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Friday, July 24, 2009

Croissants



I must confess that I’m not a Croissant lover. I know, I know…but I prefer desserts that are fruit forward, nutty, deeply deliciously chocolate...or heck, all of those. And as much as I can see why other people love them, I have “eh” feelings towards Croissants. However, after making them for the first time, I feel kind of enlightened.

I think it is the very fact that I’m not mesmerized with eating Croissants that allowed me to focus on (and become mesmerized with) making them. I am fascinated by the skill and science behind these flaky, layered, crescent-shaped butter fiends. They take real skill and precision to perfect.

First of all, it’s true that Croissants are primarily butter…with a little flour, sugar, salt, yeast, egg and milk thrown in the mix. Here’s how it goes…

There are two basic components to making Croissants (same thing is true for Puff Pastry and Danish dough as well):

1. The Dough Block (called the “Detrempe”)

2. The Butter Block (called the “Beurrage”)

The two are pretty self-explanatory. After making, rolling and chilling the Dough Block, it’s time to make the Butter block…which is literally a block of butter. The recipe I followed uses 3 sticks of butter in the Butter Block (not to mention the 1 stick already in the Dough). The butter sticks are halved and pressed together into a square to create the Butter Block, which is then inserted into the rolled out dough.



The dough gets wrapped up around the butter and the edges are pinched shut. Next, the whole thing gets rolled into a rectangle, folded into thirds (called a “letter fold”) and refrigerated again. The rolling and folding step gets repeated three times.



When Croissants bake, the water in the butter (butter is 20% water) evaporates creating steam. The steam then lifts the dough layers apart, poofing the whole thing up. The layers then set as they cook and create the airy, flaky texture that many people know and love.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Rainier Cherry and Almond Frangipane Tart

Rainier Cherries should be celebrated and experienced by all. These aren’t your typical red cherries (which I do love as well), but are a bit more unique and lesser known. They are bigger than most cherries and are yellowish-orange-pinky-red…the colors all sort of swirled together like a beautiful sunset.



Rainier Cherries have a taste that stands up to their beauty. They have a subtle tartness that is softened and made even more delicious by the extra sweet juiciness of their mellow flesh. They are the stage for a very sophisticated balance of flavors that make them intensely appealing…they taste like something both familiar and new.

What better way to show off these fruit jewels than in a lovely tart? A tart that is fruit forward, tastes delicious and is perfectly summer. A Rainier Cherry and Almond Frangipane Tart. Now, how does that sound?

This tart has the sort of rustic, homey appeal of a pie…with refined touches that make it a bit more elegant.



The crust is made with almond flour, which gets deep and nutty when baked. It plays nicely with the Almond Frangipane filling which has a lighter, gentle almond taste.

The cherries are pushed into the uncooked Frangipane filling and the whole tart is then popped into the oven to bake. About 35 minutes later, out comes a lush, beauty of a tart. It is Rainier Cherry Perfection, and simple to make too.




Rainier Cherry and Almond Frangipane Tart

Almond Tart Dough:
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup "AP" (All Purpose) flour
1/2 cups almond flour
1 large egg
1/8 tsp salt

Cut butter into 1" pieces and freeze for 15 minutes.

Sift together sugar, cake flour, AP flour and almond flour into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add butter, mix on low speed for 2 minutes, or until the butter is the size of broken walnut meats. Stop the machine and by hand pinch flat any large pieces of butter that remain.

Combine egg and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Turn mixer on low speed and add egg all at once. Mix until dough just comes together. If too dry, add 1-2 Tbsp ice cold water. Dough should be tacky but not sticky.

Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour (or up to 3 days).

Roll out dough and line pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Fill tart shell with parchment paper and pie weights. Blind bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, then remove pie weights and parchment, and bake another 10 minutes until lightly golden. Cool.

Filling:
3/4 cup almonds (blanched are recommended, but not necessary)
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick softened butter
2 eggs
2 Tbsp flour
2-3 drops almond extract
~15 Rainier Cherries, pitted and cut in half

Grind the almonds with the sugar in a food processor until the almonds are finely ground. Add the softened butter and process (scrape down from food processor sides if needed). Add eggs one at a time, making sure first egg is thoroughly mixed before adding the next. Add the flour and almond extract and mix well.

Fill cooled tart shell with almond filling, leaving 1/4 inch margin on the rim of the pastry (this leaves room for filling to expand). Then, push cherry halves into the filling (skin side up) and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until nicely browned. Let cool on a rack.

Three Tarts: Fresh Fruit with Vanilla Cream, Warm Bittersweet Chocolate, and Lemon-Lime Meringue



I am fantastically amused by Food Challenge/Competitions TV shows…I get quite involved (some might say too involved)… commenting incessantly, getting overjoyed when my favorite Chef wins, and flustered when a contestant does something I deem foolish (who in their right mind would attempt a Crème Brulee in 15 minutes?!?).

My amusement towards these shows is wrapped with curiosity….how would I fare in such competitions? Well, during Saturday’s Pastry Class, I got a little taste (I can’t resist throwing in a food pun now and again). Christa divided the students into teams, which were our “Bakeries”. One person on each team was assigned as the Pastry Chef, and the others were their assistants.

I got to be the Pastry Chef, which was energizing. First item of business, our bakery needed a name. It turned out that the first name initials of my teammates and I were P, B and J. How perfect! We decided to pay homage to that cozy little sandwich and be the “PB&J Bakery”.

Our fairy tale bakery was given a list of orders to complete, which included three tarts (each with a listed time for pick up by the customer) and multiple batches of Croissant dough which we would bake during the next class. [*Aside* I will write a post on Croissants in the near future. They are butterly magnificent, and a lesson in food science as well.]



Back to PB&J Bakery….our first order was for a Fruit Tart with a Dark Chocolate lined crust, a Vanilla Bean Custard filling and fresh Fruit decorating the top. When we were an hour away from the supposed “pick-up” time, we were told that the client had called and would be coming half an hour early. We had to scramble a bit, but we got our Fruit Tart done just in time. The dark chocolate lining on the crust is an excellent twist…it brings more balance and elegance to the flavor. The vanilla custard is comforting and rich, with the lightness of fresh fruit on top. It’s really outstanding.



Next, we had an order for a Warm Bittersweet Chocolate Tart, which makes me weak in the knees just thinking about…it is just THAT delicious. The filling is intense, not overly sweet, but incredibly rich and smooth. The crust has nuttiness from the almonds in the dough, and a delightful crunch that works perfectly with the creamy filling. We had to expedite this tart too for another hurried customer who showed up ahead of schedule. We got the tart done on time, but we wanted to do more with the decoration on top…I will admit that the flower petals are hiding a less than perfect design.



Our third order was for a Lemon-Lime Meringue Tart. I like the Lemon-Lime combination…the lime gives the filling an extra zing, and the meringue is light and marshmallow-like. After baking off the filling and topping it with meringue, we got out the blow torch to brown the top (please note that the browning can be done in the oven if you don’t have a blow torch laying around…). The blow torch is quite touchy and can do a LOT of damage in a small about of time if you aren’t careful…I ended up scorching some parts of the meringue (I even created a small fizzling almost-fire at one point)….but in the end, it turned out to be lovely. We successfully got the tart out in time, thus completing all orders for the day. I was happily exhausted in the end…I wonder what will come next.



I'm including the recipe of the Fruit Tart, which I've adapted below. If you are interested in any of the other tart recipes, email me and I'll send them along.

Fruit Tart
Dough:
1 2/3 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
9 Tbsp cold butter, cut into 1” cubes
1 egg yolk
3-5 Tbsp ice water (depending on dough consistency)

Dark Chocolate (62%), melted over a water bath (this is for painting the baked and cooled tart shell...I didn’t measure this when I did it. Just use your best guess and if you have leftover chocolate, dip some fruit or cookies in it for later)

Vanilla Custard filling:
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups scalded milk (which means the milk is heated up until it is right below a boil, then use it)
1 Tbsp butter
1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract, or ½ Vanilla Bean (If you are using the vanilla bean, use a paring knife to cut a full vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Then, using the dull side of the knife, scrape out the seeds to use. You can put the unused vanilla bean pod with the seeds removed into a bag of sugar and *presto* Vanilla Sugar at your service!)
2 Tbsp Kirsch or Cognac (if desired)

Top:
1 cup red currant jelly or apricot preserves
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp Kirsh or Cognac (if desired)
Fresh Fruit (berries, kiwis, mango, grapes, cherries, etc.)

Make the dough:
Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the butter globs are the size of peas and crushed crackers (don’t over-mix or crust will be tough). Mix the egg yolk with 3-5 Tbsp cold water in a small bowl. Stir this into flour mixture with a fork. Bring the dough together with your fingers (very gently) and turn onto a counter. Using the heel of your hand, smear parts of the dough across the counter once (this is called “fraisage”). Mound the dough back together with a bench scraper. Do this 3 times to bring the dough together with minimal handling. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and press into a disc shape. Chill for ~30 minutes.

Line tart pan with dough:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Roll dough to 1/8” think and lay carefully over a 9” tart pan. Cut off excess dough, leaving a 1” border. Reinforce the edges with the extra dough and pinch off any extra that you don’t use. Prick the base with a fork. Chill again for 10 minutes. Fill unbaked tart shell with parchment paper and pie weights, then blind bake the shell for 15-18 minutes. Remove pie weights and bake another 10-12 minutes until golden and fully cooked. Cool completely.

Make the Vanilla Custard filling:
In a bowl, beat (using a whisk) the egg yolks until sticky, gradually add the sugar and beat until thick. Beat in the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Then gradually pour in the scalded milk, still beating. Pour this mixture into the saucepan (add the ½ vanilla bean if using) and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Keep mixture at boil for 1 minute (still stirring constantly) as it thickens. Then, remove from heat, beat in the butter and the vanilla extract (if not using the vanilla bean) and Kirsch or Cognac. Strain into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (so that the wrap is touching the top of the custard) and chill.

Brush melted chocolate onto baked and cooled tart shell and let harden (only cover the bottom and internal sides of the tart shell with chocolate, but leave the top edge as is).

Make Glaze (to brush on top of fruit once tart is compiled):
Heat jelly or preserves the sugar and Kirsch or Cognac.

Once chocolate is set, fill the tart with the Vanilla Custard and top it with fresh fruit (making sure to crowd the fruit on in whatever design pleases you). Then, using a pastry brush, glaze the top of the fruit (do this for all fruit except for raspberries…which repels the glaze and makes it look beady).

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Brioche



Oh my…Brioche. What a delicious and surprisingly simple bread to make. Brioche is buttery and soft with sweet and savory undertones that make it absolutely delicious on its own or as a companion to other tastes, textures and flavors.

Brioche is deliciously comforting straight out of the oven spread with a bit of orange marmalade, the bitterness of the orange peel cradled by the soft, lush buttery bread. Or, crisped in a pan as a sandwich filled with smoked gouda and roasted red peppers…the cheese oozing and gooing out the middle. And of course, it makes one of the most deliciously fluffy and decadent French toast slices you’ve ever tasted.

We often see Brioche baked into loaves, but Brioche à tête is the classical shape for this bread. It includes forming the dough into balls that are stacked in fluted tins with one small dough ball placed on top. It’s important to note that Brioche dough is quite sticky and can turn chaotic. It tries to take control of your life (or it at least resists the whole rolling situation) if it isn’t tamed by an adequate amount of flour.



The formed dough is then allowed to proof before being egg washed and baked.



When Brioche comes out of the oven, it is shiny and golden with a soft aroma that begs you to indulge in a nibble.



Taking the extra time to make and use a pre-ferment when baking up a batch of Brioche encourages a more distinct and delicious taste. The below recipe is a fantastic Brioche that is sure to make you and your eaters very happy.

Brioche
(Jeanie Brown)

Pre-ferment
105 grams flour
70 grams water
¼ tsp instant yeast

Mix together on low speed for 4 minutes and leave at room temp for 12 hours (75 degrees)

For the dough
105 grams of the pre-ferment
315 grams flour (AP or Bread)
70 grams water
1 Tb + 1 tsp instant yeast
1 ¼ tsp salt
160 grams butter (cold but pliable, take from fridge and pound with rolling pic
190 gr. Eggs (~3 ½…don’t count the shells)
3 Tbsp Sugar

Egg wash (just an egg beaten with a fork will do)

Add all ingredients to the mixer except the butter. Mix with dough hook on 1st speed for ~5-10 minutes until the dough is full developed (it should be shiny and string-like as it pulls away from sides of the bowl).
Gradually add the cold butter, slowly at first, over the period of 15-20 minutes on second speed (just break off bits of butter and throw it in…and yes, it does need to take that long to achieve the perfect texture…just be patient).
Let rise for 90 minutes.
Chill overnight.
Shape dough as desired, place in buttered pans and proof for about 60 minutes. Egg wash and then bake in a 350 degree oven (that was preheated to 375 degrees but turned down as soon as the bread goes in) for ~16-20 minutes.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Raisin, Rosemary, and Cinnamon Focaccia



On lazy weekend mornings, I often wake up with dreams of baking still swirling around in my head, like the steam coming off a hot cup of coffee. Sometimes, I’m so enticed by these thoughts of baking that I eagerly pop out of my warm, cozy bed and prance into the kitchen. I swing my apron on over my pajamas, preheat the oven, and start playing with flour and sugar.

Baking in the morning is such a gentle and lovely way to start the day. The aromas fill the house (or tiny San Francisco apartment) with happiness and the promise of something delicious, soon to be enjoyed.

This past weekend, I decided to do a little advance planning and try out a recipe I’d been thinking about for awhile: Raisin, Rosemary and Cinnamon Focaccia. Although you can complete the entire Focaccia recipe in one day, you’d have to wake up before the sun to get it baked off in time for breakfast or brunch. I prefer that the sun wakes up before I do, so I put together most of the recipe on Saturday for a Sunday bake.



First I plumped the Raisins in hot water for about 5 minutes, which heightens the lush, juiciness of the Raisins in the final bread. I like to do this step with most dried fruits that I bake with to ensure that the fruits are tender and delicious…it is simply too disappointing to take a bite into an irresistible bread…only to discover that it is dotted with hard, unappealing dried fruits. Next, I proofed the yeast in warm milk and mixed in the dry ingredients. This Focaccia recipe has milk in it instead of the more traditional water, so it has a softer and more tender crumb than most (the fat in the milk coats the gluten strands in the flour so they can’t link together as easily, resulting in a more tender bread). I then left the yeast to do its magic, and waited for the dough to double in size (about an hour and a half).



I then punched the dough blob down and shaped it on a sheet tray. Then I brushed the top lightly with olive oil, covered it with plastic wrap and slid it into the fridge for later. On Sunday morning, all I had to do was sprinkle the top with some Turbinado Sugar (bigger, crunchier crystals than table sugar) and pop it into the oven.



The resulting Focaccia is softly sweet and full of juicy Raisins that are nicely balanced by the crunchy Turbinado Sugar baked into the crust. The deep fruitiness of the Raisins is enriched further by the Cinnamon and Rosemary, which not only taste delicious but smell simply divine. This Focaccia is worth the time.



This focaccia recipe was written originally to be done in a KitchenAid Mixer, but I adapted these instructions to do it without one. If you are the lucky owner of a KtichenAid, then proceed as instructed below but reduce all kneading times by about 2 minutes. Also, be sure to scrape sides of bowl and turn dough occassionally while kneading.

Raisin, Rosemary and Cinnamon Focaccia
(adapted from “The Art and Sould of Cooking” by Cindy Mushet)

2 cups plump sweet raisins
2 ¼ cups warm milk (I used 2%) heated to 110-115 degrees
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast, or 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
5 cups bread flour (or AP Flour)
3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for brushing
2 bunches fresh rosemary, leaves removed and very finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 Tablespoons Turbinado sugar


To plump raisins: Place in saucepan with water to cover. Bring water to boil, then turn off heat, cover pan, and let raisins sit for 5 minutes. Drain the raisins in the colander set in the sink and shake off any excess water. Spread raisins on baking sheet and cool.

Mix and Knead the dough: Combine warmed milk and sugar in large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on the top. Whisk in ¼ cup of flour by hand. Let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk in another 2 cups of flour and mix thoroughly for ~5 minutes (I used my hands for this, which I coated lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking, but a wooden spoon would do the trick).

Add the raisins, olive oil, rosemary, cinnamon and salt to the dough and mix until well blended. Add the remaining 2 ¾ cups of flour and knead for ~6 minutes (the dough will be very sticky…I kneaded the dough while it was still in the bowl by sort of squishing it together with my hands, which were lightly oiled).

Rise the dough (first rise): Lightly oil the tub a bowl, scrape the dough in and lightly coat the surface of the dough with little oil. Cover with plastic wrap or lint-free cotton towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1-1 ½ hours. If you’re using a tub, be sure to mark the starting level of the dough with a pencil or piece of tape so it’s easy to tell when the dough has doubled.

Punch down and shape the dough: Scrape the risen dough onto a greased 17x12 inch baking sheet with ½ inch sides and press dwon onto the dough firmly to expel some air bubbles (but don’t knead the dough again). Push and stretch the dough into an even layer in the pan. If the dough begins to pull back and resist stretching, you can brush the top with a little olive oil, set the pan aside for 10 minutes and then try again.

Proof the dough: Brush the dough with a little olive oil and cover pan with plastc wrap. Let the dough rise until it is almost doubled in size. Or, if you want to bake the focaccia the following day, brush the dough with a little olive oil, let rise ~20 minutes, cover with plastic wrap and stick in the refrigerator overnight.

Prepare oven: Place baking or pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Be sure to allow ~45 minutes for the stone to fully heat.

Bake the Focaccia: If you had the dough in the fridge overnight, take it out for ~30 minutes before proceeding. If not, continue on.

Remove plastic wrap, brush the dough olive oil if it was refrigerated (you can skip this additional oil if you didn’t refrigerate the dough overnight), dimple the dough by gently pressing your fingertips into the dough, about ½ inch deep, taking care not to deflate the dough by pressing too hard or making too many dimples.

Sprinkle the dough with Turbinado sugar and bake for 30-35 minutes (check that internal temp is at least 200 degrees F). Transfer to a cooling rack, brush lightly with olive oil immediately and cool for ~10 minutes before serving. Cut focaccia with a serrated knife.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Pumpkin Financier with Blueberry Compote



Pumpkin and Blueberries. These two flavors taste so delicious when combined, it’s crazy to me that they aren’t seen together more often. Perhaps it has something to do with sadly seasonal Pumpkin-cravings. It’s no secret that people tend to eat Pumpkin-heavy desserts during the Thanksgiving/Holiday season (helllllooo Pumpkin Pie), and then forget about them for the rest of the year. Poor Pumpkin…so often stuck in Libby’s cans, collecting dust until the next year’s Pumpkin Pie frenzy rolls around.

Well, let’s bring Pumpkin back for a summertime rendezvous. And, what better way to celebrate the Pumpkin rediscovery than with the delicious Blueberry? When plump and juicy Blueberries are cooked, their flavor profile changes immensely. They become deeper and more complex, able to stand up to bolder flavors and spices. In short, they become more compatible with our dear friend, Pumpkin.

So, here we go….I’ll bake up a Pumpkin Financier made with Almond flour and highlighted by browned butter, Orange zest and spices like Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Ginger.



Then, a Blueberry Compote simmered with a Cinnamon stick to top it all off.



When it’s all put together…with some softly whipped cream on top, it’s hard to remember how we ever made it through a summer without Pumpkin desserts…mmm.



Pumpkin Financier
(Pumpkin Financier recipe adapted from Sherry Yard)

5 oz butter
1 ¼ cups almond flour
1 ¼ cups AP flour
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp tightly packed brown sugar
8 egg whites, room temp
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ tsp chopped orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and brush a 10” round cake pan with butter, line with parchment, brush with butter again.
Melt butter in saucepan until it browns (7-10 minutes). Set aside to cool to room temp.
Sift together almond flour, AP flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add spices and brown sugar. Mix dry ingredients for 30 seconds. Add egg whites all at once and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add pumpking puree and orange zest and mix for 30 seconds.
Add melted butter all at once. Mix for 30 seconds on medium speed, then turn mixer to high speed and mix for 3 minutes more.
Poor mixture into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating pan, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


Blueberry Compote

1 pint Blueberries
Sugar to taste
Pinch of Salt
1 Cinnamon Stick

Put all ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium-low heat stirring occasionally until fruit becomes soft and mixture thickens (~7-10 minutes). Remove Cinnamon stick. Serve compote with Pumpkin Financier and a dollop of softly whipped cream.