My Sunday Suppers Summer Desserts

Photos by Karen Mordechai Photography

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

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

Photos by Karen Mordechai Photography

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

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

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

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



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

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



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

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

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My Sunday Suppers Summer Desserts

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Apple Pate de Fruit, Hazelnuts and Brown Butter

A few varieties of Washington apples are starting to show up in our store, but I really wish I could visit an apple orchard and pick them myself. C's uncle lives in Wenatchee, Washington where they have beautiful apple and pear orchards that I am dying to visit once again. Last time we flew out to see them, we had such a lovely time that I think it's time for us to plan a trip soon.

I made some green apple pate de fruit this week to give away as favors but also as filling for hazelnut brown butter cakes. I wish I could describe to you the smell that filled my house after making the brown butter. It is heaven and speaks of autumn.

The brown butter cakes are essentially financiers. I baked some of them with a little bit of the pate de fruit on top. The small apples I used are crab apples in sugar syrup that I brought back from home last time. I am anxious to see what I will this time when I go home. Shopping for food is always on the top of my list of things to do when I go home.



Green Apple Pate de Fruit

560 grams gree apple puree
225 grams unsweetened apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
22 grams yellow pectin
720 grams sugar
112 grams sugar
170 grams glucose
16 grams tartaric acid solution (or lemon juice)
15 grams calvados

Mix the pectin and 720 grams of sugar in a bowl. Make sure the pectin is well mixed with the sugar. Pass through a sieve if necessary. We don't want clumps of pectin in the pate de fruit.

In a large pot, warm the apple puree, apple juice and the cinnamon stick. When it reaches 42C or a bit warmer than body temperature, add the pectin and the 720 grams of sugar. Bring this to a boil and add the sugar and glucose. Cook this mixture to 106C. Turn the heat off and add the tartaric acid and the calvados. Remove the cinnamon carefully. Pour into a half a sheetpan and let it set for a couple of hours undisturbed so it sets properly. I also poured some pate de fruit into flower shaped and half sphere silicon flexipans. Cut into desired shapes and roll in sugar before serving.

Hazelnut Brown Butter Cakes

120 grams egg whites
125 grams sugar
55 grams flour
25 grams almond flour, toasted
30 grams hazelnut flour, toasted
150 grams brown butter

Toast the almond and hazelnut flours at 325F for about 7 minutes. Let it cool. In the meantime, brown the butter in a medium saucepan. When it starts to turn brown and smells nutty, remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve. Let this cool also.

Mix the egg whites with the sugar. Fold in the flour and toasted nut flours. Whisk. Slowly add the cooled brown butter while whisking. Let this batter sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Pipe the batter into molds and place a small square of apple pate de fruit on top. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

For the financiers with the crab apple on top, pipe the batter into the gold cups and bake for 7 minutes, then place a crab apple on top and bake for another 7 minutes or until golden brown.

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Meringue... the Difference that Folding Makes

I am always intrigued by technique and how the simple action of folding ingredients together can completely change the texture and consistency of a product. Such is the case with meringue. The infamous macarons are usually nothing but egg whites with sugar and ground up nuts. But how do they get their tiny feet and the crunchy exterior with the moist interior? I was showing a friend of mine the macaron folding technique or "macaroner", when it occurred to me that I should also show her how a similar meringue can yield a different kind of cookie.

We made a batch of pistachio macarons with pistachio buttercream and a batch of hazelnut success with salted caramel ganache.

I decided to make some hazelnut success, which are nothing more than baked meringue with sugar and hazelnut meal gently folded in. Success is barely folded compared to the way macarons must be almost turned into a paste. The macaron batter is "worked" into a shiny mass, however, success must be folded with a light hand and gentle touch.



I understand that macaron recipes contain more dry ingredients that the rest of meringues, which also contributes to the completely different texture, but I would say, that is mostly in the hand. When macarons are under-mixed and much of the air is left in the mass, they turn into light crispy meringues and not the chewy interior we all desire.

I think at the end of the day, the reason why all this intrigues me is because it means that a recipe or a list of ingredients don't really mean all that much unless there is care and touch behind it.



Pistachio Macarons

100 grams almond meal
80 grams raw pistachio meal
243 grams powdered sugar
138 grams egg whites
3 grams egg white powder
81 grams sugar
few drops of all-natural green food coloring

In a large bowl, sift together the almond flour, pistachio meal and powdered sugar. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg white and the egg white powder. Whip in medium speed until egg whites start to increase in volume. When the egg whites are almost fully whipped and very fluffy, slowly start adding the sugar, sprinkle it in. After all the sugar is incorporated, continue to whip the meringue in high speed now until semi stiff peaks have formed. Add food coloring.

Add the meringue to the almond flour and pistachio meal mixture and with a spatula, fold the meringue into the dry ingredients. This is called “macaroner” and is also a tricky part. It is better to fold slowly and test a couple of macaroons because it is possible to over fold this mixture. We are looking for a shiny mass. For this amount of ingredients, I would say that it will only take about 10 to 15 strokes. But again, it is better to check for consistency. We are looking for a mass that spreads a little but not too much otherwise our macaroons will be flat.

Pipe the mass onto half sheet pans lined with silpats. Sprinkle the wet macaroons with pistachio crumble or chopped pistachios.

Let them sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes so they dry. We want the tops to not stick to our finger when we touch them. This will ensure a crack-free macaroon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Bake one sheetpan at a time and rotate half way after about 10 minutes. They will take about 16 minutes total but depends on your oven.

Pistachio Buttercream

50 grams egg whites
100 grams sugar
150 grams butter, softened
50 grams pistachio paste

Mix the egg whites and the sugar and place them over a double boiler while you whisk them together. The sugar will start to dissolve and the egg whites will start to turn white and fluffy. Continue whisking until the egg whites feel hot to the touch.

Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and whip in high speed until light and fluffy and the bottom of the bowl doesn't feel hot anymore. About 3-5 minutes.

Start adding the softened butter by the tablespoon. Keep adding more butter as it is incorporated into the meringue. It might look like it is curdling but don't worry, keep mixing. When is well mixed, add the pistachio paste.

Hazelnut Success

50 grams egg whites
40 grams sugar
40 grams powdered sugar
25 grams hazelnut meal

Whip the egg whites fully and slowly add the sugar. Whip to stiff peaks.

Separately, sift the powdered sugar and hazelnut meal together. Sprinkle this mixture over the meringue and fold by hand, slowly. Be careful not to deflate the meringue too much.

Place the mix in a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe long lines of the meringue on a sheetpan lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until they dry completely. When they cool you should be able to pick them up from the parchment no problem.

Salted Caramel Ganache

60 grams sugar
110 grams heavy cream
100 grams bittersweet chocolate (64%)
65 grams milk chocolate (38%)
15 grams salted butter
pinch fleur de sel

Make a dry caramel with the sugar. In the meantime, heat the cream and when the caramel is starting to turn fairly dark, deglaze it with the cream.

Have the dark and milk chocolates chopped in a separate bowl. Strain the caramel mixture over the chocolate. Let it sit untouched for a minute. The caramel will start to slowly melt the chocolate. Whisk gently until all the chocolate is dissolved and the ganache has formed an emulsion. When it has coioled a bit, which will happen quickly since it's a small batch, add the soft butter and mix keeping the emulsion. Add the fleur de sel.

Let the ganache sit at room temperature until it hardens enough to be pipeable. Place in a pastry bag and pipe in between hazelnut success.

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Apricot and Vanilla Bean Pate de Fruit

The abundance of stone fruits is making me go crazy. My head spins thinking about new recipes, how to visually display them, the vibrant colors, flavor combinations. My last three recipes have featured stone fruits, so this time I just had to take it slow and make something rather simple. Something like pate de fruit which I think is a perfect way to utilize stone fruits and yes, get an enormous sugar high!




This recipe makes a lot of pate de fruit so be ready to give some away. It will keep really well for days (the amount of sugar and the tartaric acid solution helps with that) but still... I don't think a family can handle so much sugar. Not even mine! So get out your pretty food packaging boxes or bags and make a list of friends and family to share these with!

Apricot and Vanilla Bean Pate de Fruit

Makes half a sheetpan

750 grams apricot puree
2 vanilla beans
18 grams yellow pectin
75 grams sugar
150 grams glucose
750 grams sugar
6 grams tartaric acid solution (equal parts water and tartaric acid)
12 grams peach liquer

Place the apricot puree and the vanilla bean seeds into a large pot with tall sides. Heat to about 45 degrees celsius (about 113 F).

In the meantime, mix the yellow pectin and the 75 grams of sugar in a bowl. Make sure they are thoroughly combined. If there are clusters of yellow pectin left unmixed with the sugar, this will leave undissolved gummy pieces of pectin in the finished product. So once the puree is warm, add the yellow pectin and sugar to it and whisk very well.

Bring the mixture to a boil and add the rest of the sugar and the glucose. Whisk well and let it boil and cook to 106 degrees Celsius (223F). Make sure to whisk often.

Turn the heat off and add the liquer and the tartaric acid solution. Whisk.

Pour into a half sheetpan lined with parchment paper or silicon mat. Let it set for about 2 hours or until it is completely cool and it has hardened.

Cut squares or different shapes and roll in sugar. Serve immediately. The uncut pate de fruit will keep for a few days lightly covered with plastic wrap. If you are in a humid climate like me, you might notice that it turns very sticky. That's from the humidity in the air melting the sugar.

Happy July 4th weekend to all of you and I will see you next week!

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Cherry, Almond and Chocolate Mini Cakes

I have been eating cherries like crazy the last few weeks. Sometimes I don't even like to bake with them because they are so fantastic on their own, fresh, plump and juicy. I love to watch my son eat them even though that means he will stain his shirts and that will be the end of them. All so very worth it.

So these are chocolate almond cakes with pieces of cherry inside that I baked in mini ramekins. I love how moist yet dense they are. A little goes a long way with this cake.





Cherry, Almond and Chocolate Cake

175 grams almond paste
3 eggs
50 grams butter
90 grams bittersweet chocolate
30 grams flour
2 grams baking powder
cherries, pitted and cut into medium dice

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the almond paste with one egg with the paddle attachment. When this becomes a smooth mixture, add the rest of the eggs and switch to the whip attachment. Whip this for about 5 minutes until light and fluffly.

In the meantime, melt the butter and the chocolate over a double boiler. When the eggs have become thick and make a ribbon, turn the machine to low and add the melted chocolate and butter. Mix until combined. Add the flour and baking powder and mix. Fold in the pieces of cherry.

Refrigerate the batter for a couple of hours. Pipe into molds (half way up) and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. When the cake has almost set completely, place a whole cherry with its stem on top, let the cake finish baking for another 3 minutes or so.

I know this is a short post. Short but sweet. Have a wonderful weekend!

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Cherry, Almond and Chocolate Mini Cakes

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Canneles and Raspberry Financiers... Little Camping Snacks

First of all, I have to thank all of you who left beautiful words in my blog. Very inspirational and they have not gone unnoticed....

We just returned from a camping trip. It was a hot, but perfect Mother's Day camping trip. It is just a joy to see my little boy's face every time we tell him we are going to the pool or just to watch him play in the dirt. I think life gave me a boy for a reason. I get to rediscover nature through his eyes and how anything and everything is a potential toy. Tree branches make great swords!

Our camping trips always seem to revolve around food. We plan our meals a week in advance, making grocery lists, taking special trips to Whole Foods. Snacks and sweet treats are very, very important, so in preparation for this trip, I made a batch of canneles and raspberry financiers. Small, one bite treats.






Canneles are the quintessential petits fours from Bordeaux. They are not a cookie and they are not cake. It's almost like a crepe batter that is baked in tin molds to a dark crusty exterior and a soft, custard, chewy interior. They are flavored with vanilla and rum... very very fragrant. Traditionally, these canneles tin molds are coated with beeswax, but I used mini silicon molds. Their exterior is not as shiny when beeswax is not used but they are just as flavorful and the texture very similar.





The raspberry financiers are C's favorite. In fact, he ate most of them before we even left for the trip. There's something about brown butter, almonds and raspberries together... Most of the time, I bake a large base and I bake them as I need them. The batter will stay good in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.


Canneles Bordelais

Makes 3 dozen mini canneles

225 grams milk
30 grams butter
75 grams milk
1 egg yolk
90 grams flour
24 grams rum
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
150 grams sugar

Boil the first two ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining of the ingredients together and slowly add the boiled milk and butter. Whisk until there are no lumps. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Pour the batter into the canneles molds and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until dark brown exterior. While they are baking, the batter will puff up and it will seem like the canneles are going to fall out of the mold. Don't worry, that's normal and they will go back down.


Raspberry Financier

Makes 3 dozen mini finaciers

120 grams egg whites
125 grams sugar
55 grams flour
55 grams almond flour, toasted
150 grams brown butter
25 grams fresh or frozen raspberries (I used frozen ones this time)

In a saucepan, place the butter and heat it until the milk solids start to brown and it starts to smell nutty. Be careful not to burn it though. Remove the pan from heat and strain the butter. Let it cool.

In the meantime, toast the almond flour in a 325 degree oven until lightly brown. Let it cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, flour, almond flour, brown butter. Let this mixture rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, add the raspberries into the financier base and whisk a bit to break them up. Pipe the mixture in the financiers molds and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden.





Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers and non-mothers who keep on making this a better world to live in!

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Macarons and My Love for Vanilla Beans

Sometimes I treat my ingredients as treasures or expensive clothes I buy and never wear. That is what happens to me with vanilla sugar. I know, I know, it makes no sense. Let me explain. As you all know, vanilla bean prices are up the roof so when I use one, I can't just throw it away. I use it and reuse it. If I have used it in a custard, I rinse it in hot water to be able to add it to some sugar.

I have been accumulating large amounts of used vanilla beans that I place in a container of granulated sugar. That container probably holds about 250 grams of sugar and about 4 vanilla beans so you can imagine the fragrance that comes out of it when opened. I have been saving this sugar for some special occasion. You know, I don't have a specific recipe that calls for vanilla sugar and I don't want to waste it so I keep holding on to it like some expensive coat I cannot give away.







Last week, I decided it was time to use it but it had to be in something where the vanilla would really show. Vanilla macarons, that is!

I took my container of vanilla sugar with dried vanilla beans and I ground it in my small food processor. Oh goodness, the aroma that came out after I removed the top... Heaven. I wanted to sprinkle some on my hair and walk outside smelling like a big bowl of vanilla ice cream. Which reminds of me of my friend Julene. We went to high school together and I loved her smell. She used to wear a vanilla essential oil from The Body Shop that would always make me hungry.

Anyhow back to the macarons... I ground the vanilla sugar and passed it through a medium size sieve to get rid of the large pieces of dry vanilla. This is what I used to make the macarons an let me tell you, they are fragrant!!!










Vanilla Bean Macarons

180 grams almond flour
240 grams powdered sugar
140 grams organic egg whites, aged
3 grams egg white powder
2 grams fine sea salt
80 grams vanilla sugar

Make sure that the egg whites have been separated from the egg yolks the night before. This bit of aging really makes a difference in the macarons.

In a large bowl, sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar and sea salt. Set aside.

Whip the egg whites with the egg white powder until very fluffy, almost fully whipped. Start adding the vanilla sugar slowly while whipping. Whip to stiff peaks but not too much or the meringue will dry out. We want semi soft "ripples" still in the meringue.

Add the meringue to the almond flour mixture and fold with a spatula until a shiny mass forms. We want to achieve a batter that makes ribbons. You might have to test it to see if it's done. Pipe a small amount on your sheetpan. If it keeps a little bit of a top when piped, then you have to mix it a bit further, if it spreads really fast, you have gone too far and your macarons will turn out flat.

When you have the right consistency, place the mass in a pastry bag with a number 5 tip and pipe small rounds onto sheetpans lined with parchment or silpat. Let them dry at room temperature for at least 45 minutes to an hour.

Have the oven preheated to 350 degrees. Place one sheetpan in the oven at a time and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes and rotate sheetpan and bake for another 10 minutes. Test to see if they are done by picking one up and seing if it still sticks to the paper or not.

Let them cool and then fill them with the buttercream.

And more on macarons, check out Tartelette for a full macaron tutorial (priceless!) and the witty and clever post on the war between the two French beauties the madeleine and the macaron at Cakespy. I can't get enough of those two!

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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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Milk Jam and Chocolate Meringue Cookies

Remember the baked chocolate meringues I made last week? Well, I knew that I had to bake extra to use as cookies later on and I had one particular filling in mind. Milk jam. Caramelized milk flavor is a big part of my childhood memories. I have written about it a lot in fact.





My grandmother used to pasteurize the fresh, raw milk that arrived at my family's pastry shop every morning. We had big pots specifically for this task. If you have ever seen this process, you know that the cream rises to the top and forms what is known as milk skin. That is the best part of milk in my book. This cream was used in cake making instead of butter and if any of the grandchildren were around, it became our snack. Milk skin on bread with sugar sprinkled on top. That was heaven!

Things have changed drastically and nowadays, there is no more pasteurization done on site. All the milk that comes in has gone through too much pasteurization if you ask me! The other memory I have is my grandmother making arroz con leche and the entire house smelling like caramelized cinnamon milk. The best smell in the world.

Milk jam is a similar concept where different kinds of milks are cooked with sugar, reduced and caramelized. At the end, a bit of gelatin helps the milk solidify and become jam-like. I sandwiched the chocolate meringue cookies with the milk jam. Once the cookies are assembled, they must be eaten right away because the meringue starts to melt with the moisture of the jam. I really was dreaming of a hot cup of chocolate with floating marshmallow and these cookies do the trick. The instantly melt in the hot liquid.




Milk Jam


This recipe is adapted from Sebastien Thieffine's recipe

150 grams organic heavy cream
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped
40 grams sugar
25 grams condensed milk
25 grams dry milk
300 grams organic whole milk
1 sheet gelatin

Place the first six ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour until we are left with 300 grams of liquid. I had to weigh the base twice to see if I had reached the 300 grams. If you have reduced it too far, do not worry and add a bit more cream but it's best to be precise since the beauty of this jam is the caramelization that forms.

Once we have 300 grams of the reduced liquid, softened the gelatin in ice water and add it to the hot liquid. Strain the base through a sieve and pour into the jam jars. Let it cool before refrigerating it.
You can eliminate the gelatin from the recipe but the result will be a dulce de leche like consistency, which don't get me wrong, I love too! But I wanted a filling for the cookies so I needed a little bit more thickness to the cream.




It's going to be a perfect laid back Sunday afternoon...

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Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines and a Giveaway

I sprained my knee last night. My son woke up at 2am and as usual, he wanted to come downstairs so I could rock him back to sleep. As I was walking down the stairs, I slipped and fell on the floor. Luckily, I had my hand behind his head and he did not get hurt. But... I did. I have been limping all day and yes, I should go to the doctor, but I'm going to wait to see if the swelling goes down with rest.

I wanted something comforting. Something to go with my cinnamon tisane. My son was resigned to the idea that we were not going to be able to go outside much today because ama cannot walk very far, so he was good and let me bake some madeleines. One of my favorite sweet treats. I tried a new recipe with lemon zest and olive oil and it really worked well. They really had good "domes" just like I like them.





While I was sipping my tea, I thought "any excuse is good to bake and give". My friends always ask me what I do with all the stuff I make. "Do the three of you eat all of it?" . Well, I always save some for C to try and of course my curly haired boy always has to "snatch" a little bit of whatever I am making, but honestly, most of the treats I make end up in our neighbors', co-workers or lucky stand-by's bellies.

Today, sitting on the sofa with my leg resting on a pillow, I thought "why not share some goodies with the readers I have managed to capture in these three months?". Every time I bake, write and photograph something for this blog, I look forward to reading your comments and see what you have to say about what I made. Hey, I love compliments, what can I say!





So next week, I will be giving away two boxes of freshly baked lemon and olive oil madeleines. All you have to do is leave a comment briefly explaining what was going through your mind when you started your blog. What inspired you? What were you doing the day you sat down in front of the computer and created an account? I'm always curious about what drives people. And if you don't have a blog but like to read food blogs, don't worry, please let us know what interests you; what makes you read a blog over another one. Is it the photographs, the challenging recipes or easier recipes, articles, personal stories..


You have until Sunday March 30th at 3pm EST and I will announce the lucky winners' names that following Monday. Due to the delicate nature of the goodies and to preserve their freshness, I can only ship in the US (sorry rest of the world...).




Thank you for reading!

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Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines and a Giveaway

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Milk Chocolate and Passion Fruit Truffles

My friend Deena is having a baby! She is scheduled to go into the hospital tonight so if everything goes well, we should welcome baby S. into the world some time tomorrow. I want to have something to bring for her besides some beautiful flowers, so I decided to make some milk chocolate and passion fruit truffles from Pierre Herme's Chocolate Desserts.

Deena is one of those friends who always has a special detail waiting every time she comes to see us or even when we go to see her, she always wants to send us home with food or flowers or some little token for our little boy. She has always been that way.

She has had some busy weeks during the last trimester so she deserves the best and some relaxation... although now that I think of it, there might not be much of that from now on and I speak from experience!






These truffles will be my entry for this month's Sugar High Friday which is hosted by Habeas Brulee and the theme is sweet gifts. Perfect, isn't it? Most of us bake and cook to give and to share with our loved ones so I thought this was a fantastic theme for a blogging event.

The truffles are really, really soft, just like a perfect ganache should be. However, the recipe suggests finishing them by rolling them in powdered sugar which didn't work very well for me. I found that this ganache would be better if it were dipped in tempered chocolate or as a filling for a molded candy. This ganache needs to be refrigerated, which makes it "sweat" so when it's rolled in the powdered sugar, the sugar starts to melt and in a few minutes, turns into a crust almost like a glazed doughnut. So I ended up rolling them in really good quality Valrhona cocoa powder.

Overall, it is a lovely ganache, very smooth and balanced. The sweetness of the milk chocolate goes great with the tartness of the passion fruit puree. The dried apricots are a great texture and sweetness too. Unexpected but excellent.
Next time, I will temper some chocolate and dip the truffles in it. Tempering is not complicated but it does require some practice and a cool room, which I don't have as the temperatures in Florida are starting to reach the 80's now.






Milk Chocolate and Passion Fruit Truffles

adapted from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme

210 grams milk chocolate
25 grams dried apricots, small dice
1 Tbs water
80 grams passion fruit puree
45 grams organic heavy cream
1/2 Tbs wild raw honey
30 grams organic unsalted butter, room temperature

Mix the chopped apricots with the water and let them plump up. When you are ready to add them to the ganache, drain them and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Place chopped milk chocolate in a bowl big enough to hold all ingredients. In a saucepan, bring cream, passion fruit puree and honey to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts. Let this mixture cool a little bit. Add the softened butter and mix until all incorporated. Add the chopped and plumped apricots.

Let the ganache set in the refrigerator and when hard, make small balls and roll them in good quality cocoa powder.

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Milk Chocolate and Passion Fruit Truffles

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https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2008/03/milk-chocolate-and-passion-fruit.html

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Grapefruit, Almonds and Brown Butter

Gluten Free Grapefruit Financiers

A couple of days ago, I started thinking about what to make next. I wanted to make something gluten free. My friend Jill gave me a recipe for gluten free croissants that she found in a magazine last summer. I started reading through it but I had a lot of questions about the method, the ingredients. So I kept thinking... "Financiers! That's it!". The main ingredients are almond flour and egg whites and only a little bit of wheat flour which can be easily substituted by rice flour. Besides, any excuse to impregnate the kitchen with the smell of brown butter is good, right?

We are in the middle of citrus season here in Florida so the store is full of organic grapefruits which are hard to find all year around. Grapefruit and nuts, can't beat that. I think pistachio flour would also work perfectly here and it's available through Pastry Chef Central .

Financiers are simple to make, stay moist for a few days and are the perfect snack. They won't sit long on my kitchen counter, that's for sure!







Gluten Free Grapefruit Financiers

120 grams organic egg whites
125 grams sugar
55 grams rice flour
55 grams almond flour, toasted
150 grams organic brown butter
Half organic grapefruit, segmented

Place butter in a small saucepan and cook it until it starts to turn brown and starts to smell nutty. Strain it into a bowl and let it cool. In the meantime, toast the almond flour in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Let it cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, rice flour, toasted almond flour and brown butter. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The batter will harden in the refrigerator.

Pipe the financier batter into your mold and top with a grapefruit segment. Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

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Grapefruit, Almonds and Brown Butter

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https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2008/03/grapefruit-almonds-and-brown-butter.html

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Hazelnut Macarons with Gianduja Ganache

I have been visiting Veronica's Test Kitchen for a few months now, long before I even started my own blog. She has a beautiful blog and now, as most of you know, her own business, Petites Bouchees. That is so fantastic!

Last week, a couple of bloggers commented on how wonderful her macarons are. I love making my own macarons but I also love discovering what other people are making, so right after I read one of those posts, I sent Veron an email asking her if she was taking internet or phone orders. She promptly responded and I should be receiving my first box of Petites Bouchees around March 10th. I can't wait Veron!

But in the meantime, I have had requests from friends to make macarons. My next door neighbor is a macaron addict so I made this batch mostly for him. I surprised him early Saturday morning with a cone filled with hazelnut and gianduja macarons. He was very excited and that is what I enjoy the most. I love making people smile and happy and lick their mouths and their fingers... The other box went to Lena, the most amazing photographer who took my curly, blonde-haired boy's photos yesterday.





Macaron filled cone at my neighbor's door





We ate these in one afternoon with good coffee and great conversation

Hazelnut Macarons

181 grams hazelnut flour
243 grams powdered sugar, sifted
138 grams organic egg whites
3 grams egg white powder
2 grams fine sea salt
81 grams sugar

In a large bowl, sift together the hazelnut flour, powdered sugar and sea salt. In an electric mixer, combine egg whites with the egg white powder and whip to soft peak. Slowly start adding the granulated sugar. Continue whipping until a stiff meringue forms.

Add the hazelnut flour mixture to the meringue. Fold the meringue into the dry ingredients with a spatula until all incorporated and we get a shiny mass.

Pipe the macarons onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or silicon mat. Sprinkle some hazelnut flour on top of the macarons. Let them dry for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheet pan for even baking. bake another 5-7 minutes.



For detailed instructions click here and see my previous macaron recipe.

Gianduja Ganache

80 grams heavy cream
160 grams gianduja

Chop the gianduja into a bowl. Boil cream and pour it over the gianduja. Stir until the chocolate is all melted. Let it rest at room temperature until it cools down and it can be piped. Pipe some of the ganache on a macaroon and top it with another one that is similar size.

If you can't find any gianduja, you can use milk chocolate and some roasted, ground hazelnuts. Toast the hazelnuts and finely grind them in a food processor. They might even start to release some of the oil and make a paste. That is also good. Combine the milk chocolate, the ground hazelnuts and make a ganache with the cream.





Macarons before going in the oven



Macarons after they came out of the oven



Boxed macarons

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Hazelnut Macarons with Gianduja Ganache

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... And We Had a Party!

If you read my previous post, you know we were throwing a baby shower for my dear friend Deena this weekend. Well, it happened and it was fantastic. Too much food, too many desserts but plenty of fun and laughs. Just as always.

I want to share some photos of the cake and the pastries I prepared. Some of them you have seen here before because I have to confess, when I make a recipe, I tend to make enough that I can freeze and use for future events. Never compromising flavor or texture, of course!

I took these photos before we set up the dessert buffet because I knew the lighting wasn't going to be very good where the main table was. I was driving everybody crazy with my "please move this... could you please move over a bit..." and so on, but they were patient with me.

For all of you perfectionists out there, I know that the cake is not iced to perfection. It was hot in my kitchen, the buttercream was melting on me and I had a curly, blonde-haired boy tugging at my leg. So it was not as I would have liked to finish it but nobody seemed to notice, or even better, nobody dared to mention it!





Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Fresh Raspberries






Vanilla and Chocolate Sugar Cookies Favors



Lemon Bars with Vanilla Cream and Blueberries

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Pecan Sandies

Lavender and Orange Macaroons

These were a hit!



It's a blessing to have great friends like these!

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... And We Had a Party!

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https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2008/02/and-we-had-party.html

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