Nutella scones

Another irresistible recipe from the book by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito "Baked explorations" !!

I love their book, so inspired and inspiring !!

These scones are easy to make and they keep pretty good for 2/3 days if kept in a tight box.

Yield : 8 scones

Here's what we need :

2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powdered, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons cold butter cut into chunks, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 3/4 cup taosted hazelnuts coarsely chopped, 1/2 cup nutella.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 375°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt until combined.


Add the butter. Use your fingertips to rub it into the flour until the butter is pea size & the mixture is coarse.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg & cream.

Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture & stir until the dough just comes together.

Gently & briefly knead the dough with your hands.

Add the toasted hazelnuts & knead to incorporate.

Flatten the dough into a rectangle approximately 6 X 12 inches & spread  1/4 cup of the nutella on top in a crisscross pattern.

Roll the dough up to make a cylinder about 6 inches long, turn it on its end & gently flatten it into a disk about 1 3/4 inches high. (do not overwork the dough).

Cut the dough into 8 wedges & place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the scones for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through.

Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool completely.

Heat the remaining nutella in a microwave until pourable.

Pierce the top of the scones a few times with a fork or a toothpick.

Drip the warm nutella with a spoon in a zigzag pattern over the tops of the hot scones.

Transfer them to your refrigerator to set for 5 minutes.

                                                                                                                            Relax, savour & share !!

Melt in your mouth gianduja cake

If your trying to loose weight, then run fast away from here or you're going to be trapped forever in the world of mouth watering sweet tooth "I want it right now" world !!!

It is so easy & quick to make !!

Beware, this cake is for real !!  I repeat, this is not an exercise !!!

Serves : 8

Here's what we need :

210g gianduja (homemade here), 200g butter, 5 eggs, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 150g sugar.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 375°F.

In a "bain marie" on medium heat melt together gianduja & butter.

Out of heat, add the sugar.

Incorporate the eggs one by one.


Stir in the cornstarch.

Pour the batter in a cake pan.

Bake for 22 minutes (the cake musn't be over cooked).
                                                                                                                              Relax, savour & share!

white & dark chocolate with salted butter caramel charlotte

Let me introduce you to a jewel !!

If you want to impress your guests and hear wow and bravos THIS IS THE CHARLOTTE !!!!!!

You are just a few hours from success...

Serves : 6

Here's what we need :

5 hours.

100g white chocolate, 85g dark chocolate, 58cl very cold whipping cream, 190g sugar, 30g salted butter, 12 sponge fingers (here's a recipe for homemade cocoa sponge fingers), 5cl all milk very cold, 8cl water, 2 parfumed tea bags (your choice ! Here orange cinnemon).









Here's what we do :

let's start with the white chocolate mousse :

whisk 28cl very cold whipping cream.

Melt the white chocolate on low-medium heat in a "bain-marie".

Heat 4cl whipping cream & add to chocolate.

Incorporate the whipped cream carefully & refrigerate.

Now the dark chocolate & salted butter caramel mousse:

Whisk 20cl very cold whipping cream with all milk.

Coarsely chop the dark chocolate.

In a large saucepan on high heat make the caramel with 90g sugar until golden.

Out of fire, add the butter & 6cl whipping cream.

Pour on dark chocolate & mix.

Just slightly heat on low heat & add carefully to the whipped cream.

Refrigerate.

Here comes the syrup for the sponge fingers :

Cover the inside of your charlotte mould with clingfilm.

In a saucepan on medium heat, melt 100g sugar with 8cl water & 2 tea bags.

Quickly soak the sponge fingers & line the bottom & sides of the mould.

Fill first half with white chocolate mousse then second half  with dark chocolate salted butter caramel mousse.

Cover with a plate (to press).

Refrigerate for 4 hours.

                                                                                                                              Relax, savour & share!

cocoa sponge fingers

Lovely sponge finger, so yummy with a cup of tea or coffee !!

Here I added cocoa to suit my chocolate tooth and an unforgetable white and dark chocolate with salted butter caramel charlotte that you're going to discover in a few days (sometimes I'm mean !!) ....

Yields : 24

Here's what we need :

60g flour, 3 eggs, 90g sugar, 15g unsweetened cocoa powder, icing sugar.

Here's what we do :

sift the flour & cocoa powder.

Whisk egg yolks with 30g sugar until foamy & clear yellow.

Beat egg whites for 2/3 minutes then add remaining sugar & beat until stiff with nice peaks.


Mix egg whites & egg yolks together carefully.

Incorporate the flour/cocoa all at ones, don't overwork the batter !!

preheat your oven at 302 °F.

Use a piping bag to form sponge fingers on a pastry sheet covered with parchment.

Dust with icing sugar and bake for 18 minutes.
                                                                                                                              Relax, savour & share!

peach raspberry & nougat clafoutis (batter pudding)

Clafoutis is a batter pudding invented in french "Limousin" in the XIXth century. It is traditionally made with cherries.

Nougat has been made since antiquity all around the orient. It was then made with almonds, honey and spices.
It has been imported to marseille first then to Montélimar during the XVIIth century.

Nowdays, Montélimar is still the french capital of nougat.

It is not before the XVIIIth century that they added egg whites melted with honey & sugar to give it its airy texture.

This recipe is a perfect mix between tradition and modernity !!

Serves : 6

Here's what we need :

500g fresh peaches, 100g nougat, 200g raspberries, 80g sugar, 60g butter, 80g flour, 4 eggs, 25cl milk, pinch salt.

A 7.87 inches suare cakepan.






Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 356°F.

Melt the butter on medium heat or in your microwave.

Peel & stone the peaches then cut them into squares.

Coarsely chop the nougat.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with sugar.

Add the flour & the melted butter.

Add the salt & milk.

Butter your cakepan.

Spread in the pan the peaches, raspberries & nougat.

Pour the batter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
                                                                                                                              Relax, savour & share!

Raspberry coulis

 Another raspberry recipe I know !! But I can't help it ! They are one of my favorite !

Raspberry coulis is easy to make and gives a very "chic" ruby colour when pour on cakes or cream cheese, needless to talk about its fabulous taste!

One more thing, it can be frozen !!

Yields : a small jar

Here's what we need :

200g raspberries, 230g raspberry juice, 150g sugar.

Here's what we do :

In a saucepan on medium low heat cook the raspberries with juice & sugar until it thikens.

Sift until really smooth.
                                                                                                                              Relax, savour & share!

Amaretti

Another italian delight !
You can eat amaretti everywhere in Italy but everyone has a differnet recipe...almways the best !!

Anyway, they are delicious, quick & easy to make, so there is no reason not to !!

Yields : 30 amaretti

Here's what we need :

2 egg whites, 150g sugar, 175g finely ground almonds, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 50g icing sugar.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 392°F.

Cover a flat baking pan with parchment.

Beat the egg whites not to stiff.

Add the sugar.

Beat again for 2 minutes.

With a spatula, incorporate the ground almonds carefully.


Pour the almond extract.

Make small rockes with your hands & roll them in icing sugar.

Put the amaretti on the baking pan & bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden.

                                                                                                                              Relax, savour & share!

Chesnuts biscuits

These biscuits are just perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

The chesnut flour adds a slight smoked and rustic taste.

Yields : 30 (depends on their sizes)

Here's what we need :

150g chesnut flour, 100g all purpose flour, 100g icing sugar, 1 pinch salt, 125g butter, 1 egg.


3 hours.

Here's what we do :

Work the butter with your hands until soft.

Add salt & icing sugar & stir until combined.

Whisk in the egg.

Add flours & work just until combined.

Put aside in your fridge for 1 hour.


 Knead the dough with your hand palms, cut it in 4 pieces, superpose them & flatten with your hand palms, repeat 2 times.

Put it back in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven at 338°F.

Flatten the dough with a rolling spin & cut biscuits with cooky cutters.

Bake for 12/15 minutes.

                                                                                                                              Relax, savour & share!

raspberry coco cupcakes

The first time I tasted raspberries & coconut together was in a smoothy. I fell immediately in love with that mix!

So, since then, I recreate that wonderful marriage everytime I can.

These cupcakes are so moist they melt in your mouth.

Yields : 18 cupcakes

Here's what we need :
20cl coconut milk, 300g rapberries, 5 eggs, 240g flour, 4g baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 250g sugar, 80g melted butter, 1 pinch salt.

Here's what we do :

Preheat the oven at 320°F.

In a large bowl mix the sugar, the eggs, the salt, the baking soda & the coconut milk.





Sift the flour with the baking powder & add to the batter.

Add the melted butter.

Incorporate the raspberries.

Pour the batter in cupcake moulds.

Bake for 15 minutes.

                                                                                                                              Relax, savour & share!