Julie is in the grand final of Masterchef Australia! She's my personal favourite because of her cooking love philosophy, but towards the end I was running for Justine. She's amazingly talented I thought, I teared up when she got booted out of the top 4. But Julie, man! who would have thought that she'd made it to the grand final. I am so loving this show, sad that it's ending on Sunday! By the way it's my colleague M who labeled her Puddle Woman after her passionfruit (puddle) pie disaster.
I've been so lazy this days. Haven't been exactly the most productive, I'd have to pull a valiant effort (either George or Matt who used that word valiant effort after everybody managed to pull that last toothache inducing cake of a pressure cooker test, good word I like it) to conquer (I think that's another word used by Matt) my 2009 resolution
ps. I skipped DB challenge last month, and I'm not inspired to do this month's. I need to make sure I attempt next month's lest I get kicked out *frown*.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Edible Alphabet Series
I have a thing for lists. Be it the list of winners of the Man Booker prize, or 1000 places to see before you die, someone's grocery list, to worst dressed celebrities. Naturally I love food related lists the most, and these days I visit the Observer Food Monthly and the lifestyle section of the Times regularly for their food related lists... from 5 ways with rice to 10 of London best secret supper clubs. One I particularly like is the 50 best recipes EVER compiled by OFM, by which Jill Dupleix had been tickled to make a similar list for SMH.
Another one I like I came across recently in the Guardian (republished in Mighty Foods) by Nigel Slater: Eating through the alphabet. A simple concept but I like it, so I am obviously going to steal it and declare a resolution to bake through the alphabet. That'd be (26 recipes to make up the 50 I need to successfully complete my goal this year, HA!
By the way I'm stooping low, because it's mid July and I don't think I'm close to trying 25 new recipes. So whatever you might think, for my galette des rois, I'm giving my self 3 points, 1 for the pâte feuilletée, 1 for the crème frangipane and 1 for the galette des rois itself plus the 1 point for this recipe of rhubarb compote, and another for the tarte fine aux pommes. That makes 5. Cool cool.
Rhubarb Compote
(taken from Soho cooking by Alistair Little, p.239)
500 gr rhubarb
1 vanilla pod, split
200 gr caster sugar
Top and tail the rhubarb and cut into 2-3 cm lengths. Place in a large ovenproof dish; add the vanilla and scatter with the sugar. Leave to macerate for a minimum of 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
Preheat your oven to 180°C, and loosely cover the rhubarb with greaseproof paper. Bake for 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 150°C, and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes. Different types of rhubarb will require different cooking times: the 30 minutes at 150°C suggested here is probably a bare minimum. Check the fruit after this time has elapsed and continue if necessary. In addition, some types of rhubarb stay intact as they cook whilst others collapse; so don't worry too much if you end up with a 'fool-like' result, rather than beautifully intact pieces.
Now to the next recipe,
Tarte fine aux pommes.
(taken from Exceptional Cakes by Dan Lepard & Richard Whittington, p.120)
Makes 4 individual tarts
400 gr butter puff pastry
4 tbsp pastry cream
4 Granny Smith apples
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp apricot jam
flour for dusting
Glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp milk
To finish:
icing sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with a non-stick baking parchment or a silicone mat. Divide the pastry into four and roll out each portion on a lightly floured surface into a thin round, about 15cm diameter. Place on the baking tray. Scrape the pastry cream over the pastry with a palette knife to coat thinly.
Cut the apples into quarters and remove the cores, but leave the skins on. Slice the quarters into paper-thin slices and fan these out on the pastry discs, with each new slice slightly overlapping the last. Leave a 1cm rim of pastry uncovered. For the glaze, lightly beat the egg yolk with the milk, then brush over the pastry rim.
Sprinkle the apples with the sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 150°C, and bake for a further 5 minutes. The apples will have taken on a golden glaze while the pastry will have puffed up around the rim.
Warm the jam in a small pan until melted. Press it through a sieve to remove any large pieces of fruit, then brush over the warm tarts.
Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Note:
1. I still owe you the recipe for la crème patissiere... (thought I might type it up for you when I blog some petits choux or something)
2. Until I can come up with a better one, R is for Rhubarb Compote.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Since last week
I'm another year older *sigh*
though I did receive cool presents *grin*
one of which is a bread baking bible courtesy of A *wheeee*
It's true that I do love baking bread more than most things (started when I was young(er) you see...)
Anyways, I didn't make the list. What list you ask? Ummmm, the London Times 50 of the world's best food blog, I didn't make it... but do check out the list, it's quite cool. Cream Puffs in Venice of the daring kitchen made it, that's cool... otherwise a few favourites of mine such as Chocolate and Zucchini made it of course! and the Chubby Hubby...
Weather is beautiful, I'm going to the market just behind my place and walk to Balmain and catch a ferry to the city... ta ta!
ps. be back soon.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
*pink cheeks*
Oh la la! Lovely compliments I get from the little galette des rois I made yesterday.
I made pâte feuilletée again and the second time around it felt easier. I hadn’t had the guts to try it for my whole life! If only everything else in life turned out to be as simple. Now now, that sounds a bit cocky … so ok, it wasn’t the easiest thing but puff pastry is simply time consuming to make and do not let that deter you.
Long post alert! Though I thought a detailed raconte of the steps is essential for this recipe.
Galette des rois à la frangipane
(from Larousse des desserts p.129)
pour 4-6 personnes
600 gr pâte feuilletée
300 gr crème frangipane
1 egg
Prepare the pâte feuilletée
Prepare the crème frangipane
Divide the pâte in two and roll out until it is about 2.5mm thick.
Beat the egg and brush the outer edge of one of the disks. Spread the crème frangipane, and pose the other disk on top making sure they seal properly all around.
With a little knife, trace parallel rayures (mmmhhh, now what does this translate in English) in one direction, and then the other. (Oh please, don't worry if you are confused because me too I was terribly confused. Please google images then you'll get the idea)
Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes whilst the oven preheats to 250°C.
Glide the galettes in the oven, reduce the temperature to 200°C and bake for 40 minutes.
Now, for the components...
Butter puff pastry
(from Baker & Spice Exceptional Cakes by D Lepard & R Whittington)
Butter paste
340 gr unsalted butter, softened
150 gr French T550 flour or plain flour
Assembly
560 gr French T550 flour or 280 gr plain flour and 280 gr strong bread flour + extra for sprinkling
4 egg yolks
180 ml bottled spring water
2 tsp Maldon salt, ground fine
First prepare the butter paste : put the butter and flour in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix on the slowest speed until combined. Transfer the butter paste to a sheet of cling film and shape into a rectangle about 6mm thick. Wrap in the cling film and keep in cool place (but not in the refrigerator) while you make the dough.
Put the flour, egg yolks, water and salt in a bowl and mix to a dough. If necessary, add another teaspoonful or two of water, but be careful – the dough will soften on resting. What you want is a smooth but fairly tight dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is very smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 1 hour or, ideally, overnight.
Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dought into a rough square about 8mm thick. Place the rectangle of butter paste in the centre and fold the corners of the dough over the top to cover the paste completely. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out, rolling away from you, into a long rectangle about 65-70 x 35-40 cm and 1 cm thick.
Fold one end in by a sixth and then the other end in by a sixth. Fold both ends over again by a sixth so that they meet in the centre. Now fold the two together, as if you are closing a book.
Next turn the dough so the fold is to one side. Roll it out gently away from you again into a long rectangle about the same length as before. Fold one end of the dough in by one-third, then the other end in by a third, over the top of the first third. This is a single turn.
Spread a sheet of cling film over a tray, place the dough on top and cover tightly with cling film. Leave in the refrigerator or cool place for 1 hour.
Set the dough on a floured work surface so the fold is to one side. Roll out into a rectangle again and give it a single turn, followed immediately by another single turn. Wrap in cling film and leave in the refrigerator overnight before using.
Crème frangipane
(from Larousse des desserts p.54)
100 gr butter in room temperature
100 gr icing sugar
100 gr almond meal
1 tsp corn flour
2 eggs
1 drop of bitter almond essence
125 gr crème pâtissière
Cut the butter into little pieces and place in a bowl. Soften with a spatula then switch to an electric mixer at low speed, add successively the icing sugar, almond meal, corn flour, the almond essence (which I substituted with a tiny dash of orange blossom water) and eggs. Lastly, incorporate the crème pâtissière and mix well.
Cover with cling wrap if not used immediately.
Note:
1. I'm tired of typing, will type up the recipe for crème pâtissière in le prochain blog.
2. Bon courage et bon appétit!
I made pâte feuilletée again and the second time around it felt easier. I hadn’t had the guts to try it for my whole life! If only everything else in life turned out to be as simple. Now now, that sounds a bit cocky … so ok, it wasn’t the easiest thing but puff pastry is simply time consuming to make and do not let that deter you.
Long post alert! Though I thought a detailed raconte of the steps is essential for this recipe.
Galette des rois à la frangipane
(from Larousse des desserts p.129)
pour 4-6 personnes
600 gr pâte feuilletée
300 gr crème frangipane
1 egg
Prepare the pâte feuilletée
Prepare the crème frangipane
Divide the pâte in two and roll out until it is about 2.5mm thick.
Beat the egg and brush the outer edge of one of the disks. Spread the crème frangipane, and pose the other disk on top making sure they seal properly all around.
With a little knife, trace parallel rayures (mmmhhh, now what does this translate in English) in one direction, and then the other. (Oh please, don't worry if you are confused because me too I was terribly confused. Please google images then you'll get the idea)
Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes whilst the oven preheats to 250°C.
Glide the galettes in the oven, reduce the temperature to 200°C and bake for 40 minutes.
Now, for the components...
Butter puff pastry
(from Baker & Spice Exceptional Cakes by D Lepard & R Whittington)
Butter paste
340 gr unsalted butter, softened
150 gr French T550 flour or plain flour
Assembly
560 gr French T550 flour or 280 gr plain flour and 280 gr strong bread flour + extra for sprinkling
4 egg yolks
180 ml bottled spring water
2 tsp Maldon salt, ground fine
First prepare the butter paste : put the butter and flour in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix on the slowest speed until combined. Transfer the butter paste to a sheet of cling film and shape into a rectangle about 6mm thick. Wrap in the cling film and keep in cool place (but not in the refrigerator) while you make the dough.
Put the flour, egg yolks, water and salt in a bowl and mix to a dough. If necessary, add another teaspoonful or two of water, but be careful – the dough will soften on resting. What you want is a smooth but fairly tight dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is very smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 1 hour or, ideally, overnight.
Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dought into a rough square about 8mm thick. Place the rectangle of butter paste in the centre and fold the corners of the dough over the top to cover the paste completely. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out, rolling away from you, into a long rectangle about 65-70 x 35-40 cm and 1 cm thick.
Fold one end in by a sixth and then the other end in by a sixth. Fold both ends over again by a sixth so that they meet in the centre. Now fold the two together, as if you are closing a book.
Next turn the dough so the fold is to one side. Roll it out gently away from you again into a long rectangle about the same length as before. Fold one end of the dough in by one-third, then the other end in by a third, over the top of the first third. This is a single turn.
Spread a sheet of cling film over a tray, place the dough on top and cover tightly with cling film. Leave in the refrigerator or cool place for 1 hour.
Set the dough on a floured work surface so the fold is to one side. Roll out into a rectangle again and give it a single turn, followed immediately by another single turn. Wrap in cling film and leave in the refrigerator overnight before using.
Crème frangipane
(from Larousse des desserts p.54)
100 gr butter in room temperature
100 gr icing sugar
100 gr almond meal
1 tsp corn flour
2 eggs
1 drop of bitter almond essence
125 gr crème pâtissière
Cut the butter into little pieces and place in a bowl. Soften with a spatula then switch to an electric mixer at low speed, add successively the icing sugar, almond meal, corn flour, the almond essence (which I substituted with a tiny dash of orange blossom water) and eggs. Lastly, incorporate the crème pâtissière and mix well.
Cover with cling wrap if not used immediately.
Note:
1. I'm tired of typing, will type up the recipe for crème pâtissière in le prochain blog.
2. Bon courage et bon appétit!
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