My Sunday Suppers Summer Desserts

Photos by Karen Mordechai Photography

As you might already know, two weekends ago, I was a guest chef at Sunday Suppers. It was my second time collaborating, but this time I actually had to teach a class myself. I had such a fantastic weekend and I hope those who attended enjoyed it as much as I did.

I was not able to photograph any of the desserts myself because first, I was busy at work trying to get all guests to bake the different components and second, because right before the class started, my entire lower right leg swell up due to a spider bite and I could barely move. I don't even know how I made it through the class. Everyone was a trooper helping out and taking charge in the kitchen. What a great team it was!

Photos by Karen Mordechai Photography

The theme of the night was summer, so I designed a three course menu around summer fruits with a bit of a rustic touch to accompany the rest of Casey and Karen's menu.

The day before at the Union Square farmer's market we found the sweetest berries for the berry consomme and lemon champagne sorbet pre-dessert. A small, tart and refreshing dessert to cleanse the palate.

The main dessert was composed of a bottom layer of pistachio crumble, vanilla roasted nectarines, lemon and almond sponge filled with vanilla mousseline and topped with a quenelle of lemon and mascarpone cream.

We finished off with an assortment of mignardises or small cookies. Pistachio and currant shortbreads, raspberry financiers and pecan sandies.



I loved the simplicity of the tables with the kraft paper, antique flatware and linens, which came to life with the amazing flower arrangements that Jessie of Rountree Flowers put together. Colorful, unexpected... a dramatic contrast to the simplicity of the rest. It was perfection. The menus were once again designed by super talented Erica of Thoughtful Day.

My pre-dessert was served in the most beautiful bowls created specifically for the night by Asya of Gleena Ceramics. Each bowl was uniquely labeled with a number from 1 to 18 representing the 18 guests. Amazing touches like these are the ones that really make Sunday Suppers magical.



For more photos and all the recipes for my desserts, please visit Sunday Suppers (here, here and here).

Thank you Karen and Casey for having me again!... and for those of you who have not attended... what are you waiting for!

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My Sunday Suppers Summer Desserts

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Vanilla Fleur de Sel, Caramel and Chocolate Dobos Torte... back with the Daring Bakers

I can't believe it is the end of August already and time for another Daring Bakers challenge. I was quite disappointed with myself when I wasn't able to finish last month's recipe, but life got so busy that it was impossible. This month hasn't been any different with my trip to New York for Sunday Suppers, my little boy's summer activities, a new school year and a couple of small projects, but I finished it and here it is. Vanilla fleur de sel, caramel and chocolate Dobos Torte.



This is the first chocolate dessert I have made in a long time. The heat makes me crave fruit desserts, ice creams, granitas and such. When I started thinking about how to build this cake, I even thought I was going to temper some chocolate, but I gave up after the first attempt. It just wasn't happening. Too hot and too humid. Even the caramel decorations only lasted an hour. But I have to say it was a hit with my friends and family for whom summer heat is no obstacle when it comes to chocolate and caramel.



If you have never had vanilla fleur de sel, I encourage you to taste it. The contrast of the coarse salt with the warm and sweet vanilla is outstanding. It really made this dessert. It added texture and contrast in flavor that everyone noticed. It can be a bit expensive, but a little goes a long way. There are many purveyors, but I got mine from here.



The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Sponge Cake

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
pinch of salt

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).

2.Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil.

3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes.

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.

5.Spread the batter amongst the sheet pans. Bake at 400F until lightly golden on top, about 7 min. Let the sponge cool.

Vanilla Fleur de Sel, Chocolate and Caramel Buttercream

4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
175 grams caramel syrup
3 grams vanilla fleur de sel

1.Whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.

2.Fit bowl over a water bath. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.

3.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.

4.Fold in the caramel syrup and the fleur de sel.

5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Let it chill for a couple of hours.

Milk Chocolate Chantilly

250 grams heavy cream
90 grams milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1.Boil the cream and pour over the milk chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Let this ganache rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then whip it as whipped cream.

Caramel Decorations

200 grams of sugar

1.In a small saucepan, sprinkle about a quarter of the sugar into an even thin layer.

2.Turn the heat up to medium high. When the sugar starts to melt and turn caramel, sprinkle another 50 grams of sugar approximately and stir gently. The heat from the melted sugar will start to melt the new sugar we added. proceed like that until all sugar has been added and it has melted into a dark caramel.

3.Shock the pan quickly in an ice bath and let the caramel cool slightly until it is not too runny but not too hard.

4.Oil a round cookie cutter that is about 2" in diameter. With a spoon, lift some of the caramel and wrap it around the cookie cutter. It might take a couple of tries to get the consistency right.

5.Let the caramel harden around the ring for a few seconds and then gently remove it. Store the caramel decorations in an air tight container. Depending on the humidity in your kitchen, they might last up to a day.

Assemble the Torte

1. Cut the half sheet pan of sponge in half. Flip over and peel off the parchment from the bottom. Divide the buttercream into five equal parts.

2.Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the first layer of sponge on top of it. Spread one fifth of the buttercream, top with another layer of sponge. Proceed like that until all four layers of sponge are used and finished with a leyr of buttercream. Freeze the cake for an hour to make it easier to cut.

3. Whip the milk chocolate chantilly and reserve in the fridge.

4. Cut the torte into rectangles. Spoon quenelles of the milk chocolate chantilly on top of the torte. Sprinkle vanilla fleur de sel on top and top with caramel circles. Serve immediately.

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Saturn Peach and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream for the Last Days of Summer

Although we still have a few weeks left before we transition into autumn, it seems for us, summer is over as soon as school starts. It will be a new school year, a new school, new friends and all sorts of new adventures and I am ready for it. I am ready for the routine.

This past weekend we celebrated the end of summer with extra hours at the pool and an ice cream party. We still have many days of heat ahead of us, but it was a good way of making the little ones understand the changes that are ahead for them.



It has been the summer of fruit for me. I can't even remember the last time I made a chocolate recipe in this blog. That has not been one of the cravings during this pregnancy, but fruit... yes, plenty of it.

I waited a long time for saturn peaches this time around. They haven't been as abundant in our markets, but I finally found some beautiful ones this week. I'm not sure if technically this is correct, but saturn peaches seem sweeter to me than any other stone fruit. Could this be true? Or maybe it's just my memories of eating them at the beach during my childhood. Nevertheless, I always get extra excited when I find them and this time was no exception.



As I have mentioned many times before, I have a weakness for pistachios. I thought it would be great to create a chunky ice cream with fruit and pistachios. The ice cream recipe is from David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop" and I love the slight tanginess that the sour cream adds to the entire recipe.

The pistachio nougat recipe is a slightly softer version of the traditional nougat and turns a bit into marshmallow once it has been in the ice cream overnight. Loved the texture of it and so did everyone else.



Pistachio Nougat

Makes half a sheet pan

100 grams egg whites
10 grams powdered sugar
275 grams honey
800 grams sugar
170 grams glucose
300 grams water
650 grams pistachios, lightly roasted

In a medium saucepan, cook the sugar, glucose and water to 144C. This will take a few minutes.

In the meantime, roast the pistachios and keep them warm until ready to use.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Start whipping slowly and when they are foamy add the powdered sugar. Continue to whip.

Place the honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When the sugar syrup is at about 130C, add the boiling honey to the whipped egg whites and continue to whip.

When the sugar syrup has reached 144C, remove from heat and start adding it to the egg whites slowly pouring in through the side of the bowl. Keep it close to the edge so the whisk attachment doesn't start spinning the sugar into threads. Add all the syrup and turn it to high speed. Continue whipping until the bowl cools off slightly but it is still warm, about 4 minutes.

At this point, you can do a test of what the consistency of the nougat will be once cooled. Turn machine off and take a small piece of the meringue. Dip it in ice water and see how much it hardens.

When desired consistency has been reached, fold in the warm pistachios and immediately spread on a silpat while it is still warm and pliable. Spread into an even layer. You can dust the top with powdered sugar and use a rolling pin.

Let it cool completely for about 4 hours.

Saturn Peach and Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream

peach ice cream adapted from "The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz

600 grams saturn peaches
125 ml water
150 grams sugar
120 grams sour cream
250 ml heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
175 grams pistachio nougat, chopped into small pieces

Peel and dice the peaches. Place them in a medium saucepan with the watr. Cook them for about 10 minutes until soft.

Remove pot from heat and add the sugar. Transfer the peaches to a clean bowl and let them cool completely. Once cooled, puree them in the food processor.

Add the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and chill completely. Churn in ice cream machine and when desired consistency is reached, fold in the chopped pistachio nougat. Transfer to container and freeze.

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A New York Kind of Weekend, Part II

One of the best parts about my weekend in New York is that I got to stay at my friend Deb's Brooklyn apartment. A charming artist's apartment with lots of character, a beautiful garden and the cutest little kitties. I am guest blogging for her today while she is away somewhere in Montana (lucky her!). You can see more photos here.



Thank you Deb!

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A New York Kind of Weekend, Part II

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A New York Kind of Weekend, Part I

This past weekend, I flew out to New York City for my second Sunday Suppers dinner where I was featured as a guest chef. It was a weekend full of food, friends, laughs and sunshine and I couldn't be more thankful for all of it. The amount of time and dedication that goes into it is unbelievable, but so worth it and I can't thank Karen and Casey enough for their support and friendship.

I will share photos of the actual Sunday Suppers dinner soon, but first I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite images from the day before the dinner at the farmer's market at Union Square. I wanted to cry it was so beautiful.



Before I left for New York, my dear friend Deb offered me to stay at her apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn while she was away on vacation. She is one of the most generous and warm hearted people I have ever met and I will be eternally grateful to her for many reasons. I ended up staying in her super cute, vintage Greenpoint apartment with her two kitties Icky and Max who kept me company.



I flew out to New York on Friday morning. This time around, I really wanted to have a day off to enjoy the city and have some quality time with friends.

I had a three course dessert menu planned for Sunday and lots of prep to do. As soon as I arrived in the city, I headed over to Karen's for a five hour prep session where I got so much done. That always feels great and then had the rest of the night to enjoy dinner with my dear friend Amy Atlas.

She made a reservation at Dos Caminos in SoHo. We talked about life, work, motherhood... and how to balance it all. She is warm, generous, funny, sincere and I am so thankful our paths connected. It was an amazing evening. Thank you Amy!

Sweet Karen Mordechai

The next morning, Karen, Casey and I headed to the Union Square farmer's market to shop for some of the ingredients for the dinner. It was a joy to be there even in the middle of a heat wave. The produce, flowers, dairy farmers, organic growers, wild game, fish... It was a food lovers dream and reminded me very much of the markets back home.

I found the most beautiful and sweet tiny strawberries, red currants and purple blossoms for the berry consomme and lemon champagne sorbet pre-dessert I was going to have the next day. Marigolds and greens for one of Casey's salads, garlic blossoms for the couscous salad, the sweetest and tiniest tomatoes and crates and crates of so much more... A dream.

After the farmer's market, we had lunch at Pastis and then, Casey and I headed to Chelsea Market for some more shopping and gelato. She and I walked around for a bit, visited New York Cake and Baking, laughed, walked down a street fair, laughed some more. It was the perfect ending to a perfect New York day if you ask me.

Photo by Karen Mordechai Photography

There was quite of bit of traveling this summer for me, but this will be my last trip in a few months because as you can see in the last photo, there is a baby growing in my belly and yes, I am getting bigger and bigger everyday. I am just happy I got to do this before life gets a bit crazier.

And to top it all off, Amy finally convinced me of the wonders of Twitter so I'm finally on and you can follow me here. Hope you had a great weekend too!

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Coconut and Lemon Cream Balls for Project Wedding

It has been so hot and humid here that we have been spending most of our time in the pool and away from the scorching heat. These are the times when I really miss my summers back home. My mom tells me about the long walks she takes in the cool mornings and the afternoons at the cafe... and all I want to do is jump on an airplane and head home. Just reading about Bea's trip to her hometown brought tears to my eyes. So beautiful and so similar to my upbringing.




But before I get too nostalgic, let me tell you about my latest contribution for Project Wedding. The theme this time was DIY edible wedding favors, so I decided to go with a simple cookie that takes no time to make and is not too fragile. These are moist coconut cookies scented with a bit of lemon and filled with a coconut and lemon buttercream.

You can read the full article and recipe here. Hope you like it!



Finally, I must thank all of you for your kind words about my portfolio. It's great to see all the time I invested paid off and that it has been well received. Thank you again!

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Coconut and Lemon Cream Balls for Project Wedding

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My Food Styling and Photography Portfolio

This has been a project that has taken me much longer than expected, but I am happy I finally finished it and is live. It was not easy for me to look through all my photos and select my favorite ones, but here they are and here is my food styling and photography portfolio site, www.arangoyoaga.com.

Sometimes I can't believe what a turn my life took when I started this blog, but I'm happy it did and I love what I do.

Thank you very much for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

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My Food Styling and Photography Portfolio

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Red Currant and Poppy Seed Cakes, Arroz con Leche Cupcakes, Summer Galettes and a Week with the Chickenpox

Believe me, I am not exaggerating a bit when I tell you that last week was one of the longest weeks of my life. We were in the middle of some renovations at home and all the anxiety that brings, when my little boy came down with a pretty bad case of chickenpox. The poor thing was covered from head to toe with blisters and red spots and I have never seen him that uncomfortable in my life.

The fever and severe itching only lasted about three days, but we were confined at home for a whole week until all spots were covered with scabs and he was no longer contagious. We did not leave the house for a whole week. Yes, an entire week.



Although I know this is a fairly common childhood illness and there was no need to be alarmed, to see my little one suffer so much and be so sleep deprived from constant itching breaks my heart. The first few days, I just kept giving him oatmeal baths and tried to keep him cool and comfortable. However, that soon passed and then came boredom.

He wanted to go outside and play with friends and didn't understand why he couldn't. He became fascinated with the idea that he had the chickenpox. "The chickenpox? I have the chickenpox?", he would say. So what do we do in our family when we run out of puzzles, books, games and movies (and we watched a lot of them!)? We bake.



The first day, he helped me make arroz con leche, which is our go to comfort dessert. We make it when we are happy, when we just want to watch a movie and snuggle or when we are sick. From that came the idea of reserving some of the milk and using that to make cupcakes, which everyone loved.

We used the arroz con leche cooking milk to flavor the cupcakes and the custard we used as a filling. We even soaked the cupcakes with some of the milk while they were still hot. Very, very moist. And we topped them with a meringue icing.

The following day we made galettes with nectarines, red currant and gooseberries and some leftover sugar dough I had in the freezer. We also made buttermilk, poppy seed and red currant mini pound cakes and even baked some of the batter in individual glass jars for something fun and different.



I have to say that the uncomfortable and painful stage of the chickenpox is gone, but the poor thing is still covered in spots and scabs. We did leave the house this past weekend for the first time and I have to admit, grocery shopping has never been so exciting in my life.

Red Currant and Poppy Seed Cakes

Makes 3 small loaves or 1 large one

170 grams butter, room temperature
250 grams sugar
1 tsp vanila extract
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
180 grams buttermilk
180 grams flour
4 grams baking powder
3 grams salt
7 grams poppy seeds
100 grams fresh red currants

Cream the butter and sugar together until light. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

Add the eggs one at a time and scrape to incorporate well.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix. Add the buttermilk and mix. Add the poppy seeds and fold in the red currants.

Pour the batter into pans and bake at 350F for about 25-30 minutes.

Nectarine, Red Currant and Gooseberry Galettes

Makes about 3 galettes

2 nectarines, peeled and sliced
25 grams red currants
25 grams gooseberries
15 grams flour
10 grams vanilla sugar
pinch salt

Toss the filling ingredients together.

Roll sugar dough to about 1/8" thickness. Cut circles that are about 10" in diameter. Place the filling in the middle and fold edges over. Brush edges with egg wash and sprinkle some sugar.

Bake at 400F for about 20-25 minutes until bottom golden brown.

Arroz con Leche Cupcakes

Makes a dozen cupcakes

110 grams butter, room temperature
200 grams sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
125 grams arroz con leche cooking milk
175 grams flour
7 grams baking powder

Cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add lemon zest. Add eggs one at a time and scrape the bowl well.

Add the flour and baking powder and mix. Add the arroz con leche cooking milk and mix until combined.

Divide the cupcake batter into the cupcake papers and bake at 350F for about 25 minutes.

Arroz con Leche Custard

250 grams arroz con leche cooking milk
1 cinnamon stick
Zest of a lemon
3 egg yolks
40 grams sugar
25 grams cornstarch
75 grams butter, cold and cut into small pieces

We are going to make a pastry cream with all the ingredients. Place the arroz con leche cooking milk, cinnamon, lemon zest and half of the sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a light boil.

Whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. When the milk mixture comes to a light boil, temper it into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk to incorporate and then return this to the saucepan. Cook while constantly whisking until the custard thickens.

Remove the cinnamon stick and transfer the custard to a clean bowl. Whisk to slightly cool the custard down and start adding the cold butter while whisking. This will cool it down and make it shiny and creamier.

Place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming and chill.

Swiss Meringue

200 grams egg whites
400 grams sugar

Mix the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl over a water bath and whisk until sugar starts to dissolve, the mixture turns very white and fluffy and feels very hot to the touch.

Place the bowl in the mixer and whip the meringue until thick and the bowl feels cool.

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Red Currant and Poppy Seed Cakes, Arroz con Leche Cupcakes, Summer Galettes and a Week with the Chickenpox

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