Creme Caramel:

Tags

caramel, classic, cream, creme, dessert, egg, french, lemon, milk, recipe, vanilla, world

Crème caramel, flan or caramel custard is a custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top, as opposed to crème brûlée, which is custard with a hard caramel top. The dish is eaten throughout the world . Crème caramel used to be ubiquitous in European restaurants; food historian Alan Davidson remarks: In the later part of the 20th century crème caramel occupied an excessively large amount of territory in European restaurant dessert menus. This was probably due to the convenience, for restaurateurs, of being able to prepare a lot in advance and keep them until needed.

Ingredients for about 6 portions:

 150 ml of milk cream. 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, 4 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk, 120 grams of caster sugar, 450 ml of whole milk.

(For caramel):

 150 grams of caster sugar, 4 tablespoons of water.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180°C. In a sauce pan heat the milk and vanilla extract, slowly, until boiling and switch off. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. Then add cream to the milk. In a mixing bowl beat the eggs with sugar without incorporate air (on low speed for about 2 minutes). Pour cream mixture a little at time, whisking for few seconds. Prepare the caramel in a ungreased sauce pan, melting fine the sugar and water until golden and put in the steel containers. Chill caramel and then pour the mixture. Take a high baking tin and full for 3/4 of boiling water. Put then crème caramel and bake for about 50 minutes. Chill at room temperature and then take off slowly with a knife. Serve cool.

 

 

Flan Pâtissier:

Tags

cream, custard, flan, france, french, paris, pastry, patissier, puff, recipe, vanilla, world

 

 

Ingredients (cake pan 24 cm):

1 litre of milk, 1 puff pastry roll (230 grams), 250 grams of sugar, 5 eggs yolk, 50 grams of cornstarch, 250 grams of milk cream, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 lemon zest.

Preparation:

In a sauce pan put in the eggs yolks and the sugar. Stir lightly mixing fine. Add cornstarch and beat fine until fluffy. Add the milk and cream slowly and stir sweetly. Add vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix. Cook for about 15 minutes until light thick. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line cake pan with a baking sheet and put in the cold puff pastry roll and then fill with the curd. Bake for about 1 hour. Chill at room temperature. Serve cool.

Original Scandinavian Kanelbollers (Cinnamon Rolls):

Tags

breakfast, brioche, cinnamon, europe, finland, icing, Kanelboller, nordic, north, norway, recipe, roll, scandinavia, sugar, swedish, sweet, world

It ‘s a rolled sheet of yeast-leavened dough onto which a cinnamon and sugar mixture (and raisins or other ingredients in some rare cases) is sprinkled over a thin coat of butter. The dough is then rolled, cut into individual portions, and baked. In North America, cinnamon rolls are frequently topped with icing (usually confectioners’ sugar based) or glaze of some sort. In Northern Europe, nib sugar is usually used instead of icing. In Sweden, the country of its presumed origin, the cinnamon roll takes the name of kanelbulle (literally: “cinnamon bun”) and October 4th has more recently started to be promoted as “kanelbullens dag” (Cinnamon Roll Day. A German variety originating in Hamburg and its surroundings is the Franzbrötchen. The size of a cinnamon roll varies from place to place, but many vendors supply a smaller size about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in diameter and a larger size about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) to a side. The largest variety can be found in Finland, called Korvapuusti, where it can be up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in diameter and weighing 200 grams (7.1 oz). The Finnish “Boston cake” is a “cake” made by baking cinnamon rolls in a round cake pan instead of baking them separately, so that they stick together to form a round cake.

 

 

Ingredients (about 24 rolls):

 (For the dough):

2 packages active dry yeast, half cup warm water (50°C), 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of butter, 3/4  cup scalded milk, 2 eggs, 3 ½ cup of all-purpose flour, half cup of butter (room temperature).

(For the filling):

 5 tablespoons of sugar, 3 teaspoons of powdered cinnamon.

(For the icing):

 1 cup of  powdered sugar, 1/4 cup of warm water.

Preparation:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the salt, sugar and 2 tablespoons of butter to the scalded milk; cool to lukewarm. Add milk mixture to the yeast mixture and beat in the eggs. Mix in 3 ½ cups of flour, beating until dough is satiny and smooth and rather soft. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Dust dough with additional flour. Scrape down sides of bowl. Rub work surface with oil and turn dough out onto it. Dust lightly with flour if necessary to prevent stickiness on the surface of the dough. Pat out to make a rectangle (about 23 by 26cm). Spread half of the butter along one long half of the dough. Fold unbuttered side over the dough. Press edges together. Transfer onto an oiled baking sheet and chill for 1 hour. Without removing dough from the baking sheet, pat out to 23 by 33 cm. Spread center third with the remaining butter. Fold one side of dough over the buttered center, then fold other side over to make 3 ticknesses of dough. You should end up with close to a square shape. Chill 1 hour longer. On a lightly floured board, roll dough out to make a 33 cm square. Combine the tablespoons of sugar and powdered cinnamon. Sprinkle over the dough. Roll up as for a jelly roll. Cut into 24 slices. Lightly grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper cupcake liners. Place one slice of dough with cut side up into each. Let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C and bake for 15-20 minutes (until golden). If you prefer you can icing rolls preparing the glaze with powdered sugar and warm water for garnish.

 

Italian Prato Peaches:

Tags

alchermes, brioche, custard, italy, liquor, peaches, prato, recipe, sweet, tuscany, vanilla, world

At the end of March 1861 a huge dinner party was held in Prato (near Florence) at Contrucci in Piazza del Duomo to celebrate Italian unification. The chef served the most famous national specialities. The dinner was often interrupted by enthusiastic applause, both for the citizens of Prato who fought hardest during the Risorgimento and also for the chef who had prepared such delicious dishes. The dessert was the crowning glory of the whole meal though. The chef served confectionery peaches, each one which an Italian flag stuck in exactly where Italy is in the world. They were such a roaring success that Pratese confectioners began making them immediately and they have been made ever since.

 

 

 

 

 

(For the dough):

250 grams of all purpose flour, 75 grams of caster sugar, 80 grams of butter at room temperature, 3,5 grams of active dry yeast, 15 grams of honey, 1,5 grams of salt, half lemon zest, half teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 large eggs.

(For the filling):

 150 ml of milk, 100 ml of cream, 70 grams of sugar, 12 grams of cornstarch, 12 grams of weak flour, 3 eggs yolk.

(For the syrup):

About a cup of 1/3 of Alchermes Liquor, 1/3 of sugar, 1/3 of water (for drench).

Preparation:

In a food processor with steel blade in place beat all ingredients for the dough for about 4 minutes on medium speed. Put the dough in a large bowl. Cover and put to  rise in the  oven (light on) for about 2 hours until doubling. Create about 8 small balls each 100 grams of dough and put in a large baking tin line with a baking sheet, spaced it because rise another time. Push each ball lightly and put to rise for still 2 hours. Preheat oven to 200°C. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden. Chill at room temperature. In a sauce pan heat the milk with lemon zest and vanilla extract.In a medium bowl beat eggs yolk with cornstarch, sugar and flour. A little at time pour hot milk in the mixture and stir slowly. Put back in the sauce pan and heat until boiling, slowly, stir often until thick. Prepare the syrup heating all ingredients (35°C) and chill. Drench a peach in the syrup and filling with the custard and cover with another peach drench in the syrup. Chill in the fridge for about 1 hour. Serve cool.

Dark Chocolate Souffle:

Tags

chocolate, dessert, france, french, recipe, souffle, sweet, world

 

 

 

Ingredients for 4 souffles:

150 grams of whole milk, 140 grams of high quality dark chocolate, 10 grams of cornstarch, 40 grams of icing sugar, 140 grams of egg whites, 40 grams of egg yolks.

Preparation:

Melt the chocolate to bain-marie and and put aside. Bring to boiling the milk with cornstarch. Pour into chocolate mixture and stir fine.  In a mixing bowl beat egg whites with icing sugar until firm. Pour eggs whites mixture (half) in the chocolate mixture and add the egg yolks and whisk fine. Incorporate from bottom to top the other egg whites mixture. Grease with some butter the souffle cocottes and dust with some sugar. Prepare any baking sheet strips (high 7-8 cm)  of the same circumference of the cocottes. Wire with some kitchen string. Preheat oven to 190°C. Bake for about 12 minutes. Remove the kitchen string and baking sheet strip from each one cocotte and serve hot.

True Italian Paradise Cake:

Tags

butter, cake, good, icing, italian, italy, paradise, recipe, soft, sugar, sweet, world

Paradise cake is one of the most traditional Italian desserts. Light and airy, this cake is fairly simple to make and, together with Margherita Cake, is considered a cornerstone of Italian pastry. Legend has it that paradise cake was invented by a monk at a monastery in Pavia, in the region of Lombardia. There are different various versions of this story, but almost all of them suggest that the monk learned to make the cake from a young bride who lived near the monastery. Since the cake was so good, she suggested to the monks to name it paradise cake. The real origin of the cake dates back further in history. There were already multiple versions of the recipe in existence in 1878, when pastry chef, Enrico Vigoni, the owner of a pastry shop in Pavia that is still in business today, codified the recipe, making it famous throughout Italy.

 

Ingredients for a cake pan (24 cm):

200 grams of butter (room temperature), 200 grams of caster sugar, 100 grams of weak flour, 100 grams of potato flour, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 6 egg yolks, 3 egg whites, a package of baking powder, a pinch of salt, a lemon zest or orange zest (optional), a little of icing sugar for dusting.

Preparation:

Grease with some butter a cake pan and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 180°C. In a mixing bowl or food processor with a steel blade in place, beat the butter until smooth and light. Pour a little of time the sugar and beat on medium speed. Add one at time the egg yolks until will be fine incorporated. Switch off the food processor. In a large bowl sift the flours and baking. Pour the flour mixture a little at time on low speed into butter mixture for about 1 minute. Add the salt, the lemon or orange zest and then vanilla extract and beat for another minute. In the main time beat until still and foamy the egg whites. Incorporate gently the egg whites with a wooden spoon until obtain a smooth and light dough.  Bake for about 50 minutes. If necessary you can cover to half baking the cake with a food aluminium sheet for avoid that the cake burns. Chill at room temperature and then dusting with icing sugar.

Traditional Icelandic Marriage Cake:

Tags

berries, cake, Hjónabandssaela, iceland, icelandic, jam, marriage, oat, rhubarb, traditional

Hjónabandssaela, or “Happy Marriage” Cake, is a traditional Icelandic oatmeal cake with rhubarb jam, which used to be served at every coffee break and birthday party. Many Icelanders grow rhubarb in their gardens because it is one of the few types of vegetables that grow effortlessly in Iceland. Rhubarb is traditionally used for stew, soup, jam and traditional cakes like randalín, a layer cake, and hjónabandssaela. You can buy rhubarb jam at any grocery store, but it is much more fun to make the jam from scratch. It isn’t especially difficult, and although rhubarb jam was traditionally made boil for hours, days even, that is not necessary when making jam for cake. It is unclear why this cake is called hjónabandssaela, which translates to “Happy Marriage.” It does not have a tradition of being served at weddings, but was apparently considered containing the secret ingredient to a happy marriage.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

(For the dough):

1 cup of powdered oat bran or oat flour, 1 cup of weak flour, half cup of caster sugar, 1 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate, 1 cup of butter (room temperature), 1 whole egg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

(For the filling):

 3/4 cup of berries or rhubarb jam.

(Optional):

Whipping cream and any berries for garnish.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200°C. In a mixing bowl, or in the food processor with steel blade in place, combine the flours, sodium bicarbonate and sugar. Slice the butter and add to the flour mixture with vanilla extract. Cut in using a pastry blender or on/off bursts of the food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat in the egg and mix until a dough forms. Chill 1 hour in the fridge. Press 2/3 of the chilled dough in a ungreased cake pan (24 cm). Sprinkle jam and covering the cake with remaining crumbling dough. Bake for about 27-30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Swedish Chokladbollars:

Tags

chockladbollar, cocoa, coconut, coffee, europe, north, oatmeal, recipe, swede, swedish, sweet

Chokladbollar (literally “chocolate ball”) is a popular Swedish confectionery – a type of fridge cake. The original name was negerboll (literally “negro ball”) but this is today considered controversial because of its association with the potentially racist term neger (en: negro).The chokladboll is usually slightly smaller than a golfball. The chokladboll consists of oatmeal, sugar, coffee, cocoa, butter, and sometimes a pinch of vanilla sugar, which is mixed to a compact mass. Balls are formed and then rolled in nib sugar, shredded coconut, or sprinkles. Chokladboll can be eaten immediately, but it is usually first placed in the refrigerator for about an hour or in the freezer for those who prefer a harder variety. Because of its simple recipe, it can be quickly made by anyone and is popular at children’s parties and as homemade candy.

 

 

 

Ingredients (for about 30 small balls):

100 grams of butter, 1 cup of  icing sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 3 cups of oatmeal, 3 tablespoons of cold coffee, coconut powder for garnish (h.n).

Preparation:

Melt the butter fine in the microwave oven. Pour it in a medium bowl and add a little at time the others ingredients and mix fine. Put in the fridge for 1 hour. Make any small balls with  the hands and pass in to the coconut powder. Chill in the fridge for still 15 minutes before of serve it.