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Citrus Augustus

Orange and grapefruit with peppermint toffee.

Serves 4:

3 oranges
3 grapefruits

100 g sugar
30 ml water
1 Tbsp finely chopped peppermint
100 ml cream

Use a paring knife to remove all the peel, white pith, and membrane from outside the fruit. The flesh should be exposed.
 For each section, cut between the fruit and membrane on each side. Lift out each segment and put them on small serving bowls. Set aside.
Bring the sugar and water to boil until it caramelizes.
Add cream and peppermint while stirring the mixture constantly.
Remove from heat.

Serve the orange and grapefruit with ice cream and peppermint toffee.

August 18, 2008 | Filed under custards, fillings, sauces, and glazes, fruit desserts and jams | 5 Comments 

The Daquoise show

A spirals’ coreography cheers the small meringue discs.
At the oven’s compass, chocolate comes for a solo.
Dacquoise stands up between the ganache and the play ends with an hungry standing ovation…

Hazelnut Dacquoise with chocolate

To make 22 meringue circles:

215 g skinned hazelnuts: 80 g in small pieces + 135 g powdered
150 g Icing sugar
5 egg whites
50 g extrafine sugar
Icing sugar to sprinkle

Pre-heat the oven to 170º C.
Combine icing sugar with the powdered nuts and seive.
Whip the egg whites and add sugar until the whites form firm peaks.
Slowly fold the nut mixture into the whites with a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined.
Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Pipe the meringue on the prepared pan into spirals starting at the center of each circle (12 cms diameter).
Sprinkle the hazelnuts in small pieces over the meringue circles.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and wait 10 minutes. Repeat this process and wait 10 minutes more.
Bake the dacquoises until they’re golden and firm (20 minutes).
Cool on racks.


Chocolate ganache

To make 320 g:
150 g butter
160 g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
110 ml whole milk

Soften the butter with a fork until it gets creamy. Set aside.
Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl.
Bring the milk to boil over medium heat.
Slowly pour the milk over the chocolate and gently stir in circles.
When the mixture is below 60ºC add the butter.
Stir gently and as little as possible to keep the soft texture.
Let it cool until it gets a creamy texture.
Transfer the ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip.

To assemble:

Place one meringue circle hazelnuts-up and make small ganache balls next to the edge. Top with another meringue circle.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.

August 17, 2008 | Filed under chocolate, custards, fillings, sauces, and glazes, meringues | 1 Comment 

Spicy sunday

While on my way from bed to the kitchen I mix everything, I go, went, return… It’s Sunday’s breakfast.

Spice bread

250 g honey
2 g soluble coffee
250 g bread flour
5 g baking powder
100 g dark brown sugar
100 g butter
2 eggs
1,2 dl milk
a pinch of salt
Vanilla
Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC.
Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
Mix the ingredients together and pour the batter into the pan.
Bake for 50 minutes.

August 16, 2008 | Filed under cakes, muffins and madeleines | 4 Comments 

A cinnamon “air”

A nostalgic feeling comes from the west mixed with the oriental cinnamon scent.
The confort of a familiar easy flavour in the total acceptance of the senses.
This way I fly home. From my kitchen I conquer the world…

Arroz doce

1 l whole milk
200 g short round rice
200 g sugar
4 egg yolks
4 dl water
pinch of salt
cinnamon stick
orange and lemon zest

In a pan, bring the milk to boil with the cinnamon and the zest. Sieve and set aside.
In another pan, combine water, rice and a pinch of salt and bring to boil over medium heat until liquid evaporates and the rice is just a little moisty.
Add the warm milk (4 dl at each time), bring to slow boil in low-heat.
Stir the rice ocasionally and when the milk is absorbed add more milk. Continue in this manner until you have used up all the milk adding sugar with last portion of milk.
When the rice is creamy and tender add the egg yolks previously whisked and mixed with a small portion of the warm milk.
Bring to low heat stirring constantly to cook the egg yolks without boiling.

Cinnamon “air”:

6 g soy lecithin
½ l milk
10 g powdered cinnamon

In a pan stir together milk, cinnamon and lecithin.
Let the lecithin hydrate for 3 minutes.
Using a hand powered cappuccino foamer, blend the liquid near the surface to create foam.
Continue for a couple of minutes until several spoonfuls of the foam “air” sit on top of the surface of the liquid.
Let sit for a minute or so to stabilize.
Spoon off directly to the plate.

August 16, 2008 | Filed under desserts, puddings and soufflés | 5 Comments 

Palmiers and a cup of coffee

Two seats, white tablecloth, palmiers and a cup of coffee, in a humble invitation to a warm conversation.

Palmiers

Puff pastry
Superfine sugar
Icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Slightly moist a parchment paper sheet.
Unfold or unroll the pastry to make a 15x25cms rectangle.
Sprinkle some sugar on both sides of the pastry. Roll it slightly to help sugar adhere to the pastry.
Starting at one large side of the rectangle, roll the pastry toward the center of the sheet, stopping at the middle. Repeat with the opposite large end, so the rolls meet.
Refrigerate to stiff pastry.
Cut into half-centimeter-thick slices and place flat on a baking sheet lined with the moist parchment paper.
Press with thumb each of the palmiers.
Sprinkle generously with icing sugar.
Bake until golden and puffed (8 minutes).

August 15, 2008 | Filed under cookies, biscuits and tuiles, petit-fours | 4 Comments 

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