Apple, Gruyere and Sage Muffins and a Childhood Soup

When autumn and winter come around, I become even more nostalgic (is that even possible?) of certain smells and foods of my childhood. I remember clearly walking around my grandparents' garden puling fresh leeks right off the ground. We would take bunches and bunches home every Sunday. My dad's car smelled of leeks all winter long.



If there is one traditional soup in the Basque Country, it must be porrusalda or leek soup. It is peasant food and the soup all of us grew up eating. Believe it or not, I seem to have been a picky eater as a child. I do not remember much about it, but I often times hear it from my mom. "You despised vegetables", she tells me. Funny how life is. So my mom made sure to puree all soups for me to get me to eat as many vegetables as possible.

I have to admit that texture has stuck with me as I do love creamy and slightly chunky soups. When cooler weather comes around, I eat soup almost every single day.



I made this variation of porrusalda this week when the skies were dark and stormy. We were under a tropical storm warning for two days so we stayed in for the most part. A simple soup with leeks, garlic, potatoes and butternut squash. Slightly sweet so I decided to make some cheesy muffins to go with it.



I keep dreaming of my uncle's apple orchard where we spent so much time this late summer. Apple goodness everywhere. Eating them raw and preparing them in a million different ways.

I thought it would be great to have a savory kind of cake to go with the soup and I love the combination of apples, gruyere and sage. The muffins are moist, sweet and salty at the same time. Serve the soup with a little sour cream, black pepper and olive oil. Perfect comfort food.



Apple, Gruyere and Sage Muffins

makes 6 muffins plus a loaf

1 cup (150 grams) superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup (75 grams)millet flour
2 Tbs (30 grams) potato starch
2 Tbs (20 grams) tapioca starch
1/3 cup (70 grams) cane sugar
1 tsp (8 grams) baking powder
1/2 tsp (3 grams) baking soda
1/2 tsp (5 grams) salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbs fresh sage, finely chopped
1 cup (55 grams) shredded Gruyere
1 egg
1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
1/4 cup (55 ml) olive oil
2 apples, peeled and small diced
Extra shredded Gruyere for topping

In a large bowl, whisk together the first 11 ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and olive oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined. Fold in the diced apples.

Scoop batter into molds. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes for the muffins and 40 minutes for the loaf.

Leek, Butternut Squash and Potato Soup

2 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup (1/2 leek), diced
2 cups butternut squash, diced
2 potatoes, diced
1 tsp salt
3 cups chicken stock (or water)
Black pepper
Sour cream, optional

In a medium pot, saute the leeks in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Do not let them brown. Add the squash and potatoes and saute them for another minute. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook them covered for about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup and taste it. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with cracked black pepper and sour cream.

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Cooking with Mom, Thoughts about a New Year and a Crispy Mushroom, Potato and Blue Cheese Galette

I cannot believe that this year will be coming to an end tomorrow. I was trying to make sense of everything that happened throughout the months and even though there was some bad in there, mostly health related, I would say 2009 was full of exciting projects, creativity, inspiration and time with family. I have always had difficulty balancing the time I spend on myself and the time I give to those around me, but I think this was the year that I managed to do that. I think I can say this year was that, the year of balance.

Now, I am thinking about the upcoming year and all the projects I want to start and all the travel I want to do, but mostly, I have decided this will be the year that I let go of some of the anxiety and worry that comes with the unknown. I am just going to live a bit more.



So let me get to the dish in hand. I have been dying to tell you about these crispy mushroom, fingerling potato and blue cheese galettes that my mom and I baked last week. We started the day with coffee and talking about the mushroom quiche my aunt was planning to bake for Christmas Eve back home. It sounded so delicious and made me think of the herb pie dough I had in the freezer. "I am pulling it out and we are making tarts", I told her.

We sauteed some shiitake, cremini, oyster and beech mushroom with garlic and herbs until they were crispy. We decided to add some blue cheese, but the best came when mom suggested we fry some fingerlings in olive oil and add them to the filling. That touch made this galette. We enjoyed it with a simple watercress and herb salad and let me tell you, it was delicious. Everything always tastes better when cooking with my mom.



So I hope you get to end the year with good food, surrounded by your loved ones, satisfied with what you have accomplished this year and with peace of mind. So here is to a new year where I plan to live more, worry less and continue doing what I love.

And of course, thank you for your constant support and coming back over and over to visit. This blog would not be the same without all of you. Thank you. I mean it.



Crispy Mushroom, Potato and Blue Cheese Galette

1 recipe herb pie dough
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz oyster mushrooms, sliced
2 oz beech mushrooms
2 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs rosemary
2 Tbs purple basil
1 Tbs thyme
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
6 oz fingerling potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 oz blue cheese

In a large sautepan, heat olive oil and saute the garlic and mushrooms in medium heat until tender and slightly crispy. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the herbs and toss for a few seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mushrooms cool.

In another sautepan, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil and fry the potatoes until crispy. Transfer onto a paper towel and lightly season with salt and pepper. Let the potatoes cool.

Roll out the herb pie dough and cut into disks that are about 5-6" in diameter. Place some of the cooled mushrooms and potatoes in the center on the disk. Add some crumbled blue cheese. Fold the edges of the pie dough over the filling. let the galettes harden in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. This will allow the dough to keep its shape while baking.

Bake in a 425F oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown and the bottom of the galette is cooked.

Serve with a salad of watercress and herbs.

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Membrillo... Finally

Last week, I told you about my quince fiasco. I am not one to go back to the store and ask for a refund, but I couldn't let this one pass, mostly because I really wanted the produce manager to know what had happened. I went back the following day and noticed they still had some of the same batch of quince on their shelf. I spoke to the manager and told him what had happened. I asked him if he could cut one open for me and so he did. It was instantly obvious these were really old and had to be removed from the shelves. Embarrassed, he quickly apologized and promised he would have some fresh ones waiting for me at the store the following day, free of charge, of course. And so he did and they were triple the price they had been just a day prior, but this time, perfect.

Membrillo or quince paste is a very traditional component served to accompany cheeses in Spain. It is a thick confiture made simply with quince and sugar that resembles more pate de fruit than a jam or a jelly. This time, I made little baked crackers made with some Idiazabal cheese I brought back from my trip.

One of my earliest memories as a child is of me trying to ingest a crusty baguette with cheese and membrillo inside while I had a sore throat. I loved this bocadillo so much that I was willing to put myself through such misery!



Membrillo

4 large quinces
Juice of 1 lemon
Sugar (same amount as pureed quince)

Peel, core and quarter the quince. Cut the quarters in half. Place the cut quince in a bowl with lemon juice to stop it from oxidizing.

Place the quince in a large pot and cover them with cold water. bring this water to a boil and cook the quince until fork tender for about 20 minutes.

Drain the water out and puree the soft quince. Scale the puree. You will need the same amount of sugar as puree. In my case it was about 1100 grams.

Place the puree and sugar in a large pot and start cooking it in medium heat. When the sugar melts and it starts to get hot, it will bubble up and might burn so be very, very careful when stirring. wear gloves if necessary. Turn the heat down a bit but make sure there are still small bubbles forming. Cook this mixture for about an hour or an hour and a half. We want the sugar to caramelize. The color will start to turn into a deep orange.

Transfer the membrillo, which will be a thick paste, into a quarter sheetpan lined with parchment and let it cool. Store at room temperature covered with plastic wrap.

Idiazabal Cheese Crackers

Cut thin slices of the cheese and cut these into squares. Place the cheese on a sheetpan lined with a silicon mat and bake at 350F for about 12 minutes until lightly golden.

On another note, Cakespy just featured some of my photos and a fun interview. If you are interested in knowing a bit more about me, go check it out.

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Fig, Berry and Sheep's Milk Cream Tart

A few days ago, browsing through the specialty cheese section at Whole Foods, I found a new kind of spreadable sheep's milk cheese that I have never seen before. It is from Spain, but I didn't recognize it. That doesn't really surprise me given the tremendous amount of different cheeses that are produced in different regions of Spain. It is called MitiCrema and it is hard to describe. Because the cheese came in a small jar similar to the devonshire cream jars, I was expecting a semi-liquid, slightly sweet and mild cheese. Far from it. It is strong, salty, a bit crumbly... far from what I expected.

I also spotted the first organic figs from California and gooseberries. I have been waiting anxiously for figs and currants. Figs are here, but no currants in sight yet. But I will keep waiting.

I am a huge fig fan. When I was little, my grandparents had an enormous fig tree right by their front door and every September, we picked the super sweet figs right by their door step. I can still smell it... I was surprised when I moved to the US and I found figs in the supermarket in June. I always thought figs could only be picked in September. It was funny how my grandparents' fig tree was... September 1st came and it was full of fruit, but when the month came to a close, it was like the tree said... "Oh no, no more figs, all done". Very European.



I made these tarts for brunch. I had some chocolate short dough leftover so I used that as the tart base, but any dough can be used really. Line the tart shells with the dough and refrigerate overnight. Bake them at 350F the next day. If the dough has been chilled overnight, there is no need to use beans or pie weights, I promise. If the dough has rested enough and it has not been overmix to begin with, the dough will not shrink in the oven.

Sheep's Milk Cream

75 grams organic heavy cream
30 grams sheep's milk spreadable cheese or goat cheese
2 tsp honey

Whip all ingredients with an electric mixer until semi-stiff peaks are formed. Fill the pre-baked tart shells with the cream and top with figs, berries, mint or any other fruit or herb you like.

This summer has turned out to be a busy one and finding time to spend in the kitchen is harder and harder. There are many exciting things going on in my life, most of them not food or blog related, so blogging has taken a bit of a break. I do not want to abandon this venue completely since I love it so much, but forgive me if I have not been posting as frequently or if I have not been visiting my favorite blogs as regularly. I think I will be back with full force soon. I hope you are enjoying your summer too!

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Creme Fraiche Blancmange and Plum Mousse Cake... and Petit Suisse Part Trois

Let me start by saying that I have made blancmange many times before, but this time, when I decided to add creme fraiche to it, I realized that I found a really good substitute for the petit suisse I have been craving for so long.

For those of you who have never had blancmange, it is similar to panna cotta in the sense that it is sweetened heavy cream that is stabilized with the addition of gelatin. This recipe however, does not warm the heavy cream, it is whipped instead, resulting in a very light, mousse-like layer. The addition of creme fraiche adds that richness and bit of tang similar to petit suisse.

I have always liked a dollop of creme fraiche with roasted fruits so I decided to use it in the blancmange. After I spread some on my mousse cake, I had some leftover that I piped into shot glasses. That was going to be my mid-afternoon snack. When I tried it, I realized it tasted just like petit suisse and then the lightbulb turned on in my head... "That's right! It makes complete sense!".

After my first attempt to make petit suisse, which resulted in a nice fromage frais, I started reading more about the petit suisse making process. It's very similar to the fromage frais but then at one point, after the milk has curdled, extra heavy cream is added. I wasn't clear on how to proceed with those instructions so I left it at that, but this blancmange tastes just like petit suisse and now I know why. It is a cross between a fresh, soft cheese and sweet cream.



I built this cake with an almond and roasted plum sponge as the base. Then the roasted plum mousse is thinly spread over it, the vanilla bean creme fraiche blancmange and it is all topped with burnt swiss meringue. I also made some bubble sugar as decoration. I know it might seem very intimidating to work with sugar at home, and it can be, but this decoration is really easy to make and I think it's a nice touch.



Plum and Almond Sponge
makes half a sheetpan

175 grams egg whites
90 grams sugar
150 grams almond flour
55 grams powdered sugar
30 grams flour
40 grams plum puree

In a bowl, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and flour. Set aside.

Whip the egg whites to almost a full meringue. Slowly add the sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle a third of the sifted dry ingredients and fold. Add another third, fold and add the rest. Fold gently. Add the plum puree and fold.

Spread the sponge batter on a half sheetpan with an offset spatula. Spread evenly.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the top starts to turn color but not brown.

Plum Mousse

200 grams plum puree
20 grams sugar
2 gelatin sheets
200 grams heavy cream, soft peak

Warm the plum puree with the sugar. In the meantime, soften the gelatin in an ice bath. When the gelatin has softened, add it to the plum puree. When the plum puree is slightly cool, add the whipped cream into the base and fold gently until all ingredients are incoporated.

Spread the mousse evenly over the plum sponge and freeze right away.

Creme Fraiche Blancmange

350 grams heavy cream
2 vanilla beans
75 grams sugar
3 gelatin leaves
250 grams creme fraiche

Whip the heavy cream, vanilla and sugar to soft peaks. In the meantime, soften the gelatin leaves in ice water for about 5 minutes. Add about 3 Tbs of the whipped cream to the gelatin and melt it over a double boiler. Do not over heat it though. Stir so all the gelatin is dissolved.

Add about a cup of the whipped cream to the gelatin mixture and whip. We are tempering the gelatin. If we were to add the melted, warm gelatin to the entire batch of cold whipped cream, the gelatin would set right away and we would be left with chunks of gelatin in the cream. So temper a little bit of the cream into the gelatin and whisk. Then fold in the rest.

Finally, fold the creme fraiche into the cream base. Evenly spread the blancmange over the plum mousse with an offset spatula. Let it set in the refrigerator or freezer.

Swiss Meringue

75 grams egg whites
150 grams sugar

Mix egg whites and sugar in a bowl and place over a double boiler. Whisk them together until sugar starts to melt. It will be hot to the touch and the color will change to white.

Transfer the bowl to the mixer and whip to a stiff meringue. Place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe some meringue on top of the blancmange. Burn the meringue with a blowtorch.

Bubble sugar

180 grams sugar
90 grams water
30 grams glucose

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook to 317F degrees. In the meantime, take a piece of parchment paper and make it into a ball with your hands. Open it up and flatten it but we want to keep the texture. Rub a little bit of alcohol on the parchment paper and when the sugar reaches 317 degrees, pour a little bit of sugar on one edge of the paper. Lift it and let the sugar run down. The alcohol will make the sugar bubble up creating the bubble effect.

This is very hot so be careful when you handle it. Once the sugar has hardened, peel the paper off carefully. Store the bubble sugar in an airtight container.

This is obviously not how petit suisse is made, so there will be more coming on this subject. Stay tuned... I have an accomplice on this!

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Almond and Cherry Crumble and... Petit Suisse Part Deux

A couple of weeks ago, I professed my love for petit suisse right here in this blog. I promised you that I would be back with more and my attempt to make them at home. Well here I am, not triumphant, as I had presumed. Let me explain.

I had been searching for a petit suisse recipe for a long time but had not been very successful. Finally a few days ago, I did find a recipe to make fromage frais. This recipe indicated that this was also the method to make petit suisse and since the ingredients were easy to find and the method seemed fairly uncomplicated, I decided to go for it.

There is something about making cheese, yogurt or bread at home that is very rewarding to me. Almost spiritual. Maybe because bacteria and yeast are living organisms that really require attention and depending on the hands of the person handling it, the results can be quite different. I like that. I like inconsistency, I like little flaws, I like the imperfection. Of course nowadays, there are machines that control all variables of the fermenting process resulting in a consistent product everytime, which is necessary in commercial production, but I still find the process of making it myself very rewarding.

So the resulting cheese was basically plain unsalted, fromage frais. Very, very good flavor and texture but it was not petit suisse. I tried to research more about the petit suisse method and learned that heavy cream is added after the curd has formed. It was unclear to me how I was supposed to proceed after that. So if any of you know the answer, please... I need you!



Cherries from California also showed up at Whole Foods which has made my week. I have been eating cherries all day long. They are as addicting as sunflower seeds. I cannot stop. Here is a little crumble I made for dessert a couple of nights ago. I topped it with a little bit of the fromage blanc and it was delicious.


Fromage Blanc

Yields about 200 grams of final product

2 liters organic whole milk
30 ml organic cultured buttermilk
1/8 tablet of rennet
30 ml water

Sterilize a large pot by covering and boiling a small amount of water in it for 5 minutes prior to use. Pour in the fresh milk, then the buttermilk. Warm up stirring to a final temperature of 65°F. Meanwhile, dissolve rennet in 30 ml of cool water. Stir dissolved rennet into heated milk. Stir well to blend thoroughly. Cover and let sit undisturbed overnight at room temperature.

The next morning, a soft curd should have formed; if not, let it sit until it does form which could take up to an additional 12 hours (mine was done overnight). When the curd is adequately formed, cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Ladle cut curds into clean sterile cheesecloth suspended in a large strainer or stainless steel colander. Pour remaining whey through the cloth.

The next day, open the cloth to reveal the cheese. I spooned it into ring molds but any cleaned yogurt container can be used to store it. I covered mine with a damp paper towel so the top doesn't dry out.

Almond Crumble

100 grams unsalted butter
100 grams sugar
100 grams flour
125 grams almond flour

Cream all ingredients together in an electric mixer. It will be crumbly. Place on a cookie sheet or in an air tight container and refrigerate over night. I normally make a large batch and freeze it and then I bake what I need.

Cherry Filling

200 grams pitted cherries
25 grams flour
30 grams sugar (depends on the sweetness of the fruit)
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Divide filling into four ramekins and sprinkle with a generous amount of crumble. Bake in a 350F oven. Cover the ramekins with aluminum foil for the first 10-15 minutes, then let them finish baking for another 15 minutes or until crumble is golden brown.

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Mini Peach and Pistachio Frangipane Tarts

I have been in a mood for tarts lately. In a mood for fruit tarts I should say. It must be Spring and the warm temperatures that make me want to eat fruit and more fruit. Last week I spotted the first peaches of the season at Whole Foods. Well, the first California peaches I should say. They were still a bit small but they were still sweet and soft. I had to get them. I have been craving stone fruits for way too long now.

My friend Jill pointed out the other day that I use a lot of pistachios. Yes, I do, I admit it. It's a habit I developed working for my last chef. We used pistachios in everything and now, I cannot help myself. They add such color, flavor and texture that I always find something to add them to. Here, I am using pistachios once again.

These tarts have a base of sable breton, a layer of pistachio frangipane, fresh peaches and mascarpone cream. Frangipane is traditionally made with almonds but it can be made with any ground up nut. Full of butter and sugar, it just melts in your mouth when served slightly warm.




Sable Breton

Makes 20 4-inch circles

160 grams sugar
160 grams salted organic butter
4 organic egg yolks
zest of half an orange
225 grams unbleached all purpose flour
15 grams aluminum free baking powder

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg yolks and the orange zest. Add the flour and baking powder combined until it comes together. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Roll out to about 1/2" thickness and cut 4" circles with a round cutter.

Pistachio Frangipane

100 grams organic unsalted butter, softened
100 grams sugar
1 organic egg
30 grams unbleached all purpose flour
100 grams raw pistachios, ground to a fine meal

Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg. Scrape and mix well. Add the flour and the ground pistachios and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Place the frangipane in a pastry bag. Insert the sable breton disks in your mold and pipe the frangipane on top of the unbaked sable breton (about 1/4 inch thick). Bake the sable and the frangipane in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. Remove from molds when cool.

Mascarpone Cream

100 grams organic heavy cream
50 grams mascarpone cheese
20 grams sugar

Whip all ingredients together until stiff peaks form. Using a spoon dipped in hot water, make quenelles with the cream and place on top of the tart base. Place slices of fresh peach next to it. Sprinkle with some chopped pistachios.



Stone fruits are here and you will see them on this blog!

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Creme Bulgare, Christine Ferber and Petit Suisse Nostalgia

This post is about two loves of mine: yogurt and Christine Ferber...

Growing up, we ate a lot, A LOT of yogurt. Mainly plain whole milk yogurt sweetened with fruits, a bit of sugar or honey. Flavored yogurts from Danone (or Dannon as it is known here) were a treat, eaten as dessert. The fun about getting these flavored yogurts were all the "toys" that came with them. I think these must have been the first real marketing techniques applied to food products in Europe and of course, they were targeted to children. My favorite were the sticker albums usually in reference to some cartoon show that was popular at the time. I remember "Maya the Bee" like it was yesterday.

Our other childhood treat was petit suisse. If you grew up in Europe or even walked the yogurt and cheese section of European supermarkets, you have certainly tried or at least seen these little delicacies. Not to be confused with yogurt, petit suisse is an unsalted, unripened, fresh, cow's milk cheese originally from Normandy but widespread in Europe now. It is sold in six pack mini containers with ridges on the side and the cheese is usually wrapped in a thin piece of paper. Again, this was one of the staple snacks growing up. There were different flavors, strawberry, chocolate, banana... but my favorite was always plain.








I have looked and looked everywhere but I have not been able to find any near me so yes, I will be making my own petits suisse. Stay tuned for that one. The nostalgia for this rich and creamy texture is what inspired me to make some yogurt of my own but instead of milk, I used heavy cream, 40% butterfat to be exact. Thick like Greek yogurt but not as tangy. Sweet without any added sugar.

My second love is Christine Ferber. I learned about her a few years back and in my eyes, she is the quintessential seasonal pastry chef. All her books and recipes are always organized by season and she focuses very much on fruits. Her books "Mes Confitures" and "Mes Tartes" are two of my favorite pastry books on my shelf and I often times go to them for inspiration. I love her rustic, simple and natural approach to food. It resonates with me and how I like to eat. This apple and rhubarb jam I made to go with the creme bulgare is inspired by one of her recipes.




Creme Bulgare





1 liter of organic heavy cream

1 envelope (5 grams) of freeze-dried yogurt starter




In a saucepan, bring the cream almost to a boil (about 82 degrees Celsius). Remove from heat and let it cool to 42 degrees Celsius. Mix a small amount of the lukewarm milk with the yogurt starter. Add it to the rest of the cream and whisk lightly.




Pour the cream into your yogurt jars and follow the manufacturer's instructions. A thin layer of fat will rise to the top of the yogurt forming a skin. That's normal and that is actually the best part in my opinion. Refrigerate once the yogurt is set.





Rhubarb and Apple Jam




makes a medium jar of jam




100 grams rhubarb, small dice

100 grams Granny Smith apples, small dice

200 grams sugar

50 grams apple juice

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice




Cut the rhubarb in small dice. Peel and core the apples and cut them into small dice. Combine the fruit, sugar, apple juice and lemon juice in a bowl and let it macerated in the refrigerator overnight.




Next day, strain the mixture through a sieve. Bring the leftover syrup to a boil and cook to 221 degrees Farenheit. Add the macerated fruit and bring to a boil again. Skim any impurities, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 10 minutes. Pour the jam into jars and let it cool. Serve the creme bulgare with the rhubarb jam.





Candied Rhubarb Strips




75 grams sugar

75 grams water

1 rhubarb stalk




Make a simple syrup by boiling the water and the sugar. Turn heat off once the sugar is dissolved.




Cut thin strips of rhubarb with a vegetable peeler. Dip the rhubarb in the cooled simple syrup and place the strips on a silicon mat. Dry them in a 200F degree oven for about an hour. While they are still warm and pliable, twist them. They will cool quickly and as soon as they cool, they will hold their shape. Store in an air-tight container.








Stay tuned for part II and my attempt to make petits suisse...

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Daring Bakers... Cheesecake Lollipops Part Deux

I made vanilla cheesecake lollipops for Easter this year so I was surprised when I learned that my second Daring Bakers challenge would also be cheesecake lollipops. I felt the pressure to make something different but how could I? I'm not sure that I achieved anything tremendeously different but I had fun making these again so that's what counts right?


The Daring Bakers recipe was a plain cheesecake recipe so I decided to give it my own twist and add different flavors. I left some of the cheesecake mix plain with a little vanilla extract but for the rest I used fresh raspberry puree and violet syrup (I have a huge bottle of it that I need to use now). They are all good and in fact my little neighbors loved them. I made little decorations with royal icing, used sprinkles, crushed graham crackers... All fun!




Cheesecake Pops

adapted from Sticky, Messy, Chewy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor

Makes 30-40 pops

5 8-oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
Boiling water
Lollipop sticks

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Pour the mix into the molds (I used the mini half sphere silicon molds) and bake in a water bath at 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until set. Freeze the molds and when solid, attach the haf spheres to make the balls. Insert a stick in the middle. Freeze again.

Melt bittersweet chocolate over a double boiler and when the cheesecake pops are hard solid, dip them in the chocolate and decorate with sprinkles, graham cracker crumbs, etc. I made a tiny bit of royal icing, colored it with different colors and piped into circles, dots, etc. I piped them onto parchment paper and let them air dry overnight. Those are the little decorations you see on top of the cheesecake.





A big thank you to Deborah from Taste and Tell and Elle from Feeding My Enthusiasms for hosting this month's challenge. And a super big thank you to Lis and Ivonne for managing this "village" that the Daring Bakers community has become. It was fun to try this again and all the kids surely enjoyed them!




Happy Sunday to you!

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Strawberries, Mascarpone and Violet Marshmallow

In the summer of 2004, I attended a pastry seminar in Las Vegas where I had the pleasure to watch some great pastry chefs in action. It was a jam-packed schedule with morning and afternoon classes and I ended up with a little bit of "pastry chaos" in my head but there was one pastry chef, one, that stole my heart and that was Olivier Bajard. I had been to one of his demos before when I was in culinary school but this class in Las Vegas was something special for me. The theme was "Petits Gateaux". If you have been following my blog the last few months, you have probably noticed that I am very much about mini cakes and pastries in general. I admire sugar and chocolate work, cake decorating and the more artistic side of pastry, but flavor is what draws me. Probably because I am not very artistic myself, I have never wanted to go into cake decorating which most of my classmates and co-workers wanted to do.

So I fell in love with Olivier Bajard. He was quiet, patient and there was no trace of chef ego, although he is a MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) which is probably the highest rank a pastry chef one can achieve in France and in the world, for that matter. Is like wearing a Super Bowl ring, I suppose.







One of the desserts he made was called "Violet". How can you not love anything with a name like that? It was white chocolate squares, with a cassis-violet coulis, vanilla cream, strawberry salpicon and sugar dough. Just out of this world. That was the first time I ever heard of violet extract and seen it being used in pastry. Ever since then, I have been wanting to use violet extract in something but it has been nearly impossible to find it in this country. But I did find a violet syrup used for cocktail making. It's from a company called Monin.

This dessert is certainly not at the level of Bajard's "Violet" but it's inspired by those flavors. This seems like a strawberry shortcake with a French twist. I built it with some sable breton, fresh strawberries, mascarpone cream and marshmallow that I flavored with a little bit of the violet syrup from Monin. The syrup is not very concentrated and certainly not as potent as violet extract, but it worked. It gave the marshmallow a mild violet taste and it didn't change the white color which I like. If you like color, you can most definitely add food coloring at the same time you add the flavoring. That's personal preference.






Violet Marshmallow

430 grams sugar
16 grams corn syrup
175 grams water
53 grams powdered gelatin (2 full boxes of Knox unflavored gelatin)
175 grams water
2 egg whites
25 grams sugar
2 Tbs violet syrup

In a deep saucepan, cook the first three ingredients to 126 degrees Celsius (258 degrees Farenheit). In the meantime, bloom the gelatin in the other 175 grams of water.

While the sugar is cooking, start whipping the egg whites slowly. When they start to build a meringue, sprinkle the 25 grams of sugar over them and continue whipping. When the sugar has reached 126 degrees C, add the bloom gelatin to the saucepan and whisk. It will bubble up so be careful and continue whisking. Turn heat off but let the gelatin completely melt in the sugar. as soon as the gelatin has melted, turn the speed in the mixer to low in the mixer and start adding the cooked sugar in a steady stream on the side of the bowl. When all the syrup is added, turn the mixer to high and whip until light and very fluffy. Add the violet syrup.

The marshmallow will be a little warm still. Pour it into a half sheetpan lined with a silicon mat. Spread it evenly and let it cool. If we whip it until it is cold, it will be very hard to spread it when we pour it into the sheetpan so don't whip it too much. It will be just as fluffy.

Dust some cornstarch on top of the marshmallow and cut it into squares. It will be sticky, especially if you live in a humid climate like I do, so dust your hands and knife with cornstarch when you are going to cut it.






Marshmallow makes a wonderful gift and since this pan makes a lot of it, plan to give some of it away. Share the love of fluffy violet pillows. Have a great weekend!

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When Life Gives You Rotten Nectarines

Pistachio and almond crumble, poached apples, buttermilk sponge cake and spiced mascarpone cream







I walked into Whole Foods on Monday and I saw a beautiful display of white peaches, nectarines and plums of different kinds that really caught my son's eye. He loves peaches so he immediately wanted me to get him one. I looked at the label and they were "conventional" from Chile. Here we go again with the Chilean fruit. He kept insisting and pointing at the peaches, so to make peace, I put four in a bag and walked away.



While I was driving home, I was thinking what to make with them since I always think about how I can turn anything and everything into a sweet treat. Suddenly I had a flash back to May of 2003 when I did a food tasting as part of my job interview. I had to make two plated desserts and a birthday cake in 3 hours. One of the desserts had to be fruit and the other chocolate. I made a beautiful chocolate pot de creme and a layered nectarine and mascarpone crumble. So while I was driving home I thought, "why not tweak that dessert you made five years ago?". That was my plan.















We ate lunch, I put my son down for his nap and planned on starting to make the different components for the dessert. I had some crumble in the freezer and I used some of the leftover cake that I baked for the Daring Bakers challenge. That's how I function. I bake and freeze, bake and freeze.





So I baked the pistachio crumble, cut the cake, whipped the mascarpone cream and when I went to cut the nectarines... Well, you guessed it... they were rotten! Brown, grainy and sandy nectarines. I knew it! It happens every time I try to break the seasonality rules. I deserve the punishment.



So I looked in my fruit basket, saw that I had some golden delicious apples and decided to use them instead. My executive pastry chef and friend Sebastien Thieffine won best plated dessert title at the 2004 Bread and Pastry Championship with a lovely apple and almond dessert. His dessert had a hazelnut streusel bottom, poached apples, citrus pain de genes, champagne sabayon, creme brulee and green apple ice cream. It was magnificent to say the least. I really loved his technique to poach the apples so I decided to go ahead and use it here.











Poached Apples



100 grams sugar

200 grams water

1/2 lemon juice

1 Tbs calvados

2 Granny Smith apples, medium dice



Make a syrup with the sugar and the water by bringing them to a boil. Remove from heat and let it cool in the saucepan. In the meantime, peel and cut the apples into medium size pieces. Mix them with the lemon juice so they do not oxidize. When the syrup is cool, add the calvados and the apples to the saucepan. Cover the pot entirely with plastic wrap. Wrap another piece of plastic lightly around the pan. We are trying to create a vacuum.



Place the pan on the stove over medium to high heat. The plastic will start to rise forming a balloon. We want this. Keep it on the heat until it looks like the plastic it's going to pop. Remove from heat and the plastic will immediately start to shrink down forming a vacuum inside the pan.



I don't really know what the science is behind this. The tight plastic creates almost like a pressure cooker and cooks the apples rapidly so they don't lose their color, they just become a little translucent. It's brilliant! But it's very important that the plastic is very tight around the pan otherwise, the steam will scape.



Another way of doing this is to place the apples with the syrup in a plastic bag and vacuum seal it, or sous-vide it. Then place the bag in boiling water for a couple of minutes until the apples are soft and shock it in ice water to stop the cooking process. This works but not everyone has a vacuum sealer at home.



Store the apples in the syrup in the refrigerator until ready to use. When we are ready to plate the dessert, then drain them on top of a paper towel to eliminate excess moisture.















Pistachio Crumble



100 grams unsalted butter

100 grams sugar

100 grams flour

125 grams pistachios, chopped

pinch of salt



Cream all ingredients together in an electric mixer. It will be crumbly. Place on a cookie sheet or in an air tight container and refrigerate over night. I normally make a large batch and freeze it and then I bake what I need.



Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until it is golden brown. When cool, break into small pieces.





Spiced Mascarpone Cream



60 grams organic heavy cream

60 grams mascarpone cheese

15 grams sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of mace



Whip all ingredients together to semi stiff peak, just like whipped cream.



Buttermilk Cake

adapted from Dorie Greenspan



2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)

4 large egg whites

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure lemon extract



Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.



Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.



Divide the batter into 3 6-inch pans and bake at 350 degrees. To check if they are done, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, it is done.



Let the cake cool and with a cookie cutter the same size as your ring mold, cut cake circles. Then cut these circles horizontally into three.





Assemble the Dessert



Place a metal ring on top of the dessert plate. Press the crumble into the bottom of the metal ring. We want an even, thin layer. Spoon the drained apples on top and apply some pressure on top with a small spoon. Keep even layers. Lift up the metal ring carefully so we have the crumble and the apples on the plate in a circle.



Place a disk of buttermilk cake on top. Dust powdered sugar on top and finish with some mascarpone cream. As decoration, I rolled a dried vanilla been in granulated sugar.













The nectarines that ended up in the garbage

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Sugar High at Turtle River Montessori and Blogging for Babies

I have always been a conscious eater, trying to cook almost everything I eat myself, buying local as often as possible, etc. That's how I was raised. It was always a personal choice for me and never felt the need to have to convince others. Until I became a mother, that is. Having a child changed everything. I have become more socially conscious and I would say that I have become a crusader for better eating.

When I see what children eat in most schools nowadays, I start to really worry and I do not want that for my son. Us, parents, have hectic lives and sometimes food becomes another thing to worry about and we choose to take the "easy route" by buying prepackaged foods. I am not saying I don't ever buy prepackaged foods, because I do, but I always read labels and try not to take too many shortcuts.




I believe that healthy eating starts at home and children will do as they see and not as they are told. In that sense, I feel relief because I know that my children will learn to appreciate food because our family's love for it. I think there has to be a collective effort to really educate our children about food, where it comes from and good eating choices. Believe me, I am not talking about eating alfalfa sprouts or cardboard cookies. It's about the quality of ingredients, no matter whether it is chicken, tofu, ice cream, spinach or chocolate chip cookies.

I made these mini carrot cupcakes thinking about Stella and her classmates at Turtle River Montessori. Stella is my 4-year old, cutie pie neighbor who loves school. Each day of the week, one child is responsible for bringing healthy snacks for the rest of the class. They rotate so this happens about once a month. The school asks that children bring fruits and other healthy foods.

I wanted to make the snacks for Stella's class for the day she was the "snack girl". I wanted to show the kids that they can eat sweet treats that are made with wholesome and natural ingredients. So I decided to make mini carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing. I used all organic and natural ingredients of course, even the sprinkles are made with beet juice!





Carrot Cake


Makes 6 dozen mini cupcakes

12 oz organic demerara sugar
9 oz sunflower oil
4 organic eggs
8 oz organic whole wheat flour
0.2 oz baking soda
0.2 oz aluminum free baking powder
0.3 oz organic ground cinnamon
0.2 oz organic vanilla extract
13 oz organic carrots, peeled and shredded

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the sugar with the eggs and the oil for about 5 minutes until the eggs start to turn a little pale. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the shredded carrot. Pour batter into cupcake papers and bake at 350 degrees.


Cream Cheese and Yogurt Icing

1.5 lbs organic cream cheese, room temperature
12 oz organic unsalted butter
8 oz organic raw agave nectar
5 oz organic whole milk yogurt
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
All natural pink sprinkles

In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese, butter and agave nectar until all lumps have disappeared. make sure to scrape the bowl a couple of times. Add the yogurt and the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Ice the cupcakes and add tons of sprinkles!!!

I was only able to photograph Stella eating them because when Stella's mom took the cupcakes to school, the teacher made the kids wait to eat them until recess. I really wanted some good, messy shots of the kids!




Keeping with the children theme, I wanted to tell you about Blogging for Babies which is a blogging event to support the March of Dimes walk this April. Holly from Phe/Mom/enon contacted me about this, so I would like to submit these mini carrot cupcakes for her event.

Read her inspiring story about baby Cole. Amazing!

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Vanilla Cheesecake Lollipops

Easter is approaching and I wanted to use wheatgrass for some kind of presentation. We used to make lollipops all the time in the hotel where I worked last. Cookies in a stick, sugar lollipops, chocolate lollipops and this one was my favorite, cheesecake lollipops.

Growing up, we didn't celebrate Easter the same way Americans celebrate it. We didn't have an Easter bunny, or egg hunts or colorful eggs. For us Easter meant going to church on Good Thursday and having our feet washed during mass. To be honest, I couldn't tell you what that meant. The week before Easter was somber with church processions and a mourning environment. Or at least that's my recollection of it.

Monday after Easter Sunday was always great though because we used to eat "mokots", a brioche type of yeast bread topped with a hard cooked egg. I always looked forward to Easter just for that bread.










My mom was the best helper and taster during her visit




This is a very simple cheesecake recipe but the vanilla adds such a warmth and aroma. I used silicon mats, also called flexipans, to bake the custard in and once baked, froze them so they can pop out really easily. That's the beauty of silicon molds, you can bake in them, throw them in the freezer, they are really easy to wash... Endless possibilities.







If you do not have a silicon mold however, you can bake the cheesecake mix in any cake pan, sheet pan or cheesecake pan you have. Once baked and cooled, refrigerate the whole pan overnight. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and with a small ice cream scoop, make small balls. Place these balls on a sheet pan and freeze them so they don't fall apart when you dip them in chocolate. And while they are in the freezer, insert a lollipop stick and freeze again so they are hard solid when you want to dip them.







I know, I know, it sounds complicated but it really isn't!










Vanilla Cheesecake

450 grams organic cream cheese, room temperature
135 grams sugar
150 grams creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 vanilla bean
2 organic eggs
15 grams cornstarch
30 grams organic heavy cream

Cream the cream cheese with the sugar in the Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment. Make sure you scrape the bowl a couple of times to avoid lumps later on. Add sour cream, vanilla and the eggs one at a time. Add cornstarch and heavy cream. Mix until well combined and there are no lumps.

Pour mix into mini half sphere silicon molds. Place this silicon mold on a sheet pan. Place inside oven. Carefully pour some boiling water on the sheet pan to create a water bath. Bake at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes. Let the pans cool and then place in the freezer and freeze until the cheesecake is frozen solid.

Remove the pan from the freezer. At this point, you must work quickly because we want to keep the spheres hard solid so they don't lose their round shape while we handle them. Make a ball with the half sphere cheesecake pieces and insert a lollipop stick in the middle. Lay these on the sheet pan as you work through all your pieces. Repeat this process with all the cheesecake we have baked. Place lollipops in the freezer again.

Melt some dark chocolate over a double boiler, remove from the heat and dip the frozen cheesecake in it. Dip into chopped pistachios. Keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.









Happy Easter everyone... eta Aberri Egun on bat pasa!

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