Most Frequently Used Tools

Jeff suggested I write a post on my favorite tools. I've been mulling about it for awhile and it is so difficult because there is so much! I look around my kitchen and get overwhelmed by the abundance of gadgets. I must note that most of what I see are gifts, very much appreciated gifts. From the luxurious single purpose apple peeler/corer/slicer ( from a friend, 2 years ago) and down to the the most basic thingamajigs such as liquid measuring cup (from a cousin, 12 years ago) have been given to me.

To simplify the selection process, I thought I'd feature the tools as Rosalind and I use them. We are about to make crepes and aptly enough, we will start with our most frequently used tools:

Whisk (Santa, 12 years ago). Whisking is the fastest, most efficient way to incorporate ingredients by hand.

Liquid Measuring Cup (4 cup capacity). Measure and mix ingredients in the same receptacle. Since it is made out of glass, we can pop it in the microwave to melt butter or chocolate if need be.

Dry measuring cups (Santa, 12 years ago). Besides using a scale, these are the most accurate measures of dry ingredients.

Buche de Noel

If you skip all the decorations to guise the cake as a log, this makes a scrumptious chocolate roulade. This is definitely not a one bowl recipe. It takes a few extra steps than our usual endeavor, but it is really pretty simple. Notice that the list of ingredients consists of four things: chocolate, heavy cream, egg whites and sugar.

BUCHE DE NOEL

For the cake:
8 oz semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
7 eggs whites
2 Tablespoons sugar

For the filling and glaze
1 lb semisweet chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
another 1/2 cup heavy cream for the filling

To make the cake:

STEP 1
Microwave 1 cup cream in a glass liquid measuring cup (4 cups capacity) until it comes to a boil (about 1 minute). Add the chocolate (8oz) to the cream and let sit for a minute

and then whisk together until smooth, making sure the all the chocolate is melted.

This is our ganache for the cake.


STEP 2
Beat the eggs whites on medium speed until frothy (use the whisk attachment if using Kitchenaid mixer).

Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar.

Beat until stiff glossy peaks form. (We got somewhat overzealous and over beat the eggs slightly but this meringue cake is so forgiving that it all turned out okay.)

Take about 1/4 of the whites and mix it with the ganache to lighten it

then dump the whole thing to bowl of whites. Gently fold together.

Pour the batter in a half-sheet pan (or a cookie sheet) lined with greased parchment paper. It is very important to grease the parchment; it makes it easier to peel and roll the cake later.
Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

To make the glaze and filling:

Microwave 2 cups cream in a glass liquid measuring cup (4 cups capacity) until it comes to a boil (about 1 1/2 minutes). Add the chocolate (1 lb) to the cream and let sit for a minute or so and then whisk together until smooth. Allow to cool. This is our ganache for the filling and glaze.

Now we'll make chocolate "mousse" for the filling. Whisk the 1/2 cup cream until thickened.

Add 1 cup of the cooled ganache

and beat until stiff.

Refrigerate the "mousse" until ready to use.

Save about 1/8 cup of the remaining ganache to use as glue for the meringue mushrooms (if you're making them) and the rest can be used to glaze the cake. The glaze can be kept at room temperature until ready to use.

To assemble the cake:

Release the sides of the cake from the pan by running a knife around the cake. Spread the chocolate mousse on top of the cake, leaving about an inch margin all around.

Gently roll the cake onto itself, pulling off the paper as you roll.

If needed, you can use a metal spatula to completely release the cake.

Cover the rolled cake with the used parchment paper, tucking under the paper to keep the roundish shape of the log. Refrigerate for about half an hour to let the cake set. It would also be easier to move the cake after it has been refrigerated.

Pour the glaze over the cake. Use a spatula to cover every inch of it. With a fork, make marks resembling that of a log.

Trim the edges of the log and decorate with meringue mushrooms, fresh herbs or shaved chocolate.

Meringue Mushrooms

Since I made around a hundred meringue mushrooms at the restaurant on Christmas Eve, I was sorely tempted to just grab a couple to decorate our yule log but I'm glad I didn't. Rosalind had a blast making these little things. To her, it was the most exciting part of the project!

Meringue Mushrooms

1 egg white
pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar

about 1/8 cup ganache or melted chocolate (as glue)

Whip the egg white and salt until white and opaque.

With the mixer on high speed, slowly add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time.

Continue whipping until the mixture is stiff and glossy.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the meringue. Hold the bag perpendicular to a pan (lined with Silpat or parchment paper) and pipe out various sizes of mushroom caps. With your fingertips, you can brush away the points on the caps.

Hold the bag in the same position, and pipe out stems of various heights.

Bake the mushroom parts in a 250F oven for about 45 minutes. Notice that the tops of the mushroom caps are shiny and smooth and the undersides are textured--like real mushrooms!

Attach the stems using the ganache (or melted chocolate) as glue.

Happy Holidays!

Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

We were left with seven egg yolks after making buche de noel. The first thing that came to mind was flan, until I saw: 1.) half a loaf of french bread that would only be good for panini or french toast and 2.) a couple of apples that were almost past their prime. That's how I decided to make bread pudding.

I'm a great advocate of bread pudding because this very simple dessert opens up all sorts of possibilities. We just ran out of regular milk so I decided to use evaporated milk. Any type of dairy is a possibility, sometimes even nondairy. (Turkey stuffing is a kind of bread pudding, using stock/broth as the liquid base.) Any type of fruit would do as well: fresh, dried, or frozen. In any case, bread pudding is amenable to personal taste and resources.



Apple Cinnamon Bread pudding

about 3 cups cut up french bread
2 apples, peeled and chopped
7 egg yolks
1 can evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

In large bowl, whisk together, yolks, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add bread and apples. Mix until combined.



Put the mixture in a greased baking pan (springform, round/square cake pan, or loaf pan) and pat down. Lining the pan with parchment or wax paper is not really necessary, though it makes it easier to remove the bread pudding from the pan and it prevents leakage if you are using a springform pan.



Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top (2 tablespoon sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon).



Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes.



And if you are a sad case like me and always have caramel sauce stored in the fridge, brush some on top to make the bread pudding gleam!



This can be made ahead of time. Cool and refrigerate at this point. To reheat, pop it in a 350F oven for 15 minutes or so.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding With Orange Cranberry Compote

A couple of months ago, I took on a second job working for a pastry chef who started training for her career at the age of eleven. Needless to say, she knows her craft. She's very particular and meticulous. She also has a sharp tongue. Many times, I had to hold back a retort or my tears; and every time, I was glad I did. Her criticism, no matter how harshly worded, caused me to stop and reevaluate how I do things. What makes everything bearable is that she is very willing to pass on her knowledge as well as help me with the issues I face at my pastry chef job at the restaurant. So I latch on to her like a leech and pick her brain.

"Waste not, want not" is our motto. In her pastry shop, everything is well thought out so that nothing gets wasted. Her mastery of baking techniques and theories is all well and good, but there is something to be said for being able to transform a dreaded ingredient such as prunes into a confection that everyone raves about (by soaking them in cognac then pureeing and using this puree as filling for a flaky cookie dough).

This pumpkin bread pudding was her idea. After Thanksgiving, I got stuck with ten leftover pumpkin tarts at the restaurant. She told me to stop fretting and just make bread pudding out of them. With that idea, I came up with pumpkin walnut bread pudding with orange cranberry compote. The dessert was quite a success that I continued making it weeks after I got rid of those ten tarts. Initially, I just used a custard batter (cream, eggs, and sugar) and added cut up pumpkin tarts (including the crust) and cut up bread. When all the tarts were gone, I made pumpkin pie filling and added pieces of buttery bread (croissant, brioche, even pie crust) for the bread pudding.

Cookies Cookies Everywhere

For Steve's work


For Lola's work

For Rosalind's school

Crinkles or Crackles

Crinkle crackle cookies are such fun! I originally developed this recipe to use for ice cream sandwiches but these cookies can definitely stand on their own because they are so versatile and pretty.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups all purpose flour

In a large bowl (or a KitchenAid bowl with paddle attachment), beat together eggs, both sugars, and vanilla until thick. Mix in cocoa and baking powder until well incorporated, starting with low speed and gradually increasing the speed. Add the melted butter. Stir in the flour.

It will be easier to work with the dough if you refrigerate it for an hour or so.

Scoop out 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar, coconut, sunflower seeds, or chopped nuts.






Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes.