Category: Sugar&Chocolat

CLAFOUTIS

10/4/2020

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Hailing from central France, this dense and rich flan is made with black cherries embraced in an eggy batter that bakes up like a flan in the middle and a cake around the edges.
It is impressive enough to serve to last minute dinner guests and yet it’s low-effort enough to make for yourself when craving for something sweet hits
Traditionally, clafoutis are made with dark cherries but as summer progresses into fall, you can make clafoutis with any fruit that’s in season,
like plums, blackberries, apples even dry prunes or apricots.

Ingredients for 6

1 teaspoon of unsalted butter
400 g cherries
150g plain flour
120g sugar
3 eggs
300ml whole milk
A pinch of sea salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract or a Tahitian vanilla bean ( I recommend to fly to Tahiti to buy some, you will never regret !! :)

Method

Move your oven rack to the middle and preheat the oven to 220C.
Mix the sugar with the eggs until the mixture whitens.
Add the mixture to the the flour then the salt and mix well, then gradually pour the milk until totally smooth.
Add the vanilla.
Grease a 25cm round baking dish or a rectangular cake dish with the softened butter.
Dot the cherries (stoned, if you prefer) around the base of the dish. The French traditional method is we don’t pit our cherries as it gives an almond flavour but there is an issue, is that eating a lovely clafoutis and then biting into hard pit is not fun !
Pour over the batter until the cherries are just covered.
Place in the oven to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until puffy and golden.

It’s fantastic straight out of the oven, but letting it cool to room temperature firms up the custard and allows the flavours to meld, providing an entirely different experience.

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MADELEINES

10/4/2020

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MADELEINES “She sent for one of those squat plump little cakes called “petites madeleines,” which look as though they had been molded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell … I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure invaded my senses … And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine…”
Marcel Proust

Reverence to Joel Robuchon’s recipe

Ingredients for 24 Honey madeleines

Unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pans, approx. 2 tbsp
200g unsalted butter
200g sugar (powdered sugar)
80g all-purpose flour
80g ground almonds (almond meal)
6 large egg whites
1 tablespoon strong-flavoured honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Options :

Lemon Madeleine
Add 6cl organic/ lemons juice and the zest of 2 organic lemons
Hazelnuts Madeleine
Add 80g hazelnuts powder
and only 50g of grounds almonds
You can add as well 100g of hazelnuts paste or 100g hazelnuts chocolat (melted) but it is not essential.
Pistachios Madeleine
Add 80g unsalted, ground pistachios
and only 50g ground almonds
and ½ teaspoon of green additive colour (be careful with the quantity, the last time I have added it, it ended up with fluorescent Madeleines as you can see in the photos above :)
I found that the pistachios are not very powerful in terms of taste so if you can add few drops of pistachios essence if you can find it if not
make sure to still add the ground almonds

Basic method

In a saucepan heat the butter over medium-high heat. It will bubble, then foam and finally the solids in the butter will brown and smell nutty.
Strain the browned butter into a bowl and allow it to cool. It shouldn’t be solid, but no longer hot.
Sift together the sugar, flour and almond meal. (in case of preparing one or more other options, please add the other ingredients listed)
Beat the egg whites until foamy, but still very soft, so they run off the beater when it is lifted. Whisk in the dry ingredients.
Add the brown butter, honey and vanilla. If you want a lemon scented cake, then stir in the zest and juice.
Generously grease the pan with butter. (I highly recommend getting a nonstick Madeleine pan) and sprinkle a little bit of flour, trow away the excess.
Fill the pans with the batter.
Chill for at least 1hour, but this can be done a day or two ahead.
After one hour or two, preheat the oven to 180/185 C
Bake the cakes for about 12/16 minutes or until they are golden brown on the edges and pale, but firm on the top.
Check every 5 minutes, depending on your oven, as the cooking process is very quick and it can burn in a micro second.
The cakes will dome on the top and that is part of their signature look.

Serve warm or allow to cool with a delicious vervain tea or and vanilla ice cream.

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Panna Cotta and Mango coulis with agar-agar

9/6/2019

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Vegetarian Panna Cotta and Mango coulis – with agar-agar.

Panna Cotta is a traditional Italian dessert which literally translates as 'cooked cream'. A good panna cotta is one that is only just set but can still stand unsupported once out of the mould. Panna cotta is very easy to make with very few ingredients and can be made a day before a dinner partyto save time.
Agar, sometimes referred to as Agar-agar, comes from seaweed, and can be used in place of gelatine. It is unflavoured, sets much more quickly than gelatine, and will provide a firmer set than gelatine. It comes in two varieties, flakes and powder. In this recipe I’ve used powder, it is easier to use than the flakes as it dissolves quickly.
You need to bring to a boil agar-agar in order for the setting to occur (gelatine leaves can be dissolved in warm or cold liquid and left to set)

For 4 or 5

Panna Cotta ingredients:

600ml liquid fresh cream
65g of white sugar
1 Vanilla pod,seeds scraped
2g of Agar-agar powder

Mango coulis ingredients
1 big mango peeled and cut in big pieces
60g of white sugar
15ml water

Panna Cotta method :

Place the cream in a small saucepan along with the Agar agar, sugar and vanilla seeds.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and gently bring to a boil.
As soon as the cream is bubbling (you can check on the edge of the pan where the first fine bubbles are coming up), reduce the heat and gently boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and pour into five or six individual ramekin dishes.
Chill at least 2 h in the refrigerator.

Before serving, pour over the mangos coulis and add a mint or rose leaf even few raspberries for colour and deco.

Coulis method :
If using fresh, peel and core mangoes then cut into big pieces.
In a food processor or blender combine the mangoes, sugar and water.
Blend until completely smooth, test and add water if too thick.

This easy mango coulis recipe is quick to make, and can be put to use in a plethora of desserts. Spread into cakes,drizzle over ice cream or spoon onto yogurt, this is a truly versatile sauce that you'll want in your repertoire.

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Lemon and Orange Mousse

24/2/2019

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Lemon and Orange Mousse

Looking for a light, creamy and super easy dessert ? This mousse au citron is delicious. The best thing about this mousse besides its deliciousness is that it’s made with simple ingredients and you only need 10/15 minute to prepare it.

For 4 gourmets

Ingredients :

2 medium lemons juice
1 orange zest
3 free range eggs, separated
250g Mascarpone
100g sugar

Method :

Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until it is well mixed.
Add the mascarpone and whisk well.
Add the lemon juice and half of the orange zests.
Set aside.
In a bowl (as cold as possible) whip the white eggs with an electric whisk in high speed until peaks form when the whisk is removed.
Gently and carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture.
Stir the mixture gently until it begins to thicken.
Pour the mixture onto 4 little bowls and sprinkle the rest of the orange zests over the top of the mouse and leave them in the fridge for about 3 hours.

You can use heavy cream instead of mascarpone
You can add ½ cup good bottled lemon curd at room temperature

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Golden Apples and Blackberry Tart

28/4/2015

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Extremely easy, this tart is a version of apple crumble. Add a small bowl of Vanilla ice cream and you’re halfway to heaven !

Ingredients

Toping

6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
6 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
6 Tablespoons finely ground blanched almonds
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened.

Filling

3 Tablespoons butter
5 large apples peeled, cored, quartered and cut into 1/2inch cubes
1 Pastry tart base
2 cups of Blackberries

Note : the pastry and the topping are baked together

Prepare the topping :

In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, ground almonds and work the mixture together with your fingers.

Add the butter and continue working the mixture for several minutes until it is very crumbly and the butter is thoroughly blended. Set aside to rest for 20mins to firm up.

Preheat the oven to 180/200C

Prepare the filling :

In a large pan, heat the butter over high heat.
When hot, add the apples and cook until soft, about 15 mins.
Stir often to ensure an even golden brown colour.
The apple mixture should be moist but not soupy. If there is too much liquid, transfer the mixture to a fine-mesh to drain off the excess.
Arrange the apples evenly on top of the pastry and level them with the back of a wooden spoon.
Display the blackberry over the apples.
Sprinkle with the topping, pressing down gently with your fingers to shape a perfectly even layer.
Place the tart in the oven and bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 mins.
Serve warm with Vanilla Ice cream.
You can replace the blackberries by Black currants.

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Cocoballs

28/4/2015

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Easy, delicious, irresistible. Ready in 18 minutes, eaten in 2 minutes

Ingredients:

60g sugar (brown or white)
160g desiccated shredded coconut
2 eggs white
Vanilla

Methods

Pre heat the oven at 180.
Mix the eggs white and sugar.
Add the coconut and vanilla.
Mix all together.
Make small balls by hand, flatten the base and pinch the top.
Place the balls onto greased tray.
Bake for 15 minutes (or less depending of your oven).

Make sure you keep an eye on them as they can quickly go from golden to black and you don’t want burnt cakes.
Make sure you keep en eye on them while it is cooling down as they can quickly vanish without trace :)

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Caramelised Pear Cake

6/8/2013

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CARAMELIZED PEAR CAKE from my hero Joel Robuchon

For 8 gluttons

350g butter
250g raising flour
1kg ripe pears
50g honey
250g icing sugar
4 eggs
pinch of salt
50ml pear eau de vie or any eau de vie available in your pantry or a bit of cherry perhaps ? (optional)

Butter and flour a cake tin, reserve.
Peel the pears and dice into 2cm pieces.
In a frying pan brown them over a high heat with 82 g of butter.
Add the honey and let it caramelize until golden autumn leaves.
With a whisk, mix 250g of softened butter with the icing sugar.
Incorporate the eggs one by one then add the rest of the flour and the
Pinch of salt.
Softly add the caramelized pears and the juices.
Pour the mixture into the reserved cake tin and bake at 200/220C for 50minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes then remove it from the tin (if you can :)

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Apples cake

2/6/2013

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This is a great cake to make in a hurry with ingredients you are most likely to have handy
without a special trip to the shop ! Serve warm or cold with a drop of cream for afternoon tea.
Kids love it !

Serve 4-6

4 beautiful apples (Golden or Red)
150g/5oz sugar (to make caramel)
2 eggs
100g/3oz sugar
100g/3oz self raising flour
100g/3oz unsalted butter

Preheat the oven at 250C
Heat up 5 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan, medium heat.
Remove the sugar from the heat when it has turned brown
Put the caramel into an oven proof cake mold and shake the mold so that the mixture is well distributed all over the dish. Take great care during this process not to get burned
Peel and core the apples and cut them into half rings about 5mm thick.
Put on top of the caramel layer the most beautiful slices of apples and add the others on top.
In a bowl mix together the softened butter and the sugar, add eggs one after another and then the flour.
Mix
Put this mixture on top of the apples layer.
Bake in the oven 35 minutes.

Allow to cool and carefully turn the cake out of its dish onto a nice plate

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Prunes Tart

16/12/2012

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Serve 6/8

250g (1 1/2 cups) pitted prunes
2tbsp Rhum
For the Almond pastry :
180g (1 1/4cups) plain organic flour
50g (1/3cup) icing sugar
50g 1/3cup) almond meal
120g butter, coarsely chopped
1 egg yolk
For the Vanilla custard:
300ml thick cream
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
1 scraped seeds of vanilla bean

Almonds pastry:
Process dry ingredients in a food processor until combined.
Add butter and process until fine crumbs form.
Add egg yolk and 1 tbsp cold water and process until mixture just forms a dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly to bring together.
Cover with plastic, wrap and refrigerate for 30mn.
Preheat oven to 180C.
Roll out the party on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thick.
Line the base of a greased 26cm diameter cake pan wit the pastry.
Trim edges flush with sides and prick pastry al over with a fork and bake until golden (18-26 minutes).

While the pastry is goldening , process prunes and Rhum in a food processor until a smooth paste forms.
Spread evenly over pastry and set aside.

Vanilla custard:
Bring cream almost to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat, then cool slightly.
In a bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla bean seeds.
Slowly whisk this mixture in warm cream and pour over prune mixture.
Bake until custard is set and top is golden (30-40minutes)

This tart is absolutely delicious and it is hard to wait for it to cool down.
Can be served with cream or vanilla ice cream

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CLAFOUTIS

MADELEINES

Panna Cotta and Mango coulis with agar-agar

Lemon and Orange Mousse

Golden Apples and Blackberry Tart

Cocoballs

Caramelised Pear Cake

Apples cake

Prunes Tart

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