Tag: recipes

  • Spinach and cheddar muffins

    Spinach and cheddar muffins

    There are things you can never ignore.
    At times, you wish you’d forgotten; crab hunting, kissing in the wind, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, drinking beer by the bottle, killing flies, licking icy popsicles.

    Other times, you’re simply happy to remember; stepping into Pierre Hermé’s kitchen, signing my apprenticeship contract, taking a plane to a new life, biting into a perfectly chewy spinach and cheddar muffin.

    It was a Saturday or Sunday – the day does not matter – of an early autumn morning.
    I had just arrived to London.
    The air was crisp and the sky just turning blue after a night made of blankets and raindrops hitting the windows.

    Somehow, those pretty rustic muffins felt fitting. Right that second, I could smell vanilla frosting and feel the warmth from a just-opened oven door. And by all means, I could hear words from happy people.
    I remember how the first bite burnt my tongue. I remember the heat of pepper, the flavour of onion, spinach, cheddar and perhaps even Portobello mushrooms. And the crumb.

    And then, in between creating desserts and reading books, I forgot about this moment. You know, that everyday-kind of happiness. But as autumn sneaked on us – in a rather unexpected manner – the frosty mornings and dark evenings made our house feel like home.

    A home with soft lights, throws on the sofa, a whistling kettle, and muffins in the oven.

    Spinach and cheddar muffins
    Adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery.

    I could express my love for these muffins through an extended description of their qualities. The bold flavours, the perfect chewy crumb.
    But the fact that they are equally delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner – preferably with a side of piping hot soup, makes them my favourite in the world.

    Spinach and cheddar muffins

    makes 12

    30g butter
    one small onion, finely sliced
    one fat clove of garlic
    one chili pepper, finely chopped
    350g plain flour
    2 1/2 tsp baking powder
    a good grind of black pepper
    200g cheddar, grated
    250g milk
    one egg
    130g spinach

    Preheat the oven to 170°C. In a pan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the sliced onion until soft. At the end, grate the garlic and throw the chili into the pan and give a good stir to combine the flavours.
    In a bowl stir the flour, baking powder, pepper and cheddar. In another bowl, whisk the milk and egg together, then pour onto the flour mixture using a wooden spoon to fold.
    The batter will be quite thick, and I must admit I like to use my hands to incorporate the cooled onions and spinach.
    Divide into twelve muffin-cases and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin and allow to cool on a rack.

  • Brownies fondants au cacao

    Brownies fondants au cacao

    [Cocoa fudge-brownies]

    Brownies fondants au cacao
    Adapted from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet (thank you Deb).

    When I had my first bite of those insanely fudge-brownies, I felt sorry I hadn’t made them back when I first spotted them on Smitten Kitchen.
    At the time, I thought it would be nice to experiment but wasn’t sure the flavour would be au rendez-vous. But I was wrong. Not only the use of cocoa powder provides the brownies with an intense chocolate taste, but it also is the secret to their amazing texture (along with the high quantity of sugar that is).
    A new favourite at home!

    Edit 29.04.2020

    Over the past few weeks, I’ve received many requests to republish this recipe which I originally wrote about ten years ago. Ten years! I guess everyone could do with a slice of warm fudgy brownies at the moment.

    I haven’t made these in years! Instead, I’ve been baking kladdkaka , a Swedish cake, which is very similar both in terms of formula and texture; so much so that it may not count as different after all. It has become one of my go-tos, and I especially like to serve it with a vanilla anglaise and blueberry compote, which I can only urge you to try with these brownies!
    Or ice-cream that is, one can never go wrong à la mode!

    Brownies fondants au cacao

    Makes 16 squares.

    140 g butter
    280 g caster sugar
    80 g cocoa powder
    1/4 heaped tsp Maldon sea salt
    2 large eggs
    65 g plain flour

    Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C. Line a 25x25cm baking tin with baking paper.
    Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a bowl and cook over a simmering bain-marie, stirring from time to time until it forms a smooth mixture and feel hot to the touch (around 50-60°C).
    Set aside to cool down slightly, then mix in the eggs one at a time, using a whisk and stirring for a good minute after each one.
    Fold in the flour and spread the batter evenly into the prepared tin.

    Bake for 20 minutes, or until barely set. Allow to cool on a rack, then remove the brownies from the tin and slice into squares.

  • Brioches marbrées au thé matcha

    Brioches marbrées au thé matcha

    [Marbled matcha brioches]

    With no rational reason except that those brioches looked terribly good, I decided to venture into the realm of feuilletage; once again. Although, this time, my kitchen did not come with a rolling pin.
    I could have bought one on my recent visit to Pages. I almost did in fact. But eventually got out from the shop carrying many cercles [rings], a couple of knives, a sugar thermometer, and some ramekins.

    Quite providentially, my kitchen did come with more empty wine bottles than I’m willing to admit ; let’s be honest, we had five of them sitting on the counter.
    In my defense, I must tell you they have been there for weeks.

    Armed with the one bottle that seemed fit for the occasion – read perfectly cylindrical, label removed – I went straight for the recipe. And then realised the folding instructions were in Japanese.

    Now, why did my kitchen not come with full wine bottles instead? At that point, I could have used a glass.
    Instead, I started doodling, only to realise my panic attack was pointless. A simple tour double.

    Just like for puff pastry.

    I made the dough. Left it to rise. Made the matcha filling. Chilled it. Then, I started rolling and folding, and rolling and folding.
    Somehow, my dreamlike vision of the use of wine bottles as rolling pins vanished when the filling started leaking and the dough stuck to the bottle.

    My counter ended up green, so did my fingers.
    But that’s okay.
    First, because I like green. And second, because I see no problem whatsoever in licking green fingers when they taste like matcha.

    One lesson I have learnt from this experience: get yourself a decent rolling pin girl.

    If unlike me – and probably not unlike every person around the world – you own a rolling pin, then I urge you to make these brioches. With green tea, or if you’re feeling a little more subversive, with cocoa powder.

    Brioches marbrées au thé matcha
    Adapted from Les carnets parisiens.

    Don’t be scared with all the rolling pin action here. These brioches are very easy to make, and a treat to eat.
    Soft and fragrant.
    When it comes to yeasted dough, my favourite kneading technique – which I learnt at school – is quite close from this one. I wish I could make a video to show you, but for now, the explanations of Richard Bertinet will have to do.

    I don’t do it the exact same way, but the throwing and folding are similar. Trust me, this kneading technique is a keeper.

    If you’re going to use cocoa powder instead of matcha, go for 20g of powder. And then proceed as follow.

    Brioches marbrées au thé matcha

    Makes 12 small brioches

    For the brioche dough
    300g strong flour
    60g cater sugar
    one tsp dehydrated yeast
    125g whole milk
    one egg
    50g butter, diced and at room temperature

    For the matcha filling
    80g milk
    one egg white
    50g caster sugar
    20g flour
    20g matcha green tea
    10g butter

    Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the butter and mix until it forms a rough dough.
    On an unfloured surface, start kneading the dough incorporating the butter as you do so until it forms a smooth ball; around 8 minutes.
    Place the dough back into the bowl – covered with a cloth – and leave in a warm place for 2 hours or until double in size.

    make the filling. Bring the milk to the boil. While it’s heating, mix the white and sugar in a bowl until combined. Mix in the flour and matcha green tea, and beat until homogeneous.
    When the milk is boiling, pour it over the matcha mixture, whisking as you do so. Transfer back into the pan, and cook on medium heat until thick. Mix in the butter.
    Spread it on a baking tray lined with cling film, around 20x15cm. Chill.

    Remove any air from the brioche dough by gently patting it down, then roll it into a 30x20cm rectangle. Place the matcha filling in the middle, then fold the dough over it, sealing the extremities together. Roll into a longer rectangle, then make a tour double. Repeat the folding one more time, then roll the dough back into a 30x20cm.

    Roll the dough onto itself to form a log. Trim the ends, then using a sharp knife, slice into 3cm-thick segments.

    Butter 12 5.5cm-wide rings, and place the slices into them, cut side up.

    Cover loosely with cling film, and allow to rise for 30 to 45 minutes.

    Preheat the oven to 180°C, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

  • Charlotte au fromage blanc et aux framboises

    Charlotte au fromage blanc et aux framboises

    [Fromage blanc and raspberry charlotte]

    I haven’t spent much time in a home kitchen – let alone made pastries in a home kitchen – for the past eleven months. That’s what a pastry apprenticeship does to you! And really I must admit I feel a bit lost when all I have on hands are a couple of Pyrex bowls, a hand-held mixer, and an oven.

    But all it took was a holiday in Fouras, at my grand-parents’. I could navigate through this kitchen with my eyes closed. And I did; by the end of the week, we had a nice collection of homemade pastries: a fondant au chocolat, strawberry meringues, a tiramisu, fruit focaccias, and a raspberry charlotte.

    Charlotte is one of those desserts I will never get tired of. Dare I call it my favourite?

    In the summer, I love to make it with whichever berries we have lying around. And when the neighbour, Annie, offered us to come and pick raspberries in her garden, my sister and I probably said the word charlotte in unison.
    It was still early in the evening. Bumblebees doing a last round before the sunset. A warm wind that only summer nights offer; golden light bouncing on every flower. We picked and picked. And ate some too. And as soon as a plump berry touched my lips, it wiped every memory I ever had of tasting a raspberry before.

    When we came home, we whipped cream and folded it into fromage blanc. And a raspberry charlotte was in the fridge before dinner got on the table.

    It’s not perfect by any means, but some things don’t need to be.

    Charlotte au fromage blanc et aux framboises

    This is a slightly more elaborate version of the charlotte that my mother made often as we were growing up. It is not a delicate entremet, but one to be sliced for lunch or dinner, when the nights get longer and warmer. As I’ve mentioned it above, I love to make this while berries are in season, but it also make a wonderful winter dessert. Think poached pears and perhaps a touch of chocolate mousse. Or poached rhubarb and orange in the late winter.

    If fromage blanc isn’t available where you live, just use plain natural yoghurt mixed with a little cream cheese instead, a thick Turkish yoghurt would work wonders too.

    EDIT 06/03/2019

    As you may know, I’ve been trying to write an article about gelatin for – literally – years. And every now and then, I become obsessed with it again.
    I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, as it’s an ingredient that is so tremendously different from one country to another that it makes my job as a chef and a food writer quite difficult.
    I won’t get into details about it now, but let me just tell you that in between France, the UK, and Sweden, I’ve had to adjust my recipes a lot to fit the gelatin available in each place.

    Yes, gelatin is a difficult subject when it comes to recipe writing as many factors com ein play: brand, bloom strength, weight of each sheet… Sure, you can find information about how gold leaves weigh around 2g, platinum, 1.7g, and so on. And because of this, it should be the same to substitute one leaf of gold for one leaf of platinum. But then again, it depends on the country too. In Sweden, the gelatin used in professional kitchens comes at 4g per sheet, extra gold! And the same brand gelatin, when bought in supermarkets is only half the size, roughly 2g per sheet. So I’ve learnt the hard way that grams are some how more reliable that sheet counts.

    The original recipe called for 6 leaves of gelatin, and the gelatin used was the French Vahiné, which comes at around 1.89g per sheet.
    I’ve now edited the recipe to include weight too, although note that I mostly use silver and gold strength gelatin leaves, so your gelatin has a strength comprised between 160-190 bloom, you might need to increase the quantity slightly!

    Charlotte au fromage blanc et aux framboises

    serves 8

    For the biscuits cuillère
    two dozens of biscuits cuillère, either homemade or bought
    300g water
    210g caster sugar

    For the fromage blanc filling
    6 gelatin leaves, approximately 12g
    500g fromage blanc
    120g caster sugar
    330g whipping cream 35%, whipped to soft peaks

    a couple handfuls of raspberries

    Make a simple soaking syrup by combining the water and caster sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then pour into a wide container, and allow to cool down while you get on with the rest.

    Soak the gelatin leaves into cold water for at least ten minutes. Divide the fromage blanc into two heatproof bowls.

    In one of the bowls, mix in the sugar until dissolved. Heat the other bowl containing half of the fromage blanc in the microwave until it reaches around 40°C. Then quickly drain the gelatin leaves, and incorporate to the warm fromage blanc. Mix until fully melted. Then, fold this into the sweetened fromage blanc. And finally, gently fold in the whipped cream in a couple of batches.

    When the syrup is cool enough, soak the biscuits into it for a few seconds and arrange in a shallow charlotte mould.

    Pipe half of the mousse into the biscuit-lined tin, then cover with a handful of raspberries and more soaked biscuits. Top with the remaining mousse.

    Chill for a couple of hours, preferably overnight. Unmould and serve.

  • S’more cupcakes

    S’more cupcakes

    I came across S’mores quite late in life. A Michael Recchiuti book. A tiny note at the bottom of a page.
    S’mores.
    A piece of chocolate and a marshmallow, sandwiched together in crisp graham crackers. After a quick moment in the oven, the chocolate and marshmallow melt into each others, making for the most delicious sandwich ever.

    Yet, I’ve never had the chance to taste S’mores – let alone graham crackers. And that’s perhaps why they kept haunting me.

    I thought of making a S’more tart. Picture a crust of crushed homemade graham crackers, topped with a thin layer of dark ganache, and covered with a pile of fluffy Italian meringue. And then Deb did it. And it looked wonderful.

    But well, I eventually forgot about it. The tart, that is. S’mores still had their place in my dreams.And when I started thinking about all the cupcakes I could put together for this month’s SHF, you can guess what came first.

    S’more cupcake. A graham cracker inspired cake – or at least one that taste like I imagine graham crackers do. A thick dome of meringue. A dark chocolate ganache coating.

    S’more cupcakes

    With a healthy dose of chocolate and fluffy meringue, these cupcakes will please almost everyone.

    The cake is fragrant with brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla; and has that slight saltiness I suspect graham crackers have.
    The marshmallow cream is sweet but not overly so. Also, the seeds from one vanilla pod would work wonders here.
    And well, the ganache… Deep, dark and smooth. You definitely don’t want the chocolate flavour to be overwhelming here, so aim for a thin coating.
    You’ll have more ganache than needed but it is necessary to be able to dip the cupcakes. The leftover ganache can be frozen in an ice-cube tray and is amazing in a cup of milk for an almost instant hot chocolate.

    Just a quick note on the flour: although I havent tried, I’d be tempted to substitute the plain flour for 100 g plain flour and 60 g wholewheat or graham flour. Let me know if you do 🙂

    s’more cupcakes

    Makes 9 small cupcakes.

    For the cupcakes
    160 g plain flour (read note above)
    3/4 tsp flaky sea salt
    1 1/4 tsp baking powder
    1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
    60 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
    85 g light brown sugar
    1 egg
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    160 g whole milk

    For the meringue
    75g caster sugar
    2 tbsp water
    1 egg white
    a pinch of salt

    For the ganache
    150 g whipping cream 35%
    150 g dark chocolate, chopped

    Preheat over to 190°C/fan 170°C.

    Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
    Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, until fully incorporated; and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk.
    Divide the batter evenly among paper cups lined on a baking tray, and bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester inserted into centre of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    Allow to cool on wire rack before frosting.

    Make the meringue. Place the sugar and water in a small pan and cook over medium heat to 115°C.
    When the syrup reaches 110°C, start whisking the egg white and salt on low speed until stiff peaks form.
    Wait for the syrup to stop bubbling – around 30 seconds or so – and pour over your meringue, whisking as you do so, along the sides of the bowl to avoid splashes. Once all the syrup as been incorporated, increase the speed to medium and keep on whisking until the meringue is around 50°C.
    Pipe the meringue onto the cupcakes and smooth it with a spatula to form a neat dome. Chill while you get on with the ganache.

    Make the ganache. Bring the cream to a rolling boil. Pour onto the chocolate in three times, emulsifying well to create a glossy core.
    Transfer to a small bowl and dip the cupcake tops.

    And don’t forget. Sugar High Friday is running until the 26th of September. So put your aprons on. Get your wooden spoon and whisk. And make cupcakes!
  • Mastering focaccia, step by step

    Mastering focaccia, step by step

    By now, you guys should be aware that to me, Dan Lepard is to bread-making what Pierre Hermé is to pastry. My icon and absolute role model.

    I never really used to make bread, except for the occasional pizza dough; but since I’ve discovered Dan’s take on bread making I’ve literally been unstoppable. Fresh yeast has become a staple in my fridge and I’m known to run to the grocery store as soon as my flour stock approaches 2kg.

    So far, I had only made white loafs or buns; to which I regularly added ingredients such as herb butter, cheese or mashed potatoes.
    However, I needed a focaccia for the Christmas Eve dinner my sister and I were hosting. And while I firstly intended to make my reliable pizza dough, only slightly wetter; I quickly moved on Dan’s recipe. And boy, I’m glad I did!

    This focaccia is the best flat bread I’ve ever had and it’s a delight to make. Still, the whole process can seem a little daunting because of the different steps and resting times.

    Given that I really want you to make this focaccia and bite into a crusty yet moist square of this fragrant bread, I thought it would be great if we made some together. Get your aprons ready!

    Again, the mise-en-place is fundamental and will make you save precious time. Here, we’ll make a ferment then add water, oil, flour and salt.

    For the ferment, you’ll need:
    200g water at 20°C
    150g flour tipo 00 (French type 45 works well too)
    7g fresh yeast, finely crumbled

    To which you’ll add:
    150g water at 20°C
    15ml olive oil, plus extra for folding
    375g flour tipo 00
    10g fine salt

    01.

    Mix together the ingredients for the ferment in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave at warm room temperature for 2 hours, giving the mixture a good stir after the first hour.
    After the resting time, the mixture should be all bubbly and have doubled in size.

    02.

    Whisk in the water and oil. Then mix in the flour and salt with a spoon, until roughly combined.
    Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

    03.

    Rub your hands, the work surface and the dough with some oil and scrape the dough onto the work surface. Work the dough by gently stretching it with your right hand, keeping it in place with your left thumb. Then fold and rotate the dough. Repeat this kneading about 10 times, but make sure to stop before it starts sticking to the work surface.
    Knead again twice at 10-minute intervals. The dough will change from lumpy to smooth and elastic.
    Cover with a cloth and leave to rest for 40 minutes.

    04.

    It’s now time to do some serious stretching and folding. This will stretch and elongate the upcoming bubbles making for big and uneven holes in the final bread.
    Stretch the dough into a rectangle then fold it into thirds first in one direction then the other. Repeat this twice with 40-minute intervals.

    05.

    Once you’ve stretched-folded three times, allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes before going on with the shaping.

    06.

    Rub a baking tray with olive oil and place the dough onto it. Lightly flatten the dough using your fingers – it’s normal if it springs back. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes.
    Preheat the oven to 220°C. Pick the corners of the dough and stretch them out until they reach the corners of the tray. Sprinkle with a little water and some oil.
    Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200°C and bake for a further 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.