Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts

I Leave Them with Cookies and Milk



    Today I leave for France where I will be teaching a 4-day food styling and photography workshop in the dream-like background of the Dordogne region.

    Our workshop will be held at this amazing manoir. Can you guys believe this place? I cannot wait to swim in this pool. The weather is expected to be beautiful. We couldn't ask for better conditions.

    However, this is the first time I will be traveling without my babies. It will feel strange not to have them with me. "I want to come with you amatxu" Jon said to me this morning when I drove him to school. He will be quite the traveler one day.



    My parents are here taking care of the children while I'm away and C. works.

    I baked lots of goodies for them this week. Chocolate and apple muffins, rice and coconut milk puddings with sauteed apples, red currant shortbreads, and multigrain chocolate and hazelnut cookies with a touch of sea salt. I left some of the cookie dough in the freezer for this next week, in case there are unexpected cravings. Are cravings ever unexpected anyway?

    I promised them they could have cookies and milk everyday after school. It caused quite the excitement.



    So I am off for now.

    I will be back in a few days hopefully with photos from our workshop, Dordogne, and from a day in Paris.

    Be good and see you soon!

    Multigrain Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies

    Makes 20 cookies

    2 oz (55 g) hazelnuts
    8 Tbs (110 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
    1/2 cup (110 g) light brown sugar
    1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane sugar
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 egg, room temperature
    3/4 cup (105 g) superfine brown rice flour
    1/4 cup (35 g) teff flour
    1/4 cup (35 g) quinoa flour
    1/4 cup (35 g) amaranth flour
    1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca starch
    3/4 tsp sea salt
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    3 oz (85 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or mini chocolate chips)


    Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Bake the hazelnuts for 7 minutes. Remove them from oven and transfer them to a clean kitchen towel. Rub the hazelnuts against the towel to remove their skins. Let them cool and roughly chop them. Reserve.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium high speed, mix the butter, brown sugar, and natural cane sugar with the paddle attachment until light, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix until combined.

    Whisk together the superfine brown rice flour, teff flour, quinoa flour, amaranth flour, tapioca starch, salt, and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until dough comes together. Add the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate. Mix to combine.

    Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment and roll into a log that is approximately 2 inches in diameter and 13 inches long. Chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.

    Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

    Cut the cookie dough into 1/2 inch disks. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicon mat. Space them 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before picking them up.

    Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    The dough can also be frozen tightly wrapped for up to 3 months.

Post Title

I Leave Them with Cookies and Milk


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-leave-them-with-cookies-and-milk.html


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Peppergrass, Sorrel and More Weekend Cooking



    "Can you make pancakes for breakfast before going to the farmers' market?" asked J. as soon as I walked downstairs Saturday morning. He was up early. He knew it was the weekend and that a trip to the farmers' market was the first thing in order. Just like every other Saturday morning."Can I help?"

    Our bellies full with chestnut and sauteed apple pancakes, my mom and I headed down to the farmers' market. It is always so nice to have alone time with her.



    "Let's go see what Jody has this week" I told mom. "The padron peppers might be ready".

    On the way there, we picked up eggs and my new wild strawberry plant, which I hope starts giving fruit soon (keeping fingers crossed).

    We looked through Jody's stand. So many varieties of greens that is always hard to choose. The padron peppers weren't ready, but we spotted greens I have never seen before.

    "Taste this". Peppery and lemony cress. "It's peppergrass" Jody told us. It was fresh and bright, similar to watercress, but different. We put that in our baskets as well as some sorrel, chervil, tender Bibb lettuce, and some heirloom carrots. "it will be great in a salad".



    As we were walking back to our car, I reminded my mom of how my paternal grandmother, amama Dolores, never ate lettuce. Despite growing lots of greens in her own garden, she always said that lettuce was for the chickens. We laughed. We were definitely going to eat our greens.

    At home we roasted potatoes and baby beets. Also made pesto with some of the peppergrass and sorrel, and slowly poached salmon with herbs in olive oil. It was a delicious salad indeed.

    We ate it with a creamy tomato soup scented with sorrel, similar to this one.



    For dessert we had dark chocolate and quinoa shortbread cookies. Soft and intense. I dipped them in some hemp milk in the middle of the afternoon. It hit the spot.



    Salmon, Roasted Potato and Beet Salad with Peppergrass and Sorrel Pesto

    Peppergrass and Sorrel Pesto

    1 clove garlic
    2 Tbs pine nuts
    1 cup peppergrass
    1/4 cup sorrel
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/4 cup grated parmesan
    1/3 cup olive oil


    In the food processor, finely chop the garlic and pine nuts. Add the peppergrass, sorrel, and salt. Pulse until it turns into a fine paste. Add the grated parmesan and pulse twice to incorporate. Add the olive oil while machine running until pesto turns into a smooth paste. Reserve.

    6 baby beets
    6 baby golden potatoes, peeled and cut in half
    2 Tbs olive oil
    1/2 tsp salt


    Toss all ingredients in a baking pan and roast at 425F for about 20-25 minutes.

    2 (6 ounce) pieces of salmon
    1/4 tsp salt
    Fresh herbs (thyme, sorrel, parsley, etc)
    1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
    1 cup olive oil


    Season salmon with salt on both sides. Tide the herbs around the salmon with butcher's twine. Over low heat, heat the olive oil in a shallow pan that will hold both pieces of salmon. Add the garlic. When it starts to form small bubbles around the garlic. Add the salmon and gently cook it for 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness. I half way cover the pot with a lid.

    To assemble the salad, toss the roasted beets and potatoes with some of the pesto. Arrange peppergrass and sorrel leaves on a platter, season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbs lemon juice. Top with flaked pieces of salmon, beets and potatoes.

Post Title

Peppergrass, Sorrel and More Weekend Cooking


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2011/03/peppergrass-sorrel-and-more-weekend.html


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And Let The Holiday Baking Begin...



    I love this time of year. I have never been one to get caught up in the craziness of it all. I am a minimalist and I try not to overindulge when it comes to shopping. I like to keep things simple. But there is one thing that I love to do and that is to bake.

    It comes back to my childhood when right around the beginning of December, the pastry shop and everyone in my family would start to gear up for all the seasonal baking that would happen all month long. Turron, intricate marzipan figurines, tarta de ponche and many other petits fours and cookies. All of them heavy on almonds and labor. Lots of labor.

    We would help in any way we could and I vividly remember sitting down peeling kilos and kilos of raw almonds that my grandmother would blanch in-house. Something they do to this day. Blanch, peel and grind the almonds to make their own almond meal.



    So now when Thanksgiving comes around, I start to get excited for all the baking. The old Gourmet and all the Martha Stewart magazines provide so much inspiration. Love browsing through past issues and getting inspired.

    Here is an assortment of things we are baking. Mesquite meringue cookies with chocolate cream, pistachio and raspberry layered shortbreads, almond and raspberry linzers, milk jam cookies and many more.



    And finally, Arielle is the winner of last week's book giveaway. Please email me so I can get your address. Thanks everyone for sharing your family recipes.

    Have a great Thanksgiving!

Post Title

And Let The Holiday Baking Begin...


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/11/and-let-holiday-baking-begin.html


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Soothing Potato, Celery Root and Sunchoke Cream with Purple Potato Chips



    When I took these photos last week, I had a different story to tell you. A story about autumn and potatoes. But things changed.

    It all started last Friday when J. was complaining about a stomach ache. Then, on Saturday, this stomach ache turned into full blown nasty virus that had all of us bending over with pain. Even poor M. who is not quite one year yet, could not keep anything down. Needless to say it was a rough weekend.



    Saturday, I could barely move, but I was the least affected of the four so I somehow managed to make some soup. Soup was the only thing I could picture myself eating. Not this exact one, as I had made and photographed this a few days earlier, but a second batch.

    Celery root, sunchokes, potatoes, leeks, thyme, coconut milk... Creamy and light soup that takes no time to make to get us going. It seemed to be the only thing that really helped.



    Sunday afternoon, C. and I managed to take alternating naps. I woke up after my two hour siesta revitalized. Nothing some sleep cannot help, no?.

    I woke up to an anxious boy in a ninja costume ready to go trick or treating. "is it time yet?", he asked. I got up, took a shower, got dressed and miraculously felt like a new person.

    We grabbed some of these leftover pistachio, oat and chocolate shortbreads, which I had been testing the week before and headed to our friends' house where it as all happening. Cookies went down great, but kids were looking for their packaged candy fix.

    Oh how I love Halloween.



    Potato, Celery Root and Sunchoke Cream with Purple Potato Chips

    makes enough for 4 servings

    3 Tbs olive oil
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1/2 leek, diced
    1 medium celery root, peeled and diced
    2 sunchokes, peeled and diced
    4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
    2 springs of fresh thyme
    1 1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp pepper
    1 qt chicken or vegetable stock
    1/4 cup coconut milk
    1 purple potato, thinly sliced
    olive oil to fry


    In a large pot, sauté the garlic and leeks in the olive oil for about 1-2 minutes. Do not want to brown them, just sweat them. Add the diced root vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and saute for another minute.

    Add the chicken stock (enough to cover) and bring it to a boil. Simmer and cover the pot. Cook the soup for about 20 minutes and then puree it. Add the coconut milk and adjust seasoning.

    In the meantime, slice the purple potato with a mandolin or a super sharp knife (mandolin works best). heat the olive oil and fry the potatoes for about 1 minute until they crisp up. Drain them on paper towels and season with salt and fresh thyme.



Post Title

Soothing Potato, Celery Root and Sunchoke Cream with Purple Potato Chips


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/11/soothing-potato-celery-root-and.html


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Fighting the Heat with a Honeydew, Mint and Lemon Thyme Soup



    It has been incredibly hot and humid in the Southeast this past week. I have a bit of a bad habit of constantly checking my weather app in my phone to see what the actual heat index is. A bad habit I should stop since there is nothing I can do about the weather anyway. Just accept it.

    Soaring temperatures and humidity make me want to stay inside, drink ice cold lemonade and snack on refreshing fruit salads.



    Every year when August comes around, I start thinking about our childhood camping trips. My parents had the entire month of August off and we would pack the family camper and spend the first half the month in the mountains and the second, at the beach.

    We would take day trips in the surrounding areas and I remember my dad always stopping at local produce stands to get a whole melon as a snack. We would just find a place to sit, cut the melon into wedges and eat it in silence. We seem to do that a lot in my family. Sit, eat and look around.



    There really isn't anything better to fight the heat than some cold soup. Sweet honeydew melon, a little cucumber, squeeze of lemon juice and lots of mint and lemon thyme from my herb pots. Super simple, but perfect to fight this summer heat. I also made some savory crackers with lots of crispy jamon serrano, pink peppercorns and lemon thyme.



    Actually I have to tell you that I loved this so much that I will be making it when I appear on the Basque cooking show Robin Food. We will be recording it next month when we go back home. I am excited to meet David de Jorge and very anxious at the same time. Those who know me well know how I always shy away from cameras and I have a shaky voice when I have to speak in public. So stay tuned for that one!

Post Title

Fighting the Heat with a Honeydew, Mint and Lemon Thyme Soup


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/07/fighting-heat-with-honeydew-mint-and.html


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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.

Post Title

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


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/06/butterscotch-smoked-almond-raspberry.html


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Raspberry, Cocoa Nib and Mesquite Cookies



    I first learned about mesquite flour a couple of years ago through Heidi's blog and her famous mesquite and chocolate chip cookies. I was very intrigued by the new flour, but never got around to using it until a couple of weeks ago when I was browsing the shelves of a health food store and there I found it again.

    I had to buy it, of course, and experiment with it. When I opened the bag, I got a wave of cinnamon, chocolate and coffee notes. Warm and lovely.



    Come to find out, mesquite meal, which comes from the mesquite tree, has been an integral part of the daily diet of Native Americans for centuries. It has a low glycemic-index and is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, and the amino acid lysine.

    I have been using it in many different preparations. J's favorite seems to be the mesquite and chocolate chip pancakes I have been making on the weekends with the mesquite flour, palm sugar, hemp milk and lots of mini chocolate chips. (Palm sugar is also another one of my favorite latest discoveries). Heidi was on to something with her cookies as the warm spicy aroma of the mesquite goes perfectly with chocolate.



    I always like to have logs of unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for those unexpected afternoon treats and yes, sometimes even a bribing technique. So a few days ago, I spent an entire afternoon mixing cookie dough batches and freezing them.

    Amongst other more traditional cookies like chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and lemon sugar, I thought the slightly sour raspberries would be great with the aroma of mesquite and the texture of the cocoa nibs. I even dried my own raspberries in the dehydrator, which I hadn't used in months.



    Of course, you should know by now that the cookies are gluten free and no one even knew it. Perfect.

    Raspberry, Cocoa Nib and Mesquite Cookies

    110 grams non-hydrogenated shortening or butter
    110 grams brown sugar
    55 grams sugar
    1 egg
    150 grams superfine brown rice flour
    50 grams tapioca starch
    25 grams mesquite flour
    3 grams baking soda
    4 grams salt
    50 grams cocoa nib
    20 grams dried raspberries


    Cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light. Add the egg and mix. Scrape the mixture well. Whisk together the superfine brown rice flour, tapioca starch, mesquite flour, salt and baking soda. Add the dry to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the dried raspberries and cocoa nib.

    Dump the dough on a sheet of parchment paper and shape it into a log. Wrap the log with the parchment and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

    Cut the log into 1/4" disks and bake at 350F for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden.

Post Title

Raspberry, Cocoa Nib and Mesquite Cookies


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/06/raspberry-cocoa-nib-and-mesquite.html


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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.

Post Title

Gluten Free Lemon and Almond Meltaways


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/02/gluten-free-lemon-and-almond-meltaways.html


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Chestnut Flan with Double Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger Biscotti



    Forgive me if I have been a bit absent the last few days. The cold and flu season has hit us hard this year. We even had to spend three days in the hospital with little M. due to a virus she caught from her brother. Lesson learned here; do not let a 3 year old boy stick his nose in his sister's mouth. Yes, indeed. It was just a scare and M. is well. Thank goodness.



    The cold weather finally arrived this week and as soon as we were released from the hospital, we came home and roasted some chestnuts. What would winter be without some roasted chestnuts with a bit of sea salt? Not the same. Reminds me of the tiny wooden stall that sits in the middle of my hometown square, which only opens during winter and exclusively sells roasted chestnuts. In brown paper bags, of course. The smell permeates every corner and puts us all in the holiday spirit.



    We made these chestnut and rum flans that we ate after one of our daily walks. Nothing like custard in the middle of the afternoon.

    The double chocolate and crystallized ginger biscotti are part of the holiday treat boxes we are making this year. Life is a bit crazy and unfortunately, time is a scarce resource around here. We haven't been able to do much in that sense, but a little something is better than nothing.

    Hope you are enjoying this time a year whether you are covered in snow or lying on a beach somewhere.



    Chestnut Flan

    makes 4-6 oz ramekins

    125 grams chestnut puree
    125 grams chestnut paste
    50 grams butter, room temperature
    50 grams sugar
    6 egg yolks
    2 eggs
    50 grams heavy cream
    25 grams dark rum
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    pinch salt


    In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the chestnut puree, chestnut paste and butter until smooth and lump free. Add the sugar and mix.

    In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and eggs and add them to the chestnut base. Mix until combined. Add the heavy cream, rum and vanilla.

    If it seems lumpy, you can strain the custard through a fine sieve. Pour the custard into the ramekins and bake at 325F for about 30 minutes or until center done.

    Double Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger Biscotti

    150 grams butter, room temperature
    200 grams sugar
    Zest of 1 orange
    3 eggs, room temperature
    415 grams flour
    25 grams cocoa powder
    12 grams baking powder
    pinch of salt
    70 grams crystallized ginger, small dice
    50 grams chocolate chunks


    Cream the butter, sugar and zest together. Add the eggs one at a time and scrape the bowl.

    Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder,baking powder and salt and add it to the mixer. Mix until combined. Add the ginger and chocolate chunks until well distributed.

    Transfer the dough into a half sheet pan lined with parchment and form into a log that is about 12"x4" approximately. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

    Let the log cool completely and then slice it into 1/4" thick pieces. Place the cookies on the sheet pans and bake at 325F for about 10 minutes. Then flip the cookies over and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until dry.

Post Title

Chestnut Flan with Double Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger Biscotti


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2009/12/chestnut-flan-with-double-chocolate-and.html


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My Sunday Suppers Summer Desserts

    Photos by Karen Mordechai Photography

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

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

    Photos by Karen Mordechai Photography

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

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

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

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



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

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



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

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

Post Title

My Sunday Suppers Summer Desserts


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-sunday-suppers-summer-desserts.html


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