Pixie Tangerine and Fennel Pots de Creme

A few days ago, as I was being interviewed by Raleigh's News Observer, I began thinking about inspiration. "What inspires you to cook?" is a question I get asked a lot. Right at that moment, I thought of these pixie tangerines we had just brought home days earlier. Anything this sweet, fragrant and beautiful to look at is always one of my biggest inspirations. I don't always know what I will be making with them and in my mind, that is part of the fun.



During my years in professional kitchens, menus were always strongly driven by seasons. Perhaps because I grew up close to nature and because we only ate what was in season, I cannot think of produce or cooking in any other way.

Every Sunday, my dad drove us to his parents farm in Zeberio. They grew most everything they ate and always had crates full of extras for us to take home. I remember the vivid smell of leeks that permeated my dad's car and lingered for days. Summer was vibrant with strawberries, summer squash, heirloom tomatoes, peas, figs... Winter was hearty with leeks, cabbage, red beans, potatoes... and a small orange tree that yielded fruit late into Spring. That's where my inspiration comes from.



"I feel like flan", I told my mom. Farmer Sal's eggs with their deep orange yolks were calling my name. We steeped cream and milk with the pixie tangerine zest, a bit of lemon zest, cinnamon and fennel seeds for this little pots de creme. Not quite flan, but we always seem to call any custard flan, whether it has caramel or not.

We spent the whole afternoon at home playing with M., baking, reading and eating this little custard jars.



I had bookmarked Tara's tangerine and almond cake recipe a few weeks before and this was the perfect time to make it. A flourless, super moist cake that I adapted to incorporate pistachios and a gluten-free crumb topping. Barely had any time to photograph them as they were our snack for the afternoon we spent strawberry picking.

And then... there's our little "txinbito", like we call her. "Jateko modukoa ama".



Pixie Tangerine and Fennel Pots de Creme

makes about 10 small ramekins

500 ml milk
500 ml heavy cream
Zest of 6 pixie tangerines or 3 regular ones
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
175 grams sugar

Heat the milk, heavy cream, zest, cinnamon and fennel seeds. Steep for about 10 minutes.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Temper in the hot liquid. Strain through a fine sieve.

Pour the custard into ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking tray. Bring the tray to a preheated 300F oven. Pour hot water in the baking tray about 1" high. Bake the pots de creme until set. Time will vary depending on the size of the ramekin.

Let them cool and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. We seem to like them best at room temperature but that might be just us.

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Gluten Free Pastel de Arroz, Molds with a History and a Nomination

As I have told you many times before, I grew up in a pastry shop and I am not exaggerating one bit when I say it was the most wonderful way to grow up. It really was. We lived about 50 meters across the street from the shop and my grandparents lived just above it. Often times, we would go out on the balcony and could have an entire conversation with my amama Miren who spent time observing the street out her window. And she liked to chat, a lot.

I describe those smells often as they are engraved in my head. Milk simmering, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, lemon peel, the smell of butter being rolled into puff pastry everyday. It really was an idyllic childhood.



Pastel de arroz was always my favorite tart. Crispy and flaky puff pastry encasing a wonderful baked custard that smelled of cinnamon, vanilla and lemon peel. On Sundays, they would make suspiros which were the pastel the arroz topped with a dome of air-like chiboust slightly caramelized. Need I say more. I am not sure where the name pastel de arroz (rice tart) came from as this recipe contains no rice at all. I will have to look into that, but this is one of the most traditional tarts in the Basque Country. So simple.

Last time my parents visited, my mom brought for me these old tart molds that belonged to my grandfather. They must be at least 50 years old and I think they are one of my most treasured belongings. They really show their usage as the inside still feels slightly greased. So much history.



On another note, I wanted to share with you that Saveur Magazine has nominated Cannelle Et Vanille for "Best Food Photography" in a blog in their first ever Food Blog Awards. I am so honored to be nominated amongst such great people. You can vote and view the rest of categories and nominees here.



The traditional recipe uses puff pastry, but I baked the tarts in a gluten free pie dough. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Pate Brisee

makes 8 3"x1" tart molds

85 grams sweet rice flour
35 grams quinoa flour
30 grams amaranth flour
25 grams tapioca starch
20 grams sugar
3 grams salt
2 grams xanthan gum
115 grams butter, cold and cut into small dice
60-80 grams ice cold water

Place the flours, sugar, salt and xanthan gum in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to air ingredients. Add the cold diced butter and pulse about 10 times. Add the ice cold water and pulse until flours are wet but do not over mix it (it doesn't have to form a ball). Start with 60 gram of water and add more if needed.

Transfer dough into your work surface and press it together. Wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten it into a disk. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

Roll the pastry with a rolling pin to about 1/8-1/16" thickness. Use some of the flours so the dough doesn't stick to your work surface. You can also roll it between two sheets of parchment paper. Must work quickly.

Cut circles of dough and fill the tart molds. Cut the top edges. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. In the meantime, make the custard and let it cool completely.

Pastel de Arroz Custard

250 ml whole milk
60 grams butter
Zest of half a lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean
60 grams cornstarch
55 grams sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Place milk, butter, lemon zest, cinnamon and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat off and let it steep for 10 min.

Whisk the sugar and cornstarch into a bowl. Add the eggs and whisk them until a smooth paste forms. Temper the warm liquid into the egg base while whisking. Strain this custard through a sieve and let it col completely before filling the tarts.

Preheat the oven to 425F for about 15 minutes before using. Have your rack positioned in the lower middle part of the oven.

Fill the tart molds with the cooled custard (about 3/4 full). Bake the tarts at 425F for about 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown and crust completely baked. It will puff up slightly and then sink in the middle.

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Churros with Spiced Chocolate Bisque to Satisfy a Late Pregnancy Craving

I believe a few weeks ago, I told you that I don't usually like fried desserts or that I have not had much of a chocolate craving as of late. Well, I must take all of that back as this week I fried up the largest batch of churros and cooked the richest chocolate bisque I have made in a long time. We were able to open all windows this week and let the cool autumn breeze come in. Most of you are probably bundled up in scarves and coats by now, but we have had an unusually warm month (even for Florida), so this was a great feeling.



As I approach the last couple of weeks of this pregnancy, all I want is to be comforted and have all the ones I love close. C. returned from his trip to Montana and now we are getting ready for my parents to arrive.

One night while C. was giving me a much needed foot rub, we were talking about memories and my family back home. Suddenly the thought of chocolate con churros hit me. Cinnamon sugar churros dipped in a thick chocolate custard. "I must make them tomorrow", I said and so I did.



The traditional hot chocolate served in Spain doesn't contain eggs. It is a thick chocolate cream usually thickened with a bit of cornstarch or made with a special kind of chocolate that contains thickeners. This recipe is a bit like a creme anglaise flavored with dark chocolate, coffee, orange, fresh ginger, cinnamon and vanilla bean. It can be served warm or even cold, but I really like the churros dipped in a warm custard.

Churros

125 ml water
125ml whole milk
110 grams butter
pinch salt
large pinch sugar
150 grams flour
3 eggs

Canola oil for frying

Cinnamon sugar for coating

Place the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring this to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together into a smooth ball.

Transfer this mass to the bowl of an electric mixer (or can do it by hand) and start mixing with a paddle attachment. When most of the steam has evaporated, add the eggs one at a time. Mix until it comes together to a smooth thick mass.

Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (#5).

In a wide pan that has tall sides, pour about 3" deep of canola oil. Heat it to 350F. When it reaches the temperature, pipe the batter into the oil and cut with scissors. Fry them until golden brown. Remove the churros from the oil and roll them in cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately.

Spiced Chocolate Bisque

500 ml heavy cream
200 ml whole milk
100 grams sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
1 star anise
1 stick of cinnamon
Zest of 1 orange
3 slices of fresh ginger
5 grams cocoa powder
3 grams instant coffee powder
6 egg yolks
135 grams dark chocolate, chopped

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla bean, star anise, cinnamon, orange zest and fresh ginger. Bring it to a boil. Turn the heat off and let it steep for about 10 minutes. Return the mixture to a boil and add the cocoa powder and instant coffee powder. Whisk well.

Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and temper the milk mixture into them while whisking. Return this mixture to the sauce pan and cook for a couple of minutes while constantly stirring until lightly thickens.

Place the finely chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Place a fine sieve over the bowl and pour the custard over the chocolate. Mix until all the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth cream.

Can be served warm, room temperature or cold. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It will thicken when it cools.

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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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Tonka Bean and Rice Milk Sherbet Milkshakes with Pistachio, Raspberry and Buttermilk Tea Cakes

The warm weather is back and I have been having an unusual urge to make creamy, thick and frothy milkshakes. I have never been one to order a milkshake at a restaurant. In fact, I think I might have only had two milkshakes in my entire life. Ok, maybe a couple more, but not many, that's for sure. So this sudden craving caught me by surprise.

When I thought about flavors, I thought of the horchatas we used to drink as kids in the summer time. Then I remembered I had some tonka beans that Helen sent to me a few months ago and thought they would be perfect in a sherbet with a hint of cinnamon and rice milk.




We had the milkshakes in the afternoon with these pistachio, raspberry and buttermilk tea cakes. The sweetness and warmth of the cinnamon and the tonka bean are the perfect contrast to the slightly sour raspberries. For those of you who have never tasted a tonka bean, think of almonds, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves together. Very, very aromatic and it goes perfect with milk and custards. It is a very "homey" aroma to me.

In my opinion, the tea cakes are better the next day, after they have had a chance to sit in the refrigerator overnight. There is quite a bit of brown sugar in these making them retain a lot of moisture. I really hope you try them.



Tonka Bean and Cinnamon Horchata Sherbet

450 grams rice milk
125 grams sugar
2 grams sorbet stabilizer
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp grated tonka bean
200 grams heavy cream

In a medium saucepan, simmer the rice milk, tonka bean and cinnamon for about 15 minutes to infuse the milk. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and the sorbet stabilizer really well. Bring the milk to a boil and add the sugar and stabilizer mixture. Whisk and let it come back to a boil so sugar dissolves.

Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Let this cool over an ice bath. When cooled, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine.

Let the mixture mature in the refrigerator overnight and churn in ice cream machine. Freeze.

Tonka Bean and Rice Milk Sherbet Milkshake

In a blender, combine about 2 scoops of the sherbet and a splash of whole milk and blend until smooth and frothy.

Pistachio, Raspberry and Buttermilk Tea Cakes

170 grams butter
150 grams light brown sugar
125 grams granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
180 grams buttermilk
180 grams flour
4 grams baking powder
3 grams salt
25 grams pistachios, chopped
80 grams raspberries (I used frozen)

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract until light. Add the eggs one at a time. Scrape the bowl. Mix flour and salt and while mixing in low speed, add half of it into the bowl. Follow with half of the buttermilk. Add the rest of the flour and finish with the buttermilk. Scrape and mix until all combined.

Fold in pistachios and raspberries. Spray molds with cooking spray or and fill half way with batter. Bake at 350F until light golden brown.

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Tonka Bean and Rice Milk Sherbet Milkshakes with Pistachio, Raspberry and Buttermilk Tea Cakes

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