dear family friend was home in Paris and we decided to join him. His Papa and Maman graciously took us in and not only did we get boarded, we had most of our meals catered for by Papa and Maman.

Papa would get up early every morning and go to the best bakery to get the freshest baguette available. Manan would get up earlier and she would start baking. We did not need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning.  Her bakings smelled so good and the fragrance of her baking was our morning call. I had wanted so much to learn baking from her but unfortunately she could not wait for me to wake up and every morning, perfect pastries were laid out all ready for breakfast.



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Raspberry Danish Spirals

As the title denotes, these Spirals are made from the Danish dough. It is to be noted that it is important to make  a full recipe of danish dough or the sufficient layering will not be achieved, although you only need half of the dough.  An 'oven proof' jam containing a gelling agent that will not not melt out during baking is preferable.  Look out for the 'gelling agent' under the 'ingredients' label from the jam bottle


Ingredients:

One half of the recipe of The Danish Dough

3 1/2 ozs/1/2 cup/100 g granulated sugar
1 tsp/1.3 g ground cinnamon
3 1/2 ozs/1/2 cup/100 g chopped walnuts
1 large egg lightly beaten to be used as glue
12 ozs/3/4 cup/340 g seedless raspberry jam

Method:

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle 1/2 inch (6 mm) thick.  Using a pizza cutter, trim the edges of the dough so they are straight.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts together.

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the dough with the beaten egg and evenly sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon and nut mixture over half of the dough,  Using hands, spread the mixture evenly.

Fold the unfilled half of the dough over the sugar, cinnamon, and nut mixture and, using a rolling pin, lightly roll over the dough so both sides adhere.

Using a pizza cutter. cut the dough crosswise into 1/2 inch(1.25 cm) thick strips.

Working with each strip separately, gently pull a strip lengthwise to stretch it slightly and twist it over and over until it is tightly wound.  Coil the twisted dough around itself to form a spiral and place the coil on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Repeat with the remaining strips.

Allow the spirals to proof in a proof box at no higher than 85f(30c) for approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour or until they appear puffy.  (i do not have a proof box, so i cover loosely, the sheet pan with plastic wrap and then cover with a damp cloth).
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Make an indentation in the center of each  coil and fill with some jam.

Preheat the oven to 400f(205c).

Bake the spirals for 10 - 12 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

While the spirals are still hot, drizzle each with the sugar icing. Sorry - no sugar icing for Lily and family.

This Croissant is made from Danish Dough and is cut differently from "The Croissants i made with Croissant Dough.  The base is 2 1/2 inch and the height is 10 inches.
Serves
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Croissants

There are so many masters showing how to make croissants and i am overwhelmed but after spending hours reading and watching youtube, i think i am ready to make some.  I am not very happy with the appearance of my croissants as i think they looked like Mr. Crab.  I ate the ones i opened up for pictures and i could not stop eating them - they were light, crispy on the outside and the inside is soft and buttery, unlike the ones you get from the store which are all air.  I am glad, i followed the advice of a croissant master whose advice is - "You don't actually need to proof croissants very long. The longer you proof them the more air they take in and the weaker they'll taste. Try not proofing them and you'll be amazed at how much better they will taste. proofing is great if you're selling them - makes the buyer think he's getting more - all they're actaully getting is more air which robs them of intensity. Cheers from the croissant master."

Armed with the book - About Professional Baking - The essentials by Gail Sokol, i made croissants.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm(110f)
3 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 cups/10 ozs/285 g bread flour
2 cups/9 ozs/255 g all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups/12 ozs/340 g unsalted butter, cold but not hard(leave at room temp for 30 mins to soften slightly)


Method:

Croissant Base Dough

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment on low speed, blend the honey, brown sugar, and lukewarm milk until well combined.

Sprinkle the yeast over the milk mixture and blend on low speed.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together both flours.  On low speed, add the flours, the vinegar, and the salt to the milk and yeast mixture.  Blend until a soft dough forms.  If the dough feels too sticky, add another 1/2 to 1 oz(15 - 30 g) all purpose flour.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.  Do not overknead.  Using your hands, shape the dough into a rough rectangle about 1 - 2 inches(2.5 to 3 cm) thick.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for about 30 minutes.

Preparing the Butter to be enclosed : 

Place a sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface and lay the butter in the center of it.  Place another piece of plastic wrap on top.

Hit the butter with a rolling pin until it softens.  Once it has softened a bit, roll the butter into a 6 - 12 inch(15 by 30 cm) rectangle.  Chill the butter while the dough is being rolled out.

Enclosing the butter:

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 10 bu 15 inch(25 by 37.5 cm) rectangle.  Peel one sheet of plastic off the butter and flip the butter onto the middle of the dough, lining up the butter with the dough so that the butter covers approximately two thirds the length of the dough.

Fold the unbuttered third of the dough up over the center.  Then fold the remaining buttered third over the top, just like a letter is folded.  Be sure to pull the edges of the dough being folded over so they match the edges of the dough underneath.  Press to make sure the edges are sealed.  If the edges do not eal, brush a small amount of water on the bottom layer to act as glue.

Completing One Three-fold or Letterfold Turn:

Rotate the dough 90 degrees so that when the dough is rolled out, the open ends become the short sides of the rectangle.  Again, roll out the dough to a 10 by 15 inch(25 by 37.5 cm) rectangle and fold it in thirds like a letter.  This completes one three-fold turn.  Using a pastry brush, brush off any excess flour.  Press one finger into the dough to show one turn has been completed.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for 1 hour.  A marker can also be used to mark the plastic wrap to show the number of turns completed.

Repeat rolling, folding, and marking the dough with a finger to show the number of turns completed two more times for a total of 3 three-fold turns, chilling the dough in between each completed turn.  After three turns have been completed, wrap the dough twice in plastic wrap and chill it overnight in the refrigerator.  Because the yeast in the dough will cause it to expand overnight, be sure to wrap the dough securely.

The above makes one recipe of croissant dough, using one half in this recipe and reserving the other half for another use.

Rolling and cutting croissants:

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into 12 by 16 inch(30 by 40 cm) rectangle.  The dough should be approximately 1/8 inch(3 mm) thick.  Brush off any excess flour and sqaure off the edges using a ruller and a pizza cutter.

Using a pizza cutter and a ruler, remeasure the length of the dough and cut it in half crosswise.  Do not separate the two halves.  Cut down the length of the entire rectangle, dividing it into thirds beginning at one of the short sides.  There shoud be a total of six(6) rectangles.

Separate the six rectangles and cut each one diagonally to form two triangles.  There should be total of 12 triangles.  If at any point in rolling the dough and it becomes too soft, gently place it on a sheet pan and chill it for 10 - 15 minutes.

Using the pizza cutter, make a small 1/2 inch(1.2 cm) slit at the base of each triangle.  Taking one triangle, gently roll over it with a rolling pin so its length is stretched about 50% longer than its original length.  Do not press down hard with the rolling pin or the layers will be flattened.  Using both hands, gently pull the base so that it widens out even more and begin to roll the triangle from the base, pulling the tip of the triangle to elongate it.  Roll it into a tight crescent shape, making sure that the tip of the triangle is tucked underneath the crescent so it will not unroll during baking.  Place the croissant on a parchment-lined sheet pan, curving the ends to resemble a crescent as it is placed on the baking sheet.  Repeat slitting, rolling and shaping the remaining chilled dough to make a total of 12 croissants, maintaining a space between each one.  Place the croissants in a proof box set at no highter than 85f(39c) for 1 hour until they appear spongy and puffed (i do not have a proof box so i left the sheet pan, covered on the kitchen counter).

Preheat the oven to 425f(219c).

Spritz the croissants lightly with water using a spray bottle before placing them in the oven(oops i forgot to do this).  Once the croissants are in the oven, reduce the temperature to 400f(205c).  Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate the pan and continue baking the croissants for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until they are golden brown.(i baked another 5 minutes only cos i was on convection).

Serves
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Palmiers

A quick cookie, something simple, yet flashy, with very little work on my part, but not so quick if you are to make the pastry from scratch but i guarantee a quick rendezvous in the kitchen with near instant cookie gratification. This cookie conundrum is the PALMIER, or elephant ear cookie, or little hearts which is a French Classic.

This cookie, due to its simplicity, pairs well with many other desserts or after dinner espresso, coffee, and tea. What a very fragrant way to end a meal!  A simple addition of spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom or vanilla sugar together with nut powder, is a good variation. The palmier can also be reworked into a great savory "appetizer" if you want; instead of using sugar, nut powder and spices, replace the sugar with grated Parmesan and roll into it a very thin layer of pesto.

Ingredients:

Lots of granulated sugar


Puff pastry or Pastry Dough for Apple Turnovers

Parchment Paper or a Silpat baking mat
Method:

Preheat the oven to 425f.

Sprinkle half of the sugar on a cutting board. Unfold the puff pastry and press it down into the sugar. Sprinkle the other half of the sugar on top of the puff pastry and spread it around with your fingers, brushing off the sugar that doesn’t stick to the pastry.

Fold the sides of the puff pastry in to the center. Fold the pastry again so there are four layers. Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry across the short side into 1 inch slices. For the best results cut straight down, not back-and-forth like with bread or steak.

To bake, take the sliced pieces and place them cut side down on the baking sheet. Unfold them slightly and pinch the center bottom so as to form a V shaped cookie  Bake until the tops are slightly golden (about 7 minutes) and remove from the oven. Flip them over and put back in the oven another 4 or 5 minutes or so - until the tops and sides are nicely browned  and the sugar has caramelized.

 Remove and let cool, then eat!

Serves
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