Lindser Tart

Dough for the tart crust

Spreading raspberry puree filling

Final product once baked

Serves 6ea

Ingredients

Butter 1.8lb

Sugar 1.2oz

Eggs 3ea

Cake Crumbs 4oz

Cake flour 1lb14oz

Cinamon powder 1/2oz

Baking soda 1/2oz

Hazelnut powder 12oz

Raspberry puree 2lb

Method

• In a bowl mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar.
• Once it has formed a nice creamy paste add the cake crumbs, cake flour, baking soda, hazelnut powder and cinamon powder.
• Once it has totally incorported add in the eggs and mix it throughly.
• The dough will be ready for making tarts.
• Organize the tart mold six each and a rolling pin,.
• Divide the dough into six equal portions.
• Dust the table with little amount of cake flour and roll the dough flat about 1/2 inch thickness (do not excess pressure as the dough will stick to the rolling pin).
• Roll the dough back on the rolling pin and gently place on top of the tart.
• Insert the dough into the tart gently making sure not to break the dough.
• Trim off excess dough from the sides of the tart mold.
• Spread the raspberry puree 25oz each over the bottom of the tart.
• Cut strips of the dough and arrange it in a criss cross design or any design of your choice.
• Place it a pre-heated oven at 450*F for 15 minutes or until done.

Cake Decoration series

Music theme cake

Wedding cake 1

Kids play cake 1

Banquet style cake

Wedding cake 2

Spring cake

Beach cake

Kids play cake 2

Wedding cake 3

Wedding cake 4

Wedding Cake 5

Wedding cake 6

Beach party cake 2

Wedding cake 7

These are some of the creations from the future patessiers of the world. These show pieces were created by students of the Culinary Institute of America. They were given themes that need to reflected in the cakes that they make. There are competations held by the student bodies to encourage bringing out the hidden talent in the students at this prestigeous college.

Crep Raisin Bread

Crep Raisin Bread dough
Crep Raisin bread after baking

As promised i have here the second recipe for the unique bread that i was talking about in my last post. It is great to enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread. Being a raisn bread it has a sweet fragnance when you bake these breads.

Ingredients

Bread flour 6.2lb

Rye four 2.4lb

Rye sour dough 7.5oz

Sugar 10oz

Salt 2.5oz

Milk 5pint

Yeast 5oz

Butter 18oz

Raisin 2lb

Pecan/Walnuts 2lb

Method

• Pass the flour dough, rye flour though a fine mesh
• Add the sugar salt and yeast to the flour and mix it thoroughly (make sure that the salt goes in first and mix it to the flour before adding yeast, as yeast will not raise if salt is added over the yeast. As salt can kill the yeast)
• Place in the mixing bowl and add the butter let bind and then add the milk and the rye sour dough.
• Once it is mixed throughly add in the raisin and the nuts and mix it.
• Devide into 1lb torpedo shapes and bake it in the oven at 350*F
  
  

Chocolate cherry bread

Chocolate cherry bread dough

Chocolate Cherry bread after baking

This is one of the two different bread recipes that i would like to introduce to you. The two breads recipes that i am going to bring to you have unique flavor and has a texture and taste that is not found in other breads.

Ingredients:

Bread flour 2.5lb

White sour dough (mother dough) 1.5lb

Water 1.5lb

Coco powder sifted 6oz

Salt 1.25oz

Yeast 1.5oz

Coffee powder 2oz

Pre-fermented dough 1lb

Chocolate chips 1lb

Dried cherries 1lb

Method

• Before you can start off with this recipe we need to have mother dough which is pre-fermented dough that has been fed for 1 day with 1.5lb bread flour, pinch of yeast and water.
• Once we have the pre-fermented and mother dough, sift the coco powder, bread flour and coffee powder through a fine mesh.
• Mix the pre-fermented and mother dough together in a mixing bowl and add in the sifted ingredients into the bowl.
• Add water to the mixture (luke warm water) to activate the yeast and the gluten in the flour.
• Finally add in the chocolate chips and dried cherries into the bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Let rest for the yeast to develop in the bread. (the process that is going on inside the dough is the sugars feed the yeast and produces co2 gases and this gives the dough volume)
• Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 400*F

Pate d Choux photos

Swan made with pate d choux

pate d choux with whipped cream and vanilla sauce

pate d choux with cream and strawberry

In my earlier post i had explained the method of making pate d choux. Here i got the photos of the various presentation that can be done with pate d choux. The pate d choux is also used in the garde manger, with filling of foie gras.

Cookies delight Madeleines

Madeleines piped in moulds
Baked madeleines

I am sure everybody must have enjoyed the earlier post of the dutchess cookies that i had posted. I enjoyed making them and also the taste was absolutely great. This is another one of those easy to make cookies which is not time consuming and the ingredients are readily available. The great aspect of the baking process is that you dont need a commercial oven to prepare these cookies. It can be done with the oven at home.

Ingredients:

Sugar 14oz

Butter 9oz

Eggs 11oz

Vanilla extract (5 drops)

Lemon zest 1ea

Milk 5oz

All-purpose flour 14oz

Baking powder 1tsp

Method

• In a mixing bowl add the sugar and butter and whip it thoroughly until it forms a fine cream.
• Into this add the all purpose flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and milk and mix it thoroughly, it will form a dough.
• Add the eggs one at a time giving time for the egg to bind into the dough.
• Once all the eggs are finished whip it thoroughly to form a fine paste.
• If you have a mold for the cookies, the mixture can be piped into the mould or if you do not have a mold it can be piped into a tray lined with parchment paper.
• It needs to be baked in a oven at 350*F for about 10 minutes.

A dessert revered as tiramisu

Working in the kitchen, has a different edge to itself. The previledge of working in the kitchen is that you get to know the history of the food, the ingredients, chemical compositons and also the combinations that makes sure the recipe goes the extra mile. As the title for this post goes "A dessert revered as tiramisu" is because i have worked with this dessert for quite sometime now. Tiramisu has a unique taste of kalua which gives it a coffee liquourish flavor and has pieces of sponge cake which are again soaked in kalua that just melts in your mouth. There are other coffee liquors in the maket but it is advicable to use the kahlua because it reatains the sponge cake pieces together, in case of other coffee liquor it soaks the sponge cakes and does not retain the shape. I would not recommend this dessert for kids under the age of eighteen.

Ingredients:

Whipping cream 1 Pint
Mascarpone cheese 1 Pint

For the sabayon sauce

Egg Yolks 6 oz
Sugar 6 oz
Marsala wine 5 oz
Lemon rind (optional)

For the common maringue

Egg whites 8oz
Sugar 10oz

Sponge cake (lady finger) sprinkled with kahlua 3 ea(per serving)

Garnish

Coco powder

Method:

• Soak the sponge cake (individual pieces of sponge cake has to be arranged on a tray and soaked with kalua)


• In a mixing bowl whip the cream and the mascarpone cheese together until it gets stiff


• In a bowl mix egg yolks and sugar on a double boiler constantly mixing it, once it gets stiff add in the marsala wine (at this point chefs use lemon rind to flavor).


• Place it on the double boiler until i changes color and leaves a ribbon when the whisk is lifted.


• Make a common maringue unti it is soft peak.


• Add the mixture of whiped cream and mascarpone cheese to the egg whites and fold it, gradually add the sabayon and mix.


• Line matini glasses with the soaked sponge cake and pipe the mixture into these glasses and layer it in the middle with the soaked sponge cake. (I prefer piping to just pouring into the glasses is because when piped we do not get any air pockets and gives a good presentation)


• Sprinkle with coco powder.

Pate d Choux

This is a versatile recipe of pate d choux, which can be used for various uses in garde manger, pastry and stuffed pate d choux is something which we see in various hotels for display. As i was talking to chef Levy (the instructor for baking and pastry skills at the culinary institute of america), he jokingly told this would be a good test for any bakers or culinary professionals as this looks one of the easiest item to prepare but this includes a lot of skills to prepare. It is the right consistency that is required for the mixture to raise and leave the inside of the pate d choux hollow. The pate d choux can be stuffed with cream, marscapone, it is used in the filling of foie gras that is first prepared into a fine paste and then piped into the pate d choux. The techchiques have evloved from the past, the most intresting of the presentation with the pate d choux is the swan which has it's wings body and the neck piped sepearately and then once baked in the oven at 450*F for the the initial heat to brown the surface and then it is slowly cooked for it to retain the hollow shape. The different segements of the body,neck and the wings are then assembled together and held by the stuffing.

The recipe for making pate d choux is:

Water/diluted milk 1Pint
Butter 8oz
Salt 1tsp
Sugar 1/2oz
Eggs 10ea
Bread flour 11oz

These are the ingredients that are used in the production of pate d choux. As i had mentioned water or diluted milk is because, milk contains lactose which helps in the caramalization process and the pate d choux being baked initially at 450*F gives a dark brown color which does not enhance the eye appeal of the end product.

Method: Video 1 Video 2

• In a sauce pan pour the water add sugar and salt and bring it to a boil.
• Once it comes to a boil add the butter to the pan and let it melt and let is boil.
• When it is come to a boil add in the flour and immedietly mix it with a wooden spatula.
• Mix it thoroughly until the liquid in the mixture dries out.
• Transfer the dried dough to the mixing bowl and gently add the eggs one by one into the mixture until it gets a even glaze.
• Now the mixture is ready to be piped.

The other variation of the same recipe is Pommes d fin which is mashed potato mixed with pate d choux and fried in a deep fryer. This needs to control the amount of liquid being used accordingly as the potatos contain moisture.

Dutchess cookies

This is the dutchess cookies after baking

When you have guests in your house, waiting for the professional chef at home (the host) to prepare cookies for the tea party. It is best to have something that is simple and not tiring but easy to bake and also not expensive. This is just one of that wonderful cookies that you can try at home.

Ingredients:

Almond flour 8oz

Sugar 6oz

Cake flour 1.5oz

Egg White 4oz

For the common Maringue:

Egg whites 8oz

Sugar 3oz

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 450*F
• In a clean bowl mix Almond flour, sugar, cake flour and egg whites together.
• In a mixing bowl pour the egg whites and whip with a hand held blender until it gets frothy
• Keep the blender at high while generously adding the sugar until it comes to a stiff peak
• Fold in the mixture(almond flour, sugar, cake flour and egg whites) and mix everything together.
• Pour the mixture over a cookie mold or pipe it according to your requirements
• Bake it in the oven until it get a even golden brown color.

Crystal maze

Sugar decoration

Bavarian Cake

A bavarian cream cake is basically vanilla sauce that has it's shape retained by gelatin. The reason that it maintains it's texture and strength is due to the aerated structure. This is derived by measuring out equal proportions of ingredients in terms of weight. The bavarian cream as such can be used for various dessert preperations.

To make the Bavarian cream, we need to whip the cream, mix it with the vanilla sauce. The vanilla sauce should be allowed to cool and should maintain a temperture that is just warm. Any kind of flavoring needs to be added at this point. It is desirable to add extra flavoring as the whipped cream would reduce the final flavor of the product. (It is recommended to have the molds ready before preparation as the bavaraian cream will set soon).

Bavarian Cream:

Gelatin 1oz

Water 8floz

Heavy cream 32floz

Vanilla sauce 32floz

• Have the molds ready before preparation.
• In a bowl immerse the gelatin, until it is bloomed.
• Whip the cream to a soft peak.
• Have the vanilla sauce warm, into the sauce add the bloomed gelatin.
• Blend one third of the vanilla sauce with the whipped cream fold gently (as it is aerated it may loose volume)
• Mix in the remaining vanilla sauce and fold thoroughly.
• Pour the mixture into molds of your choice and refrigerate.

Vanilla sauce:

Egg yolks 12ea

Milk 1quart

Sugar 8oz

Vanilla extract 1/2tsp

• Heat the Milk and sugar with the extract to a boil.
• In another bowl whip the egg yolks thoroughly
• Add 1/4 portion of the mixture gently into the whipped egg yolks and temper it.
• Whisk it thoroughly and then add it back to the mixture and whisk it thoroughly, once it comes to a boil remove from heat and let cool.

Hard Ganache

We have seen those beautiful chocolate coated desserts, as we walk down the streets of New York. The smell of freshly baked breads filling the side walks, it just tempts us to walk in sit down, have a piece of that finely decorated desserts, with a cup of expresso. The clean silvers neatly arranged on the table, just welcoming you to join them to enjoy the freshness. It would be good to know how those shiny neatly coated chocolate desserts are made. The sheen of the chocolate depends on the tempering process. Usually tempering is done on a marble surface with the temperature being monitored. The ideal temperture for tempering dark chocolate is 84-86*F and in the case of white chocolate it would be 82-84*F.

There are different ways by which a dessert can be coated with chocolate and one of them is ganache which in french translates to: an emulsion of chocolate and cream. Ganache may also be made with butter or other liquids in place of cream.

There are two types of ganache (soft and hard).

Soft ganache:

Dark chocolate 1#4oz

Heavy cream 32floz

• Place the dark chocolate in a bowl
• Heat the cream to a simmer
• Pour the hot cream over the cocolate. Allow to stand for 1 minute, stirr until it is mixed thoroughly.
• It can be refrigerated for further use (needs to be melted on a double boiler when it is ready to be used again).

Hard ganache:

Dark chocolate 4#

Heavy cream 32floz

• Place the dark chocolate in a bowl
• Heat the cream to a simmer
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Allow to stand for 1 minute, stirr until it is mixed.
• It is recommended to use the hard ganache immedietly (as it hardens quickly)
• Also can be stored in refrigerator for further use (needs to be melted on a double boiler when it ready to be used again).

Sugar Decorations

Sugar decoration

This is a world, filled with fantasies. I would describe a true fantasy is in any form of art. My friend who is a baking and pastry student at the culinary institue of america was exited, when she heard i was going to take photos of her work. I found that nature comes alive in the forms we create, there are different ways to interpret this and she found solice in expressing it with sugar. I was overwhelmed, as i looked at the various creations that they had in store for me when i entered the classroom filled with future pattisiers readily allowing me to take photos of their decorations with sugar.

This is one of the sites that i found would help my picture above:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs2vkjYUaKA&feature=related

Pretzels

Freshly baked Blueberry muffins

Pretzels right out of the oven

Pretzels are of different sizes and they are available all over the world. It is has its history dating back to 1111A.D, it has come a long way and has changed the way we make pretzel today.

The recipe for making pretzel is:

Bread flour 5#

Water 2Quart

Soft butter 7oz

Malt 2oz

Salt 2oz

Yeast 2oz

Pre fermented dough 1#

For the lye

Sodium Hydroxide pellets 10oz

Water 1 quart

• Mix the dough by adding the flour, pre fermented dough, yeast, malt, salt water and soft butter, the dough should be mixed until the flour on the sides of the bowl must come clean.
• Once it is mixed let it rest, covered until relazed for 30 mintues.
• Devide the dough into 5oz pieces.
• One at a time, stretch each piece of dough to 12 inches and make a loop, twist it once and then fold the end into the top loop.
• Place it on greaced perforated sheets and then let it rest in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
• Prepare lye louction, combine the waer and sodium hydrozide pellets, stirring until the pellets are completely dissolved. (Wear protective gloves and googles be careful not to get any of the soultion on your skin).
• Remove the pretzels from the freezer and alow them to stand for 5 to 10 minutes. (If you dip the pretzels right away, the water temperature will drop and the sodium hydroxide will be less likely to stay in the solution).
• Using tongs, dip the pretzels in the lye solution and then place them on the perforated sheets again to drain out excess liquid. Sprinkle immediately with coarse salt.
• Bake the pretzels in the oven at 475*F until it reaches a deep golden brown color, in 12 to 15 minutes, and let cool.

Working with lye

After pretzels are shaped and proofed, they are dipped in a solution of water and sodium hydroxide before baking. This caustic solution, known as lye, gives the surface of the pretzels their characteristic color, shine, and tangy, salty flavor. When the pretzels are baked, the sodium hydroxide is transformed into inert salts. Use caution when working with a lye solution. Wear googles and rubber gloves to prevent contact with the soultion. As the pretzels are dipped, they should be placed directly on perforated sheet tray to drain. Once they are all dipped, they need to directly go into the oven.

Meringues a pastry delight

Swiss maringue garnish over tarts and blowtorched
Piping of Maringue before baking in oven

Whipping egg whites and sugar together creates the light yet stable aerated mixture known as a meringue. Meringue is commonly used for topping and filling cakes and pastries. It can also be flavored and or dried in a low oven to make cookies, containers (which can be used to hold fruit, mousse, or sorbet) or layers for cakes. Meringue is also used as an ingredient in mousses and batters to lighten, aerate, and leaven them.

A basic ratio for a meringue is 1 part egg whites to 2 parts sugar. As the egg whites are whipped, air is incorporated and the whites break into smaller and smaller globules to form bubbles. When sugar is whipped into the egg whites, the agitation of the mixture and the moisture of the whites begin to dissolve the sugar, which in turn surrounds the air bubbles, coating them and making them more stable.

There are a few basic rules to keep in mind for making a successful meringue. All utensils must be impeccably clean and dry. Make sure that no traces of fat of any kind come in contact with the egg whites, whethere in the form of grease on the utensils or other equipment or from traces of egg yolks in the whites themselves. Fat will interfere with the protein stands which will prevent the egg whites from developing into a foam. A small amount of an acid (cream of tartar, lemon juice, or vinegar) will relax the proteins,helping to stabilize the meringue. You can introduce an acid simply by wiping the bowl clean with lemon juice or vinegar before adding the egg whites or by adding a small amount of cream of tartar to the whites just as they begin to foam. Never use cream of tartar when whipping in a coppor bowl, as it will cause a toxic reaction, turning the whites sightly green. Room temperature egg whites will whip up more readily. Be careful to use sugar that is free of impurities such as flour or other ingredients. Whip the egg whites on high speed until they are frothy, then gradually add the sugar while continuing to whip to the desired consistency (soft, medium, or stiff peak). Avoid overhwipping egg whites, as they become dry and lumpy, making them difficult to incorporate into other ingredients. Prepare meringue (espcially common meringue) just before you intend to use it, because it will begin to collapse if it stands for long time.

There are three types of meringue: common (french), swiss and Italian. Simply whipping the egg whites and sugar to the desired consistency makes common meringue. This is the simplest type of meringue to prepare and the least stable. Also, unless pasteurized whites are used, because of the potential danger of salmonella, uncooked or unbaked common meringue should not be eaten. Therefore, it is most often used in batters to provide leavening. It can also be used for making merinuge shells, bases or layers for cakes, and for piping simple decorations that are baked.

Swiss meringue is made by stirring the egg whites with sugar using a whip ove a hot water bath until they reach a temperature between 115*F and 165*F/46and 74*C, depending on the intended use. The whites are then whipped in a mixer to the desired peak. The meringue can be piped and baked, or dried, in the oven. Swiss meringue can also be used for the same preparations as common meringue to lighten mousses and creams, to fill various cakes, or to add a delicate piped shell border or other decoratie element. Swiss meringue is more stable than common meringue.

Italian meringue is made by whipping the egg whites in a mixer and then adding a cooked sugar syrup. The sugar is cooked to the soft ball stage (240*F/116*C) and added in a thin, steady stream to the whipping egg whites when they have reached the medium peak stage. The whites are then mixed on a medium speed to the desired peak. Italian meringue is the most stable of the meringues and is used in various mousses, buttercreams and for decor work.(above topic taken from baking and pastry)

Mousse

Rolls before the egg wash

The rolls right out of the oven

Creme Brulee being garnished

Though the photos do, not relate to the topic mousse, i just would like to bring the activities that happen in our kitchens.

Mousse

The name for this delicate dessert cmes froma french word that translates literally as frothy, foamy or light. To make a mousse, an aerator such as a whipped cream and or a meringue is folded into a base such as a fruit puree, vanilla sauce, cream or pudding, curd, sabayon, or pate a bombe. The base should be light and smooth so the aerator can be incorporated easily.

To make an egg-safe mousse, use pasteurized egg whites or a swiss or italian meringue. Stablizers such as gelatin may be used in variying amounts depending on the desired result. If a mousse is stablilized with gelatin, it will begin to set immediately, so prepare all molds, serving containers, and so forth before preparation.

Folding is the techinique used to combine a foamy mixture, such as meringue, shipped cream, or beaten egg whites, into a base mixture. The base is usually denser or firmer than the foam and will inevitably collapse the foam somewhat. Proper folding ensures that the foam loses as little volume as possible.

The base should be cooled if necessary befoe the foam is added. Add the foam to the base, rather than the other way around, and if using more than one foam, add the least stable one last. For example, if you are adding both a meringue and whipped cream, add the meringue first and then the cream.

Working quickly, add a small amount of the foam to the base to lighten it. Some pastry chefs add the foams in thrirds for the greater possible volume. Fold the foam in with a rubber spatula or other tool with a similar broad, flat surface. Using a cirular motion, gently run the spatula over the mixture, down and across the bottom of the bowl, and back up to the top again. Rotate the bowl as you work to mix the foam in evenly. Continue to fold the base and foam together until you have an even color and consistency, with no visible pockets of meringue, whipped cream.(Above topic taken from baking and pastry mastering the art and craft)

Maringues are devided into three types:

Common ratio 10oz sugar, 1#egg white

Swiss ratio 1#egg white, 1to2#sugar

Italian ratio 22oz sugar, 7oz liquid and then add common maringue.

Cherry clafouti

This is a recipe that serves for 4 people

For the clafouti

Eggs 6ea
Sugar 3oz
Vanilla bean Split and scraped 1ea
Salt 1 pinch
Brown Rum 2Tbsp
Milk 3/4cup
Flour 3oz
Butter for greasing
Fresh Cherreis pitted 1.5#

For the Cherry Sauce

Fresh Cherries pitted 1Cup
Confectioners sugar 1Tbsp

For the Garnish

Fresh Cherries
Melted White chocolate
Confectioners Sugar
Cookie twirls
Mint

Directions:

For the clafouti: Crack the eggs into a bowl, and sugar and whisk together until foamy. Add the vanilla bean and salt, whisk in the rum and milk, then fold in the flour. Liberally grease four oven-proof remekins with the butter. Fill each ramekin 1/4 full with the batter. Divide the cherries evenly among the remekins, and fill to the top with the remaining batter. Bake in a 325* oven for 40 minutes. Remove, allow to cool slightly, then turn the clafoutis out of the remekins.

For the cherry sauce: Place the cherries and sugar together in a blender and puree to a smooth consistency.

To Serve: Cut a wedge out of the clafouti, positon together on the plate, and spoon the sauce onto the plate beside it. Place fresh cherries on the plate and drizzle the chocolate over them. Garnish the dish with the confectioner's sugar, cookies and mint.