Thursday, December 16, 2010
These biscotti were whipped up short notice to fill a sudden craving my mom had for something sweet. I've had quite a few biscotti recipes bookmarked and was really intrigued by all the different methods used. Some recipes used butter, others oil, or even both. And a few recipes I came across used neither. For my purpose, I decided to go the traditional route and make my biscotti with olive oil.
Now, if you know me well enough by now, I hardly ever make a full recipe. However, this time I went one step further and actually didn't complete the full list of instructions. Biscotti gets its crunchy texture from a "twice-baked" method. The dough is formed into a log, baked, removed from the oven, sliced, then baked again. This makes biscotti the perfect dipping cookie for coffee, teas, or simply milk. However, I don't drink coffee or milk and although I love tea, I don't have it all too often. So I decided to make "soft-baked" biscotti. After baking the dough as a log, removing it from the oven, and slicing it, I allowed the cookies to cool and left it at that. Then I dipped the bottoms in white chocolate...well actually, I tried to dip them, but without success. What I found worked better and yielded a more aesthetically pleasing result was simply spooning the melted chocolate onto the bottom of the biscotti, then spreading it cleanly with a small angled spatula. Then I set them carefully down on their rounded (undipped) side and allowed them to dry.
Well, whichever way you decide to make these--crisp or soft, dipped or spread with chocolate--I assure you, you'll love the combination of delicate
Below I'm posting the recipe in its entirety. Including the steps that I decided to skip. Because I tend to adapt recipes, I often make mistakes when retyping them into my blog. So please if you see any discrepancies, let me know and I will amend it as soon as possible.
White Chocolate Lemon Biscotti (adapted from here and here)
1/4 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract (or to taste)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups (6-ounce) bar premium white chocolate, chopped
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts and zest, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture.
Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough will be very sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F.
Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.
Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or using your preferred method. When the biscotti is cool, dip, spread, or drizzle white chocolate and allow the cookies to dry on a cookie sheet before storing in an air tight container.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Remember how I confessed to just not being a "cookie lover"? Well, there must exist some technicality that prevents rugelach from being classified as a cookie, because as of today...I love rugelach. More realistically, I could love rugelach. I made an almost classic variation with raspberry jam, walnuts, and semisweet chocolate chips. The recipe is great, but I had mixed feelings about the batch I made. For one, I'm not a big fan of chocolate. I know...a food blogger that isn't fond of chocolate or cookies, some might consider it an oxymoron. If and when I make these again, I'll probably cut down on the chocolate and definitely make the trip to go buy some currants or dried fruit, because although the cookie itself was flaky and tender, the texture of the filling left much to be desired. I'm also sure that the fruity flavor of the currants would lighten up the richness of the chocolate. So I suppose what I'm saying is that I'm not in love with these cookies as much as I am in love with the idea of what they could be.
Please don't let my rambling stop you from trying these cookies. The fact that they're Dorie's should be enough motivation to get you in the kitchen. And besides, the majority of my reservations are based solely on my inability to stick to the recipe in the first place...as soon as I add those currants, I might as well delete this whole rant and simply post five gold stars underneath picture.
Enough, enough. Run away before I start up again, you can find the recipe here.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Deciding on a Valentine's Day gift for my boyfriend can be too difficult these days, especially because my boyfriend has a very small and picky sweet tooth...in our case, opposites do attract. You can imagine how overjoyed I was when I watched a big, satisfying smile appear on his face as he bit into (well, more like popped a whole one into his mouth) one of these and deemed it "perfect".
Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (adapted from Pete Bakes)
12 oz milk chocolate *see Note
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I added a couple more tablespoons to suit my preference)
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp salt (not in the original recipe, but you can omit it, or add more or less depending on your taste)
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
*I actually ended up with a lot of chocolate left over, so for easy storage I poured the chocolate into the molds I used and let them set up so that I could have solid, portionable pieces. If you want to avoid this problem, and don't feel too lazy, melt a little bit of chocolate at a time, so as not to waste any.
1. in a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar and graham crackers. set aside.
2. in a double boiler, carefully melt the chocolate (set a metal bowl on top of a saucepan with boiling water). alternatively, you can microwave the chocolate in short bursts.
3. using a pastry brush or a clean paintbrush, brush the melted chocolate on the bottom and sides of mini cupcake liners. it’s helpful to stack some the liners together to give more support. when in doubt, add more chocolate, since this will be the base for your candy. place the cupcake liners on a plate or in a cupcake tin and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
4. remove the liners from the freezer, and place about one teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture in each cup. press down a bit with a spoon to spread. spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup.
5. place the peanut butter cups back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to set. eat cold or let warm to room temperature before serving.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I had my very first Samoas cookie rather recently while visiting my sister-in-law and her husband last year. Apparently, they're his favorite and as we were all out shopping he was immediately drawn to the Girl Scouts who had set up camp outside and returned triumphantly with several boxes of these babies. So, appropriately, I thought I'd make them for real (real as in sans preservatives and novel-sized ingredient list) and bring them along for our next visit. I deviated from the recipe a bit by opting out of dipping the bottom of the cookies in chocolate...that's just too much chocolate for me...and now no worry about melty-chocolately fingers.Samoas Cookies (adapted from Baking Bites)
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 2 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.
It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.
Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (or milk chocolate, if you prefer)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)
Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.
Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.
While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.Wednesday, December 23, 2009
I love how my new camera can make even the most disappointing attempts look deliciously mouth-watering. The recipe for Millionaire's Shortbread seemed simple enough: buttery shortbread crust, creamy dulce de leche center, and smooth chocolate on top. Unfortunately for me, despite my many victories in much more complex areas of baking, these basic treats had me stumped. First, there was my use of an 8x8 inch pan instead of a 9x9 inch, which left me with a slightly too overwhelming shortbread base. Then my compulsive need to achieve a darker, more caramel colored dulce de leche, which required more cooking time, but ultimately left me with only a small amount of nearly unspreadable sauce. Finally, there was the fact that I couldn't find the kitchen scale amidst all the Christmas-prep chaos in order to properly measure the chocolate because the recipe I found gave the amount in only ounces and grams. So I eyeballed both the chocolate and the butter that I needed to melt into the topping and was left with a not so flawless finish. (However, this mishap I grew to overlook as the swirled chocolate on top looked so charmingly homemade)
I certainly would like to try it again, especially since I hate to leave such "defeats" unresolved. But for now, the end product is edible and really, I just wanted to take my new camera for a spin.
Millionaire's Shortbread recipe from Joy of Baking
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
While a week out of school means that I finally have time to relax at home, it also means that I must also face those inevitable, perilous hours of temptation trying to stay as far away from the kitchen as possible. Unfortunately, I was always a lover, not a fighter, and the irresistible calling of sweet possibilities always gets me. Being back in the kitchen felt so natural and so therapeutic and of course, the finished product was a reward in and of itself. My sweet tooth urge is my ever present companion, it's just up to me how I choose to express it in the kitchen.
Today, my sweet craving materialized in the form of an individual chocolate souffle. That's also a big factor in choosing a recipe for me, individual servings, which means no leftovers, no tempting extras waiting to be devoured. Just one little treat, just one time. Unfortunately, because I choose to bake this up in my small toaster oven in order to save electricity, the top came out slightly burned because even on the lowest rack, the souffle was too close to the top of the oven. Regardless of this minor flaw, the souffle was rich on flavor and light in texture; enjoyed with a side of vanilla bean ice cream and freshly sliced strawberries. 
Chocolate Souffle
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) unsalted butter
2 large eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup (1 oz.) confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon chocolate liqueur
1. Lightly butter two 6-ounce souffle dish and dust with granulated sugar, tapping out excess. Set the ramekins on a small baking sheet.Set aside.
2. In bowl over saucepan of hot water (not boiling)or in a microwave, melt chocolate with butter.Remove from the heat and whisk until glossy and smooth. Stir in the chocolate liqueur and the salt.
3. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, and beat in 3 tablespoon of the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form.
4. In another bowl, beat egg yolks with remaining sugar until thick and pale yellow. Beat in chocolate mixture until incorporated. Fold in one-quarter of the egg whites; gently fold in remaining whites. Divide into prepared container. (Can be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 4 hours or freeze for up to two weeks.)
5. Place dish on baking sheet. Bake in lower third of 375 degrees F oven for 18 minutes or until puffed and the exterior is set but interior is still a bit loose and creamy and risen about 1 inch above the ramekin.Careful not to overbake. Dust souffles with powdered sugar and serve immediately as is or with vanilla ice cream or creme anglaise. (To bake straight from the freezer, unwrap the ramekins and set on a small baking sheet or jellyroll pan. Let them sit for 20 min. while heating the oven to 400°F. Bake on the baking sheet until puffed and risen about 1 inch above the ramekin, 18 min.) 
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
I've been a lousy blogger lately, I'm afraid. It's been over a month since I last had the time to write up a post. Even this post will probably be shorter than I would normally prefer, but something, anything, is better than nothing. Before school was let out for winter vacation I promised my roommate and her boyfriend cupcakes for his birthday once we met again in January. This was the perfect opportunity to use my brand new kitchen aid stand mixer, which is a beautiful dark gray shade, just like the new '09 Honda Civic I got in early December. It was also a good time to use my new, much more convenient and portable, digital camera. As much as I love my semi-pro looking Fujifilm, it's just not something I can carry around with me everywhere I go. So, in order to capture the unexpected, I bought a new compact Panasonic digital camera.
School work aside, another reason I've been so preoccupied is that I finally got a job! My first job ever at the California Pizza Kitchen in the Corte Madera Towne Center. This is as much as I have time to update everyone with for now. Until the next time, enjoy the recipe...my friends and I definitely did!
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop)
makes 8 regular cupcakes
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temp
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup high quality unsweetened cocoa powder like Valrhona brand
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2 Add egg and beat until well combined.
3. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine
5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full. Bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Strawberry Ganache Filling and Ganache Glaze
4.5 ounces (128 grams) Valrhona 85% cacao (or any bittersweet chocolate)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1/3 cup strawberries, diced
1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and salt. Stir until combined.
5. Divide the ganache in two approximate equal portions. In the first portion, mix in the chopped strawberries. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
6. Leave the second portion on the counter to cool down. You want the filling to thicken up before the glaze. Once the filling is think, fill the cupcakes with it. Then glaze with the glaze. See assembly instructions below.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat at low speed, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like.
Assemble.
1. Fill the cupcakes with the strawberry ganache filling using the cone method.
2. Spoon a tablespoon of glaze on each filled cupcake and smooth.
3. Top with buttercream frosting and a strawberry.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Per request I attempted my very first batch of fudge yesterday. Needless to say I was very on edge over the daunting concept of candy making because an edible product is contingent upon no mistakes, a very unforgiving process. The fact that this was also something my mom's boyfriend has been craving for the past week and waited anxiously until the weekend for me to come home and try it did not make the task any less difficult. I panicked midway too when I poured the chocolate into the mixture and each stir seemed to turn the smooth texture into a grainy nightmare. I reluctantly poured it into a mold anyway, spread it as best I could, hid it away in the refrigerator and tried to forgot about it for the next few hours. Part of me hoped that my family would forget about it too and my failure would sit behind the leftovers undiscovered until I could sneak back sometime and throw away the evidence after it was long gone from everyone's mind.
Unfortunately, I really did forget about it and went out that night to a bible study and the thought only returned to me when I got a call from my mom telling me how much he loved it. That was a little hard for me to believe and I couldn't stop myself from being overly apologetic about its every flaw, must especially its texture. She assured me though that the texture was anything but and I came home to happily discover that this was indeed the truth. The fudge was smooth and creamy and melted deliciously once it hit the tongue.
Initial fears dispersed, I can't wait to try other variations. Maybe peppermint for the holidays!
Creamy Chocolate Fudge (Allrecipes.com)
48 servings [this is the original recipe, I halved the recipe however]
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
While sitting in silently endured pain at the orthodontist I had made the decision that I would allow myself a small luxury to reward myself for being such a patient and quiet victim, I would finally make that green tea and vanilla panna cotta that I had seen on Nordljus and had been drooling over all week. I did however restrain myself to some extent by halving the recipe to only make enough to fill the two teacups that I had just purchased.
My sister was surprised to come home from school to see me up and about in the kitchen instead of moping in bed like everyone had assumed I would be. But her nagging concern was short lived when I presented to her my second panna cotta to eat for herself and we sat down together at the table to taste my attempts. The combination of the dark chocolate sauce and the green tea was truly wonderful. My biggest excitement was the flecks of vanilla seeds that permeated through the cream, because I always felt that real vanilla seeds made such a difference and could never approve of a restaurant that didn't utilize them in their creme brulee or panna cotta. Now I finally had pods of my own, and a lot of them, so I can finally try the many recipes that I've had to put on hold because of my stubborn prudence in not buying the overpriced vanilla pods for myself. The panna cotta was worth all the teasing from my sister as she watched me carefully maneuver the spoon into my sore, metal-filled mouth and I'm glad I made it because now, several hours later, I can tell by the pain that I won't be able to eat anything interesting for awhile.
Green Tea and Vanilla Panna Cotta with Chocolate Sauce
Makes 4
100ml milk
Put the milk, vanilla pod and seeds, tea bags or tea and half the cream in a small pan and slowly simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and extract the tea bags (put the mixture through a sieve if you’ve used loose tea or you tea bags have burst). Squeeze out the gelatine, discarding the soaking water, then stir the gelatine into the tea mixture and leave to dissolve. Allow to cool a little, then place in the fridge, stirring occasionally until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove the vanilla pod.
Whip together the icing sugar and the remaining cream. Mix the two cream mixtures together. Divide into four metal moulds (small glasses or cappuccino cups also work well). Cover and chill for at least an hour.
Meanwhile, place the caster sugar, the water and the cocoa in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Take off the heat and stir in the broken chocolate. Stir until dissolved and warm briefly before serving.
To serve, sometimes I dip the mould or cup into some simmering water to loosen the panna cotta, then turn it out on to a plate and spoon the chocolate around it, or – especially if you feel the mixture is a bit wet – you can simply serve the dessert in its cup with chocolate sauce poured over the top.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
I used to abhore cupcakes. Ever since elementary school. A classmates mother would bring in a giant box of generic supermarket cupcakes and all the kids would jump up and down. I was indifferent. I hated the frosting the most. The thick, tasteless blob that I would wipe off with a napkin and offer to my eager friends. I would never go out of my way for a cupcake.
Then I had a life changing experience. A few years ago the Teacake Bakeshop opened up the shopping center of Bay Street Emeryville. The bakery was adorable, with it's pink candy-striped interior to it's glass case of delicious cookies. My first few visits I ordered a cookie, I never paid much attention to the cupcakes. Then one day while standing in a ridiculously long line for a few sugary treats I gazed over at the variety of cupcakes displayed on dainty glass cake stands. The array of pastel frosting, tiny pearl decorations, and fondant daisies enchanted me and after years of trauma I voluntarily tried a cupcake.
I started simple, a Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream. One bite and I was sold. The moist cake was delicious and the once-feared frosting quickly became my new favorite part. Light and creamy and flavorful. This was the beginning of a beautiful romance and I haven't ordered a cookie from there since.
What started out as a simple taste-experimentation of a gourmet vanilla cupcake quickly advanced into a quest for more mouth-watering flavors: Pink Velvet Cupcakes, daily specials like Coconut and Carrot Cake, and seasonal flavors like Pumpkin with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.
Soon one bakeshop wasn't enough and I eagerly sought out new potentials. From the Fleur de Sel and Passion Fruit filled cupcakes at Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco's Ghiradelli Square to the Matcha Green Tea and Pretty In Pink strawberry cupcakes at the Love At First Bite Bakery tucked away in secluded corner of Berkeley.
I have yet to bother baking my own batch and really am just waiting for an occasion to do so. It would be safest for me to have them, say, consumed by friends at a birthday party, rather than sitting enticingly in my glass cake stand in plain sight from the living room couch, with myself as their only captive audience.
Maybe I will attempt a scaled-down recipe that could yield only six cupcakes without sacrificing flavor or texture due to the reductions. But then again I wouldn't even know where to start. Which flavor? Paired with which frosting?
For now, cupcakes will remain the one thing I am contented to seek out at a bakery before my own kitchen. For now.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Another leisurely weekend back at home with more opportunities to bake myself up a little fun. Today's aspiration was a Soft-Centered Chocolate Pudding. ONE Soft-Centered Chocolate Pudding. So after selecting a recipe from Design*Sponge, an adorable crafts and DIY website, and throwing the data into a recipe calculator, I crossed my fingers and hoped the reduced "individual-serving" recipe would work just as well. And thank goodness it did, it came out perfect, moist and chocolatey and oh-so-rich in the middle. [I was also very fortunate that I was able to make only one...or else I'm sure I would've devoured all four servings that the original recipe yielded]. I also had to race against time while taking my photos, because as soon as I placed the fresh raspberries on top the delicate ceiling of the pudding slowly began to sink. By the time I was finished all three raspberries had fallen into the warm, gooey center and they tasted heavenly once I fished them out.
Soft-Centered Chocolate Puddings
Makes 4
4 tbs granulated white sugar (60g) + 2/3 cup sugar (160g)
100g butter chopped
200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
2 tbs self-rising flour (30g)*
Icing sugar (powdered) & thick cream, to serve
*To make your own self-rising flour, for each cup of all-purpose flour (125g), add 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5g) of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (2.5g).
Preheat oven to 200°C/390F. Lightly grease 4 x mud australia Limoges porcelain baby noodle bowls (or similar oven-safe bowls). Sprinkle 1 tbs sugar into each bowl and turn so sugar coats inside of the bowl.
Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon for 5 minutes or until mixture is smooth then remove from the heat.
Using electric hand mixer, beat eggs and remaining sugar on high speed until pale and slightly thickened. Pour warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Sift flour over mixture and stir gently to combine. Pour mixture evenly between bowls. Place onto a tray. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until well risen.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with thick cream if desired.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
For my first endeavour into what I assumed to be a more ambitious baking project, I was surprised to find that eclairs aren't exactly as overwhelming as one might fear. The process itself is actually quite manageable and the end result was perfect eclairs that received rave reviews from my family and friends. I can truly say that it was worth it to take the challenge and try my hand at a Daring Bakers' Challenge, because this pleasant experience has definitely encouraged me to take on more intricate recipes.
I am, however, hesitant to official join the Daring Bakers' Blogroll because I'm unsure of how committed I can be to the monthly challenges. I fear that in a few weeks my schedule at school will prevent me from having as much free to time to frolic in the kitchen as I have the privilege of doing at the present. Regardless, when I see an idea that I think I could manage, I am now eager to try it for myself.
Now that I realize how simple eclairs really are, I'm looking forward to experimenting more with flavors and colors and possibly try to concoct a "cuter" pastry.
Chocolate Eclairs
Cream puff dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm
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.
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.
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: The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.
Assembling the éclairs: [This is where I deviated a little from Pierre Hermé’s original recipe, because instead of chocolate pastry cream, I made vanilla and I also used a simplified version of a chocolate glaze that didn't require making a chocolate sauce first. If you wanted the entirely original recipe you can check it out here.]
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.
Dip the tops of the éclairs in the chocolate glaze and allow them to set. In the meantime fill the bottoms with the pastry cream. Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottom of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the the bottoms with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream and wriggle gently to set them.
Notes: The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.
Cream Puff Dough
(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
In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil.
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.
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.
The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.
Notes: Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately. [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.]
Creme Patissiere
1 cup granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup all purpose flour (scooped and leveled)
2 cups boiling milk
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
In a 3 quart mixing bowl, gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks with a wire whisk or an electric beater. Continue beating until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a ribbon.
Beat in the flour.
Beating the egg yolk mixture, gradually pour in the boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets.
Pour into a clean, heavy bottomed 2.5 quart saucepan and set over moderately high heat. Stir with a wire whisk, reaching all over the bottom of the pan. As the sauce comes to a boil it will get lumpy, but will smooth out as soon as you beat it. When boil is reached, beat over moderately low heat for 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour. Be careful the custard does not scorch in the bottom of the pan.
Remove from the heat and beat in the butter, then the vanilla. If the custard is not used immediately, clean it off the sides of the pan, and dot the top of the custard with softened butter to prevent a skin from forming over the surface (alternatively, cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic is sitting right on the surface of the custard).
The creme patissiere will keep for a week in the refrigerator, or may be frozen.
Makes 2 1/2 cups.
Hard Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup unsalted butter
5 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Combine chocolate with butter in the top of a double boiler, over simmering water. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
After making the incredibly simple batter, I had a little fun experimenting with shapes, piping the meringues into swirls, "kisses", wafers, and blossoms and finally decided to finish the rest of the batter in the "kiss" shape. Unfortunately my star frosting tip was nowhere to be found or I would have piped the batter with that instead of my round tip and would have ended up with meringues almost identical to the Trader Joe's version.
In the end, the meringues were perfectly light and chocolately, however, not exactly the same texture as the ones I meant to replicate. Nevertheless, they were adorable and very low in calories, the perfect guilt-free relief for any chocolate craving.
Chocolate Meringues
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
In a large metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat until they hold stiff peaks. Mix in the vanilla and cocoa on low speed. Pipe small mounds of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Turn off oven, and leave the cookies in the oven for 45 minutes, or until centers are dry. Remove from pan and store in an airtight container.
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