You just need a handfull of ingredients, nothing fancy… The harder one to find would be the almond flour, which nowadays is widely available.

I decided to fill mine with black raspberry jam to make them a little summery, but this is totally optional, they are terrific plain also. This is what you’ll need to make about two dozen of them, depending on the size of your molds. You can use a financier mold or a mini muffin one like I did.

1 cup of fine almond flour

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

a pinch of salt

6 egg whites

3/4 cup cooled beurre noisette (toast butter until golden brown and fragrant)

Preheat the oven to 425°F

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: the almonds, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix to blend. Add the egg whites and mix until thoroughly blended. Add the 3/4 cup butter and mix until well incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them almost to the rim. Place them in the center of the oven. Bake until they just being to rise, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400°F. Bake until they are a light brown, about another 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the oven heat and let them rest in the oven until firm, about another 3 minutes. You are not going to be able to resist the smell, your kitchen is going to smell insanely good…

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the mini cakes cool in the molds for 10 minutes. Unmold.

They may be stored in an airtight container for several days.

Enjoy with a nice cup of tea!

]]> https://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/mini-almond-cakes-with-black-raspberry-jam/feed/ 0 1073 estheragirre image image image image https://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/crispy-baked-tofu-with-ginger-peanut-sauce/ https://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/crispy-baked-tofu-with-ginger-peanut-sauce/#respond Sat, 11 Jun 2016 00:20:25 +0000 http://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/?p=987 Continue reading →]]> Tofu is like a blank piece of paper, like a thirsty sponge, so if you love ginger and peanut butter this dish is for you.

Plain cut up tofu is just blah… But if you press it and then bake it until golden crisp is gets soooo much better. If you have a tofu press go for it, but if you don’t, like me, simply place the tofu on a deep dish, between paper towels and put a couple of heavy books on top and let it get pressed for about 15-20 minutes.

Cut it to desired shape and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until light golden brown. Make sure to spread them out making sure also to bake them in one layer, no overlapping. Flip them half way through the baking process so the get crispy evenly. Once done remove from oven and let cool slightly.

While they bake, get going with the easy ginger peanut butter sauce. It literally takes a minute to make.

Super simple ingredients make this sauce very authentic, and you can also use for dipping Thai spring rolls. Delicious!

Ginger Peanut Sauce Ingredients

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 inch peeled and grated ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce (you can also use low sodium version)

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

hot water if needed to get desired consistency

Mix all the ingredients together until a nice and creamy consistency is reached.

Dip the tofu pieces in the sauce until your heart is content!

Enjoy!

I love the smell of guavas (guayabas in Spanish), don’t get me wrong, they are very tasty, but there’s something about their sweet tropical smell that I can’t resist… So when my husband brought a container of super ripe, yellow, delicious, smelling guavas I had to make juice with them. There’re also pink guavas, prettier, but these surely made the trick.

I also added the Thai basil seeds cause when we went to “Bun-ker” A Vietnamese restaurant in Queens and tried their home made limeade, I loved the texture of the basil seeds they added!!! They gel up like chia and flax seeds. Love it!

Super simple, quick recipe! Here is what you’ll need to make 2-3 servings.

4 medium guavas washed and chopped up

2 – 3 cups of water, depending how thick you like your juice

sugar to taste

Thai basil seeds

Place ingredients using just half of the water in a blender and blend until just liquified (we don’t want to break up the seeds)

Seeds really don’t bother me at all, (as you can see in the pics) but by all means if you don’t like them, like most people, use a strainer and then add remaining water till desired consistency is obtained.

Guava Thai basil seed juice

Add the seeds, stir and place in refrigerator until cold. Serve chilled and enjoy!

This recipe is so simple and quick… And you can make it with roasted asparagus, blanched, steamed… Or with any other vegetable like zucchini, broccoli rabe…

I simply blanched them in boiling water for 2-4 minutes depending on thickness and then shocked them in ice water so they remain bright green and keep their bite. Nice and bright

Here is the fun part, the hemp seed dressing, super easy and good for you. Here is what you’ll need:

1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt + pepper
small handful fresh cilantro

Place all ingredients except cilantro in a high-powered blender and blend on low working to high until smooth. Scrape the sides and blend again. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until nice and incorporated.

Drizzle over asparagus and enjoy!

I enjoy mine with fresh crusty baguette. Nom!

With this recipe you will be able to make 6 regular size scones, if you’d like to make 12, simply double the ingredients. Also you can totally skip the sugar if you’d like them sugar free… It won’t affect the consistency of the dough.

This are the ingredients you’ll need:

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons of seed  mix (the sky is the limit, add whichever ones you prefer)

6 tablespoons chilled butter cut into small cubes

1/4 cup buttermilk (substitutes: regular milk, almond milk, etc…) plus 2 tablespoons to brush the tops.

hemp seeds for sprinkling on top of the scones

In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients but the seeds and grains. Add the butter and incorporate it with your fingers until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the grains and seed mix of your choice and then the buttermilk. With your hands incorporate until dough forms. Do not over mix.

Then on a floured surface form a log and cut the scones shapes. Brush the tops with the extra buttermilk and sprinkle the hemp seeds on top of each scone.

Bake at 400 F for about 15-18 minutes or until golden ground.

Cool in a cooling rack. (if you can wait)

Enjoy!

This dish is vegetarian, and a total comfort food that can be a side dish to fish or meat, (like us tonight), in our case tender, juicy, sous vide cooked fillet mignon. So while those babies get cooked with no effort on my part, I’m messing with the potatoes.

Here is what you’ll need (serves 4)

1 1/2 lbs. of potatoes, you pick (I use russet and they turn out beautiful every time)

3 eggs

1 small vidalia onion

3 cloves of garlic (pressed)

1/2 cup good white wine (the kind that you would drink)

Flour

Extra virgin olive oil / Plus sunflower seed oil (any vegetable oil will do) for frying

Saffron

3 cups of vegetable broth or water

Salt

Parsley

First you have to cut the potatoes about 1/3 of an inch thick and season them. Then in a shallow bowl beat the eggs. Put flour in another shallow bowl and coat the potatoes first with flour then with the eggs.

Then briefly, (don’t go crazy) fry them until light golden brown and let them rest on a plate lined with paper towels while you make the saffron sauce.

Sautee the onions and garlic in about 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil until soft and a little bit golden, season them. Add a tablespoon of flour and cook it for about a minute or two so the sauce doesn’t taste floury. Add the white wine and stir it so no lumps form, cook for a few seconds until smooth and them add the broth or water along with the saffron. Add salt to taste.

When is all well incorporated, add the potatoes carefully and cook gently, over low heat for 15-20 minutes stirring them occasionally until the potatoes are cooked through. Sprinkle the parsley and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Now, let me tell you one thing: Mochi is not messy, It’s SUPER MESSY!!! Sticky and messy all around, but oh so worth it!!!

I made a big old jar of passion fruit juice by scooping the insides (5 fruits), adding water (2 liters)  add sugar to taste, them blending it for a few seconds so the seeds don’t break, then straining it and there you have it: homemade Passion fruit juice! But by all means if you have store bought passion fruit juice go for it.

Here is what you’ll need:

1 cup of glutinous rice flour (mochiko)

1 cup passion fruit juice

lots and lots of corn starch

a microwave

passion fruit marmalade

mini marshmallows

Mix flour and passion fruit juice thoroughly in a microwavable bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and stir, you will notice that the center  part will be a little more liquidy that the sides. Cover it again and microwave for another minute or minute and a half. Stir it again. By now you should have a mochi dough.

Dust a cutting board (I used granite) with lots of cornstarch and turn the dough into it. Wait a minute or so until the dough is cool enough to handle. Dust it with the cornstarch and shape the dough into a log.

Cover it loosely with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Cut off with a sharp and well corn starched knife a 1.5 inch piece and form it into a circle with your hands also well starched.

Then place a 1/4 teaspoon of marmalade and one mini marshmallow inside and pinch to close.

Like I said, these are super messy to make, but also very easy and really tasty. Keep in mind that the recipe is totally changeable, you can use pineapple, mango juice or any kind of juice you like. Or if you want to keep them plain use the mochiko with the same amount of sweet water if you want to make them plain. Also the fillings are endless: black bean curd, mango pieces, marmalades… etc.

I served mine on these cute oriental ceramic spoons. Chewy, gummy, sweet, tangy… all you can spec from a mochi

Get your corn starch out along with your vacuum cleaner and go for these, you’ll be glad you did.

Enjoy!

]]> https://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/passion-fruit-mochi/feed/ 0 813 estheragirre passion fruit mano passion fruit mochi passion fruit mochi passion fruit mochi passion fruit mochi https://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/national-chocolate-day/ https://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/national-chocolate-day/#respond Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:35:19 +0000 http://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/?p=803 Continue reading →]]> Today is a good day! In fact is a great day! Today it is National Chocolate Day! Must celebrate! And to help you do that, please feel free to use: 15DISCOUNT coupon code when ordering from my etsy shop to get 15% off your entire order.

These were so sweet and delicious… And my lovely neighbor had just given me a bunch of  ruby red grapefruits so I thought of putting them together with a little bit of cane sugar and they were so refreshing and sweet, tangy… Nom, nom!

My mom used to macerate fresh red strawberries from our garden in orange juice and sugar, and back then also we used to eat berries macerated in red wine and sugar…! Oh my!

This simple dessert, snack, breakfast… can be put together in a few seconds… the berries were sooo ripe and ready that we didn’t have to wait at all for juice to get infused with them. They were gone in no time! Give this idea a try, with really any kind of berries, you’ll love them! Guaranteed!

 Enjoy!

Also, Creme Brulee has to be one of my favorite desserts, so decadent, rich, silky, sweet, crunchy on top… DELICIOUS!

But this time of the year, who wants to turn on the oven to make it? Really?

Well, this recipe comes to the rescue, it’s not the real deal… but it surely hits the spot. Plus with the addition of fruit (mango in this case, but feel free to substitute with whatever rocks your boat: berries, pineapple, etc…) it lightens it up and makes it more summery and juicy!

Basically you put chopped fruit on the bottom of a small container, make a simple custard and spread it on top of it. And finally with a kitchen torch burn some brown sugar until crunchy. Pretty easy right?

Here is what you’ll need to make this delicious, super easy custard:

(makes 4-6 servings depending on container size)

4 egg yolks

4-5 tablespoons sugar (depending how sweet you like it)

1 piece french vanilla bean

1 piece lemon peel

2 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon corn starch

In a saucepan place the milk,  the lemon peel and vanilla bean,  heat until it begins to boil, turn off and let cool so the flavors infuse the milk.

Meanwhile in a bowl mix the sugar with the egg yolks and cornstarch. Slowly incorporate the cooled milk mixture (lemon peel and vanilla bean removed) until well combined. Then slowly bring this mixture to a boil stirring constantly until it thickens and it’s totally cooked.

Divide chopped fruit among glass containers or ramekins, and do the same with the custard. Refrigerate and when ready to serve, sprinkle dark brown sugar and caramelize with a torch.

Enjoy this summery Creme Brulee!

]]> https://chocolatetmarronsgrilles.wordpress.com/2014/07/10/fake-no-bake-mango-creme-brulee/feed/ 2 788 estheragirre mango creme brulee mango creme brulee