Friends I Can Rely On and BlogHer Food'10

Sometimes it's hard to explain all the little obstacles that come along with being an ex-pat. Having to leave all friends and family behind, all contacts and all resources to start a new life somewhere else. I came into this country with two suitcases, one filed with clothes, the other with books and CDs. All my possessions, or so I thought at that time.



I suppose those were indeed all my possessions, my material ones, but there is always something else in one's life beyond the material. A support system is the thing that perhaps I underestimated the most when I left my home. Don't get me wrong, I came here for love and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world, but now I realize how much more difficult life can be without that support system, which is built through years of belonging in one place.

The people you know to call when you need something specific, the friends that will watch your kids when you need to run to the doctor, the ones that know someone who knows someone...



You might be wondering why I'm mentioning this to you now. Well, I suppose having children changes everything. The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" has never felt so true to me. Having people we can rely on and trust becomes a necessity. You see, I am leaving for San Francisco this Thursday to attend BlogHer Food '10. I am utterly excited to be there, catch up with dear friends and connect with new ones. (Perhaps you might even be there this weekend and if so, please come by and say hello!).

But there is a lot of planning that goes on with leaving for so many days. Making sure the kids are looked after, maintaining a routine, being fed... Yes, kids require a lot and this trip was no different.



It was my friend Karen who came to the rescue this week. Sometimes when I most need it, she comes to my rescue always with a smile and pure generosity. I couldn't ask for a better friend who I can trust and rely on. Always. And she never asks for anything in return. That is what I'm talking about.



My way of paying her back is always through food. I don't think I have ever met a person so grateful for everything I make. It makes me happy to see her enjoy all my experiments or even my everyday staples, like a simple lentil soup. So of course, I cooked and baked for her to show her my appreciation.

A plate full of quinoa spaghetti with roasted golden baby beets, red kuri squash, bacon, garlic and chilis. So simple, but so much flavor.

For dessert, these black plum, almond and chocolate cakes. Gluten free and so moist. Almost like a brownie.



She was happy and that made my day.

If you attending BlogHer Food '10, I will see you there. Can't wait.

Roasted Golden Baby Beet, Squash and Bacon Quinoa Spaghetti

makes 2 servings

2 bunches of baby golden beets, peeled
1/2 medium red kuri squash, peeled and sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 slices of bacon, sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 Tbs red chili flakes
8 oz quinoa spaghetti (or any kind you like)
Beet greens or spinach

Toss the beets and red kuri squash with the olive oil and salt. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 20-30 minutes or until tender.

Place the bacon in a pan and start browning it. Add the garlic when it starts to get some color and the red pepper flakes. Set aside.

In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water. Reserve a little bit of the cooking liquid and drain. Toss the pasta with the bacon, garlic and roasted vegetables. Add a little bit of the cooking liquid if needed. Serve with some beet leaves or spinach.

Plum, Almond and Chocolate Cakes

makes 6 4" cakes

2 eggs
1/2 cup (100 grams) cane sugar
1/2 cup or 1 stick (110 grams) butter or non-hydrogenated shortening
2 oz (55 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup (120 grams) almond flour
1/4 cup (40 grams) superfine brown rice flour
2 Tbs (20 grams) cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 black plums, sliced

Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set this over a water bath to melt. Let it cool slightly.

Sift the dry ingredients together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Add the melted chocolate and butter and whisk. Add the sifted dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

Spray molds with cooking spray. Divide the batter between the molds and top with the slices of plum.

Bake at 375F for about 20-25 minutes or until center cooked.

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Friends I Can Rely On and BlogHer Food'10

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{Cooking for Friends} Heirloom Tomato, Rice and Almond Tart

I think there is an erroneous perception that chefs become chefs so they can eat. Don't get me wrong, I love good food and I love to eat. I love tasting fresh ingredients cooked to perfection, but I don't think that is why I became a chef. For me, it is all about the process of creating something with my hands and my palate, something that I can share with others.

Perhaps it's a way of getting approval or a need to please others. I am not sure. I have asked myself this question many times.



When I have to cook for myself, I always resort to simple, no fuss dishes, but I get tremendous pleasure from cooking for others. I watch their facial expressions as they eat the first morsel, I ask them to describe it for me and probably, bore them to death with my persistence.



My dear friend Karen is my guinea pig. I love cooking for her because she is one of those people that welcomes everything I make with the biggest heart and smile. She appreciates life, friends and good food like no other. She and I can spend endless hours talking about food and in fact, we do.

So last Friday morning I decided to make this tomato tart just for her. "Do you have any dinner plans?", I asked. "No", she replied. "Ok, now you do".



The tart is super crumbly with a brown rice and almond crust, filled with arborio, parmesan, slices of heirloom tomatoes and a breadcrumb, almond and parmesan topping. All flavored with herbs and olive oil. Served with a salad is a perfect lunch or light dinner.

And I have to say, Karen gave me the thumbs up.

Rice and Almond Short Dough

55 grams (1/3 cup) sweet rice flour
50 grams (1/3 cup) superfine brown rice flour
50 grams (1/3 cup) almond flour
40 grams (1/3 cup) potato starch
1 grams ( 1/4 tsp) xanthan gum
3 grams (1/2 tsp) salt
115 grams (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten

In the food processor, pulse together the six first ingredients. Add the cold, diced butter and pulse about 10 times or until butter is cut into the flour into small pieces. Add the beaten egg and pulse until lightly comes together. Turn the dough onto your work surface and press it together. Wrap it in plastic wrap, flatten it and form it into a disk and refrigerate for about an hour.

Roll the pastry between two sheet of parchment. It is very delicate so it's easier to use parchment. Fill the tart mold with the pastry and cut the excess dough. It might tear a little but just press it back together. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

Cover the tart mold with a piece of parchment and place pie weights or beans on top to blind bake it. Bake in a 350F oven until edges start to brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake for another 5-7 minutes.

Filling

2 cups cooked arborio rice
10 grams (1/2 cup) parmesan cheese, grated
salt
pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
450 grams (1 lb) Heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Fill pre-baked tart mold with it. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top.

Topping

50 grams (1/2 cup) gluten free breadcrumbs
20 grams (2 Tbs) almond flour
5 grams (1/4 cup) parmesan cheese, grated
20 grams (2 Tbs) olive oil
Parsley, chopped
Thyme, chopped
Basil, chopped

Mix all ingredients together and sprinkle on top of the sliced tomatoes.

Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes until tomatoes soft and topping is golden brown.

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Butterscotch Smoked Almond, Raspberry Vanilla and Peach Basil... A Trio of Frozen Treats

Summers are always full of activity and hassle around here. I have been meaning to write about these ice creams and sorbets for days now, but something always seemed to come up. And aren't summers about relaxing and not rushing anyway?

The oven has been turned off for the most part. This heat and humidity deserve nothing but a freezer full of frozen treats and that is what we have been up to. As I mentioned to you in my last post, I spent an entire day in the kitchen making ice cream and sorbet bases. This is when I wish I had a commercial grade ice cream maker or even better, a PacoJet.



There are very different palates in this household so when it's time for ice cream, I must take into account everyone's preferences. The fact that I cannot have any dairy at the moment, certainly limits my choices of ice cream. That is really not that big of a deal as I prefer fresh fruit sorbets in the summer when fruit is so luscious.

These peaches were super ripe and juicy. I love their color once they were blanched and peeled. So bright. I made a simple syrup flavored with some of my own thai basil and lemon thyme and then added the pureed fruit. Once frozen I served it with a little bit of raspberry syrup and fresh raspberries. Amazing.



When we move to C's flavor territory, he wants chocolate, vanilla, nuts, caramel... All those flavors that I reserve for colder months. I had to grant his wish for ice cream sandwiches with gluten free fudge cookies and butterscotch and smoked almond ice cream. For a minute, I almost licked the spoon as I was making the butterscotch anglaise with all that muscovado and vanilla bean. Almost.



J. is always simple. Vanilla ice cream. Not many add-ons or texture contrast. He is a boy of simple needs, but I did sneak in some raspberries in there for these vanilla and raspberry swirl ice cream cones. The cones were also used as bribing mechanism to prolong a modeling shoot I had with miss D. She was a trooper, but once she was done with the ice cream, that was it. She was done, done.



Our sumer travels begin this week with our trip to Seattle where I will be visiting family, friends and teaching a small workshop. The class is full and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I can't wait to get there and smell the rugged Pacific NW sea. It has been too long.

Peach, Basil and Lemon Thyme Sorbet

600 grams fresh peach puree (from about 6-7 peaches)
150 ml water
150 grams sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1-2 Tbs fresh basil and lemon thyme leaves, to taste

Make a syrup with the water and the sugar by bringing them to a boil. When sugar dissolves, turn the heat off, add the herbs and let them steep in the syrup for a couple of minutes. Taste it to see the intensity you like. Strain the syrup and let it cool completely. Refrigerate for an hour or until chilled.

Blanch the peaches in boiling water for a few seconds to peel the skins. Shock them in ice water. The skin will come right off. Cut the flesh and puree it in the food processor. We want about 600 grams of puree.

Mix the peach puree with simple syrup and lemon juice. Churn in ice cream machine. Add a few leaves of lemon thyme at the end if you would like. Freeze.


Butterscotch and Smoked Almond Ice Cream

450 grams heavy cream
250 grams whole milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped and seeded
75 grams butter
150 grams muscovado sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 egg yolks
125 grams smoked almonds, coarsely chopped

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the muscovado. Don't caramelize it or it will turn bitter, only melt them. Add the heavy cream, milk and salt and bring them to a boil.

Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and temper the liquid into them. Return the custard back to the pot and cook on low heat until it reaches 84C or 183F. Strain the custard through a fine sieve and chill it over an ice bath. When cooled, refrigerate the mixture overnight. Churn it in the ice cream machine and add the chopped smoked almonds at the end. Freeze.


Vanilla and Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream

500 grams whole milk
140 grams heavy cream
150 grams sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
6 egg yolks
175 grams raspberries
40 grams sugar

Place the whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla bean and half of the first amount of sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. In the meantime, whisk together the egg yolk and the other half of sugar in a medium bowl. Temper the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking. Return this to the pan and cook to 84C or 183F. Strain the ice cream base through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and chill over an ice bath. When cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

In the meantime, macerate the raspberries with the 40 grams of sugar (even mash them a bit) until sugar dissolves and juices come out.

Churn the vanilla ice cream base in the ice cream machine. When finished, add the raspberries, mix and transfer to a container and freeze.

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Butterscotch Smoked Almond, Raspberry Vanilla and Peach Basil... A Trio of Frozen Treats

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Strawberry, Apple and Buckwheat Crumble and a Salad

Strawberry season is in full bloom in Florida. This year, it was delayed a bit by the unusually cold winter, but it's here now and we are taking full advantage of it.

Every year, we love to take the kids strawberry picking. They love getting down and dirty and eating the berries right off the plant. One of the best pleasures in life, if you ask me. So earlier this week, we packed up the car with kids and snacks and headed north to the Dekker Family Farms in Ft. Pierce.



It was a gorgeous day with blue sunny skies and a nice breeze. The drive alone was worth the trip with endless green fields, cows, citrus groves and the windows down.

Dekker Family Farms is a hydroponic grower. This was my first time in a farm of this nature where everything grows vertically in pots. We picked strawberries, arugula, rainbow chard, lettuce and herbs. I have to admit that although the produce was beautiful, something was missing for me. Getting my hands dirty, knealing... It was just not the same experience. The kids enjoyed it regardless and their baskets were overflowing with berries.



We came home and baked these little bowls of gluten-free apple and strawberry compote topped with buckwheat and almond crumble inspired by Y's strawberry and buckwheat pairing. So so delicious.

A small salad of radishes, strawberries and goat cheese was also on the menu. Fresh, sweet and spicy.



Strawberry, Apple and Buckwheat Crumble

300 grams strawberries
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 vanilla bean, seeded
25 grams sugar
10 grams cornstarch

Toss all ingredients together and place in bowls. Top with buckwheat and almond crumble.

100 grams butter, cold and cut into small pieces
100 grams sugar
100 grams buckwheat
100 grams almond flour
1/4 tsp salt

Mix the sugar, buckwheat, almond flour and salt in a bowl. Add the cold diced butter and work it into the flour until a crumb forms and small pieces of butter remain.

Top the fruit with the crumble (it makes more than what you will need). Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until fruit starts to bubble over. If the crumble turns dark before the fruit is bubbling, cover with aluminum foil.

The rest of the unused crumble may be frozen until next time.

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Strawberry, Apple and Buckwheat Crumble and a Salad

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Gluten Free Lemon and Almond Meltaways

We went on a camping trip this past weekend. It had been almost a year since we had done so and it was about time. I was a little bit nervous about how I would manage with M., but it turned out to be a great experience. A cold one, very cold one, but fun.

We brought all kinds of food and goodies. We always have to have cookies and snacks when we go camping. Plenty of cookies, hot chocolate, s'mores... Sandies and meltaways are a favorite in our house. I think the extra powdered sugar makes everyone giddy.



You might be wondering why I am baking so many gluten free desserts now. What happened to Cannelle Et Vanille, you might be wondering. Well, I am currently having all kinds of blood drawn and lots of tests done, all to try to find out the root cause of all my autoimmune disorders. Yes, all. There are several and not fun. Gluten intolerance might be one of the causes and so while I wait for my results, we are living gluten free.

If you know anyone with inexplicable health problems, chances are they have an immune disorder. My mom teases me because talking about the immune system has turned out to be one of my favorite topics lately. It's worth exploring to say the least. This is a great resources right here and great, great article here.



I am loving testing old recipes with new flours and trying to make adjustments. These cookies were so easy to adjust that I got them right on the first batch. I promise you they will not disappoint. They melt in your mouth and no one will ever know they are gluten free.



Gluten Free Lemon and Almond Meltaways

115 grams buter
95 grams powdered sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
100 grams sweet rice flour
40 grams cornstarch
35 grams sorghum flour
20 grams amaranth flour
20 grams almond flour
1/2 tsp salt

Cream the butter, powdered sugar and lemon zest together. Add the lemon juice and mix. Combine all the dry ingredients and add them to the mixer. Cream until all comes together.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment and shape it into a log that is about 2 inches in diameter. Use the parchment to tighten the log and form a nice cylinder.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.

Cut the log into 1/4 inch thick disks. Place these on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 350F for about 12 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet.

When they have cooled a bit but they are still warm, covered them in powdered sugar.

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Gluten Free Lemon and Almond Meltaways

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Roasted Apples with Almond and Muscovado Crumble and Marzipan Ice Cream

In a little bit over a month, mine will officially be considered a full term pregnancy. I still cannot wrap my head around it and although I have been through it once before, I feel like I am starting from zero once again. It is hard to imagine that we will have another little person added to our family unit, which will forever change our lives. So I suppose this means I have entered what it is called the nesting period. I had not given it much thought until this past week when I found myself cleaning, collecting, reading and making lists.

On top of it all, as the days are shorter and we become accustomed to our fall routine, I have been cooking and baking a lot more comfort foods. Soups, stews and easy tarts are part of our daily repertoire. I realized going through my pantry that I have not used a single sheet of gelatin in weeks, but on the other hand, I cannot keep my nut bins filled to save my life. That to me says a lot.



I was on the phone with my mom this past week when she told me about the compota de reinetas she always makes during the cold months with reineta apples, dried fruit, cinnamon and a touch of sugar. It reminded me of the smell of her kitchen and as soon as I hang up the phone, I started roasting some apples myself.

Reinetas are nearly impossible to find here, so I used Pink Ladies and Galas. They are firm, very acidic yet sweet, which make a great baking apple. I sliced them horizontally and layered them with a gluten free almond and muscovado sugar crumble and to accompany them a fall/winter favorite, marzipan ice cream.



My little boy and his best friend D. played a lot outside this week and even modeled for me. They collected pine cones, dead leaves and talked about their Halloween plans while D. tried on her new rain boots. They crack me up and I love their dynamics. We also planted new herbs like stevia, mini purple basil and feverfew, which I have never had before. I hope they last.



Gluten Free Almond and Muscovado Crumble

Note: Makes more than what you will need. Freeze the rest.

100 grams butter, softened
50 grams sugar
50 grams muscovado sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
100 grams rice flour
120 grams almond meal
pinch of salt
80 grams raw almonds, chopped

Cream the butter, sugar, muscovado and vanilla bean seeds with the paddle attachment. Add the rice flour, almond meal and salt and mix. Add the chopped almonds and mix until crumbly.

Roasted Apples with Almond and Muscovado Crumble

Slice 4 apples horizontally. Keep the top, but core the rest of the layers. Place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the crumble in between the layers and in the cavities.

Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until tender. You can baste them with a bit of melted butter in the process if the apples seem a bit too dry.

Marzipan Ice Cream

650 ml heavy cream
350 ml whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
170 grams marzipan, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 egg yolks
80 grams sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract

Place the heavy cream, whole milk and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.

In the meantime, place the cubed marzipan in the food processor. When the heavy cream and milk mixture comes to a boil, remove about 1/2 cup of liquid approximately and add it to the marzipan while the food processor is running. This will break up the marzipan and turn it into a creamy paste.

Add the marzipan mixture to the saucepan with the heavy cream and return to a simmer.

In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl. Temper in the marzipan mixture while whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and cook until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon (84C or 183F). Immediately strain the custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Add the almond extract.

Cool the ice cream base over an ice bath and then refrigerate for about 4 hours. Churn in ice cream machine and freeze.

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Roasted Apples with Almond and Muscovado Crumble and Marzipan Ice Cream

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Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With..."

I was so excited when Kristina Gill of Design Sponge asked me if I'd be interested in creating and photographing a recipe for "In The Kitchen With...". "Of course!", I said. It is one of the sections that I always look forward to visiting.

I was thinking of flavors for the recipe and lemons, and lemonade in particular, kept coming to mind. I thought it had to be something refreshing for the summer heat. And then, I remembered the photo of Claire Clarke's "lemon meringue" in one of my favorite pastry books "Indulge". I went with different components, but kept a similar look.



I started out with a lemon and almond paste sponge, topped with layers of lemon cream, buttermilk panna cotta and topped with baked meringue sticks. So refreshing. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.



You can see the full article, photos and recipes here. Thank you Kristina!

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Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With..."

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Cherry, Blackberry and Almond Crisp

I have been a bit under weather ever since our trip back and have not been able to spend much time in the kitchen. But the first cherries of the season have started to arrive and although I love eating them raw as they are, I had a craving for a simple fruit crisp.



I remember cherry season as a time of joy, first days of summer, school year coming to an end, days becoming longer and time of picnics. That has all changed now because leaving in the Southeast, that means the beginning of the rain and hurricane season.



This crisp is as simple as can be and any fruit can be used. That's what I love about crumbles and crisps, they are so versatile. In this case, I made an almond topping but you could use any nut or even oatmeal or a combination of both.



Almond Crumble

100 grams butter
100 grams sugar
100 grams flour
120 grams almond flour
80 grams raw almonds, chopped
pinch of salt

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the flour, almond flour, chopped almonds and salt and mix until combined. This mixture will be sandy. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Cherry and Blackberry Filling

160 grams blackberries
250 grams cherries, pitted
10 grams flour
20 grams vanilla sugar
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon
pinch of salt

Toss all ingredients together. Divide amongst ramekins and top with crumble.

Bake at 350F until juices start to bubble up and crumble browns.

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Tuile Madness with the Daring Bakers

January has flown by and here we are at the end of the month with another Daring Bakers challenge. It is tuile madness this month.

We were given three tuile recipes. We had to choose one and build a dessert around it. A pretty simple task that had my brain spinning for days. "What to do, what to do". Sometimes simple doesn't mean easy, but that is what I liked about the challenge. It is wide open to each individual's imagination.



Although I only followed one of the recipes given to us, I created similar tuiles with slightly different methods.

I had many ice creams and sorbets in the freezer so immediately thought about making chocolate and vanilla ice cream cones with the sugar tuile recipe. I paired the cones with chocolate and devonshire lemon ice creams. I was really inspired by the bi-color Italian cookies we used to eat with ice cream growing up.



Then came the chocolate tuiles. The recipe we were given called for dark chocolate and almonds, but I decided to use white chocolate and vanilla bean instead. I paired it with lemon streusel and blood orange sorbet. I love the contrast of the vanilla specs next to the white chocolate and the sweet and sour flavor combination.



Finally, and the most delicate of them all, are these nougatine cannelloni that were inspired by a recipe I learned from chef Christophe Michalak a few years ago. I remember having to make them for an entire week for a special we had at the restaurant where I was working. Every day, I guarded those little cannellonis with my life because the slightest movement could crush them into a million pieces. One must be gentle with these, but the result is out of this world.

They are filled with gianduja chantilly and they just dissolve in your mouth.



Vanilla and Chocolate Tuiles

adapted from “The Chocolate Book” by Master Chef Angélique Schmeinck.

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder
A couple of drops of red food coloring

Oven: 180C / 350F

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.

Mix a small amount of the batter with red food coloring and some with cocoa powder.

Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat. Place a stencil with a circle cut out (about 4" in diameter) on the mat. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate and vanilla batters. Leave some room in between your shapes. Place the red batter in a paper piping bag and pipe lines on the circles.

Bake in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet and proceed to shape into cornettes. Keep them in an airtight container until ready to use.

Devonshire Cream and Lemon Ice Cream

adapted from "Frozen Desserts" by Chef Migoya

450 grams whole milk
Zest of 3 medium lemons
180 grams sugar
100 grams egg yolks
375 grams devonshire cream

Place the whole milk, lemon zest and half of the sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar. Temper the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk base and whisk. Return this to the saucepan and cook to 84C.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the devonshire cream. Whisk to break up any lumps. Strain the whole ice cream base through a fine sieve into a clean bowl.

Chill the mixture in an ice bath and once cool, refrigerate overnight. Churn the base in ice cream machine.

Nougatine Cannelloni

adapted from Christophe Michalak

150 grams fondant patissier
100 grams glucose
87.5 grams slivered blanched almonds
12.5 grams butter

Cook glucose and fondant to 180C. Remove from heat and add the almonds and butter. Spread this on a silicon mat and let it cool completely. Grind to a fine powder in a food processor.

Place the powder in a sieve and dust over a rectangular stencil that is placed on a silicon mat. Sprinkle enough to cover the entire surface but not too much. We want a thin nougatine.

Lift up stencil from the mat carefully and bake in a 375F oven for about 4 minutes until lightly golden and the sugar lightly melts. Let the nougatine cool for about 30 seconds on the hot baking sheet and when pliable, roll around a cylinder forming a tube. Work quickly so the nougatine doesn't harden and break. If cools down too fast, you can return the nougatine to the oven to warm up.

Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Gianduja Chantilly

250 grams heavy cream
100 grams gianduja

Boil the cream and pour over the gianduja. Stir until the gianduja is completely melted. Refrigerate this ganache overnight and whip to thick ribbon when ready to use.

Place cream in a pastry bag and pipe into the nougatine tubes. Serve right away.

White Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Tuiles

100 grams white couverture pistoles
1 vanilla bean

Temper the couverture, and stir in the vanilla bean seeds. Take some of the couverture with the tip of an offset spatula and spread over acetate paper strips. Place the strips on a tuile pan to shape them before the chocolate hardens. Let the tuiles sit at room temperature to harden completely.

Blood Orange Sorbet

250 grams blood orange juice
110 grams sugar
2 grams sorbet stabilizer
60 grams atomized glucose
200 grams water

Place water in a saucepan and heat slightly. Add the atomized glucose, whisk and bring to a boil. Mix the sugar and the sorbet stabilizer in a bowl and add to the boiling syrup. Whisk and return syrup to a boil. Remove from heat.

Refrigerate the syrup for at least 4 hours. Add the blood orange juice to the syrup and churn in ice cream machine. Freeze.

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

Please visit other Daring Bakers to see their interpretations of the challenge.

Post Title

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Tuile Madness with the Daring Bakers

Post URL

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https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2009/01/tuile-madness-with-daring-bakers.html

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