Delicious crepes

Today is "La chandeleur" in France, what means "candles day".
It's a tradition to make crepes on this special day.
So simple & delicious !!

Here's what we need :

10 minutes + 2 hours

50cl milk
200g all purpose flour
2 eggs
50g melted butter
14g oil (neutral)
20g icing sugar
1 nice pinch of salt


Here's what we do :

Mix together flour & icing sugar in a large bowl
Whisk eggs with salt in a small bowl
Pour eggs in sweetened flour



Whisk & add milk little by little
Mix in butter & oil

If the mixture is lumpy, don't worry, just blend it, it'll be perfect !!


                                                                                                      Relax, savour & share !!

Milk chocolate hazelnut ganache macaroons

                

                                                                  

           OMG !!! It is such a thrill & an excitement to come back with
MACAROONS !!!

These little round almond cookies can be so tricky...
I found great advices on this blog (french)
Valérie has tested & retested all kinds of methods & shares the best.
The milk chocolate hazelnut ganache is my own.

Here's what we need for 15/20 macaroons (depends on their size) :

2 DAYS BEFORE TASTING
ALL INGREDIENTS MUST BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

75g almond powder
75g icing sugar
2X28g OLD egg whites
(the week before, separate your eggs & keep the whites in the fridge)
75g granulated sugar
18g water

 200g milk chocolate
60g hazelnut praline paste
50g butter
25cl whipping cream 





Here's what we do :

MIX almond powder & icing sugar for a few seconds in a blender, stir, mix again, stir, until finely blended (should look like flour), be careful not to heat the mixture !!


Italian meringue :

Pour 28g egg whites in the bowl of your food processor, DON'T BEAT THEM YET
Heat 18g water & 75g granulated sugar in a small saucepan
When the syrup reaches 212°C, start beating the egg whites at slow speed, gradually increase the speed
As soon as the syrup hits  244°F, pour it slowly into the egg whites (on the edge of the bowl)
At this point, the egg whites MUST NOT be hard.
Now, beat at maximum speed until COLD
Your meringue should be shiny & hard

Macaroons :

Stir the remaining 28g egg whites with almond powder & icing sugar until well combined, you should obtain a soft marzipan.

Stir in a small amount of Italian meringue to soften the marzipan.

Add half of the remaining meringue making circular gestures & lifting the marzipan,
Add the last half. The mixture should be shiny, smooth but NOT TO runny.

The pastry baking tray must be at ROOM TEMPERATURE (NEVER, NEVER HOT!!!)

Cover a pastry baking tray with PARCHMENT PAPER
Pipe your macaroons with a 8mm smooth tip.

Preheat your oven at 356°F. Well, 356°F is perfect for me, but you can find lots of different recipes, it really depends on your oven, the best is to try...Maybe you'll find out that 320°F is better....Macaroons is a hard job, based on trials !!!

Bake for 10/12mn (check every 30seconds)

Ganache :

Coarsely chop milk chocolate in a large bowl.
Heat the whipping cream with praline hazelnut in a saucepan on medium heat until it boils.
Pour on chocolate.
Whisk well until creamy & smooth.
Add butter & whisk well.
Put in the fridge for a list 6 hours.
pipe on one side of your macaroons & cover with another one.

Put your macaroons in a airtight box & in the fridge until next day.


                                                        

                                                 Relax, savour & share !!

Dark chocolate & sweetened chesnut puree ingots

After all this time out of the kitchen, I'm back with a quick & easy, but still irresistible recipe. If just like me you are busier & busier every day this is one you won't regret to try !! Believe me, these ingots are moist & taste so gooooood !!

Here's what we need to make 18/20 ingots :

250g sweetened chesnut puree, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 90g dark chocolate, 50g butter.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 302 °F

Coarsely chop butter & chocolate & melt in "bain marie".

Beat the eggs "omelette" & add chesnut puree & cornstarch, mix together well.

Pour chocolate & butter in until well combined.

Pour into the ingot moulds.

Bake for 20 mn.



                                                                                                                             Relax, savour & share !

Gianduja chewy cookies

The smell of those cookies baking in the oven makes my mouth water and my stomach groan !!

They are so tasty and they actually really melt in your mouth...divine !!

if you want to make your own gianduja here it is

Yields : 18 cookies

Here's what we need :

150g gianduja, 100g sugar, 250g flour, 80g butter softened, 2 tablespoons hazelnuts oil, 1 pinch salt, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon caramel, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 350°F.

Line 2 baking trays with parchment.

In a stand mixer, beat the sugar, butter, hazelnuts oil & salt on medium speed until light & fluffy.

Add the egg, gianduja, caramel & vanilla extract & mix on low speed for 30 seconds (just to combine) then beat on medium speed for another 30 seconds.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder & baking soda & add to the mixture.

Mix on low speed for 30 seconds then mix on medium-low speed for another 30 seconds to mix the dough uniformly.

Gently roll the dough into balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon).

Arrange at least 2 1/4 inches apart on the prepared baking trays.

Bake until the edges are golden  & the tops are cracked but not completely set, about 13 to 15 minutes.
                               
                                                                                                                            Relax, savour & share!

Choco caramel cake

I am still in the caramel & chocolate passion.

This time they are mixed together to make a wonderfully moist & intense dark chocolate cake.

Yields : 1 family cake

Here's what we need :

225g dark chocolate, 65g salted butter, 65g unsalted butter, 150g sugar, 70g flour, 5g baking powder, 4 eggs divided.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 356°F.

Coarsely chop the chocolate & butters.

In a saucepan, heat the sugar on medium heat until golden brown.

Out of heat, add the butters.

Back on medium heat, heat the caramel until boiling & take it off immediately.


 Mix the chocolate with the caramel.

Add the eggs one by one, mix well between each.

Beat the egg whites until firm with picks.

Add 1/3 in the chocolate/caramel mixture then add the remaining eggs carefully.

Mix flour & baking powder in a bowl & add to the mixture.

Pour the batter in a 8.66 inch cake mould.

Bake for 35 minutes.


                                                                                                                            Relax, savour & share!

Cannelés

Cannelés are a speciality from the city of Bordeaux on the french south west coast.
They were invented by nuns in the 18th century.

They are baked in iron or copper moulds in order to obtain a crispy caramelized coat, but you can use cupcakes mould if you wish (they won't be caramelized but still delicious anyway), with a great taste of vanilla and rum !!!

Makes : 18

Here's what we need :

3 cups all milk, 1 vanilla bean, 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup flour, 1 large egg yolk, 2 large eggs, 3 tablespoons old dark rum.

30 minutes + 1 night + 1 hour + 50 minutes

Here's what we do :

Cut the vanilla bean lenghtwise & scape the inside.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, vanilla bean & scrapings & bring to a boil on medium heat.


Add the butter, mix & set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar & flour.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk & rum.

Whisk the egg mixture with the flour/sugar mixture.

Then whisk in the lukewarm milk.

Cover & refrigerate for 12 hours.

Remove the batter from the fridge for at least 1 hour before baking.

Preheat your oven at 425°F.

Coat the cannelés moulds with a fine layer of butter.

Fill the moulds 3/4 full with the batter.

Bake for 45/50 minutes until the cannelés are brown colored.

                                                                                                                            Relax, savour & share!

Almonds “Financiers”

A "Financier" is an individual cake made with ground almonds. It is delicious and moist and perfect with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
they were first made by french nuns, then swiss bakers gave them the shape of a gold ingot and named them "Financiers".

Yields : 8

Here's what we need :

40g flour, 40g ground almonds, 110g icing sugar, 4 egg whites, 1 pinch of salt, 60g hazelnut butter, 1 teaspoon almond extract.

Here's what we do :

In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter until golden brown with a smell of hazelnut.

In a large bowl, mix the floor, ground almonds & icing sugar.

In a second bowl, whisk the egg whites until light & foamy.

Add the egg whites to the flour mixture.

Add the butter & the almond extract.

Allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven at 392°F.

Pour the batter in your "financiers" moulds or cupcakes moulds.

Bake for 15/20 minutes.
                                                                                                                            Relax, savour & share!

Baked custard tart

Hi everyone, today we're going to  bake a traditional french pastry.

This baked custard tart is also called "Parisian custard".
In fact every single bakery all over france has it on the counter.

It has a soft texture & a wonderful vanilla scent, just perfect for tea-time !!

Serves : 6

Here's what we need :

the pastry :

125g flour, 1/2 teasspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 125g butter at room temperature & cut in chunks, 1 egg yolk, 1 1/2 tablespoon milk.

the custard :

15cl milk, 15cl whipping cream, 40g flour, 2 eggs, 80g sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract.









Here's what we do :

First the pastry :

Pour the flour in a large bowl.

Make a well and add the salt, sugar, butter, egg yolk & milk.

Work with your finger tips (or in a food procesor on medium speed) until well combined.

Put in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven at 392°F.

Spray the pastry with a spin roll, put in your mould, cover with a baking sheet, fill with rice or ceramic pie wheights and cook for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar & vanilla extract until light yellow & fluffy.

Add the flour.

Boil milk & cream together.

Add little by little to the mixture.

Pour the custard in the pastry.

Down your oven temperature to 338°F.

Cook for 25 minutes.

                                                                                                                            Relax, savour & share!

Orange blossom cupcakes

So, we're back in the kitchen after a lovely, desired and needed summer break.

As we are still a bit in a vacation mood, let's start with a quick and easy recipe but still nontheless mouth watering !!


Yields : 18

Here's what we need : 3

3 eggs, 90g sugar, 90g flour, 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, 40g almond powder.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 356°F.

Whisk the eggs & sugar in a "bain marie" over medium heat until light yellow, fluffy & doubled up.

Continue whisking out of fire until completly cool down.

Incorporate the flour, almond powder & orange blossom water.

Pour in moulds & cook for 15 minutes.

                                                                                                                             Relax, savour & share !

Apricot peach and thyme 2 bites tartlet

Apricot, peaches & thyme are the kings of summer !!

They are so juicy & their colors are so warming.

Thyme & salted butter are perfect to accompany & sublimate the tastes of those marvelous fruits.

They bring sun into desserts !!

Serves : 6

Here's what we need :

1 sugar crust pastry, 3 white peaches, 6 teaspoons apricot jam, fresh thyme, salted butter, brown sugar.

6 x 2.95 inches moulds & 1 x 3.93 round cookie cutter (or cuting cylinder).

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 374 °F.


Spray the sugar crust pastry with a spinroll on a floured table.

With the 3.93 cylinder cut 6 tartlets & cover the bottom & sides of tartlet moulds.

Cover the bottom of each tartlet with a teaspoon of apricot jam.

Peel & cut the peaches into small slices (around 5/6 per tart) & put them all over the jam.

Add small pieces of salted butter (3/4 per tarts).

Spray 2 pinches of thyme.

Spray 2 nice pinches of brown sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes (until the crust is light brown, golden).

                                                                                                                             Relax, savour & share !

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 !!

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!

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!

Lavender & olive oil bundt cake

This post is a paradox !!

I found that recipe in the delicious "Bakes exploration" book by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito.

Renato's mother got that olive oil bundt from a french neighbour named Annette from marseilles, and now it comes back to france...Who would thought I'd found a south of France cake recipe in an american book !!

The original recipe uses oranges zests instead of lavender and vanilla extract which I switched for orange blossom water. Anyway south of France is where we grow lavender, olive and orange trees, so both choices are delicious !!

Yields : One 10 inch bundt

Here's what we need :

3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 large eggs separated, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup yogurt, 3/4 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons lavender flowers or 2 freshly grated orange zests, 3 teaspoons orange blossom water or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 350°F.

If you're not using a nonsticky bundt pan, generously spray the inside with unstick cooking spray or butter it well, dust with flour and knock out the excess flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks until they're pale & light.

Slowly pour in the sugar until it is completely incorporated.

Add the yogurt & olive oil & mix until thoroughly combined.

Add the lavender flowers & orange blossom water & mix until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture in 2 parts, beating after each addition until just combined.

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Scoop one cup of the egg whites into the batter. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold them in.

After about 30 seconds of folding, add the remaining egg whites & gently  fold until they're almost completely combined.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time or until a sharp knife tip comes out clean.

Optional : you can dust the cake with icing sugar just before serving.


                                                                                                                                  Relax, savour & share!

White chocolate pecan nuts and salted butter cookies

This fabuleous recipe comes from the mouth watering book by Alice Medrich "Chewy, gooey, crispy, crunchy, melt in your mouth cookies".

Actually I switched butter for salted butter and dry roasted salted macadamia nuts for pecan nuts.

You can keep them for up to a week in an airtight container (if by chance they last more than one day!!!) they're still chewy crunchy licious !!!

Yields : around 20 good size cookies

Here's what we need :

3/4 cup rolled oats, 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 8 tablespoons salted butter melted and still warm, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 1 cup chopped pecan nuts, 1 cup chopped white chocolate.


3 hours.


Here's what we do :

Pulverize the oats in a blender until fine.

Add the flour & baking soda and pulse to combine. Put aside.

In a large bowl, combine the melted salted butter with sugars & vanilla extract.

Whisk in the eggs.

Stir in the flour mixture just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.

Stir in the pecan nuts & white chocolate.

Cover & refrigirate for 2 hours.

Preheat your oven at 325°F.

Remove the dough from the fridge, scoop the dough and place about 2 inches apart on the ungreased pan.

Bake until the cookies are deep golden brown, 13/15 minutes.
                                                                                                                                  Relax, savour & share!

White chocolate and coconut cake

If you thing that's just another cake !! You're wrong !!

this cake is so moist, so rich and flavorfull...I'd be you...I wouldn't hesitate !!
You might thing we're greedy but around here it didn't last more than an hour !!

Yields : a family cake

Here's what we need :

140g white chocolate, 100g fresh grated coconut, 120g sugar, 100g butter, 60g flour, 4 eggs divided, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 302°F

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

Out of fire, add the butter  and stir well.

Now you can stir in the egg yolks one by one, the flour,  grated coconut, sugar, baking powder & baking soda.

beat the egg whites until stiff and stir in the mixture carefully.

bake for 40 minutes (check with the tip of a knife).

                                                                                                                    relax, savour & share!!

Hazelnuts milk chocolate cake with hazelnut icing

Super softy moisty hazelnutty cake!
that is the one you want to bake!
It takes such a short time to make!
If you don't believe me, that's a mistake!

Yields : 1 family cake

Here's what we need :

150g hazelnuts milk chocolate, 60g hazelnut powder, 130g sugar, 120g butter at room temperature, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4 eggs divided, 60g flour.

for the icing : 100g icing sugar, water, 3 tablespoons hazelnut powder.

Preheat the oven at 325°F.

Here's what we do :

Melt the chocolate in a "bain marie".

Out of heat add the butter cut coarsely & whisk.

Add in egg yolks & sugar.

Sift flour & mix in a bowl with baking powder & hazelnut powder.

Add to the chocolate mixture.



beat the egg whites until stif.

Add to the batter with a spatula carefully.

Bake for 35/40 minutes.

make the hazelnut icing by adding water to the icing sugar & hazelnut powder until the consistancy suits you (it shoudn't be to liquid).

I'm sharing this recipe on lisa's blog "Sweet as sugar cookies" on her sweet for saturday # 13

                                                                                                                                   relax, savour & share!

Pancakes soufflés cupcakes

How about a new kind of pancakes ?
Are you ready for amazing cupcakes ?
In fact, you can have both in one !
Yes you can !

These pancakes soufflés cupcakes are fluffier and softer than your pillow...You'd want to sleep on them, believe me...
Except that there won't be one left to rest your head on !

Yields : 20 cupcakes

Here's what we need :

1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 plus 1 tablespoon cup cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 larges eggs (separated & at room temperature), small 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, 3 tablespoons butter (melted & cooled slightly, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 2/3 buttermilk (at room temperature)

Here's what we do :

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, mix floors, baking soda, baking powder & salt. Put aside;

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg wjites & cream tartar on medium -high speed to firm (but not dry peaks). Put aside.

In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks with a mixer on medium-high speed until thick, ribbony & lemon yellow.

Add the melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium-low speed until combined.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients & mix on low speed.

Add 1/3 of the buttermilk & mix to combine.

Alternate adding the remaining dry ingredients & buttermilk, ending with the buttermilk & mixing until just combined.

Gently fold the whites into the batter, leaving some streaks.

Scoop about 1/2 cup of the batter into each cupcake cup (you can fill the cups to the rims).

Bake, rotating the pans after 10 minutes, until browned on top & puffed (a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out dry), about 20 minutes.
                                                                                                                               relax, savour & share!