Sweet Dreams

Time has Passed

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:53:16 PDT

It felt like my memory had just faded away. But I´m back. Being and doing what I love the most these past few days... which is cooking and taking pictures... I haven´t got quite enough time to post something which I consider of value in the work that I do, but I thought that this could be a nice start. I hope you can enjoy it as I do every morning: this is my breakfast bread for you.

Honey and Oats Bread.
The recipe:

500 grs Rye flour
15 grams butter
150 ml warm milk
225 ml warm water
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp dry yeast
115 grams oats
2 tsp salt

In a bowl place the flour and salt and then stir in the butter cut in small pieces. Add the oats and mix well. Make a hole in the center and add the milk, the honey and the water and blend them together to make a soft ball.
Knead the ball until it is soft and doesn´t stick to the table anymore. Put it in an oiled bowled and let it sit for about an hour until it doubles its size.
Once that time has passed, put it in a mold or just make it rustic and make a nice ball with your hands and let it rise for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 230C.Brush the bread with a little milk and with a sharp knife make some lines across it. Bake it for 30 minutes.

As I promised: I bring you the recipe!

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:13:54 PDT

RASPBERRY MOUSSE

100 GRAMS RASPBERRY PUREE, STRAINED.
10 GRAMS SUGAR
2 GRAMS OF GELATIN
100 GRAMS HEAVY CREAM, SOFT PEAKS

HEAT THE RASPBERRY PUREE WITH THE SUGAR. WHEN IT COMES TO A SLIGHT BOIL, REMOVE FROM HEAT. IN THE MEANTIME, SOFTEN THE GELATIN IN ICE WATER FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES. ADD THE BLOOMED GELATIN TO THE PUREE. LET IT COOL UNTIL IT IS ABOUT BODY TEMPERATURE.

WHILE THE PUREE COOLS, WHIP THE CREAM. WHEN THE PUREE HAS COOLED SLIGHTLY, ADD IT TO THE CREAM AND FOLD GENTLY UNTIL YOU CAN NO LONGER SEE ANY STREAKS OF UNMIXED CREAM.

PLACE THE MOUSSE IN A PASTRY BAG AND PIPE IT INTO THE GLASS.FREEZE.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:

100 GRAMS WHITE CHOCOLATE
300 GRAMS HEAVY CREAM

MELT THE CHOCOLATE OVER A POT OF SIMMERING WATER. WHIP THE CREAM TO SOFT PEAKS AND FOLD QUICKLY INTO THE MELTED CHOCOLATE. PIPE OVER THE RASPBERRY MOUSSE.

MEYER LEMON MOUSSE:

215 grams eggs
75 grams sugar
215 grams meyer lemon juice
Zest of 3 meyer lemons
300 grams heavy cream.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, juice and zest. Place this bowl over a double boiler and cook while whisking until the custard thickens (about 84C).

Immediately, strain the custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Let the custard cool to about 55C. It will be warm to the touch but not too hot that when we add the butter, it will melt right away. We want to create an emulsion with the butter that's why the temperature it's very important.

Once the custard has cooled, whip the cream to soft peaks and add it to the lemon curd until everything is fully incorporated.Then pipe it on top of the chocolate mousse.

Decorate with fresh raspberries and some white chocolate.

Ending summer.

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:28:46 PST

I just love verrines, but I don't know why I never get to make them often... so as we are ending our beautiful summer time, this is my last chance to make a mousse layer verrine.

This dessert is mainly a 3 layer mousse: a refreshing lemon mousse, a raspberry mousse and a white chocolate mousse, although now that I've made them, I think that quantity of mousse in a large cup doesn't work for me. Next time I'll make it in a smaller glass. It was delicious anyway, but I never got to finish it.

You'll get the recipe in the next few days, I promise.

I can't help but wonder...

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:38:01 PST

Hot chocolate, everybody! Who's up for some recomforting hot chocolate and some extremely moist pear and cardamom cupcakes? I do!
We are still having some summer breeze but from time to time we can't help wonder what the weather will be like for the next few weeks. It seems like we are going to have a cold long winter, so I decided to move ahead, forget summer and feel the comfort of a good heart healer: HOT CHOCOLATE! This time it's not for your stomach, it's for your soul! so I hope you can enjoy it as well as the cupcakes.

The recipe:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 TBSP cocoa powder
1 Tsp vanilla extract
Ganache made of 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream.
First make the ganache:
1. chop the chocolate into very small pices and place it into a bowl.
2.Heat the cream until it comes to a boil.
3. Pour the hot milk into the chopped chocolate. let it sit for 1 minute.
4. With circular motion, mix the cream with the chocolate until it all comes together.
5. Set aside.

On the other hand:

1. Heat the milk with the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
2. Add the cocoa and mix until it's dissolved.
3. Turn off the heat and and the ganache you made previously and the vanilla extract.

To drink with caution!
It last up for a week in the refrigerator.

For the Cupcakes:

100g butter
100g sugar
100g all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 small ripe pears

Preheat oven to 180 C
1.Cream butter and sugar together.
2.Add one egg at a time mixing well after each addition.
3.In another bowl sift together flour, baking powder and cardamom.
4.Fold the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until fully combined.
5.Fold in the pears.
6.Pour into muffin cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Romance

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:52:46 PST

You all are aware of Valentine's day, I'm sure. I haven't really been into that, but I guess this time is an exception, because I did find a great love but lately we haven't been connected, and It's been a while since I feel apart from him and I think that this is an opportunity to start over again, after 7 years together, we need to start over, so I feel that I need to express my love for CH tomorrow evening, and though I'm not sure what the menu will be, I'm more focused on having a great evening with him, because it's been a while since we both sit at a table and stare at each other without the questioning and just enjoying that magical night just because!
Today I made a Raspberry truffle chocolate Cake. It's moist, tart and has a great smell of romance. I hope you can enjoy cooking it and eating it with the one you love. And Oh! it's actually quite simple, you should try it and let me know how it turned out, your opinion is important to me.

The recipe:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons creme de cassis or any other liquour of your preferance
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom of pan, and line with parchment. Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
With a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Add creme de cassis and salt, and beat for 1 minute. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture, and beat for 1 minute.
In a clean bowl and with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy. Slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a rack. Remove pan sides. Carefully lift cake with a spatula, and remove parchment.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Distant

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:45:57 PST

I have been distant these past few months, but not because I intended to, but because I was very busy, creating my very own Tea House.
Despite all the drama revolving around all this, I'm finding again some spare time to concentrate on what I think is a part of me now, i.e. "the blogging thing".

The last months were CRAZY, and I wasn't able to handle my spare time wisely. And it doesn't mean that I haven't been baking, because I have... a lot, so these following days you will get to see all of my baking and you'll, of course get the recipes.

Thank you for your patience.
Happy new year to you all!

Assorted Tartelettes:

Sugar Dough

8 oz unsalted butter, softened
4 oz powdered sugar
1 egg
12 oz flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg, mix and scrape bowl. Add the flour, salt and baking powder and mix until combined. Do not overmix.

Make a ball with the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Press down on the dough to create a flat disk. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.

Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thick and place it over your tart pan. Press down the sides, remove excess from the top and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Dock it and bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden

Fill the tarts with the filling you like the most.

For the Apple Crumble:

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

pinch of salt

Cream all ingredients together until a ball forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until it hardens. When it is solid, grate it with a large grater or even through a food grinder. You will get little pieces of crumble. Refrigerate right away and then spread over you apple pie.

Figs, an eternal love!

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:49:09 PST

Whenever I think of figs, I think of my mom, ever so gentle and sweet. This dessert is dedicated to her, to all of her freshness and sweetness.

For the Yogurt Pistachio cake:
125g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
113g vanilla yogurt
2 small eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
88g Sugar
50ml canola oil or vegetable oil.
20g peeled crushed pistachios

1.Preheat oven to 180 C.
2.In a bowl sift the flour and baking powder. Add the pinch of salt and stir to combine.
3.In another bowl, beat the yogurt, sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the canola oil until well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat just until combined. Finish by folding in the pistachios.
5. Pour the batter into a prepared springform pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool into a wire rack.

Yogurt Ice Cream:
¾ cup milk
½ cup sugar
2Tbsp powdered skim milk
2 cups vanilla yogurt
In a saucepan over a medium heat, combine the sugar, the milk and the skim milk, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool. Once it has cooled, add the yogurt and mix to combine, strain and churn into an ice cream maker.

Assemble:
Fresh figs as many as you want
Yogurt ice cream
Pistachio yogurt cake

Cada vez que pienso en higos, pienso en mi mama, siempre tan gentil y dulce. Este postre esta dedicado a ella, a toda su frescura y dulzura.
125g Harina
1 cucharadita polvo de hornear
Una pizca de sal
113g yogurt de vainilla
2 huevos chicos
1 Cda de extracto de vainilla
88g Azucar
50ml Aceite de canola o aceite vegetal
20g pistachios, pelados y cortados

1.Precalentar el horno a 180 C.
2.En un bowl tamizar la harina y el polvo de hornear. Agregar la pizca de sal y revolver un poco.
3.En otro bowl, batir el yogurt, el azucar y el extracto de vainilla. Agregar los huevos uno por uno, mezclando bien después de cada uno, luego agregar el aceite y batir solo hasta que este combinado.
4. Agregar los ingredients secos a la mezcla de huevos y con movimientos envolventes terminar agregando los pistachos.
5. Poner la mezcla en una fuente o en moldes individuals y hornear por 30 a 35 minutos o hasta que este dorado. Dejar enfriar en una rejilla.

Helado de Yogurt:
¾ tazas de leche
½ taza de azucar
2 Cucharadas de leche en polvo.
2 tazas de yogurt
En una cacerola calendar a fuego medio la leche, el azucar y la leche en polvo hasta que se disuelva el azucar. Enfriar y agregar el yogurt. Colar y vaciar en la maquina de helados (si no tienes una maquina para hacer helados, procede de la misma manera, nada mas que congela por 2 a 3 horas y revuelve cada media hora por el termino de un total de 6 horas o hasta que este en la consistencia deseada.
Para el emplatado:
Higos frescos o en su almibar c/n
Helado de yogurt
Budin de yogurt y pistachios

To be enjoyed! Para ser Disfrutado!

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:15:57 PDT

This dessert is dedicated to my cousin Tatiana… pure freshness, full of posibilities, courageous (and who is soon getting married) and though I’ve never been around to share the hardships of life, I start thinking that it’s never too late. So simple and yet so delicious, I dedicate this dessert to her, so she can share it with the ones she loves the most. It is simple, fresh, doesn’t have many secrets and a keeper… So Ta I hope that you can enjoy it as much I do, and I do hopefully believe that there’s so much happiness around the corner just waiting for you to be enjoyed!

Here is the recipe:

Lemon Pudding:

Buttermilk 2/3 cup
Lemon juice 2 1/2 TBSP
Lemon Zest of 1 1/2 lemons
Powdered sugar 1/2 Cup
Egg yolks 2
Egg whites 2
All purpose flour 3 TBSP plus 1 Teaspoon
pinch of salt

Heat the oven at 150 C. Butter and lightly sugar 4 large ramekins. Sift the sugar with the all purpose flour and salt. In another bowl whisk the buttermilk, lemon juice, egg yolks and lemon zest. Graduadually add the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture. In another bowl beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the flour-buttermilk preparation. Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins and place them in a larger pan, fill it with enough hot water to come halfway the ramekins. Bake until the puddings rise and spring back when touched, about 35 minutes. Unmold and serve warm when it's cold outside or cold when it's hot outside. Both ways are yummy.

Para ser disfrutado!

Este postre esta dedicado a mi prima Tatiana. .. pura frescura, llena de posibilidades, audaz (que pronto se casa) y aunque no muchas veces estuve a su lado para compartir (hardships of life) los malos momentos de su vida, comienzo a pensar que nunca es tarde y que asi como es ella tan simple pero deliciosa, le dedico este postre para que lo comparta con su futuro esposo o con quien ella elija. Es simple, fresco , no tiene muchos secretos y conquista corazones… Asi que Ta espero que te guste tanto cuanto a mi. Disfruta de este tiempo que te espera y que tanta felicidad te mereces…

Budincitos tibios de limón:

Azucar impalpable ½ taza (120ml)
Harina 0000 3 Cdas + 1 Cdita
Sal una pizca
Jugo de limón 2 ½ Cdas.
Ralladura de 1 limon
Claras de huevo 2
Yemas 2
Leche (con una cucharada de jugo de limón, reposado por 10 minutos)

Preparacion:

Calentar el horno a 150 C (Temperatura baja).Engrasar con manteca y cubrir con azucar normal unos cuatro moldes chicos y colocarlos en una fuente honda. En un bowl tamizar la harina, la sal y el azucar impalpable. Reservar. En otro bowl combinar el jugo de limon con su ralladura, las yemas y la leche. Mezclar de a poco la preparacion de harina a la de leche, una vez combinados reservar. En un bowl bien limpio y seco batir las claras a punto de nieve (hasta que se formen picos suaves). Con movimientos envolventes combinar la mezcla anterior a la de las claras, una vez combinado todo, colocar la mezcla en los moldes ya preparados. Calentar agua hasta punto de hervor y colocar el agua en la fuente donde estan los moldes hasta la mitad y hornear por 35 minutos o hasta que hayan subido y al tocarlos con el dedo por encima este esponjoso y no se nos hunda el dedo. Retirar y desmoldar. Se pueden comer tambien calientes recien salidos del horno directamente del molde o bien frios en un dia caluroso. Y ahora a la mesa y a disfrutar!

Think of nothing but anticipate.

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:58:28 PDT

I thought of making something with apples, since I love them so much and I wasn't very keen on the idea of making a traditional apple pie, so I thought of doing something that involved apples, gouda cheese crumble, a tart shell and some balsamic reduction... couldn't sound any better. Although to my surprise, my husband didn't like the balsamic reduction, he thought that it was a strong flavor compared to the other ones, so I think it's a matter of taste, as always... I also made a cinnamon ice cream to go with it, it was a subtle combination that always goes well with the apples. Enjoy.

For the caramelized apples:

Granny smith apples 2
Sugar 150 g
Port wine or Calvados 50ml

1)Place a skillet on a medium heat and add the sugar all at once. When it starts to get brown in colour add the apples cut into wedges and pour inmediately the port wine or the liquour at your choice, lower the heat and cook until the apples are soft.

For the Gouda Cheese Crumble:
Butter cut in small pieces 50g
Icing sugar 50g
Flour 50g
Gouda Cheese 50g

1)In a bowl mix all the ingredients with the tip of your fingers until it resembles coarse meal.
2)Pour over a baking sheet and bake at 160C for about 15 minutes. (Check every once in a while and stir the mixture often so it doesn't get burned)

For the tart shell:
Sugar 4 Tbsp
Vanilla extract 1 Tsp
All purpose flour 300g
Zest of one lemon and its juice
Butter 180g
A dash of salt
Egg yolk 1

1)In a food processor mix the flour, lemon zest and butter until it has the texture of coarse meal.
2)Add the sugar, vanilla extract, the egg yolk and 2 Tbsp of lemon juice (if the dough does not come together, just add more lemon juice) and pulse just until the dough comes together.
3) Chill dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
4)Cut circles with a cookie cutter and bake at 180C for about 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is brown.

Balsamic Reduction:
Balsamic Vinegar 100ml

1)In a small saucepan at medium heat cook the Balsamic Vinegar until it reaches a thread consistency.

Moving out! A Pear Gellate with its own Granita of red wine reduction.

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:13:38 PDT

There are so many changes in my life lately that I needed some kind of soul comfort, so in the past few days I've been cooking for others but not for me. And this time I decided to do it for me... Since I've been feeling moody, I thought of a country style pie that reflects everything that is going on lately in my life and most of all, it's done BY me and done FOR me. So I hope you can enjoy a little summer breeze with all of its good fortune and a farewell...

Here is the recipe:

For the crust:
Sugar 4 Tbsp
Vanilla extract 1 Tsp
All purpose flour 300g
Zest of one lemon and its juice
Butter 180g
A dash of salt
Egg yolk 1

1)In a food processor mix the flour, lemon zest and butter until it has the texture of coarse meal.
2)Add the sugar, vanilla extract, the egg yolk and 2 Tbsp of lemon juice (if the dough does not come together, just add more lemon juice) and pulse just until the dough comes together.
3) Chill dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Filling:

Sugar: 150g
Cinnamon Sticks: 2
Pears: 600g
Red wine: 375ml

1)Peel and slice the pears.
2)In a heatproof bowl pour the red wine, sugar and cinnamon stick and bring it to boil, keep boiling for 5 minutes.
3)Add the pears and cook for 10 more minutes at medium heat.
4)Remove pears and keep cooking until you've reached the syrup consistency (remember that once it's cooled it will get thicker). Set aside.

Pear and Red wine granita:

Red wine syrup: 1/2 cup
1 cooked pear.

1)Process the pear and the wine syrup and freeze for at least 2 hours.
2)once frozen, grasp with a fork the surface of the frozen liquid and that's your granita. Keep Chill until ready to serve.

Assemble:

1)Fold crust over pears in 5 folds, leaving some of the filling visible. Brush with egg wash and bake at 180C for about 30 to 40 minutes, until crust is brown.
2)Once out of the oven when it's completely cool, spread with some of the red wine reduction.
3)Serve warm, cool or at room temperature with the granita and a dollop of cream cheese with honey. Enjoy.

Tarta campestre de peras al vino tinto con granita en su almibar:

Estos ultimos meses han sido puro cambio en mi vida, y necesitaba algun tipo de comfort, y estos ultimos dias estuve cocinando para otros pero no para mi, asi que decidi hacer una tarta al estilo campestre que refleje la clase de comfort que necesitaba estos dias y lo mas importante es que esta hecho POR MI y PARA MI. Espero que la puedan disfrutar... con su de brisa de verano, su buena fortuna y una despedida...

Aca va la receta:

Para la masa:

Azucar 4 cdas
Extracto de vainilla 1 cdita
Harina 0000 300g
Limon 1
Manteca 180g
Sal una pizca
Yema 1

1)Rallar la cascara del limon y extraer su jugo.
2)Procesar la harina con la sal, la ralladura del limon y la manteca hasta obtener una masa arenada.
3)Agregar el azucar, el extracto de vainilla, la yema y una cucharada de limon, agregar mas jugo de limon si la masa lo requiere.
4)Continuar procesando hasta unir los ingredientes
5)Formar un bollo, cubrir con film y dejar reposar en la heladera por 30 minutos.

Relleno:

Azucar 150g
Canela en rama: 1
Peras: 600g
Vino tinto: 375ml

1)Pelar las peras, cortar en cuartos y retirar las semillas.
2)En una cacerola poner el vino, la canela y el azucar, llevar a hervor por 5 minutos.
3)Incorporar las peras y cocinar 10 minutos mas a fuego moderado.
4)Retirar las peras y dejar aparte.
5)Reducir el vino hasta obtener una consistencia de almibar.

Granita de Peras y vino tinto:

Almibar de vino tinto: 1/2 taza
Peras del relleno: 1

1)Procese la pera con el almibar y lleve a freezer haste que se congele (por lo menos 2 horas)
2)Rallar la superficie con un tenedor y servir en copas chicas.

Armado:

1)Estirar la masa sobre una superficie enharinada cortar circulos y cubrir la masa con algunas nueces molidas (opcional) dejando un borde libre de 3 cm aprox.
2)Encima acomodar las peras en forma de abanico y doblar los bordes de masa libre sobre las peras.
3)Pincelar con huevo batido y cocinar en horno precalentado a 180C por 30 a 40 minutos o hasta que los bordes esten dorados.
4)Una vez fria rociar con el almibar de vino y espolvorear los bordes con azucar impalpable.
5)Servir a temperatura ambiente,caliente o fria con una cucharada de queso crema mezclado con un poco de miel y servir con la granita. Que lo disfrutes!

Cooking and a mission...

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:11:37 PDT

This is a new version of my banana cake. Why I chose to post it once again? Well, because it has Nutella as a frosting and because I was hired to cook all the sweet food for a wedding, so I'm pretty excited about it, since I don't have any experience on that field, so I'm trying to reinvent the banana bread and make it small so it would fit your fingers...
If you haven't tried this recipe yet, you most definitely do it!

The recipe:

Butter: 65g
Brown sugar: 100g
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
2 medium ripe bananas, that weight aprox. 150g
Yogurt: 2 TBSP
All purpose flour: 100g
Baking Soda: ½ TSP
A dash of salt.

1.Preheat oven at 170 C. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and blend in. In another bowl, mash the bananas and combine them with the yogurt.
2.In another bowl sift the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternatively with the banana mixture in three additions.
3.Bake the mixture in individual sillicon molds or any mold that you have at hand for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the mold you have chosen.

Embracing the winter.

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:43:36 PDT

For all of you that are embracing summer, won't make too much of a fuzz when you start reading this recipe, that I had encountered in a book by Alice Medrich, so I thought: why not give it a try? It's quite delicate and it makes a perfect dessert, no matter the season you're in, because you can eat two of them without even notice... it's your call, but I think that you HAVE to try it. It's easy, it's smooth and yummy!

here is the recipe:

Baked Bittersweet Mousse

Ingredients (makes approx 4 cups/6 serves)
170g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk (or 1/2 cup heavy cream)
1 1/2 tbsp brandy, (or any other liquour that you like, mine was with cassis)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tbsp caster sugar

1. Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 160 degrees C.

2. Place chocolate and milk or cream in a heatproof bowl, then place over a pot of barely simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and stir till the chocolate has almost completely melted, then remove the bowl and continue to stir till the liquid is completely smooth. If using a liquor, stir in at this stage.

3. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar till well blended, then use an electric mixer to beat the eggs at high speed for 3-4 minutes or till the eggs have a texture like softly whipped cream and are light and very fluffy.

4. Fold 1/4 of the eggs into the chocolate, then half the remaining eggs till almost blended. Fold in the remaining eggs till evenly incorporated and smooth. Divide among ramekins, then place ramekins in a high-sided baking tray.

5. Boil a kettle of water then fill the baking tray till water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins, then bake till the centre of the mousses reads 70 degrees C (or just bake for about 15-18 minutes till the tops feel barely set). Remove from the oven and allow ramekins to cool for at least 10 minutes, then garnish with some raspberries or whatever you like.

Version en Español:

Mousse de chocolate horneada.

Se que la mayoria de las personas estan disfrutando de un hermoso verano, pues aqui todavia estamos en invierno asi que se que no le daran tanta importancia, pero se equivocan porque esta mousse es completamente liviana y suave y sirve para cualquier ocacion y temporada. Es el postre ideal para una cena, es muy delicada y tiene aroma a cassis... muy rica!

Aca va la receta:

Ingredientes (approx 6 porciones)
170g chocolate semiamargo, cortado en pedazos chicos
1/4 taza leche (or 1/2 taza de crema)
1 1/2 cdas brandy, (u otro licor que te guste, a los mios les puse licor de cassis)
3 huevos grandes, a temperatura ambiente
3 Cdas de azucar

1.Precalentar el horno a 160 C

2.Poner el chocolate y la leche o crema en un bowl a baño maria, (recuerda que la base del bowl no debe tocar el agua hirviendo) y con una cuchara de madera revuelve hasta que se haya derretido el chocolate, en este punto retira el bowl del baño maria y mezcla hasta que este bien homegeneo, incorporar el licor.

3. En otro bowl mezcla los huevos con el azucar por 3-4 minutos a velocidad alta o hasta que los huevos esten espumosos y tengan una textura similar a la de una crema batida.
4. Incorporar con movimientos envolventes 1/4 de los huevos al chocolate, luego la mitad y despues el resto de los huevos hasta que este bien mezclado. Dividir la mezcla en los moldes y colocarlos en una fuente profunda con agua hirviendo hasta la mitad de los moldes

5. Hornear hasta que el centro de las mousses lleguen a 70 C (o solo hornealos hasta que la superficie de los mismos este firme, alrededor de 15-18 minutos). Retirar del horno y dejar enfriar por 10 minutos, decora con unas frambuesas o como mas te guste.

A trip to Remembrance!

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:44:03 PDT

I must admit that this challenge in particular was not the one I would say: "wow let's get creative!" There's nothing so dull as an eclair... So to spice things up I use as a filling some "dulce de leche", which it was absolutely great. For those who don't know what dulce de leche is...well, let me explain... It's a rich paste made of condensed milk, it's totally amazing!
So as I was saying, I'm not very keen on the idea of making some eclairs and neither did my husband, but it was a challenge and that is what it was.So my husband and I tried our best to make it look eatable... and hey, it was!

I followed Pierre Herme recipe for the pate au choux as well as for the chocolate glaze. Enjoy!

Pierre Hermé’s Chocolate Éclairs
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• Cream Puff Dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide the oven into thirds by
positioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven. Line two baking sheets with
waxed or parchment paper.

2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough.
Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers.
Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.
The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.

3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the
handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the
oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue
baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total baking
time should be approximately 20 minutes.

Notes:
1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.

Assembling the éclairs:

• Chocolate glaze (see below for recipe)
• Chocolate pastry cream (see below for recipe)

1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the
bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.

2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40
degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops of
the éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the meantime fill the
bottoms with the pastry cream.

3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms
with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream
and wriggle gently to settle them.

Notes:
1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water,
stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to create
bubbles.

2) The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.

Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• ½ cup (125g) whole milk
• ½ cup (125g) water
• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the
boil.

2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium
and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very
quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You
need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough
will be very soft and smooth.

3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your
handmixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time,
beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.
You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do
not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you
have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it
should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes:
1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking
sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the
piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Pastry Cream (I used Dulce de leche, but this recipe is also great for filling)
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by PierreHermé

• 2 cups (500g) whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 6 tbsp (75g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Velrhona Guanaja, melted
• 2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.

2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.

4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.

5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

[bNotes:[/b]
1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.

3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

Chocolate Glaze
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1 cup or 300g)

• 1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream
• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature

1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.

2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

Notes:
1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly  in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.

2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.

Chocolate Sauce
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1½ cups or 525 g)

• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (250 g) water
• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.

2) It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.

Notes:
1) You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.
2) This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts.

It's time for an elegant dessert.

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:16:35 PDT

Evertything that we do in life must contain some degree of perfection, if not we're not happy... so I've decided to give that thought a chance in my life and make it happen, but it didn't work! Though luck! Here is the recipe for everyone out there who wants to enjoy the difficult things in life as well as the easy ones...

For the Banana Biscuit:

Butter: 65g
Brown sugar: 100g
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
2 medium ripe bananas, that weight aprox. 150g
Yogurt: 2 TBSP
All purpose flour: 100g
Baking Soda: ½ TSP
A dash of salt.

1.Preheat oven at 170 C. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and blend in. In another bowl, mash the bananas and combine them with the yogurt.
2.In another bowl sift the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternatively with the bana mixture in three additions.
3.Bake the mixture in a baking sheet pan for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Once out of the oven let it cool before cutting.

For the soft chocolate interior:

1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup cream
1 large egg yolk
1 TBSP sugar
2- 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1.In a small saucepan, combine the milk and cream, bring just to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, gently whisk together the egg yolk and sugar. Remove the milk from the heat and very slowly temper into the egg yolk and sugar.
3.Return the whole mixture to the saucepan and on low heat cook it, stirring continously, until the mixture has reached 185 F
4.Chop the chocolate with a serraneted knife and put it inside a bowl, Remove the mixture from the heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve and pour it over the chopped chocolate.
5.Transfer to a flexible silicon mold (I used a rectangule mold, but you can use what you prefer the most) Freeze until completely set, at least 2 hours.

For the Banana mousse:

100 grams banana pureed
10 grams sugar
4 grams of powdered gelatin or 2 sheet
100 grams yogurt (banana yogurt would be great)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the banana puree with the sugar and vanilla extract. When it comes to a slight boil, remove from heat. In the meantime, soften gelatin in ice water for about 3 minutes. Add the bloomed gelatin to the puree. Let it cool until it is about body temperature.
When the puree has cooled slightly, add it to the yogurt (firm yogurt). Put the mixture into a mold and once 3/4 filled, insert the frozen soft chocolate to form the interior. Freeze 1-2 hours or until completely set.

For the chocolate plaquettes:
115g pound dark chocolate couverture

1.Place 115g chopped or broken dark or semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water. Heat gently until just melted.
2.Remove from the heat. Spoon about three quarters of the melted chocolate onto a marble slab or other cool, smooth, non-porous work surface.
3.With a flexible plastic scraper or metal spatula, spread the chocolate thinly, then scoop it before spreading it again. Repeat the sequence, keeping the chocolate constantly on the move, for about 5 minutes.
4.Using a chocolate thermometer, check the temperature of the chocolate as you work it. As soon as the temperature registers 28 C / 82 F, tip the chocolate back into the bowl and stir into the remaining chocolate.
5.With the addition of the hot chocolate the temperature should now be 32 C / 90F, making the chocolate ready to use. To test, drop a little of the chocolate from a spoon on to the marble, it should set very quickly.
6. Spread a thin layer of the tempered chocolate over a parchment paper, when is almost set, mark rectangules, the size you like (you can make tiny ones, that would look pretty) and wait till is completely set.
7.When the chocolate has set, remove the parchment paper very carefully, and cut through the lines you marked before.

Assemble the cake:
Cut the banana biscuit into a rectangle. Unmold a banana mousse, placing it onto the rectangle of the banana biscuit. Allow to temper under refrigetarion, about 1 hour. To serve, place a chocolate plaquette on top of the banana mousse.

Versión en Español:

Todo lo que hacemos en la nuestra vida debe contener algun grado de perfeccion, sino no logramos ser felices... Asi que decidi darle a ese pensamiento una chance en mi vida y transportarlo a un postre, pero no funciono! Mala suerte! Aca va la receta para cualquiera que quiera disfrutar de las cosas dificiles como tambien de las cosas simples de la vida...

Para el biscuit de Banana:

Manteca 65g
Azucar Rubia o negra 100g
1 huevo mediano, ligeramente batido
2 bananas machacadas, que pesen aprox. 150g
Yogur 2 Cucharadas
Harina Integral 25g
Harina 0000 75g
Bicarbonato de sodio 1/2 Cucharadita
1 pellizco de sal.

1.Caliente el horno a 170 C. Haga una crema con la manteca y el azucar hasta que quede ligera y espumosa. Agregue, batiendo, el huevo y mezcle bien. En otro cuenco, combinar las bananas machacadas con el yogur.

2.Tamizar las harinas, el bicarbonato y la sal en otro cuenco. Incorporar a la mezcla de manteca y huevo alternando con las bananas.

3.Pasar la mezcla a una placa de horno bien chata, como las que hay para hacer pionono y hornear por 15 a 20 minutos,o hasta que este bien dorado o cuando inserte un cuchillo, este salga limpio. Retirar del horno y dejar reposar por 10 minutos antes de desmoldar. Dejar enfriar del todo antes de cortar.

Para el interior suave de chocolate:

1/4 taza de leche
1/4 taza crema
1 yema
1 Cucharada de azucar
80g de chocolate semiamargo

1.En una olla combinar la leche y la crema, llevar a que hierva.
2.En un bowl mezclar la yema con el azucar y poco a poco ir integrando la mezcla de leche y crema, llevar todo de vuelta a la olla y cocinar hasta alcanzar los 85 C o hasta que nape una cuchara de madera.
3.Trozar el chocolate en pedazos chicos y colar la mezcla anterior sobre el chocolate picado.
4.Poner en moldes de silicona o algun molde antiadherente y freezar por 2 horas como minimo.

Para la mousse de banana:

100 gramos de pure de bananas
10 gramos de azucar
4 gramos de gelatina en polvo
100 gramos de yogurt entero
1 cucharadita de extracto de vainilla.

Calentar el pure de bananas con el azucary el extracto de vainilla. Cuando llegue apenas a hervir, retirar del fuego . Mientras, ablande la gelatina en agua fria y dejela reposar por tres minutos. Agregar a continuacion la gelatina hidratada al pure y mezcle bien. Dejar que se enfire a temperatura ambiente.
Cuando el pure se haya enfriado, agregar despacio el yogurt firme. Poner la mezcla en un molde y llenar hasta que alcanzar los 3/4 del molde y agregar uno de los interiores de chocolate suave congelados que hicimos anteriormente, presionar levemente y si hace falta rellenar un poco mas de la mousse de banana para que no se vea el interior de chocolate. LLevar a freezer y congelar como minimo dos horas.

Para las plaquetas de chocolate:

115 g de chocolate

1. Trocee el chocolate con un cuchillo de sierra y pongalo en un cuenco. Derretir a bano maria sin dejar de que el cuenco toque el agua. Remover con una cuchara de madera, el chocolate debe llegar a una temperatura de 55 C
2.Retirar el chocolate inmediatamente del bano maria y remover de vez en cuando el chocolate fundido. Tomar la temperatura constantemente del chocolate haste que haya descendido hasta los 27C.
3.En cuanto haya alcanzado esa temperatura, volver a poner el cuenco sobre el bano maria y controlar el ascenso de la temperatura, remover suavemente el chocolate con una cuchara de madera y el chocolate estara listo cuando alcance los 30 a 33 C.
4.Ahora el chocolate esta a la temperatura ideal para ser utilizado.
5.Para las plaquetas, adherir un papel manteca a la mesada y con una espatula esparcir el chocolate de manera que quede bien finito. Cuando se afirme un poco el chocolate, marcar con una regla rectangulos de la medida que quieras y cuando se enfrie totalmente terminar el corte.

Armado del postre:

Colocar un rectangulo del biscuit de banana sobre el plato, luego la mousse de banana que dejamos en el refrigerador para que el interior de chocolate se ablande. (esto debe hacerse una hora antes de servir). Luego colocar una plaqueta de chocolate templado y servir.

A Banana bread gone into cupcakes...

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:29:34 PDT

This banana bread or chocolate cupcakes are extremely moist and deslicious. This recipe includes sour cream, but if you can't find it, replace it with the same amount of yogurt, using 1 cup in all.
These are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon tea, you make the call... enjoy!

Banana chocolate Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 Tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 yogurt
1/2 sour cream
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (6 ounces)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 fully ripe bananas, pureed
3/4 cup chocolate chips.

For the chocolate Ganache:

125g Heavy cream
20g glucose
137g semisweet chocolate
15g butter at room temperature

1.Preheat the oven to 350F. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven. Spray a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan with pan spray and line it with a strip of parchment paper, running the length of the pan. Spray the paper.
2.Triple-sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the sour cream and yogurt in a small bowl and set aside.
3.Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter with the cinnamon on high speed until soft and creamy, about 1 minute. Slowly add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating continuously on high speed. It should take 5 to 10 minutes to add the sugar. The mixture should be light, fluffy, and a creamy white color. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
4.Add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure each egg is completely incorporated and scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the next.
5.Add one third of the flour mixture to the batter and beat until it is just incorporated. Add one third of the yogurt mixture and mix until it is just incorporated. Add the flour and the yogurt mixture in two more additions, mixing until each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Fold in the bananas and chocolate chips.
6.Pour the batter into muffin cups or in the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes for the cupcakes or 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and set on the rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. It will keep for a week in the refrigerator or 3 weeks in the freezer if wrapped airtight.

The chocolate Ganache:

1.In a small saucepan, combine cream and glucose. Bring to a boil.
2.Place Chocolate in a large bowl and gradually pour hot cream over it, stirring to emulsify.
3.Allow to cool to 35 C/ 95 F before incorporating butter

Chocolate over frozen fields!

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:42:05 PDT

As crazy as it may sound, I adore snow... and I love being outside when it snows, properly dressed, I should say. And I love baking in these kinds of days, where everything is white... so the best thing to do is cook with chocolate, don't you think?
I spend every day cooking something different, most of them are desserts, because I am soon opening a Tea Room... so I'm preparing my own desserts, which of course, they are inspired in great cooks like Michael Laiskonis. He is an amazing cook and you shoud check out his blog http://michaellaiskonis.typepad.com/main/. I do really admire him. And my other inspiration is Guy Rubino, I'm always amazed by his creations and his hard work at both at his restaurants. This dessert is dedicated to both of them. I hope you can enjoyed it as well as my husband did.
Chocolate over the frozen fields!

Chocolate Mille Fueuille Napoleon

The Coffee Ganache:

20g Glucose
125g Cream
137g Semisweet Chocolate
15g Butter, softened.
1 TBSP Coffee liquour

1.In a small saucepan, combine cream and glucose. Bring to a boil.
2.Place Chocolate in a large bowl and gradually pour hot cream over it, stirring to emulsify.Add Coffee liquour.
3.Allow to cool to 35 C/ 95 F before incorporating butter.

The Lemon Confit (I used it as a thick sauce):

60g water
2g Agar Agar
60g sugar
60g Lemon juice

1.Combine water, sugar, and agar agar in a small saucepan. Gently bring to a boil; reduce heat while maintaining simmer for two to three minutes.
2.Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice. Allow to cool and set.
3.Process in blender until smooth.

Tempered Chocolate:

1.Place 115g chopped or broken dark or semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water. Heat gently until just melted.
2.Remove from the heat. Spoon about three quarters of the melted chocolate onto a marble slab or other cool, smooth, non-porous work surface.
3.With a flexible plastic scraper or metal spatula, spread the chocolate thinly, then scoop it before spreading it again. Repeat the sequence, keeping the chocolate constantly on the move, for about 5 minutes.
4.Using a chocolate thermometer, check the temperature of the chocolate as you work it. As soon as the temperature registers 28 C / 82 F, tip the chocolate back into the bowl and stir into the remaining chocolate.
5.With the addition of the hot chocolate the temperature should now be 32 C / 90F, making the chocolate ready to use. To test, drop a little of the chocolate from a spoon on to the marble, it should set very quickly.
6. Spread a thin layer of the tempered chocolate over a parchment paper, when is almost set, mark rectangules, the size you like (you can make tiny ones, that would look pretty) and wait till is completely set.
7.When the chocolate has set, remove the parchment paper very carefully, and cut through the lines you marked before.

Assembling the dessert:

1.Place a little bit of ganache onto the plate so the dessert won't move.
2.Place a layer of the chocolate you have tempered onto the plate.
3.Pipe a little bit of the ganache and place another layer of chocolate and so on... this dessert is endless... you can as a variation place some grounded almonds or hazelnuts on top of each piped ganache, and you could do as I did, place a piece of some of your best cooked recipe of a chocolate pancake or a chocolate genoise or chiffon cake... and spread it with some nutella. That's what I did and it was delicious.
4.Decorate with some berries and the lemon confit, which you can also place between the layers.

Enjoy!

Snow at last!

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:22:42 PDT

Yesterday I couldn't believe my own eyes, it started snowing... A LOT! I was so surprised that inmediately started baking, and since I was ordered to make some cookies, I decided to blog them.

Every time we begin something we feel distant to finish it, so we hurry up and try to compensate the fact that enjoying the moment is best and thinking that tomorrow is always better is a mistake, so every wishful thinking is welcome.
So many days thinking is this the best I can do? No, I can do much better... a common thought amongst people.
Always trying to figure out what we are doing and who we are,but there's nothing better than home and a couple of cookies that go along with our afternoon's nostalgia.

So here they are:

The recipe:Chocolate Chip Cookies.

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks

1.Preheat oven to 350 F
2.Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.
3.Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.
4.Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

These are best on their first day. Enjoy! Here at home are really addicted to these cookies...

Ayer empezo a nevar... no lo podiamos creer, estaba tan sorprendida que empece a hornear, y como me habian encargado unas galletitas, prepare estas.
Cada vez que empezamos algo nos sentimos distantes para terminar lo que sea que empezamos y tratamos de compensar el hecho de que disfrutar el momento es lo mejor y pensar que mañana siempre es mejor, es un error, asi que cada pensamiento positivo y emocional es bienvenido.
Tantos dias pensando: es esto lo mejor que puedo hacer? No, puedo hacerlo mejor... un pensamiento comun entre la gente.
Siempre tratando de decifrarnos, pero no hay nada mejor que casa y unas buenas galletitas que acompañen nuestra tarde de nostalgia.

Aqui estan:

Galletitas de chocolate.

3/4 taza de manteca a temperatura ambiente
1 taza azucar rubia
1/4 taza azucar comun
1 huevo
2 cucharaditas de extracto de vainilla
2 tazas de harina
2 cucharaditas de maicena
1 cdita de bicarbonato de sodio
1/2 cdita de sal
227 gramos de chocolate semiamargo, cortado en trozos.

1.Precalentar el horno a 180 C
2.Batir la Manteca pomada con los dos tipos de azucar. Agregar el huevo y el extracto de vainilla. Mezclar bien.
3.Agregar los secos (harina, maicena, bicarbonato de sodio y sal) mezclar bien. Agregar los pedazos de chocolate.
4.Disponer cucharadas de la masa sobre una bandeja para horno y hornear por 8-10 minutos, hasta que estén dorados los bordes.
Dejar enfriar y disfrutar. Estan mejor en el primer dia, al dia siguiente el chocolate se va a solidificar un poco.

For the love of "mini"

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:56:22 PDT

I always liked the small portions of food, those you can actually eat with your hands, and I must admit that I love doing them.
It's a charismatic attachment to those cuteness... so petit! I realize as well that it's hard work and you must have all the care in the world to manipulate them, but I the idea of how is going to be the final product, encourages me to cook them.
So most of the things you will see on this food blog will be PETIT, small. This is dedicated to all of you who read this blog.

White chocolate Ganache with raspberries.

Here is the recipe
Make the dough:

Pate Sucrée

Yield: Enough for two 9 or 10-inch tarts

2 Sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cold
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tsp salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 cups pastry flour, sifted
2 TBSP heavy cream

1.Place the butter in the bowl on a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.Beat on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly creamed. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowil. Add the sugar and mix for 30 seconds.

2.Add the salt and egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

3.Add the flour and mix until the dough just about comes together, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, then pulse the mixer on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, or until de dough is smooth.

4.Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap it in plastic film. Chill for at least 4 hours. At this point, the dough will keep in the refrigetaror for up to 3 days or may be rolled out and frozen for up to a month.

5.When you remove the dough from the refrigerator, it will be very hard, because of the butter and sugar. To make it pliable enough to roll out, you must soften it without warming it up too much.

6.Roll out the dough into the tart shells.

7.To prebake, preheat the oven to 350F. Prick the bottom of the pastry shell a few times with the fork. Line the dough with a faux filling. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the faux filling and bake for 6 to 10 minutes more, or until deep golden brown. Cool on a rack before using.

White chocolate Ganache:

8 ounces white chocolate
4 TBSP (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened.
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 TBSP light corn syrup
1 TBSP raspberry liquour or dark rum

1.Using a serrated knife, finaly chop the white chocolate into 1/4 inch pieces and place it in a medium heatproof bowl with the butter.
2.Bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Inmediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Tap the bowl on the counter to settle the chocolate into the cream, then let it set for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir in a circular motion, starting from the center of the bowl and working out to the sides. Be careful not to add too much air to the ganache. Stir until all the chocolate is melted, about two minutes. When the mixture is smooth, stir in the rum or raspberry liquour.
3.Allow the temperature of the ganache to drop to 70 F. if the ganache is not going to be used right away, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Use this ganache as a filling for tarts or cakes, thin it to make a sauce, or roll and coat it for truffles.

Assemble the cake:
Place a bit of ganache into the prebaked tart shell and garnish with some raspberries. Your dessert is now finished!

My first very own Daring Bakers Challenge!

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:54:20 PDT

I have finally ended doing my Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream this past weekend, and I must admit that it takes a great deal of time in the kitchen, with the praline, with the syrup, with the gateau itseft and finally the decorating of the cake. I must tell you, it was hard work, but anyway... it's done.

I was really confused at the begining of the challenge because I read my emails with a little delay so I had to make my Filbert Gateau with little of anticipation, but it was all worth it.
I've tried to make a modern version of what I think a Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream would be for me nowadays... I kinda got lost in the way of doing that, but what the heck, It came out wonderfully, and of course it tasted amazing.
I made a mini gateau because we are only two to eat it... and of course my two dogs who actually enjoyed it as well as we did.
I have subtituted the hazelnut praline for an almond praline, so it work just as fine... I made the filbert genoise the night before assembling the cake, and the next day I made the filling, the praline, the praline buttercream, the syrup, the apricot glaze, the ganache and the decorating of the mini cake. It is important to say that I halved all the recipe, and it worked great.

I made the Filbert genoise with powdered almonds, instead of the hazelnuts because I didn't have so many hazelnuts on hand. Apart from that I make the cake following the original recipe. I didn't add whipped cream to the filling, just the praline buttercream.

I must admit, it tasted great. But the trouble in my kitchen... not gonna happen again, sorry...although I thought it was a great challenge.

I hope you enjoyed it, it's a great recipe, and we ate it the same day I finished assembling the cake.

There are amazing cakes all over other blogs! I must congratulate you all for a wonderful job.

An Ice Cream Maker!

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:08:10 PDT

I bought an ice cream maker! I'm so excited, so I think that from now on I will start producing tons of Ice Cream... well here are some, just to name a few:

A cardamom Ice Cream I made yesterday with a caramel Walnut tartlets, they were deliciuos, and not because I made it... They are excellent for an afternoon tea or a great dessert, they're elegant and of course they're great in taste. The cardamom flavour goes extremely well with the caramel filling and the walnuts, which I also added some raisins as well. I hope you enjoy them.

Here is the recipe

Make the dough:

Pate Sucrée

Yield: Enough for two 9 or 10-inch tarts

2 Sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cold
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tsp salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 cups pastry flour, sifted
2 TBSP heavy cream

1.Place the butter in the bowl on a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.Beat on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly creamed. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowil. Add the sugar and mix for 30 seconds.

2.Add the salt and egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

3.Add the flour and mix until the dough just about comes together, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, then pulse the mixer on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, or until de dough is smooth.

4.Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap it in plastic film. Chill for at least 4 hours. At this point, the dough will keep in the refrigetaror for up to 3 days or may be rolled out and frozen for up to a month.

5.When you remove the dough from the refrigerator, it will be very hard, because of the butter and sugar. To make it pliable enough to roll out, you must soften it without warming it up too much.

6.Roll out the dough into the tart shells.

7.To prebake, preheat the oven to 350F. Prick the bottom of the pastry shell a few times with the fork. Line the dough with a faux filling. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the faux filling and bake for 6 to 10 minutes more, or until deep golden brown. Cool on a rack before using.

For the caramel filling:

Granulated sugar 227g
lemon juice 1 tsp
Heavy cream, warmed 1/4 cup
unsalted butter 72g
Chopped walnuts, 114g

1.Caramelized the sugar with the lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2.Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until de mixture reaches a light brown color, 335 F (168 C). Remove from the heat.
3.Quickly add the cream and swirl it around to mix (the cream must be warmed first)
4.Stir in the butter, then the walnuts, and the raisins (if you like them)
5.Fill the tartlets and bake them at 325 F (163 C) for 12 minutes or until the tops are baked (they should only have a very light golden color. (Do not bake tartles in a hotter oven or longer thatn necessary or you risk having the filling boil over, making it impossible to remove the tartlets from the forms. It happen to me with one of them... don't get distracted!)

Mis queridos amigos de habla española, mañana tendran la receta subtitulada... hoy no pude, saludos!

Not summer for us here...but still enjoying some frozen raspberries

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:06:12 PDT

I've been seeing a lot of raspberries everywhere, and I'm an absolute fan of them. But since it's no summer time here in Argentina, I used my frozen raspberries from the previuos summer which with most of my patience I had dedicated those days to buy a bunch in a farm not far from where I live, and just lined them one by one next to each other so that they don't touch... and finally frozen them. So... Today I had the hunger to use some. I just wanted them for a nice afternoon tea which I enjoy so much having along with my husband and my two dogs.
I decided to give the raspberries the sour contrast with a mild lemon curd, although they are both sour, they get along wonderfully.

So now I present you the recipe:

Make the dough:

Pate Sucrée

Yield: Enough for two 9 or 10-inch tarts

2 Sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cold
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tsp salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 cups pastry flour, sifted
2 TBSP heavy cream

1.Place the butter in the bowl on a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.Beat on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly creamed. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowil. Add the sugar and mix for 30 seconds.

2.Add the salt and egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

3.Add the flour and mix until the dough just about comes together, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, then pulse the mixer on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, or until de dough is smooth.

4.Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap it in plastic film. Chill for at least 4 hours. At this point, the dough will keep in the refrigetaror for up to 3 days or may be rolled out and frozen for up to a month.

5.When you remove the dough from the refrigerator, it will be very hard, because of the butter and sugar. To make it pliable enough to roll out, you must soften it without warming it up too much.

6.Roll out the dough into the tart shells.

7.To prebake, preheat the oven to 350F. Prick the bottom of the pastry shell a few times with the fork. Line the dough with a faux filling. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the faux filling and bake for 6 to 10 minutes more, or until deep golden brown. Cool on a rack before using.

For the Lemon Curd:

Yield: About 2 cups

2/3 sugar
2 TBSP finely chopped or grated lemon zest
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 TBSP (1/2 stick) unsalted butter chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1.Prepare an ice bath, using a large bowl to hold the ice.
2.Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until de sugar is yellow and very fragant, about 1 minute.
3.Combine the lemon, sugar, eggs and egg yolk in a medium heatproof bowl and whisk together for 30 seconds, to distribute the sugar evenly, which prevents premature coagulation. Whisk continuously for 15 seconds, or until the suggar is dissolved. (If you feel grains, continue to whisk)
4.Add the lemon and lime juices and cook, whisking continuously, for about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl from time to time. The curd is done when it has the consistency of sour cream and a temperature of 160 F.
5.Transfer the curd to a food processor or a large bowl. Pulse while you add the butter, piece by piece, or whik it in by hand. Once all the butter has been added, pulse or whisk for 10 seconds, or until the mixture is homogenous.
6.Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer back into the bowl and set it in the ice bath to cool.Cover with plastic film. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Assemble

Once the tart shells had cooled, filled them with the luciuos lemon curd and add on top some raspberries.
If you have too much of lemon curd you could use it with those scones I made yesterday... mmm how yummy is that?!

Tea for two, anyone...?

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:39:24 PDT

These are one of my favourites, easy to do, rich and yet elegant for an afternoon tea, don't you think?
I've been doing this recipe for quite some time now, and whenever I don't get the time for making something planned and ahed, I always go with these little beauties. I added a bunch of raisins soaked in port wine, that always have on hand, anyway, that gives them an extra touch of sweetness, and you don't need to put them marmelade on top, because they are great on their own.

So whether you eat them alone or with some clotted cream and marmelade on top, please ENJOY, and what I do recommend is for you to try them with a little bit of cream cheese and jam on top... mmm my mouth is watering again... I must go to the kitchen and just grab one.

Here is the recipe

Ingredients:

Cold Butter cut into small pieces 100g
All purpose flour 400g
Sugar 60g
Yogurt 60g
Milk or Cream (whatever you prefer or at hand) 150g
1 Egg
Baking Powder 20g
A dash of salt
Raisins, well... as many as you like

Preparation:

In a food processor mix in 1/3 of the flour with all the butter and pulse just until you see like small lumps of butter, then add the rest of the flour, the sugar, the baking powder and salt, pulse just once and place the mixture into a bowl. Make a hole in the center of the flour mixture and add the raisins (if you don't like raisins, just omit this step),stir a little bit, then the egg, the yogurt and the milk/cream. Blend in very carefully, trying not to overmix the batter until you can form a dough with it (It will be tricky if you live in a dry place like I do). Then turn out the dough into a floured surface and roll it about 2cmm tall. Fold it in half and then roll it again until you have about 2 to 3 cmm tall again. Cut small rounds with a cookie cutter and place them in a baking tray, brush the scones with some milk and bake them at a 180 C oven for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Eat them warm, just as they come out of the oven...

and enjoy!

Te para dos, alguien...?

Estos pequeñitos son uno de mis favoritos, porque son fáciles de hacer y elegantes para un te de las 5, no te parece? He estado haciendo esta receta hace un tiempo ya, y cuando no tengo tiempo de hacer algo planeado, voy por esta receta, simple pero sin dejar de ser exquisita. Agregue a mi gusto un par de pasas de uva embebidas en oporto que siempre tengo a mano , solo las dejo en un frasquito sumergidas y cuando las necesito para alguna preparación, ya tienen un gusto incorporado y además se hidratan al mismo tiempo. Ellas le dan a los Scones una dulzura extra que creo que le hace falta, pero también se pueden reemplazar por alguna fruta seca que te guste o alguna nuez o almendra que tengas a mano. Con ciruelas pasas queda muy bien también.
Tradicionalmente los scones son servidos con alguna clase de crema llamada Clotted Cream o Devon y mermelada por encima. Yo los disfruto mucho con queso crema y alguna mermelada. Ya se me está haciendo agua la boca, creo que mejor me voy a la cocina y me agarro algunos…

Ingredientes:

Manteca fría cortada en pedazos pequeños 100g
Harina 0000 400g
Azúcar 60g
Yogurt 60g
Leche o Crema (como mas prefieras o lo que tengas a mano) 150g
1 Huevo
Polvo de hornear 20g
Una pizca de sal
Pasas de uva, nueces u otra fruta… tantas cuantas quieras!

Preparación:

En un procesador combina 1/3 de la harina con toda la manteca y pulsa hasta obtener como si fueran migas gruesas, luego agrega el resto de la harina, la azúcar, el polvo de hornear y la sal, pulsa una vez y pon la mezcla en un bowl. Haz un hueco en el centro de la mezcla de harina y agrega las pasas de uva (si no te gustan las pasas de uva, omite este paso), revuelve para que se integren las pasas y ubica en el medio el huevo, el yogurt y la leche o crema. Mezcla con cuidado, tratando de no sobre amasar, hasta que puedas formar un bollo. Ponlo luego en una superficie enharinada y pásale el rodillo hasta que hayas alcanzado los 2 cm de altura. Dobla a la mitad sin poner harina en el medio y consigue con el rodillo nuevamente la altura de 2 o 3 cm, corta pequeños círculos o con un cortador de galletitas. Ponlos luego en una placa, pincélalos con un poco de leche por encima y hornéalos a 180 C por 15 o 20 minutos o hasta que estén dorados en la superficie.
Cómelos tibios, apenas salgan del horno…
Seguramente si estas cocinando para ti misma o para dos personas, te va a sobrar, así que la masa la puedes guardar por 2 días en la heladera, no más, porque contienen polvo de hornear. Así que puedes hacer algunos en el desayuno del día siguiente.

Ahora a disfrutar!

Cookies, Cookies...

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:05:01 PDT

These cookies reminded me of winter smells due to its spices and though they do too reminded me of the holidays, I can’t stop feeling some longing and comfort whenever I get the chance to cook them.
The first time I made these, I remember waking up and look through my kitchen window all white. It snowed the night before… and still were. So grateful feeling. Baking and looking at the window with such a joy. ..knowing that it was cold outside, and between these walls were the warmth of the oven. And everytime I feel desperate and insecure I start cooking them.
And if you are a spicies lover and honey, I would strongly recommend them, even though I think they are great for everybody who needs comfort in their lives.

Estas galletitas me recuerdan al aroma del invierno debido a sus especias, y aunque tambien me recuerden a dias festivos no dejo de sentir cierta nostalgia reconfortante cuando las preparo.
La primera vez que las prepare, recuerdo despertarme y ver por la ventana todo blanco, habia nevado en la noche... y todavia continuaba. Que grata sensacion. Hornear y ver la nieve. Saber que afuera hace frio, pero que adentro esta calido. Y cada vez que quiero sentir esa proteccion me pongo a prepararlas.

Si eres amante de las especias y de la miel, las recomiendo. Aunque tambien las recomiendo a cualquiera porque son realmente ricas.

Here is the recipe:

For the dough:
Brown Sugar 75g
Butter 75g
1 Egg
Honey 50g
Cake flour 300g
Ground Spicies 1 TSP from each (e.i. cinamon, ginger, clove, cardamom, etc)

1.Put butter and sugar in a food procesor and pulse to blend in.
2.Add the egg, honey and the flour (with the spices) and pulse once or twice to blend until a dough is form. (if you have troubles with that and the dough doesn’t seem to be forming, just add a few teaspoons of cold water).
3. Put the dough in the refrigerator wrapt in foil for about 30 minutes
4.Preheat oven to 180 C.
5.Roll the dough in a slightly floured surface and cut cookies any size you like, and when transfer to the baking pan, add the raisin (if you like them).
6.Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

I really like them with the glaze on top of them, it gives them an extra sweetness that I think they are lack of…

For the Royal glaze:

Sifted Icing sugar 200g
1 egg white

1.In a bowl mix the sugar with the egg white until it is smooth, if it gets too hard add some more egg white, and if it is too runny add some more sifted sugar.
2.Place mixture in a pipebag and once the cookies are at room temperature pipe the glaze on top.
3.Let it dry at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

And now… let’s eat.

Aqui va la receta:
Para la masa:

Azucar rubia 75g
Manteca 75g
1 Huevo
Miel 50g
Harina Leudante 300g
Especias molidas varias 1 Cdita de cada una (ej. canela, jengibre, clavo de olor, cardamomo)

1.Poner la manteca y el azucar en la procesadora y mezclar bien.
2.Agregar el huevo, la miel y la harina previamente mezclada con las especias. Unir hasta formar un bollo (si no se forma agregar una cucharada de agua fria hasta que se forme)
3.Dejar reposar en la heladera envuelta en papel film por 30 minutos.
5.Precalentar el horno a 180 C.
5.Una vez pasado ese tiempo, estirar la masa con un palote y cortar las galletitas de la forma que querramos, agregarle pasas de uva embebidas anteriormente en oporto.
6.Hornear por 12 minutos o hasta que los bordes esten dorados.

A mi me gustan mucho con la glasa, le dan ese toque extra de dulzor que le hace falta.

Para el Glaseado:

Azucar impalpable tamizada 200g
1 clara de huevo

1.Mezclar el azucar con la clara de huevo hasta que se haga una mezcla suave, si esta muy ligera agregar mas azucar y si esta muy dura agregar un poco mas de clara.
2.Disponer en una manga y una vez enfriadas las galletitas glasearlas.
3.Dejar secar por 10 minutos.

y ahora... a comer!

Banana Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:00:17 PDT

Bananas and Chocolate, that's what I'd like to say a perfect combo... Tomorrow I'll give you the recipe, but first a check out the view...

Most of the times you spend your life running … I don’t know why, but we do… maybe it’s because life’s too short, someone would say… but I find that there’s nothing sweeter and comforting that to stop your watch for a while and just try to concentrate on the person that you have beside you. It’s a show of affection and redemtion to our beloved ones and just dedicate some time to them. And by doing that I mean to stop and realize that all we have is now. And the person who is right next to us (whether is only you, your cat/dog/bird or a spirit) is joining in this race that we face everyday we wake up. So before you begin making this wonderful mini gateux have everything at hand.

For the Banana moist interior:

Butter: 65g
Brown sugar: 100g
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
2 medium ripe bananas, that weight aprox. 150g
Yogurt: 2 TBSP
All purpose flour: 100g
Baking Soda: ½ TSP
A dash of salt.

1.Preheat oven at 170 C. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and blend in. In another bowl, mash the bananas and combine them with the yogurt.
2.In another bowl sift the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternatively with the bana mixture in three additions.
3.Bake the mixture in individual silicon molds or any mold that you have at hand for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the mold you have chosen. Once out of the oven let it cool before cutting.

For the caramel center:

Cream: 120g
Vanilla extract: 1 TSP
Sugar: 30g
Unflavored gelatin (powder): 1g
Salt: 1 TSP
Nuts or ground almonds if you like something crunchy in your mouth.

1. Sprinkle the sugar on a small saucepan. Make a dark caramel with the sugar. Add the vanilla bean and the cream that we have previously warm up. The caramel will bubble up when we add the cream so make sure to be careful not to get burnt and whisk constantly.

2.Temper this mixture into the egg yolks. It will be so hot and the amounts we are working with are so small, that there is no need to return this mixture back to the heat. The temperature of the caramel will pasteurize the egg yolks.

3.Add the softened gelatin to the base and strain the whole thing through a fine sieve.

4.Pour this into the mini muffin pan. We want to have about 4 mm high of the cream. then we will sprinkle some powdered ground almonds or whatever you have at hand on top of the cream . The whole thing goes in the freezer until we are ready to assemble the cake.

Chocolate Mousse
makes enough for 4 ring molds

150 grams 70% chocolate, melted
450 grams organic heavy cream, whipped to soft peak.

1.Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Remove from the heat. Add a third of the soft peak whipped cream to the chocolate while whisking. Work quickly so the chocolate doesn't set too fast. Add the rest of the cream but this time fold using a spatula.

2.Now that we have the mousse made, we should assemble the cake. If we transfer the mousse to the refrigerator, it will harden too much and we will not be able to pipe it as smoothly into the ring molds. So have all your components ready to go.

Assemble the cake:

1.If you use individual ring molds try to place them onto a plate before assembling the cake, and cut parchment paper strips that will fit the inside of your ring molds and line the molds with the paper.
2.Cut a slice of the banana cake that we made before from the same size as we did the caramel interior.
3. Pipe some mousse inside each one of the molds. Insert the filling disks inside each mold. Top with a little bit more mousse, another disk of the filling and top with some more mousse.
4. Flatten the top of the mold eliminating any excess mousse. We want a flat and smooth top.
Place these in the freezer to set. When they are frozen, push the mousse out of the mold and place it on your plate or cake board.
5.Once done all this, glazed with the chocolate mixture and put the mini cakes in the refrigerator to set. Serve and enjoy with your love ones.

Chocolate Glaze

110 grams bittersweet chocolate
110 grams coating chocolate
35 grams vegetable oil

1. Melt all the ingredients together over a double boiler and keep warm until we are ready to assemble.

Bananas y Chocolate, una de las tantas perfectas combinaciones... mañana publicaré la receta, pero primero una ojeada a la mini "torta"...

La receta:

A veces uno lleva su vida corriendo porque el tiempo es escaso, pero no encuentro nada mas lindo y reconfortante que detener el reloj y concentrarme en la persona o personas que voy a agasajar ese dia, Es una muestra de afecto y redencion a lo que mas queremos y a ello debemos dedicarle tiempo. Parar y darnos cuenta de que todo lo que tenemos es el ahora y el ser que esta junto a nosotros que nos acompaña en esta carrera de todos los dias. (Aunque seas vos y tu gato/perro/pajaro o ser imaginario).
Es importante que antes de comenzar este postre tengas todo preparado y a mano.
Es un postre que vale la pena el esfuerzo, pero si tu eres de no estar en la cocina por mucho tiempo, entonces no te lo aconsejo, ya que lleva pasos que deben ser premeditados.

Para el interior humedo de banana:

Manteca 65g
Azucar Rubia o negra 100g
1 huevo mediano, ligeramente batido
2 bananas machacadas, que pesen aprox. 150g
Yogur 2 Cucharadas
Harina Integral 25g
Harina 0000 75g
Bicarbonato de sodio 1/2 Cucharadita
1 pellizco de sal.

1.Caliente el horno a 170 C. Haga una crema con la manteca y el azucar hasta que quede ligera y espumosa. Agregue, batiendo, el huevo y mezcle bien. En otro cuenco, combinar las bananas machacadas con el yogur.

2.Tamizar las harinas, el bicarbonato y la sal en otro cuenco. Incorporar a la mezcla de manteca y huevo alternando con las bananas.

3.Pasar la mezcla a un molde, o moldes individuales engrasados y hornear por 30 a 40 minutos, de acuerdo al tamaño del molde que uses. Retirar del horno y dejar reposar por 10 minutos antes de desmoldar. Dejar enfriar del todo antes de cortar.

Para el centro de caramelo:

Crema de leche o leche 120g
Esencia de vainilla 1 cucharadita, o 1 vaina de vainilla.
Azucar 30g
Gelatina sin sabor en polvo 1g
Sal 1cdita.
Nueces o almendras picadas cantidad necesaria.

1.Poner en un cazo el azucar. Hacer un caramelo oscuro. Mientras calentar la crema/leche en otra cacerola con la vaina de vainilla o la esencia.

2.Sacar el azucar del fuego y agregar la crema/leche caliente y revolver constantemente, es normal que burbujee asi que cuidado. Si partes del caramelo quedaran sin unir, llevar a fuego nuevamente hasta que se hayan disuelto.

3.Ablandar la gelatina con 5g de agua fria. Volcar la preparacion anterior a la gelatina y revolver constantemente. Colar la mezcla.

4.Volcar la preparacion en moldes mas pequenos del que vamos a utilizar para luego unir todo. Debe ser aunque sea unos 3 a 5 cm mas pequeño.

5.Colocar nueces o avellanas trozadas por encima y congelar hasta el momento de armar la mini torta.

Para la Mousse de Chocolate:

Aca viene la parte "gorda". Esta receta es muy buena porque se logra una mousse muy sostenida. Lo cual es importante para luego armar la torta.Si tienes una receta menos "gorda" puedes cambiarla tranquilamente.

Chocolate Semiamargo de buena calidad (esto es importante) 150g
Crema de leche batida a medio punto 450g (si es mucho, pero suficiente como para cuatro moldes individuales o uno grande)

1.Derretir el chocolate sobre un baño maria. Retirar del fuego. Agregar un tercio de la crema batiendo rapidamente para que el chocolate no se ponga demaciado duro. Agregar el resto de la crema con una espatula pero esta vez de forma envolvente hasta que se haya unido todo el chocolate con la crema.Reservar. Si no vas a armar la torta ahora reservar a temperatura ambiente, pero no por mucho tiempo.

Armado de la mini torta:
1.Si se utilizan moldes individuales, tratan de colocarlos todos encima de una placa o plato. Colocar en los bordes y en el fondo papel manteca.

2.Cortar el budin de banana que hicimos anteriormente del mismo tamaño que hicimos el relleno de caramelo.

3.Pasar la mousse a una manga para trabajar mejor, y si no tienes manga, puedes utilizar una cuchara o espatula o lo que tengas a mano como para que la preparacion quede prolija.

3.Poner un poco de la mousse en iguales cantidades dentro de los moldes.

4.Colocar encima un lonja del budin de banana y la crema de caramelo que congelamos anteriormente. Presionar levemente.

5.Volver a introducir mousse y si te alcanza otro disco de masa de banana.

6.Cubrir con mas mousse y aplastar la parte superior con ayuda de una espatula plana o cuchillo, para eliminar el exceso de mousse. Queremos que quede la preparacion bien al ras de la parte superior del molde.

7.Llevar al congelador de 2 a 4 horas. Cuanto mas tiempo dejes la mousse en el congelador mejor vas a poder desmoldarla luego.

Para el glaseado de Chocolate brillante (se debe realizar media hora antes de desmoldar y querer servir las tortitas):

Agua 180g
Azucar 225g
leche en polvo 40g
Cacao en polvo 50g
Crema de leche 300g
Gelatina sin sabor en polvo 5g

1.Poner el agua con el azucar y la leche en polvo en un cazo y cocinar hasta que empiece a calentarse, en ese momento añadir el cacao y la crema.Cocinar hasta que alcance los 102 C, o si no dispones de un termometro, hasta que con una cuchara al retirar un poco de la mezcla, forme como un hilo flojo entre los dedos cuando lo tocamos.

2.Retirar del fuego y dejar enfriar por unos 15 minutos. Es conveniente pasar la mezcla a otro cazo para que se enfrie mas rapidamente.

3.Incorporar la gelatina previamente remojada en 15g de agua fria. Colar y dejar que siga enfriando hasta que puedas meter un dedo y este a la misma temperatura que tu dedo.

4.Por ultimo, retirar las tortitas del freezer. Disponerlas sobre una rejilla o sobre un papel manteca u otro papel que puedas luego tirar. Bañarlas con el glaseado y decorar con cacao en polvo por encima o si quieres un contraste un poco mas notorio con azucar impalpable, y algunas flores o pedacitos de chocolate o con lo que tu mas te guste. La decoracion siempre es a gusto personal.

5.Una vez decoradas, ponerlas en la heladera para que el glaseado quede firme. Se puede servir directamente o tambien se puede realizar todo el dia anterior. Cuanta mas antelacion tengas con este postre mejor te va a quedar.

Raspberries, Raspberries...

noreply@blogger.com (Mushka) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:46:53 PDT

Raspberries, Raspberries… they are all that a person would want in a fruit… they’re juicy, sweet but yet acid, small and good for your health, hence you could eat tons of them.
I came across with this recipe because I had some friends coming over to our house and I was having the idea of a crème brulee because last week I bought some tiny molds to fit in any type of small and pretty dessert. I just soooooo wanted to use them. And I also made some banana Cake wrapped in Chocolate mousse with some chilled caramel sauce inside, and covered with a chocolate glased. Sounds great, hu?

Well, here are the recipes and the photos so you can dye to eat them both…

The recipe:

For the crème brulee:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
3 large egg yolks, chilled.
Raspberries as many as you like.

Preheat oven to 300 F. Bring the cream, 1/8 cup sugar and the vanilla bean to a simmer. Remove from heat and cover pan, let it rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks, add the cream mixture slowly to the egg yolks. Strain and put the mixture along with the raspberries in ramekins. Fill a larger baking pan with hot water up to 2/3 of the ramekins. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The custards are done when they are set but have a uniform jiggle. Chill custards for at least 2 hours.To serve, you'll be coating the top in two thin layers of caramelized sugar. Coat the top of the custards with some of the remaining sugar in a thin even layer. Wipe off any sugar that sticks to the rim of the ramekins. Melt the sugar by moving the flame from a propane or butane torch, back and forth across the top of the custard from a height of not less than 8 inches. As soon as it melts and starts to color, dust lightly with a second coating of sugar and continue to melt and caramelize the sugar.Remove the torch when the sugar is a dark golden color. Allow the caramel to cool and harden for 2 minutes before serving. Do not caramelize the top until ready to serve. The caramelized top will begin to melt after 1 hour.

Variations:
You can replace the raspberries for any other fruit, like pears or you can add to cream a TBSP of any type of liquor.
Improvise!

Versión en Español:

Frambuesas, Frambuesas… son todo lo que una persona puede desear en una fruta… son jugosas, dulces pero al mismo tiempo acidas, pequeñas y buenas para la salud, por eso puedes comer toneladas de ellas sin preocuparte.
Llegue a la conclusión de querer hacer una crème bruleè para el fin de semana porque compre unos pequeños moldecitos que tenía ganas de usar y como íbamos a tener visitas no tenia mejor excusa que eso para ver como quedaba el postre en mis nuevos moldecitos. También hice una “mini torta” de banana envuelta en una mouse de chocolate con salsa de caramelo refrigerada por dentro y cubierta con un glaseado de chocolate. Suena exquisito, no?
Bueno acá les van las recetas y las fotos para que se mueran por comer los dos postres…

Para la Crème bruleè:
1 ½ tazas de crema
¼ taza de azúcar
1 vaina de vainilla, esencia o licor de frambuesa
3 yemas grandes, frías.
Frambuesas u otra fruta a su gusto en cantidad necesaria.

Precaliente el horno a 160 C. Lleve la crema, 1/8 del azúcar y la vaina de vainilla a un hervor suave. Retirar del fuego y cubrir la cacerola, dejar infusionar por 15 minutos. Mientras bata las yemas, despacio añada la crema a las yemas. Cuele. Arregle las frambuesas en los moldes y ponga por encima la mezcla. Cubrir con papel de aluminio para evitar que se quemen por encima y cocinar a baño maría de 40 a 45 minutos. Las natillas estarán cuando tengan un movimiento uniforme. Una vez cocinadas, déjelas estar a temperatura ambiente y luego refrigerar por al menos 2 horas antes de servir.
Para servir, colocar una capa fina de azúcar por encima y con una torcha o soplete o en el peor de los casos grill caramelizar la superficie, dejar enfriar unos segundos y colocar la siguiente capa de azúcar y caramelizar nuevamente. Dejar que se enfríe por 2 minutos y que el caramelo se endurezca antes de servir. No caramelizar las natillas hasta que no estén listas para servir, ya que después de una hora el caramelo se va a empezar a derretir.
Variaciones:
Puedes reemplazar la frambuesa por cualquier otra fruta, como peras o puedes añadir también una cucharada de cualquier tipo de licor. O simplemente hacerlas de vainillas, o hasta incluso de chocolate, o especias o….
Improvisa!