TOR 2024 Gala

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I am always pleased when asked to prepare some items for a party, large or small. Tonight is our annual temple baseball themed gala with an expected attendance of 100 people. I started this tradition in 2018, but missed a couple of years due to Covid etc.

Tonight Dede’ Bakery and Confectionary is serving chocolate/raspberry baseball field brownies, gluten free raspberry mousse tarts with baseball decorated cookies and key lime profiteroles with no baseball association whatsoever. (I just like them.)


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

METHOD

  1. Mix dry Ingredients.
  2. Lightly beat egg then add the melted butter.
  3. Add wet to dry ingredients. Form into a dough ball.
  4. Wrap the dough ball in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Roll to a 1/8” thick sheet between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic.
  6. Cut rounds of the dough about an inch larger than the tart pans
  7. Gently press the dough circles into the tart pans pressing into any flutes
  8. Patch any breaks with extra dough
  9. Dock the bottom of the crust. Wrap and keep in freezer at least 30 minutes.
  10. Pre-bake the tart crust 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven at 350 deg.
  11. Depending on recipe, you may want to protect the crust of the tart with foil
  12. Cool to room temperature
  13. Fill with raspberry mousse.
  14. Top with a raspberry and white sugar cookies with red baseball seams.

Raspberry – Cream Cheese Mousse

INGREDIENTS
Raspberry Puree
• 340 g (~2 ½ c, 12 oz) fresh raspberries
• 2 Tbl confectioner’s sugar
• 1 Tbl instant vanilla pudding mix (substitute corn starch if desired.)
• 112 g (4 oz) cream cheese softened
• ¼ cup Tbl powdered sugar
• 1 Tbl freeze-dried raspberry powder
• Optional: ¼ tsp red food coloring
• Optional: 1 tsp ouzo (for tartness)
Whipped Cream – Stabilized
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 2 Tbl instant vanilla pudding powder (substitute corn starch if desired.)
• 2-3 Tbl powdered sugar

METHOD

  1. Combine raspberries and 2 Tbl confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and add to a food processor and pulse until berries are reduced
  2. Sieve the mixture allowing enough time for most of the raspberry juice to drip into a bowl, (enough to make 200ml (2/3 c) puree)
  3. Add 1 Tbl vanilla pudding, softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup sweetener, raspberry powder and ouzo and beat until well combined (3-4 minutes on high.) Mix in red food coloring in 2 or 3 aliquots until desired color is attained.
  4. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream, vanilla pudding mix and confectioners sugar.
  5. Add red food coloring (in several small amounts until desired color is attained) and whip to firm peaks.
  6. Fold the raspberry mixture into the whipped cream until combined. Divide the mousse among 6 dessert cups, cover, or fill a piping bag and chill until set, about 1 hour.

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

CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY BROWNIE BARS
I made a 1 ½ recipe and used an 11×15 pan.

INGREDIENTS
Brownies
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ¼ c dark cocoa
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ c sugar
• 1 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ½ c All-Purpose Flour
• 1 c chocolate chips
• 1 c Raspberry Jammy Bits
• 3 Tbl seedless raspberry jam
• 1 Tbl water
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
• 1 Tbl cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbl light corn syrup (20g)
• 2 ⅔ c (400g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 Tbl vanilla extract

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. To make very even bars, line the pan with aluminum foil before baking, leaving foil sticking up above the edges of the pan.
  2. Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth.
  3. Add the sugar and melted butter, stirring until smooth.
  4. Add the flour, chips, and Jammy Bits, again stirring well. The batter will be very thick.
  5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth.
  6. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (205 degrees,) or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look moist, but not uncooked. Do not over bake! Remove them from the oven.
  7. Heat the seedless raspberry jam with the water and stir until smooth. (I use 2 tsp of apple jelly, mixed with 1 tsp water and heated to melt the jelly.) Brush over the warm brownies. Set aside to cool for an hour or longer before topping with the ganache.
  8. To make the ganache, heat the cream and corn syrup until they begin to steam. Pour over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, add any flavorings, and whisk until smooth. Let cool for 15 minutes or so.
  9. Pour ganache over the brownies while it’s still warm but has begun to thicken — reheat if it thickens too much as you work. Allow several hours for the ganache to set up fully. You may refrigerate the brownies to hasten the setting of the ganache.
  10. Remove the brownies from the pan using the aluminum foil sling. Heat a knife in hot water, wipe dry and use to cut the brownies. Repeat with each cut.

KEY LIME PROFITEROLES
INGREDIENTS
Whipped Cream Key Lime Curd:
• ½ c white sugar
• 2 Tbl cornstarch
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1 large egg, plus 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tsp lime zest
• ⅔ c key lime juice
• ⅔ c sweetened condensed milk
• 2 Tbl butter
• ¾ c heavy whipping

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
White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
• 150 g confectioner’s sugar
• 50 g heavy cream
• 1 Tbl freeze-dried raspberry powder
• Red food coloring
• Coarse decorating sugar

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F (200° 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 oblongs of dough (about 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide) onto the parchment lined baking sheet. (When piping hold the bag at a 45-degree angle.) If desired, with a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the dough with the lightly beaten egg.
  8. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350o F (180o C).
  9. Remove from oven, pierce an end of each éclair 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.
  11. Warm white chocolate to soften (30 seconds in a 1000W microwave)
  12. Heat whipping cream to steam, but not boil and pour over the softened white chocolate
  13. Let sit 3-4 minutes then add freeze dried raspberry, red food coloring and beat with a spoon until the mixture is smooth
  14. After filling the profiteroles with the key lime curd dip the top into the warm ganache and sprinkle with decoration sugar.
    ROYAL ICING
    Makes ~3 cups of royal icing, (¼ recipe decorated 48 1” diameter cookies)
    INGREDIENTS
    • 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
    • 3 Tablespoons meringue powder (not plain egg white powder)
    • 9–10 Tablespoons room temperature water
    METHOD
  15. Sift confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder, into a large bowl and add 9 Tablespoons of water. Add half the water after sifting 2 cups of sugar. Add the remaining water or more, checking flow consistency of the icing is what you want for piping etc.
  16. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat icing ingredients together on high speed for 1.5 – 2 minutes.
  17. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it’s too thick, beat in more water 1 Tablespoon at a time. I usually need 10 Tablespoons but on particularly dry days, I use up to 12-14 Tablespoons. Keep in mind that the longer you beat the royal icing, the thicker it becomes. If your royal icing is too thin, just keep beating it to introduce more air OR you can add more confectioners’ sugar.
  18. When applied to cookies or confections in a thin layer, icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. If icing consistency is too thin and runny, it will take longer to dry. If the icing is applied very thick on cookies, it will also take longer to dry. If you’re layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to help speed it up.

Baseball Themed Gala Practice #1

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We are going to a gala at our temple next month and our administrator asked if I would make some desserts for the baseball themed event. At this point my providing pastries and other baked goods is more or less a tradition.

These tartlets are the first of three types of pastries I am making. In deference to a gluten intolerant friend these tartlets are gluten free, but you could not tell from the taste and texture. They are wonderful. (No brag, just fact, for anyone old enough to remember that TV line.)

For gluten free pastries I mix a specialty flour from an online baker named Kim. (Search Kim’s Artisan Bread Flour for more info.) It is an exceptional gluten free flour.

New design after QC’s brilliant suggestion!

A couple of weeks ago my uphill neighbors gave me a bag of oranges and I have been concocting ways of processing and returning them. These tartlets have a layer of fresh orange mousse, covered with a layer of dark chocolate mousse. The entire tartlet is topped with a gluten free sugar cookie striped with royal icing to give the impression of a baseball. Whew!

(If I tell you the cookie topping is supposed to be a baseball would that help?)

Key Lime Tartlets Using Kim’s Bread Flour

INGREDIENTS
• 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

METHOD

  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. 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 8 min until edges are dry
  17. Remove pastry weights and bake an additional 4-6 minutes to dry the bottoms. Bake until the edges begin to turn light brown and the bottom is nearly dry. (I find it easier to dump the weights into a bowl then remove the cupcake papers.)
  18. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack

Dark Chocolate Mousse

INGREDIENTS
• ½ c chopped chocolate (72 percent)
• 1 c heavy cream
• 4 large egg yolks
• ⅓ c sugar
• Whipped cream, for serving
• Chocolate shavings, for garnish

METHOD

  1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a water bath, making sure the water is not boiling. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks.
  3. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and set over the same water bath to slightly heat while beating them with a whisk.
  4. Add the sugar to the yolks and then transfer the mixture to a stand mixer set up with the whisk attachment. Beat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the yolks double in size, about 5 minutes.
  5. Carefully fold the chocolate into the yolks.
  6. Lastly, fold in the whipped cream.
  7. Store the mousse in an unopened piping bag until ready to fill the tartlets.
  8. When ready to assemble the tartlets pipe about ¼” of chocolate mousse on top of the orange mousse. Store in a refrigerator to keep cold.

Orange Mousse

INGREDIENTS
• ½ c orange juice
• ¼ c plus 1 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbl unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ tsp orange zest (from ¼ orange)
• ½ c heavy cream
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• Orange gel food coloring (optional)

METHOD

  1. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, bring the orange juice to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the sugar, the salt and yolks until smooth. Whisking constantly, add half of the reduced orange juice to the yolk mixture to temper.
  3. When it is all incorporated, return the tempered yolk mixture to the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to prevent the eggs from scrambling, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes.
  4. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and the zest. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 5 hours.
  5. Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl and add the vanilla and the remaining tablespoon sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on medium speed just until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes, being careful avoid over-beating.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold half of the whipped cream into the chilled orange mixture. Pour that mixture into the remaining whipped cream and continue to fold until completely incorporated.
  7. Transfer the mixture to an unopened piping bag, close the end and refrigerate until ready to use.
  8. When ready to assemble the tartlets pipe about ¼” of orange mousse into the bottom of refrigerated tartlet shells. Store in a refrigerator to keep cold.

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

Mix all ingredients, place in an air tight container and shake well to mix everything together.

Happy Everyone’s Irish Day

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QC and I are going to a St. Patrick’s Day dinner and I was asked if I ever made Irish Soda Bread. I replied that I had not.

The next morning, before an 8:30am golf tee time, I made a loaf as a test. It was delicious so I texted back saying after further thought I had made Irish Soda Bread before.

I made two loaves for dinner tonight, one with raisins and one without. Equally delicious.

Irish Soda Bread


INGREDIENTS
• 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) buttermilk*
• 1 large egg (optional, see note)
• 4 and 1/4 cups (531g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled),
• 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed*
• optional: 1 cup (150g) raisins

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven & pan options: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Bake in a seasoned 10–12-inch cast iron skillet (no need to preheat the cast iron unless you want to).
  2. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Set aside.
  3. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. Mixture is very heavy on the flour but do your best to cut in the butter until the butter is pea-sized crumbs.
  4. Stir in the raisins. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture. (*Adding all of the mixture yielded an overly wet dough. Try reserving ½ cup, adding more as necessary.) Gently fold the dough together until dough it is too stiff to stir.
  5. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can, then knead for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
  6. Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet. Using a very sharp knife or bread lame, score the dough with a slash or X about 1/2 inch deep. (“Score” = shallow cut.)
  7. Bake until the bread is golden brown, and center appears cooked through, about 45-55 minutes. Loosely tent the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top. The bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F.
  8. Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads.
  9. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. We usually wrap it tightly in aluminum foil for storing.

NOTES

  1. Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled bread freezes well up to 3 months. Freeze the whole loaf or individual slices. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired.
  2. Buttermilk: Using cold buttermilk is best. Buttermilk is key to the bread’s flavor, texture, and rise. The bread will not rise without it. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can make a homemade “DIY” version. Whole milk or 2% milk is best, though lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch. Add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough cold milk to make 1 and 3/4 cups. Whisk together, then let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
  3. Egg: 1 egg adds richness and density. Feel free to skip it to make a slightly lighter loaf. No other changes necessary, simply leave out the egg.
  4. Cold Butter: The colder the butter, the less sticky the dough will be. Make sure it’s very cold, even frozen cubed butter is great.
  5. Smaller Loaves: You can divide this dough up to make smaller loaves. The bake time will be shorter, depending how large the loaves are. An instant read thermometer will be especially helpful. Bake the loaves until an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F (90°C).

Chocolate – Orange – Vanilla Tarts Revisited

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I made some chocolate-orange-custard tarts last week. Honestly, they tasted pretty good, but if I saw them in a patisserie I would give them a pass.

I remade them today but without the baked custard, chocolate and orange bases. (Truthfully, maybe a little over baked in my case.) Version 2.0 used a new method to make the tart case, and creme patisserie, chocolate ganache and a new orange drizzle.

The tart base was made using a food processor to mix the butter, sugar, salt and 1/4th of the flour. It’s basically the same method I use to make berry drop scones. Using the food processor is easier and quicker than cutting the butter into the sugar with your hands.

I use the “Martha Stewart” creme patisserie method and a standard eclair ganache recipe and method. The orange drizzle is simple the zest of one orange, 70 grams of confectioners sugar and enough fresh orange juice to make a pipeable paste.

There are a lot of steps in this recipe (none of them very difficult,) but believe me, it is well worth the effort.

CremePat – Chocolate – Orange Tart


Yield: Five 4” tarts.

INGREDIENTS
Tart Shell
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 egg – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash
• 200 g all-purpose flour
Chocolate Ganache
• 150 g dark chocolate finely chopped
• 150 g heavy cream
• 2 Tbl corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
Orange Crème
• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• 35g confectioners sugar
Crème Patisserie
• 1 c (175 ml) whole/full fat milk (¾ c 2% plus ¼ c heavy cream)
• 2 (40g) large egg yolks
• ¼ c (13 grams) granulated/caster sugar
• ⅛ c corn starch
• 1 Tbl butter
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

METHOD
Tart Shell

  1. In a food processor pulse sugar, salt and 50g AP flour
  2. Pulse in cubed butter and vanilla
  3. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add egg and mix until incorporated
  4. Stir in flour. Mix by hand like you are kneading bread until incorporated
  5. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
  6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  7. Butter or spray tartlet pans, or use non-stick pans
  8. Roll dough to about ⅛” thick
  9. Lay over tart mold and press into all crevices
  10. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
  11. Fill tarts with pastry weights. (For mini tartlet pans I put beans in a cupcake paper. For large pans use crumpled parchment paper filled with pie weights.)
  12. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  13. Bake in preheated oven 350° F (175 C) for 12 min
  14. Remove from oven, remove weights, then roll top to cut off excess
  15. Return to oven and bake 8 more minutes to dry the bottoms
  16. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire

    Chocolate Ganache
  17. Heat the cream to just below boiling.
  18. Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl
  19. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a couple of minutes
  20. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and mix until smooth
  21. Pour the chocolate into a sealed piping bag. (No piping tip required.)
  22. Let the mixture cool to the desired viscosity.

    Orange Crème
  23. Place the confectioners’ sugar and zest in a small bowl. Add the orange juice one drop at a time while stirring, until the desired viscosity is attained.
  24. Pour into a piping bag with a small circular piping tip inserted. (Do not cut the end off yet.)

    Crème Patisserie
  25. Whisk eggs and milk together then add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan.
  26. Bring to boil, whisking constantly
  27. Cook until it begins to thicken (it will look lumpy, its ok)
  28. Sieve lumpy mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, mix thoroughly
  29. Transfer to a sealed piping bag to cool. (No piping tip required.)

    ASSEMBLY
  30. Pipe a ¼” layer of CremePat into each tart shell and smooth
  31. Pipe a ⅛” layer of chocolate crème on the CremePat layer and smooth
  32. Pipe concentric ⅛“wide circles of orange cream and feather the orange cream with a toothpick
  33. Add a sprig of candied orange peel for garnish.

How Many Ways to Shape Puff Pastry

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I was watching YouTube for ideas on how to shape pastries and boy! there are a lot of them. These three are pretty popular and I thought they would be a good place to start.

I bought some berries that were on sale from a local supermarket. (Truthfully, they should have paid me to take them away.) Out of a 6 oz container I was fortunate enough to find a half dozen berries to use as garnish. The rest were made into jam.

First Cut
Both Cuts and First Fold
Folded, Egg-washed and Jam Added
Flower and Pin-Wheel Designs

While I now make my own puff pastry I had a box of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry in the freezer and I wanted to use it up.

I don’t actually have a recipe for this so here it is in a nutshell: Cut the puff pastry in 4 squares. Fold a square in have to form a triangle and cut as necessary to make the desired design. Fold and pinch any overlaps to reduce the chance of separation.

The jam is made with equal parts berry and sugar, cooked until the temperature reaches 220° F. When cooled and gelled, add a rough teaspoon to each pastry. Coat the pastry with an egg wash. (I used an egg-white wash as I had some left over in the fridge.)

Bake 12-16 minutes until the pastry is a nice brown. Let them cool then dust with some confectioners sugar.

Don’t Look a Gift Horse…

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My neighbors gave me a BIG bag of oranges from their trees. The navel oranges in the markets have been very disappointing this year, but these are wonderful.

Usually I give them something made with their oranges in appreciation of their generosity. This time I made chocolate/orange tarts with a vanilla custard base. They tasted good, but looked poor to fair. They baked well with all the components done perfectly. The problem is the top, and therefore the appearance has no “snap.” They would not catch your eye in a patisserie (I will re-make them on the next rained out golf day.)

A 1/8” layer of vanilla custard was poured into the bottom of each tart shell. The tart was baked for 10 minutes at 450° F to set the custard. A layer of chocolate filling was piped over the custard followed by a spiral of the orange crème. A toothpick was used to feather the orange crème.

Before Baking
After Baking

Chocolate Orange Tart with Vanilla Custard


Yield: Five 4” tarts.
INGREDIENTS
Tart Shell
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 egg – 1 for the dough and the other 1 egg white reserved for an egg wash
• 200 g all-purpose flour
Chocolate Filling
• 75g butter
• 115g dark chocolate (no more than 60% cocoa solids), finely chopped
• 115g caster sugar
• 55g AP flour
• 4 medium eggs
Orange Crème
• 25g butter
• 50g white chocolate
• 1 orange, finely grated zest only
• 35g caster sugar
• 25g AP flour
• 2 medium egg yolks
Cream Custard
• 1 ½ cups (350 ml) whole/full fat milk (1 ¼ c 2% plus ¼ c heavy cream)
• 6 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup (45 grams) granulated/caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

METHOD
Tart Shell

  1. Mix butter with sugar
  2. Add salt then vanilla
  3. Add egg and mix until incorporated
  4. Stir in flour. Mix by hand like you are kneading bread until incorporated
  5. Pre-heat oven to 350° F
  6. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
  7. Butter tartlet pans, or use non-stick pans
  8. Roll dough to about ⅛” thick
  9. Lay over tart mold and press into all crevices
  10. Roll top to cut off excess
  11. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
  12. Fill tarts with pastry weights. For mini tartlet pans I put beans in a cupcake paper. For large pans use crumpled parchment paper filled with beans. Remove 5 minutes before the end of the bake.
  13. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
  14. Bake in preheated oven 350° F (175 C) for 15 min
  15. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire

    Chocolate Filling
  16. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and flour. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and leave to stand.

    Orange Crème
  17. Melt the butter and white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest, sugar and flour. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time and pour the mixture into a jug.

    Cream Custard
  18. Add the milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Just heat until it starts to lightly simmer, do not boil. Turn off the heat.
  19. Add egg yolks and sugar to a separate mixing bowl, vigorously whisk (or use a hand blender) until pale and bubbly. Remove the milk from the heat and very slowly drizzle into the egg yolks while whisking. Whisk in the vanilla if using. Transfer the mix to a container with a spout.

    ASSEMBLY
  20. Pipe a ¼” layer of custard into each tar shell and smooth
  21. Pipe a ½“ layer of chocolate crème on the mousseline layer and smooth
  22. Pipe concentric ⅛“ wide circles of orange cream and feather the orange cream with a toothpick
  23. Bake tarts 14-16 minutes at 350°F. (Start checking at 10 minutes.)

My Grammie Wasn’t French

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YouTube posted a video demonstrating how someone’s Grandmother made an easy french bread. Well, apparently my Grammie wasn’t French.

My bread tasted fine and was fairly fast and easy to make. My problem was with fermenting and proofing the dough. Although I followed the directions and used the standard “poke test,” my loaves were under-proofed.

When I mixed the water, milk, sugar and yeast I didn’t see the usual activation of the yeast. To test it I mixed a tablespoon of water with teaspoons of sugar and yeast. Within 5 minutes the yeast was bubbly so, it tested good.

I continued on with the instructions, while in retrospect, should have extended the proofing time.

The final baked bread resulted in a good color, a minimal rise, nice crust and flavor. It needed a better, more open structure to be a good loaf.

French Bread from a French Grandmother

INGREDIENTS
• 200 ml of warm water.
• 200 ml of warm milk.
• 1 Tbl of sugar.
• 8g (2½ tsp) dry yeast.
• 1 egg, separated
• 90 ml of vegetable oil.
• 700 g of bread flour, divided (600g & 100g)
• 1 tsp of salt.

METHOD

  1. Whisk water, milk, sugar and yeast, cover, and leave for 5 minutes until the yeast dissolves.
  2. Separate the egg, cover the yolk with cling film for later use.
  3. Add egg white and vegetable oil to bowl and mix well with a spoon.
  4. Sift in 600 g of bread flour and 1 teaspoon of salt mix well with a spoon
  5. Sift in the remaining 100 g of flour and mix by hand.
  6. Sprinkle the table with flour.
  7. The dough should be medium soft and formed into a large ball.
  8. Coat the bowl with vegetable oil, place ball, smooth side, up in the oiled bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes.
  9. Place on lightly floured table, de-gas, roll into a ball and divide into 3 parts and roll each part into a ball, cover, and leave to rise for 20 minutes.
  10. Roll out the dough into a ~12 x 16” rectangle on the lightly floured table.
  11. Roll from the smaller side into a batard, pinch the edges and ends together, place on parchment paper, cover and leave for 15 minutes.
  12. Coat the surface with milk. (Or egg wash?)
  13. Make 6 diagonal cuts on each batard, dust top with flour.
  14. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/360°F for 35-40 minutes.

Toffee/Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I saw an article rating (in the author’s opinion) the best chocolate chip cookie recipes and this was #1. It’s actually a toffee/chocolate chip cookie, but with the seriously heavy density of chocolate I felt it really deserved to be in this category.

These cookies require significantly more work and time than a “standard” cookie, but if you are looking for something outside the norm give these a try.

I followed the directions on the first browned butter try. After they went up in a cloud of not very pleasant burnt sugar, I “binned” them. (Binned is a GBBO term.) In the second attempt, I lowered the heat from medium high to low. I realize these terms are relative and individual results may vary.

The resultant cookies were about 3” diameter and a good thickness. The texture was excellent and the predominant flavor was chocolate with overtones of brown sugar and toffee. Were they the “best ever”? I guess I will have to keep trying.

Below is the modified recipe.

Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS
• 2 sticks (227 g) unsalted butter
• ½ (100 g) cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (200 g) lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (127 g) bread flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder, optional
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 10 ounces (283 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup toffee bits, homemade or Heath
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

METHOD

  1. In a medium stainless pan set over low heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, it should become foamy as the water boils off. Once the mixture quiets, stir until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. When the bits turn amber, immediately remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer or it will burn. Be sure to include the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
  2. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the hot butter, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, espresso powder, and baking powder.
  4. Whisk in the eggs, yolk, and vanilla into the cooled butter mixture until combined. Gradually stir in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Stir in the chocolate chunks and toffee bits. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours.
  5. Let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop, about 1 hour. (In my kitchen the block of dough was still too hard to scoop so I used a knife to cut the dough into 50g portions, rolled them into balls with my hands and placed on a parchment lined baking sheet.)
  6. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. At this point, you can portion the dough, place it on a baking sheet, and freeze just until solid. Remove frozen balls of dough to an airtight container and store for up to 6 weeks.
  8. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies, if desired. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
  9. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Homemade Toffee Bits

INGREDIENTS
• 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted American butter
• 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

METHOD

  1. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and salt and whisk vigorously for one minute until combined. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture looks like melted peanut butter and a candy thermometer reaches 295 to 305°F, about 10 minutes.
  3. If the mixture separates at all, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until recombined. Return to heat and continue cooking.
  4. Immediately and carefully pour the hot toffee onto the prepared baking pan, allowing it to spread into an even layer. Let cool and harden for about 20 minutes.
  5. Place the sheet of toffee on a cutting board or in a zip top bag. Use a mallet, rolling pin, or heavy object to crack it into small pieces. You can also cut into bits with a sharp serrated knife. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

The Life of Pie

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You can take the boy out of science, but you can’t take science out of the boy.

Blackberries were on sale this week and, of course, I couldn’t resist. I had no idea how to use them, but knew something would come to me.

I also had some plain yogurt left over from a Blueberry Cake I made recently and wanted to use it up. I also had a pie crust frozen in the freezer left over from a Banana Cream Pie and a piece of puff pastry that was ending its useful life.

I decided to make Berry Hand Pies – half with pie crust (for the first time) and half with puff pastry. I also made half of each with fillings made with yogurt or cream cheese.

I preferred the puff pastry version while QC liked the pie crust variety. Both the yogurt based and cream cheese based filled were equally delicious.

Berry Hand Pie

INGREDIENTS
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 sheet Trader Joe’s puff pastry, thawed but cool.
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoons granulated sugar or decorating sugar
• ¼ cup white chocolate chips
• 3 ounces berries
• 2 tablespoons coarse white sugar or decorating sugar

METHOD

  1. Stir the cream cheese and granulated sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the white chocolate chips.
  2. Cut large berries in half.
  3. Sprinkle the flour on the work surface. Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Using a round cutter, cut into as many 4 -inch circles as you can.
  4. Brush the edges of the pastry circles with the egg mixture. Place about ½ tablespoon cream cheese mixture in the center of each. (Don’t overfill.) Top each with about one small or two halves of a large berry. Fold the circles in half, pinching the edges together. Crimp both edges with a fork. If you don’t seal them adequately or have to much filling it will leak out of the sides of the finished pastry.
  5. Brush the pastries with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Using a sharp knife cut small slits in the tops of the filled pastries. Place the pastries onto a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Turkish Bread – Francala

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I saw a video on YouTube on how to make Turkish Bread. It caught my attention because of the “sauce” baked inside each loaf. The sauce is a mixture of water, flour and oil painted on the flattened circle of dough before it is rolled up.

The bread is soft, flavorful with a crisp crackling crust.

The published recipe instructed me to make 12 loaves, but after forming the first two I combined them to make six larger loaves (as pictured.) These are about 6” long .

Turkish Bread – Francala – Somum Ekmek

INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
• 10 g (1 Tbl) dry yeast
• 20 g (1 Tbl) sugar
• 100 ml milk
• 200 ml water
• 420 g (3.5c) bread flour
• 8 g (1 tsp) salt
• 20 ml (2 Tbl) oil
For the sauce:
• 20 g (1 Tbl) flour
• 10 ml (1 Tbl) oil
• 30 ml (3 Tbl) water

METHOD

  1. Add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix into a shaggy mass
  2. Knead in the bowl to a smooth sticky dough then cover and let ferment until it doubles in size
  3. Add the flour, oil and water in a small bowl and mix until it is a smooth consistency
  4. Deflate the dough on a lightly floured surface then form into a ball and divide it into 6 pieces
  5. Shape each piece into a ball then use your fingers to pat the dough into a flat bumpy circle about 5” diameter turn over and repeat
  6. Coat the dough with the sauce and fold it over pressing the seam as you go. Pinch the ends and seam together and roll out slightly to taper the ends
  7. Place on a baking sheet, cover and let sit for an hour
  8. After 30 minutes preheat the oven to 450ᵒF
  9. Sprinkle flour on top then cut with a curve, lengthwise score with a lame
  10. Add a cup of hot water to a container in the oven
  11. Drop the temperature to 375ᵒF and bake for ~20-30 min? Check internal temperature after 20 min.
  12. Should be finished baking when ~ 210-220ᵒF