Category Archives: Pastries

QC Cadre Fete

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Yesterday we held our first ever QC Cadre Fete at our house. For those not in the know the Quality Control Manager (QC) is my wife, Fran. The QC Cadre incudes all our immediate neighbors, and significant others. To thank everyone for their reviews over the past year I made a selection of heretofore untried pastries and bread.

From front to back are” Snowflake Bread, fig newtons and raspberry filled profiteroles, chocolate glazed chocolate filled chocolate tarts with a croustillant layer and finally gingerbread millionaires bars.

Sadly, I pulled the gingerbread millionaires bars before the fete began. I over cooked the caramel and while it tasted good, it was a very hard crack and once you started to chew it, your mouth could be glued shut. As I said, this was the first attempt at each bake so accidents will happen, but not again!

Chocolate Orange Snowflake Bread

INGREDIENTS
For the Dough:
• 1c milk, plus 1 tbsp extra
• 30g (2 Tbl) cubed butter
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 2 Tbl sugar
• 7g (2 ¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 175g AP white
• 175g bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• A pinch of salt
• 1 orange, zested?
For the Filling:
• 100g cream cheese
• 2 Tbl sugar
• 2 Tbl cacao powder
• 1 Tbl cinnamon
• 1 Tbl cornstarch
• 1 orange, zested
For Decoration
• Candy orange peel

METHOD

  1. Combine the milk and butter and warm until just melted and lukewarm. Stir in the olive oil, sugar, and yeast. Let rest for 5 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl whisk flour, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the yeast-milk and bring to a shaggy dough with a spoon. Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 minute to make a smooth ball of dough. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes, to rise. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
  3. Whisk together all the filling ingredients until smooth (you can microwave the mix for 10 seconds, if needed, to make it smoother to combine).
  4. Punch down the dough and form into 2 balls. (I like to weigh the dough and divide the total weight by 2 to make equal sized balls. My dough weighed 1630 g therefore, each ball should be ~815g.)
  5. Divide each ball into two smaller balls, each ~400g and form each into a rough circle ~6” diameter, then roll out into circles ~10”
  6. Place one circle down and coat with 1/3rd of the filling, leaving the outer 1” un-coated. Repeat for the next two layers and leave the top layer uncoated.
  7. Center a 10” cake pan and trim the circles to an even circle.
  8. Set a 3” bowl in the center of the stack of circles and press down making an impression
  9. Cut the dough from the perimeter to the outside of the 3” circle into 16 equal portions
  10. Twist adjacent portions away from each other and pinch the ends into a point
  11. Snip each dendrite is several places to form fronds, or feathers.
  12. Cover and let rise 20-30 min.
  13. Beat the egg with 1 Tbl water to use as the egg wash
  14. Brush the pastry evenly with the 1 tbsp egg wash and place in the middle of the oven for 22-25 minutes, until well-risen, golden and springy.
  15. Remove from the oven sprinkle with candied orange peel and cool for 20 minutes.

Homemade Fig Newtons

INGREDIENTS
• 1 pint fresh or preserved figs or 12 ounces dried figs 2 Pints
• 1 ½ cups AP flour 3 cups
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder ½ tsp
• ¼ teaspoon salt ½ tsp
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp
• 1 stick butter 2 sticks
• 1/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup
• 1 egg 2
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tsp
• 2 tablespoons orange juice 4 Tbl
If you are using:
• Fresh figs: Remove stems and boil figs with 2 cups of sugar in 1 cup of water for 45 minutes. Drain and cool. This seemed to be too much sugar and water. Try cutting in half. If too thin, cook down until temp reaches about 210.
• Dried figs: In a bowl, pour boiling water over figs (stems removed) and let rest 10 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons water and stir in 2 tablespoons corn syrup + ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
• Preserved figs: Drain syrup.

METHOD

  1. Puree figs in food processor into a thick paste (if too thick or thin to spread evenly, add a little water or flour until spreadable consistency is reached).
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together and set aside.
  3. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
  4. Add egg and vanilla, mix until smooth
  5. Add orange juice and combined dry ingredients to bowl and mix until dough forms.
  6. Optional: form dough into a flat thick disk and chill to set butter and make it easier to roll and fold.
  7. Roll dough out on a floured surface into an 8”x14” rectangle about ¼” thick.
  8. Cut rectangle in half lengthwise.
  9. Spread fig paste onto half of each rectangle, lengthwise.
  10. Cut the rectangle in half crosswise, or even thirds to facilitate folding.
  11. Fold dough in half lengthwise to cover fig paste and pinch edges to seal.
  12. Slide each newton log onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  13. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees until crust begins to brown.
  14. Slice into cookie-sized segments and cool. Slice while warm to reducing flaking.

Raspberry Italian Meringue Profiteroles

INGREDIENTS
Choux Pastry:
• ½ c (65 grams) AP flour
• ½ tsp granulated white sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp (55 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• ½ c (120 ml) water
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Raspberry Italian Meringue
• egg whites room temperature
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 drops raspberry flavor
• 1-2 drops red food coloring
• Optional: 1 tsp freeze dried raspberry powder
Chocolate Glaze:
• 2 ounces (55 grams) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ¼ c (60 ml) heavy “whipping” cream (cream with 35% butterfat content)
• ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ tbsp light corn syrup (or golden syrup or glucose)

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 375o F (190o C) and place rack in center of oven.
  2. In a bowl whisk the flour with the sugar and salt.
  3. Place the butter and water in a saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
  4. Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until combined. It will look like mashed potatoes. Return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about 1-2 minutes). The dough will film the bottom and sides of the saucepan and make cleaning a pain.
  5. Transfer the dough to an electric mixer and beat on low speed to release the steam from the dough (about 1 minute).
  6. Once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs (dough will separate and then come together) and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste (dough will fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon).
  7. Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe round mounds of dough (about 1 ½ inch) onto the parchment lined baking sheet. (When piping, hold the bag at a 90-degree angle, ie straight up.)
  8. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350o F (180o C).
  9. Remove from oven, pierce the bottom of each profiterole with a small skewer to release the interior steam.
  10. Continue to bake for a further 25 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are almost dry inside. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
    Raspberry Italian Meringue
  11. Wipe down all tools with white vinegar or lemon juice to remove any trace of fat.
  12. Place sugar and water mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not stir it at all during this time. The mixture will look cloudy.
  13. Gently stir the mixture for 1 minute. There should be little to no granules of sugar left at this point.
  14. Once the mixture begins to bubble from the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, place the digital thermometer in the pot and increase to medium-high heat. Do not stir it at all after this.
  15. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs whites on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium and beat until soft peaks form.
  16. Allow the sugar mixture to come to a boil and watch carefully. Once it reaches 230 °F turn stand mixer on highest speed to whip egg whites to peaks.
  17. Once the sugar syrup reaches 240 °F, remove from heat and remove the probe. This takes about 4- 6 minutes.
  18. Allow the boiling to come to a slow bubble before moving on.
  19. Slowly pour sugar syrup (steady stream) into whisked egg whites. Avoid the whisk attachment or it will fling your mixture all over the bowl.
  20. Allow mixture to whisk for another 3-5 minutes until the mixer bowl is cool/room temperature to the touch.
  21. Add raspberry flavoring and if desired, the freeze-dried raspberry powder. (In my first attempt at adding the powder I added it prior to adding the sugar syrup and it ruined the soft peaks. I think adding at the end should work.)
    Chocolate Glaze:
  22. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
  23. Heat the cream just until boiling and immediately pour it over the chocolate.
  24. Gently stir until the chocolate has melted.
  25. Stir in the vanilla extract and corn syrup, mixing to ensure incorporation.To complete:
  26. Fill a piping bag equipped with a filling tip (such as Wilton 230). Inject crème pat into the hole you made to allow the steam to escape. When you feel the side of the profiterole begin to bulge, the éclair is full.
  27. Dip the top of each profiterole into the warm, thin ganache and set on a piece of waxed or parchment paper to dry. (I use the parchment paper previously used to line the baking sheet.)

Gingerbread Millionaire Bars

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE GINGER SHORTBREAD BOTTOM:
• 1 c butter
• ½ c packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ c (85g) un-sulfured molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp powdered ginger
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 ½ c all-purpose flour
FOR THE CHEWY CARAMEL:
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk
• ⅓ cup butter
• 3 tbsp. golden cane syrup (or honey as a substitute)
• 1 tsp. flaky sea salt
FOR THE CHOCOLATE TOP:
• 7 oz dark chocolate, chopped

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and molasses together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add in the egg, spices, fresh ginger, and salt, whipping an additional minute. Fold in flour, mixing only until combined.
  4. Transfer dough to prepared baking pan, patting down evenly. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the shortbread comes out clean. Allow to cool while you make your caramel.
  5. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and honey. Use a rubber spatula to mix slowly but continuously for about ten minutes. The mixture will slowly turn a light golden color and begin to pull away from the sides of ithe pan. Heat until mixture reaches a nice golden caramel color then add the butter and mix until incorporated, then remove from heat and mix in salt.
  6. Pour mixture over ginger shortbread and use spatula to spread evenly. Place in the fridge to harden completely, about 2 hours.
  7. Once the bars have cooled, put the chocolate into a large glass measuring cup and heat in 30 second intervals. (My 1000W microwave requires 90 second total heating, but the chocolate should be stirred after each 30 second interval.
  8. Pour over chilled bars, then place back in fridge to harden.
  9. Cut into 1″x1″ cubes and serve! Will last up to 1 week when sealed tightly in a container in the fridge.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!

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By special invitation is my almond-crust-cranberry-curd tart.

Today is Thanksgiving in the USA . Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. It is believed to be modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people.

For my whole life Thanksgiving centered around family and friends, old and new, sharing both a meal and each other. As a child Thanksgiving was held at our house and all our aunts, uncles and cousins would come for a huge mid-day meal. We had to finish early as our uncles had to go back to the farm to milk the cows. I had a lot of aunts and uncles and LOTS of cousins. Mostly I remember the pies, so many pies.

Since moving to California our son and daughter in law have hosted Thanksgiving and this year was no exception. There were over 20 people and enough food for 50.

I made an apple pie, an almond-crust-cranberry-curd tart (see below) and sweet potato dinner rolls. There were also two pumpkin pies and very little left when we were done.

Cranberry Curd Tart Almond Crust

INGREDIENTS
For the crust
• 99g (½ c) granulated sugar
• 113g (8 Tbl) unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ tsp table salt
• 1 tsp King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 180g (1½ c) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 72g (¾ c) almond flour or finely ground sliced or slivered almonds

For the cranberry curd
• 12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• juice of one orange (~ ¼ c)
• 250g (1 ¼ c) sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 113g (½ c, 1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as TripleSec or Grand Marnier (optional)

For the Italian meringue
• 2 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

METHOD
Crust

  1. Mix butter with sugar then add salt then vanilla.
  2. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Stir in flour. Mix by hand like you are kneading bread until incorporated
  3. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
  4. Pre-heat oven to 350⁰F
  5. Butter tartl pans, or use non-stick pans
  6. Dock (prick holes in) bottom and sides of formed dough then refrigerate for 20 minutes
  7. Line tart pan with crumpled then smoothed parchment paper and fill with pastry weights.
  8. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  9. Bake in preheated oven 350⁰ F (175⁰ C) for 15 min. Remove pastry weights 5 minutes before the end of the bake.
  10. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack

    Cranberry Curd
  11. Heat the cranberries and orange juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the cranberries split. Mix with an immersion blender then strain through a food mill or fine mesh sieve and discard the skins.
  12. Return the strained cranberry mixture to the saucepan and add the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, butter, vanilla, and orange liqueur (if using) to the pan and give everything a good stir. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and registers 170°F on an instant read thermometer (this usually takes about 8-9 minutes). Immediately strain (again) through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring bowl and then pour into the prepared crust. (The curd can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You may need to bake it a few more minutes for the tart to set when baking from chilled)
  13. Bake (still at 350°F) until the curd is set (it should jiggle but not slosh), about 10 minutes. (Curd was jiggly after 20 more minutes baking.)
  14. Let cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill. You can serve this chilled or at room temperature.

    Italian meringue
  15. Add egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
  16. When the sugar mixture registers about 220°F turn on the mixer and begin beating the egg whites on medium speed.
  17. When the sugar mixture registers 240°F remove from heat and carefully pour into the mixer over the egg whites. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
  18. Transfer to a piping bag (or zip top bag) and pipe onto cooled tart as desired. If you want, torch the meringue with a kitchen torch. (But since it is cooked, this is totally optional).

As long as the oven was on and I had time to wait for doughs to chill etc, I also made a loaf of artisan bread.

Please Let The Rain Stop Soon!

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When I cannot golf, I bake. On one hand, that is a good thing. My skills and knowledge are growing. On another hand the QC Cadre isn’t tired of my supplying them with baked goods. On someone else’s hand my muscles for playing golf are atrophying.

I recently received a set of perforated tart rings and a perforated silicon mat to bake the rings on. They all worked perfectly. Once baked, the tarts almost fell out of the rings.

QC asked for a chocolate covered caramel tart for her birthday. We spent her birthday day at the grands school talent show, then at a car dealership, during a severe rainstorm, and finally out with the family to a pizza birthday dinner. There was no time to fill the tarts, so I did them this morning.

Ingredients measured and weighed
Dry ingredients sifted
Tart disk bottoms cut and placed in rings
Caramel filled baked rings filled
Chocolate glazed tarts with edible gold foil garnish

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL TART

INGREDIENTS
Crust
• Unsalted Butter (room temp) 100g
• Salt a pinch
• Powdered Sugar 72g
• Almond Powder 20g
• Corn Starch 30g
• Eggs (room temp)36g
• Cake Flour 170g
Caramel
• 2 cups (424 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into 4-5 pieces
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze
• 2 Tbl water
• 60g sugar
• 46g corn syrup (60ml)
• 52g condensed Milk (40ml)
• ¼ tsp agar agar
• 60g dark chocolate

METHOD

  1. Beat the room temp. butter lightly (add in salt).
  2. Sift in powdered sugar, almond powder and corn starch. Beat lightly. Add the room temp. eggs gradually and mix. Finally, add in the cake flour and mix well.
  3. Using a bench knife, “fraiser” the dough by repeated smearing portions of it on the table.
  4. Roll it out to 2mm/3mm thickness between parchment papers. (2mm thickness for 6~8cm diameter, 3mm thickness for 14~18cm thickness.
  5. Rest in the fridge for 1~2hrs

    For perforated tart ring:
  6. Cut it out into strips/discs. Disks equal to tart ring diameter, strips ~ ¾” wide and 2” longer than tart ring circumference, ~14.5” for a 4” tart ring. (4” x π + 2”)
  7. Coat the inside of the ring with butter. Position tart ring over a disk and place on a perforated mat.
  8. If the strips are too stiff to bend, warm slightly with your hands. Line the side of the tart ring with the disk. Glue any seams by warming with your finger.
  9. Trim top of strip with a knife
  10. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  11. Bake 3mm thick crust at 340⁰F for 15mins. (320⁰F for 2mm)
  12. If you are to bake the tart crust again after adding the almond cream, then bake 2-3mins less. (~12-13mins.)

    For regular tart pan:
  13. Cut it out into one big disc ~2” larger than tart pan
  14. Line the tart pan.
  15. Prick the bottom.
  16. Place a sheet of parchment paper and then pie weights.
  17. Bake 3mm crust at 340⁰F for 10mins, take the pie weights out, then bake for another 5 mins. (320⁰F for 2mm)
  18. If you want to apply egg wash the recipe is as follows: 10g Heavy Cream, 40g Egg yolk. Mix them well and strain it before use. Once the tart shell has cooled down completely, then brush them evenly and bake for ~10-12mins at 160℃.

    For the caramel:
  19. In a heavy bottomed saucepan (important so that the heat conducts evenly!), combine the sugar, water and corn syrup (try not to splash the mixture up on the sides of the pan). Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the mixture is a medium-dark amber color, tilting the pan just slightly every couple of minutes to swirl the mixture.
  20. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the butter, cream and vanilla. The hot mixture will bubble vigorously. Stir to combine (don’t go too crazy scraping down the sides of the pan).
  21. Pour the caramel over the baked crust. Refrigerate until the caramel is set and no longer warm, 1-2 hours (make sure you set the tart on a really flat surface in the fridge or else it will set up tilted or uneven).

    For the glaze:
  22. Heat water, sugar, agar, corn syrup to boil to 220⁰F
  23. Add condensed milk and dark chocolate and blend with an immersion blender.
  24. Leave it overnight and use it the next day.
  25. Heat in the microwave to make it pourable
  26. Divide evenly among the tarts, rolling around to smooth out and cover each tart

Baked Jelly Donut Holes

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A day off from golf usually means a day on in Dede’s bakery.

I found this recipe from Natashas Kitchen on YouTube. Considering they are not fried (a good thing) they are light, airy and delicious. (An even better thing.) I did cheat and bought some seedless raspberry jam to fill the donuts rather than making my own. (Raspberries are very expensive this time of year.)

I followed the method as written below but was slightly disappointed with re-rolling the scraps to make the additional 4 donuts. The dough didn’t come together all that well. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Baked Jelly Donut Holes

INGREDIENTS
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast, quick acting, (1 packet = 7 grams)
• ⅔ cup warm milk, 110˚F – microwave 35 sec.
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, divided 3::1
• 2 egg yolks
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup jelly or jam, (no large fruit pieces)
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar to roll donuts

METHOD

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast and ¼ tsp salt.
  2. Add warm milk, 3 Tbsp melted butter, 2 egg yolks and ½ tsp vanilla extract, and whisk vigorously to combine well.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature 10 minutes, until some bubbles form on the surface.
  4. Add remaining 1 ½ cups flour, adding just enough until dough holds together and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl (Add the last 2 Tbsp of flour only if needed) and knead in the bowl 5 minutes. If dough is really sticking to your hands, dust lightly with flour then continue kneading with clean dry hands. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a 100˚F oven for 45 min or at room temperature for 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll the dough out to just under ½” thick. Cut circles using a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps if needed to make 12 donuts total. Place donuts on prepared baking sheet, cover with a tea towel and let rise in a 100˚F oven for 20 min or at room temperature 45 min, or until puffed.
  7. While the donuts are rising, preheat oven to 375˚F with rack in the center of the oven.
  8. Bake uncovered in the center of a preheated oven at 375˚F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
  9. Right out of the oven, brush each hot bun, one at a time, all over with remaining 1 Tbsp melted butter and roll in a bowl of granulated sugar to coat all over.
  10. After all the donuts are sugar coated, cut a deep slit in the side of each donut and pipe jam with a pastry bag into each one.

Orange Chocolate CreamPat Tarts

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One of my neighbors gave me some of their mandarin oranges and to thank them I “processed” the fruit and re-gifted it to them. I love the orange/chocolate tarts I made a few times, but have yet to perfect them. I changed the recipe and method this time, remembering Einstein’s quote: (reported and most likely never said,) “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results“ 

I used a recipe and method (by Philippine pastry chef, Hanbit Cho. My first attempt used standard tart rings resulted in useable but not “excellent” tart shells. The edges are ragged and some of them broke.

(I ordered and received some perforated tart rings and am waiting for the accompanying perforated baking mat to arrive, then will try again. If at first…)

I also changed my previous recipe to use creme patisserie and chocolate ganache which don’t require baking. I used my standard creampat recipe (ala Martha Stewart) and a chocolate ganache and orange glaze from Preppy Kitchen.

Baked Tart Shells
Candied Orange Slices
CreamPat Filled Shells
Chocolate Ganache with Orange Creme spiral
Finished Tarts
Finished Tart

Chocolate Orange Tart with Crème Patisserie – REVISED

Yield: Five 4” tarts.
INGREDIENTS
Tart Shell
• 100g unsalted room temperature butter
• Salt a pinch
• 72g powdered sugar
• 20g almond flour
• 30g corn starch
• 36g (~1) room temperature egg
• 170g cake flour
Chocolate Ganache
• ½ cup heavy cream (120ml)
• 180g (1 c) semi-sweet chocolate chopped
Orange Glaze
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 Tbl orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest
Crème Patisserie
• 1¾ cups 2% milk + ¼ cup heavy cream
• 80g (~4) egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ c corn starch
• Pinch salt
• 2 Tbl butter
• 1 tsp vanilla ½ tsp vanilla

METHOD
Tart Shell

  1. Beat the butter lightly (add in salt).
  2. Sift in powdered sugar, almond flour and corn starch. Beat lightly.
  3. Add the eggs gradually and mix.
  4. Finally, add in the cake flour and mix well.
  5. Roll it out to 2mm/3mm thickness between parchment papers. (2mm thickness for 3-4” diameter, 3mm thickness for 7-9” diameter.
  6. Rest in the fridge for 1~2hrs.
  7. For regular tart pan: Cut chilled dough into disc ~2” larger diameter than tart ring
  8. For perforated tart ring: Cut discs the size of the tart ring
  9. For regular tart pan: Butter inside of ring and gently fit the dough inside the ring, leaving enough to line the edges. Be gentle to not tear the dough. Prick the bottom. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the dough and and fill with pie weights.
  10. For perforated tart ring: Butter inside of ring and set over one of the cut-to-size discs. Cut strips of dough 1” wide and cut ~15” long. Line the ring with the long strips cementing and connections by warming gently with a finger. Place it on a perforated mat.
  11. For either type of tart ring chill the formed rings in the fridge for an hour before baking, then put them directly in the pre-heated oven.
  12. For regular tart pan: Bake at 350F for 10mins, take the pie weights out, then bake for another 5 mins. (325Ffor 2mm thick)
  13. For perforated tart ring: Bake at 350 F for 15mins. (325 Ffor 2mm thick)

Chocolate Ganache

  1. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until very steamy and just
    about to boil. (You can also heat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until very hot but not boiling.)
  2. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a large measuring cup.
  3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and set aside for 5 minutes, allowing the
    chocolate to melt from the heat of the cream.
  4. Stir the chocolate and cream together until fully combined, smooth, and glossy. If
    there are a few pieces of chocolate left unmelted, you can microwave the ganache
    at 50% power for about 10 seconds and mix again.

Orange Glaze

  1. Place confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoon orange juice and 1 teaspoon orange zest.
  2. Whisk or beat until smooth, adding more juice as necessary. Reserve remaining zest and juice for another use. The glaze should be pipeable but should not flow from the piping tip.
    Crème Patisserie
  3. Whisk eggs and milk together and add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan. Bring to boil whisking constantly. Cook until thickened (it will look lumpy, its ok)
  4. Sieve lumpy mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, mix thoroughly
  5. When incorporated, cover with plastic directly on the crème patisserie and cool about an hour. (Alternatively, slide the piping tip you would use to fill the pâte à choux into the piping bag but don’t cut off the tip. Spoon the hot batter directly into the piping bag with sealed end. When the crème patisserie is cool, cut the tip off, force the bag around the piping tip and squeeze the crème pat to fill the end )

ASSEMBLY

  1. Pipe a ¼” layer of crème patisserie layer into each tart shell and smooth while the crème patisserie is still warm. Let set before proceeding.
  2. Pipe a ¼” layer of warm chocolate ganache on the crème patisserie layer
  3. Pipe a spiral ⅛” wide circles of orange cream and feather the orange cream with a toothpick
  4. Chill to set

Candied Orange Slices

  1. Add the sugar and water to a 12-inch skillet or a large saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a boil, stirring from time to time. As the water heats, the sugar will melt into the water. It’s important that the sugar be completely melted before adding the orange slices.
  2. After boiling the water, reduce the heat to medium and add the orange slices. Don’t overcrowd the pan; the orange slices should fit in the pan with little overlap.
  3. Let the orange slices cook at a gentle simmer for about ~60 minutes, until the white part of the peel (the pith) is nearly translucent. Use tongs to turn them over in the syrup every now and then.
  4. Use tongs to remove the slices from the sugar syrup, laying them out in one layer on a wire rack.
  5. Spread the slices on a parchment paper lined baking pan and bake for 1-2 hours at 170F
  6. When “dry” they will be tacky but also feel set – kind of like gummy candy. Coat with caster sugar if desired.

You Are The Apple Of My Eye

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Last month I made an amazing, flaky, delicious pie crust with PreppyKitchen’s recipe. QC and I then made the best chicken pot pie ever!

We are making an apple pie for Thanksgiving and wanted to try the crust again. Not everything went as smoothly as the first try. (I believe when mixing the dough in the food processor I did not add enough water.) The dough held together when testing it, but just barely. When I tried to form a cohesive ball on the counter it wouldn’t come together, I should have popped it back into the food processor and added another tablespoon or two, but like a golf shot where I notice the club face isn’t aligned correctly, I assume I can fix it on the downswing.

I also had issues making an aluminum foil pie ring. I cut three pieces of foil 3” wide and folded them around the edge of the pie crust. They wouldn’t stay on and I had to adjust them several times. Since then I saw how to cut a single large hole one piece of foil, to cover the edge and leave the center open.Next time.

After freezing the dough I wet my hands and gently kneaded the dough as little as possible to have it come together so I could roll it out. It worked, but I probably lost some of the flakiness.

(This pie is for internal consumption and review by the QC Cadre, not for Thanksgiving dinner. I can take the well deserved criticism.)

I used apple pie filling that I made and froze after visiting Apple Hill in September. I froze it in a plastic film lined pie plate so it would perfectly fit into the par-baked pie shell. Apparently, I used a different pie-plate today. The resultant pie looked good. I guess I fixed in on my downswing.

The pie was baked at 425F for 30 minutes. The edges were covered and the pie was baked an additional 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reached 195F.

Pie Crust – PreppyKitchen

INGREDIENTS
• 360g (3 c) all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbl sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 227g (1 c) cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
• 4 to 6 Tbl ice water

METHOD

  1. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine 1½ cups of flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
  2. Add half of the butter. Process until very crumbly and starting to ball up, about 30 seconds. Scatter in the remaining butter and the remaining 1½ cups of flour. Pulse 2 times just to distribute.
  3. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Pulse a few times. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed, and pulse once or twice after each addition. The mixture should easily stick together when squeezed, but not feel wet or dry.
  4. Transfer the dough onto the counter and form it into a ball. Cut the ball in half and press each half into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (Don’t worry if the dough seems `dry. The flour will hydrate as it rests in the fridge.) The disks can also be frozen for a few months and thawed in the fridge overnight before using.

    To Blind or Par-Bake:
  5. If required, prepare the crust as directed in the recipe until it’s ready to use.
  6. Roll the pie crust into a 14-inch circle and line a pie-pan with the dough. Fold the ends under and crimp the edges as desired. Poke the bottom all over with the tines of a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the bottom third and preheat the oven to 425⁰F.
  8. Once the oven is hot, remove the pie from the freezer and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Line with a square of parchment paper. (I find it useful to crumple the parchment paper then smooth out. Repeating the crumple/smooth helps make the parchment paper more pliable.) Add enough dried beans or pie weights to fill the center.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes. Peek under the parchment by carefully lifting an edge. If the bottom of the crust is pooled with melted butter, cook for another 5 minutes. (It should still appear wet and underbaked.)
  10. Remove the pie crust from the oven. Carefully lift out the parchment paper and weights and set them aside to cool. At this point, your pie crust is par-baked and could be used in recipes that call for partially baking the crust before filling. (If a shiny crust is desired, you can brush the crust all over with egg wash.)

    To Blind Bake:
  11. Return the crust to the oven and continue baking until the bottom appears dry and begins to brown, about 10 more minutes.
  12. Let the pie crust cool completely before filling.

Freezing Apples for Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 5 cups Apples peeled & sliced apples (amount may vary)
• 1 quart Water to prevent browning apples
• 2 teaspoon salt to prevent browning apples
• ½ cup Sugar for pie filling
• ½ teaspoon Cinnamon for pie filling
• 3 Tablespoons flour for pie filling
• 1 pinch salt for pie filling

METHOD

  1. Freezing Apples for Pie Filling
  2. Peel, core and slice apples into a salt water soak. About 2 teaspoon salt dissolved in 1 quart water. This will prevent browning apples.
  3. When all apples are sliced let them soak about 5 minutes and drain well.
  4. Place apples in your pie plate to be sure you have the right amount. Pack them in and mound them up. I like lots of apples in my apple pie!
  5. Remove these apples to a bowl, add sugar cinnamon mixture and mix to coat. ½ cup sugar, ½ tsp. cinnamon, 3 Tbsp flour, Dash of salt
  6. Lay an oversized piece of foil or plastic wrap in your pie plate. You want enough to wrap around all of the apple filling.
  7. Put the apples back into your lined pie plate. Include all the sugar mixture. Wrap the foil sides up and around the pie filling. If needed add another layer of foil or plastic wrap to be sure it is all covered.
  8. Place the pie plate and contents in the freezer and allow to freeze.
  9. When it is frozen take the wrapped pie filling out of the pie plate and place in freezer bag or wrap in freezer paper.
  10. Remove air, seal, and label. Put back in the freezer for later baking.

Key Lime Tart

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QC’s Mah Jongg group played at our house and you know what that means… an excuse to bake! This time I made an 8” key lime tart with raspberry coulis and Italian meringue.

(After I piped the meringue I realized I made an octopus-tart.)

Gluten Free Key Lime Tart Using Kim’s Bread Flour

Yield: 12 – 2 ½“ tartlet shells or1 8” tart shell

INGREDIENTS
SHELL
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 60 g icing sugar
• 200 g Kim’s Bread flour
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash

FILLING
• zest (grated rind) of 1 lime
• 4 large egg yolks
• 14-ounce can (397g) sweetened condensed milk, (1 1/4 cups)
• 3/4 cup (170g) Key lime juice
• Juice of 1 lime
METHOD
SHELL

  1. Mix butter with sugar until well incorporated 3-5 min
  2. Add salt then vanilla.
  3. Add egg and mix 3-5 min
  4. Stir in flour. Mix by hand until incorporated and forms a thick smooth(ish) sticky dough
  5. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min.
  6. Butter or lightly spray tartlet pans or use non-stick pans.
  7. Roll dough between parchment paper to about ⅛” thick
  8. Refrigerate rolled dough still between parchment paper until firm: 20 – 30 minutes
  9. Remove from fridge and while still firm, cut dough to rounds about 1” larger diameter than the mold. 2 ½” tart mold requires a 3” cutter. Cut all the rounds at once while still firm. If necessary, return to the fridge to firm up. Again, if necessary, use an offset spatula to remove the circles from the parchment paper. Keep the spatula clean.
  10. Lay tart dough circles over molds. This allows the dough to thaw slightly, then gently press into the molds and fill all crevices.
  11. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  12. Return to fridge for 15 – 20 min to firm up the shell
  13. Prick holes in bottom of formed dough
  14. Place a mini cupcake paper in each tart and fill with with pastry weights (or beans)
  15. Paint edges of the tartlet with an egg-white wash. (Whisk one egg white with 1 Tbl water)
  16. Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 12 min until edges are dry
  17. Remove pastry weights and bake an additional 6-10 minutes to dry the bottoms. Bake until the edges begin to turn light brown and the bottom is nearly dry.
  18. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack

FILLING

  1. Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer for about 4 minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and thicken somewhat, appearing similar to Hollandaise sauce.
  2. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing until smooth. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes; the filling will become slightly thicker and gain a bit of volume.
  3. Add the key lime juice, stirring just to combine. The mixture will thicken again. Add lime oil to taste.
  4. PIPE the filling into the crust and return the tart (on the baking sheet) to the oven. Bake the tart for 12 to 18 minutes, until it appears set around the edges though still a bit wobbly in the center. The center should read about 145°F on a digital thermometer.
  5. Remove the tart from the oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
  6. Once chilled, serve the key lime pies cold with whipped cream, or merengue and a lime slice or zest, if desired.
  7. Store leftover pies in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 1 week. If they last that long!

ITALIAN MERINGUE (NOTE: Alternatively use whipped cream)

INGREDIENTS
• 80g (or 0.4 cup or 6.5 Tbl) granulated sugar
• 30ml (or 1/8 cup) water
• 60g (or ¼ cup) egg whites (about 2 large egg whites)
• 20 g icing sugar

METHOD

  1. Whisk the egg whites into a light and fluffy foam, using an electric (stand) mixer.
  2. Add the icing sugar and continue whipping until you’ve got a glossy stable foam. It should stay in place if you turn the bowl upside down. Set aside.
  3. Add the granulated sugar and water to a pan and bring to a boil. Once all the sugar has dissolved, refrain from stirring. Continue boiling at moderate/high heat while continuously keeping an eye on the temperature.
  4. Once the solution has reached 121°C (250°F), take it from the heat immediately*.
  5. While SLOWLY whisking the egg whites, gently, slowly, pour the hot sugar solution into the whipped egg whites (this is where the stand mixer comes in handy!).
  6. Once all the sugar syrup is in, turn up the speed to high and continue whisking until the foam is lukewarm.
  7. Use the meringue immediately to top whatever it is you want to cover.

Kim’s Gluten Free Bread Flour Blend

Yield: 700g (5 c)
INGREDIENTS

  • 285g Bob’s Red Mill potato starch
  • 250g superfine white rice flour (DON’T use regular rice flour, ie Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 75g Tapioca flour
  • 75g Whey protein isolate or egg white protein.
  • 15g Xanthan gum

METHOD

  1. Weigh all ingredients and add to a stand mixer bowl
  2. Mix on low, with bowl covered for 30 seconds

Just Another Day Off From Golf

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It’s a dangerous thing taking a day off from golf. I wanted to make more berry drop scones for a couple of weeks, but never seemed to find the time, until today when there was no golf on my schedule..

We also had no snacks for after dinner so I decided to make Millionaires Shortbread Cookies this afternoon to be ready for dessert. It’s good to have a plan and to execute it properly.

Apple Cheese Danish

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For months I ignored a single sheet of puff pastry in the fridge. Today, after making two apple pie fillings I had apples remaining…

What could I do?

Pretty simple pastry to make. The directions from ACozyKitchen were spot on. (I used Trader Joe’s puff pastry for this, but plan on making my own later this week, time permitting.)

Apple Cheese Danish

INGREDIENTS
For the Filling:
• 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 2 Tbl ricotta or mascarpone cheese
• 1 lemon zest and juice, divided
• Pinch kosher salt
• 5 Tbl white granulated sugar divided
• 2 apples (such as Honey crisp, Braeburn or Gala)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
For the Assembly and Icing:
• 1 box puff pastry
• ¾ cup powdered sugar sifted
• 1 tablespoon whole milk

METHOD
To Make the Filling:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400⁰ F.
  2. In a medium bowl, place the cream cheese, ricotta, lemon zest, vanilla, salt, 4 tablespoons of sugar and mix until smooth, using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Set aside.
  3. Peel and slice your apples into 1/4-inch slices. In a small bowl toss them with the remaining 1 tablespoon of juice from the one lemon, sugar, and cinnamon.
    To Assemble the Cheese Danish:
  4. Carefully unfold 1 sheet of defrosted puff pastry and roll slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s about 1/4-inch in thickness. I trimmed mine so it was a 11″ x 8″ rectangle. Transfer the sheet of puff pastry to a piece of parchment that’s on a baking sheet.
  5. At an angle, slice off the top corners and cut two notches in the bottom. Slice 1-inch strips diagonally down both sides of the puff pastry, leaving the center uncut. Try to cut the same number of strips on both sides. I had about 8 strips per side.
  6. Add three tablespoons of cream cheese filling, spreading it evenly down the center of the puff pastry. Top with apple slices.
  7. Fold in the bottom and top flaps. Braid the puff pastry, by folding the strips over the filing, alternating sides, until you’ve worked your way down the puff pastry. Using your knife, trim off any leftover strips or extra dough.
  8. Transfer the danish to the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.
  9. Brush with egg wash liberally.
  10. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown.

Crumb Cake Donuts – Sally’s Baking Addiction Monthly Challenge

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I am often asked “Why don’t you open a bake shop?” (Then it wouldn’t be a hobby.) Or, “Why don’t you enter a baking contest? (Because if I don’t have a recipe in front of me, I am useless.)

I have followed Sally’s Baking Addiction for quite a while. She is one of the several that I refer to when I need advice or another opinion (not that anyone knows they are doing this for me.) For nebulous reasons I entered Sally’s monthly challenge this week. First, she provides the recipe, second I can bake in my own kitchen at my own pace

Also, I like baked, cake donuts and these are good ones. There are a lot of ingredients, but nothing too challenging. The method does not have a lot steps and the donuts come together quickly. The instructions were spot on and the results excellent.

Crumb Cake Donuts

INGREDIENTS
Crumb Topping
• 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (140g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

Donuts
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (135g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• confectioners’ sugar for dusting

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  2. Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter using a fork, then add the flour. Mix and crumble with a fork. Set aside.
  3. Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the melted butter, eggs, brown sugar, milk, yogurt, and vanilla together until completely combined.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix. The batter will be very thick.
  5. Pipe the batter into the donut cavities filling about halfway. Grab a handful of crumb-topping and press down onto the batter of each donut. Pressing it snug into the batter helps prevent the crumb coating from falling off the donuts. (If you only have 1 donut pan, keep the remaining batter in the bowl at room temperature until you can bake the next batch.)
  6. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. Allow to cool for about two minutes then transfer to a wire rack set on a large piece of parchment paper. Bake the remaining donut batter and once baked, transfer to the wire rack. Dust the tops of each with a light coating of confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
  7. Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2 days.


Freezing Instructions: Freeze the baked and cooled donuts for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm up to your liking in the microwave.