Twisted bread with Féve Tonka

I have been wanting to make the Apricot Couronne from the time I saw when they ere making in Great Brisish Bake off. But then every time I wanted to make them,t here will be one ingridient I don't have at home. And then when I had all the ingridients I didn't had time to bake.

So when this month We Knead to Bake group decided to bake something of one'w own choice as Aparna's oven had to be repaired .

And the first recipe I thought was baki

ng this couronne though in the end I didn't as you can see.

What I did was take the recipe of the bread dough and then made into a twist with my own .

Which I must say turned out to be so good.

I even think these taste a bit like the bread/cookies I love to buy when I am in Cologne, though the ones I buy from there has marzipaan and almond flakes etc... but the similarity was with the crunch and the caramel taste one get from these.

This is one recipe I would make and of course with some other filling as they are so good.

One tip use baking paper to line the tray as there is butter sugar mix leaking while these are baked that if you don't use the baking paper it will be a very stick mess plus it will take hard work to clean the baking pan.



Original Recipe here

For the dough

250g/9oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

5g salt

7g/⅓oz instant yeast

50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

105ml/3½fl oz milk

1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

Filling: ( I didn't use the filling from the recipe did my own filling)

120 gm  unsalted butter, softened

120 gm dark muscovado sugar

1 Tonka beans grated

For the shiny glaze
3 tbsp of raspberry jam. ( the recipe said apricot jam but i didn't have that so use what i had)
Mw for 10 seconds and then you can use it for glazing.

For the sugar glaze
150 gm of powder sugar
1 to 2 tbso of egg whites ( if you don't want to used egg whites you can use water, I like the icing to get really hard so i use egg whites)

Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the butter, milk and egg and mix to combine, using your hands. Continue to mix until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. Use the dough to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until you have a soft dough.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 10-12 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin.

When the dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, make the filling. Beat the butter and muscovado sugar and the grated tonka beans together until smooth.

Line a baking tray with baking parchment or silicone paper.

After the dough is doubled , divide in to 6 ( I got 6, depending ont he suze it might vary) equal parts. On a well floured surface, roll out each dough ball into ssuares ( lookg to the step by step picture).

Using a spoon spread the filling mixture on the dough, covering all of the surface in a thin layer. Roll into a log and cut lengthways into half.

Now take the 2 parts and twist together and form into a round.

Make sure you show the cut side up.

Repeat with all dough balls.

Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Cover with a cloth and let rise for 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°c and bake the twists for 20 to 22 minutes.

While baking you will see butter oozing out but that doesn't matter.
When it is baked remove them from the tray to a wire rack and brush with the Raspberry jam.
When the breads are fully cooled Drizzelz with the sugar glaze.
Sending this to yeast spotting.

Brioches à tête

Brioche  is a pastry of French origin that is akin to a highly enriched bread, and whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb.
It is "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and eggs"
 It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust, frequently accentuated by an egg wash applied after proofing
.
Brioche is considered a Viennoiserie, in that it is made in the same basic way as bread, but has the richer aspect of a pastry because of the extra addition of eggs, butter, liquid (milk, water, cream, and, sometimes, brandy) and occasionally a bit of sugar.
.
"Brioche is eaten with dessert or tea, but also has numerous uses in cuisine.
 Individual brioches serve as containers for various chopped and sauced stuffings, savoury or sweet, as warm appetizers or intermediate courses."

I have been wating t make Brioche for a while but then I didn't had the brioche pan. And two years back I did buy a big brioche pan and I still didn't make them and few months back I bought these smaller brioche saying to myself this will give me a extra push to make them.
And then while watching The Great British Bake Off , I got inspired to make them

 

It is a recipe from Paul Hollywood and he is one of the Judges in the programme and I must admit I do have two bread books from him which I love. And I have tried a couple of recipes from him and it always work perfect.

These brioche are so soft and yummy though they are not sweet, so we ate them for breakfast spreading butter and marmalade.
I gave 3 to my FIL and he ate them with Pate which I think also goes very well.

I did half the recipe which is give below as I think there is no use in doing the full recipe if you don't have ppl to eat them at home.
And now a days it is just Hans and I and ofcourse I do take my bakes to my FIL when I bake something . Nut how much can 3 ppl eat :-)

The stickiest dough with all the butter :-)

 

Ingridients : Plus You will need 16 brioche moulds

500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour

50g/1¾oz caster sugar

10g/⅓oz fast-acting yeast

7g/¼oz salt

140ml/5fl oz full-fat milk

6 free-range eggs, one egg beaten for egg wash

250g/9oz unsalted butter, softened

 

Preparation method

1. Put the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, milk and five eggs into a free-standing food mixer and mix, for about five minutes, to a smooth dough. If mixing by hand, this will take about eight minutes.
2. Add the butter to the dough and mix for a further five minutes in the mixer, or 10 minutes by hand. Put the dough into a bowl, cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
3. The dough should now be stiff and easily shaped. Cut the dough into 50g/1¾oz pieces and divide 45g/1½oz for the brioche bodies and 5g/¼oz for the brioche heads.
4. Using your hands, shape the dough pieces into balls. Put each large piece of dough into a brioche mould and push a smaller dough on top of each once. Leave the brioche in a warm place to rise for one hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Brush the brioche with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden-brown.
6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Apple Tart / Tarte aux Pommes

 

I had got into a new routine and was back into my regular blogging and then crash it went.
Father in law broke his foot so it has been really busy, going with him to the hospital, and then going to his place twice a day to check on him plus spedning more time there as he is sitting in this home all alone as he cannot go out and he will have to wear the cast for 4 weeks.
He does hopp around in his living and to the bedroom etc...

But now it is only 2 more weeks to the next trip to the hospital and he is already feeling better well his foot his better no pain etc...so that is a plus point.
So fingers crossed as it is not nice for him to just be inside day after day inside.
He did go to a concert from Hans which was in our town.

Today morning while we were having our breakfast I was just sitting and smiling and Hans asked what are you smiling and then I told him what happend yesterday in his fathers place.
Aparently someone had been ringing my FIL's doorbell after midnight or so.

And my fil thinks it is some one he mush have locked up ( as he was in police) when he was working.
So now he found out a trick, before he goes to sleep he takes the phone from the doorbell off.
But he wanted to try it, he told me Finla when you go down ( I was going to the next door shop to get something for him) ring the bell and I will answer you and then i will not keep the phone on the hook I will just leave it hanging and you ring again and I will see if it make noise.

So I did what he asked when I went down rang him once he answered and I waited few seconds and rang again and I went off to the shop to buy the stuff he wanted and came back to his place.

While I enterd his living room I saw him sitting on the chair next to the door phone and eating grapes from the fruit basket, I asked him Dad what are you doing well he said Finla I was waiting for you to ring again and I just bursted out , I said I rang you second time and ofcourse you dodn't hear anything if you don't keep the door phone back in the hook.

He has been sitting there as he thought I didn't ring the bell second time.
Each time when I think about the incident it makes me  smile and I thought I will share this with you all :-)

This apple tart recipe is from Delicious Magazine and it is so easy to make, especially as one is using shop made puff pastry.

 

Ingredients

500g block all-butter puff pastry
Flour for dusting
6-8 cox’s orange pippin apples (see tips), peeled, cored, halved and cut into 2mm slices (about 650g) (I used Jognagold)
20g unsalted butter
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
3 tbsp caster sugar
5 tbsp apricot jam
Vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche to serve

For the almond cream

60g unsalted butter, softened
75g icing sugar ( I used only 50 gm )
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 drops of pure almond extract
1 medium free-range egg
100g ground almonds
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp dark rum

Method

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. For the almond cream, in a small bowl whisk the 60g butter with the icing sugar, vanilla and almond extract for 2-3 minutes until the butter turns pale, then add the remaining ingredients. Whisk well and set aside.
2. 2. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a 32cm round (to the thickness of a £1 coin), then place on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper. Using the back of a small knife, draw a line 1cm in from the edge of the pastry all the way round to give the tart a border.
3. 3. Prick inside the marked circle all over with a fork, then spread over the almond cream.
4. 4. Starting from the outside, arrange the apple slices over the almond cream, overlapping them tightly so that only about 1cm of the previous slice is visible. Make a complete circle then start another circle, overlapping the previous one. Repeat this operation until the tart is complete.
5. 5. In a small frying pan, melt the 20g butter with the rosemary until foaming, then add the sugar. Stir, then remove from the heat and brush the mixture over the apples. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are well coloured around the edges. With a spatula, lift the tart carefully and check the bottom is cooked and crisp.
6. 6. Heat the jam very gently in a small saucepan with a tiny splash of water. Sieve it (if you want a very smooth glaze), then brush over the tart. Serve with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche or simply as it is.

 

Galette with Mixed Mushrooms and Gorgonzola Cheese

 

After having so much fun and delicious food in Paris I have been in a french food addiction.

I made few french dishes and twice made savourty panckes to the delight of Hans as he love more savoury food than sweets.

And I have so many plans for making other french food .

In paris you would see in the street shops they selling savoury and sweet pancakes. And the aroma while you walk past these stalls is so tempting, that when we were there Nisha and Ananda ate but sadly I didn't as I had a late lunch and I was not hungy and I wanted to enjoy my dinner in the evening.

 But then I remember saying o both o them when I go back home I am going to try and make them at home.

I have made savoury pancakes before here at home but now after the trip is is getting a craze.
Please read the tip.
 

This is how the final dish looks like. In the other pics I added few pieces of cheese which is optional.

For the pancake: ( 6 to 8 medium size pancake) I got 7 , so it depends on you frying pan.

125 gm flour

a pinch of salt

1 large egg

300 ml milk

1 tbsp of oil ( or you can use melted 1 tbsp of butter)

a little butter for you pan for rubbing before you make your first pancake.

In a blender or food porccessor, blend the eggs, milk,  flour salt and oil  , mix for a minute or untill smooth.

Stir down and repeat if necessary or you can also mix this with hand.
Cover and leave it to rest in your counter for half hour.

Heat a non stick pan with the little butter ( I use butter just for the first pancake and for the rest not as I use non stick pan) 

Lift the pan from the hear and pour few tbsp for a smaal crepe or more for a bigger crepe, tilting and roating the pan to coat the surface.

Cook untill almost dry and lightly browned edges, about 1 minute.

loosen the edge with a metal spatuala and flip the crepe over using the spatuala for 15 seconds or untill lightly browned.

Turn the crepe out onto a clean plate and continue withthe rest of the batter.

For the filling.
50 gm of butter
600 gm Mixed mushrooms (cleaned, I clean with kitchen paper)
1/4 cup parsley
200 gm Gorgonzola cheese  cubed( You can use any other blue cheese you like)
Pepper and salt to taste
In a big frying pan, add the butter and fry the mushrooms till they are soft add pepper and salt and chopped parsley and then add the cheese making sure the cheese is melted and coated through the mushrooms.

Lay a pan cake one the plate spoon on a side 2 to 3 tbsp of mushroom mix, fold the other side over and spoon 2 tbsp of mushroom and fold again till youhave the shape you see in the pic.
Serve warm and enjoy.

Tips:
I made the panckes earlier and kept in a plate . I kept a small piece of baking paper inbetween each of the pancakes.
And when  it was time to eat just made the filling, heated the panckes in the MW for few 3 minutes utill all if them were warm and then filled it up and served.
If you are giving two pancake per person ( which i did) i filled the pancakes and then when the first one was finished eating by my family I just reaheted the other pancake in the MW 2 minutes and served so like this you have hot filled pancakes to enjoy.

 

Ham Mousse With Red Pepper Salsa

 

I don't remember anymore when I made this , what I know is it was made for a party, it could have been a birthday party as when it is a B'day party I go the whole way, make dishes which are very special ( the ones you usually don't make) .
So ofcourse I would have decided what I am going to make for the party atleast a week before and as always I am excited when I make dishes which I have never tried.
The recipe is from Michel Roux The Collection I knew when I decided on this recipe that it will be super yumm as I have tried couple of the recipe in the book and it is always Delicious plus it always makes me feel why should I go out for eating it I myself can prepare something plus when I make at home I am 100 % sure that I am using quality ingridients etc....
This is what Michel Roux had written about this dish, "This simple, tasty mousee is ustic yet sophisticated - a real gourment dish.
Plus point or making this dish for a party is you can prepare the mousse the day before theparty;
I served them as a starter.

Mousse:
3 1/2 sheets of gelatine leaf
350 ml veloute sauce.
1 tsp paprika powder
800 ml whipping cream
350 gm good quality unsmoked cooked ham, diced
salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 tsp cayenne
50 ml dry sherry

To Serve 16 small asperagus spears
handfull of radicchio leafs
few drops of lemon juice to taste

Veloute Sauce: (Makes 1 litre )
30 gm butter
30 gm plain flour , sifted
1 lite of chickenstock
salt and freshly ground pepper

First make the white roux.
Melt the butter in a heavy pan. Off the heat add the flour and stir in with a whisk.
Return to a madium heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
Pour the cold chicken stock on to the roux, stirring all the time, then cook the sauce over a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionaly with a whisk.
Season with pepper and salt to taste.

Red pepper Salsa :
4 red peppers ( capsicum)
Groudnut oil , to oil
2 small yellow peppers
2 small shllots finley chopped
2 small thyme sprigs, leaves only chopped
10 to 12 basil leaves, snipped
salt and freshly dround pepper to taste
125 ml olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons.

Using you fingertips, rub the peppers very lightly with oil. Grill them ( I did in the oven) untill the skins are blistered and backened.
Remove the skin from the peppers ( they will be hot so take care of your hands)
Halve the peppers, remove the core and scrape out the seeds and white membrane.
Dice  the peppers finley as possible and you can keep few slices in long strips if you like .
Add the shallots , thyme and basil to a bowl with the peppers , season with salt and pepper and stir in the oilive oil and lemon juice.
Mix carefully, taste and adjust the seasoning.
You can serve this salsa immedietly or cover with cling film and keep in the fridge for upto 48 hours?
If you have left over salsa you can use them with pasta too.

Making the mousse:

Soften the gelatine leaves in cold water .
Slowly heat the veloute sauce untill it just reaches simmer, then take the pan off the heat.
Throughly drain the gelatine leaves and add them to the sauce, together with the paprike.
Whisk trhoughlyuntill the gelating has melted.
Leave to cool at room temperature, stirring with a whisk time to time.

Whip the cream to a ribbon consistancy.
Put the dices ham into a food processor and whiz for 1 minuten then add the veloute and process for 2 to 3 minutes to make a smooth paste.

Gently foild the whipped cream into the mixture, with a spatual.
Season with salt and add the cayenne, then gently mix in the sherry, avoid over working the mousees. Taste and adjust the seasoning with pepper./
Scrape the mousse into a dish, cover the surface with cling film to prevent oxidation, then refrigirate.
( I made the mousse the day before)
Take the Ham mousse out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving.
Peal the ends of the asperagus spears, halve lengthways and blanch lightly, drain throughly.
Dress the radicchion simply with few drops of lemon juice. Shape the mousse into quenelles  ( I did ball using a ice cream scoper), allowing 1 to 2 quenelles per person and place on a serving plate.
Arrange the radicchio leaves, asperagus on the plates.
Spoon a little red pepper salsa over the ham mousse and serve with toasted bread slices.

A Delicious Paris Trip with friends and Canelé

 

I always wanted to go to Paris, and I am surprise after living here in Belgium for soooo long I have not been there.
Ok one of the reason I have not been there, Hans has been a lot of time to paris for playing music ( can you believe I didn't even know he played in Notre Dame with the orchestra and choir) only when I cam back here and I was talking about the place he said he had played there.

So I guess I was left out but then one morning Ananda phoned me up talking about this trip Nisha was planning to do and why not I also join them .
Ofcourse I was exccited, I said oh yes I am in.
So we booked our tickets, and mails were flying from one to the other with the plans, booking hotel, what to see , were to eat oh they were exciting days :-)

 

Hôtel de Ville in Paris

 

So some 10 days ago we three foodies were in paris, all excited, in a way it was not a sight seeing trip even though we did some touristical places but mainly we went to EAT :-)

I think the three days just flew, what would you expect 3 ladies in paris we all going gaga for the french Men, Nisha wanting to Kiss a french fellow under the Eiffel tower, Ananda it didn't matter who she kissed as long as he had blue eyes :-)

The first day we were there we just ate and ate, we went to Laudree to  eat the Macarons and then while walking with the bags in the same street we found Pierre Herme so ofcourse we wanted to eat macarons from there too .

Then the evening we went to have dinner in one of these cosy places and the food was just so good that I have decided if I am going back to paris I will go back there to eat again.
And way if I write what all we did in this trip it will be a long post .
So in short we just had a fabulous time, eating, drinking, shopping.......
I would really say a trip with  friends who are foodies and have the same passion for food is just FABULOUS, you will have so much fun.
We hava made plans while we were there that we should do once a year a trip like this .

 

Lamps in the Palace of Versailles

Oh and while we were planning the trip I told the girls the one thing I want to buy is Canelé Moulds but then when I saw the price of the copper ones I was like Noooooooooo I am not buying, but then Nisha convinced me saying you have been wanting it so much so just get them and you can pass it to Shyama , I am so glad she convinced me to buy them as the copper moulds are so good and the canelés i made are so Delicious.

Now you all must be thinking what canelé is it is A canelé is a small French pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust.

The dessert, which is in the shape of small, striated cylinder approximately two inches in height, is a specialty of the Bordeaux region of France but can often be found in Parisian pâtisseries as well. Made from egg, sugar, milk and flour flavored with rum and vanilla, the custard batter is baked in a mold, giving the canelé a caramelized crust and custard-like inside.

When I was making the batter as the batter must rest in the fridge for 24 hours, I was like it is so liquid batter but then I told myself don't panic if the recipe says it is like that then it is.
So when you make them dodn't panic the batter is really thin.

500 ml of whole milk
250 gm powder sugar
125 gm flour
15  gm butter
2 whole eggs ( I used large)
4 tbsp of rum ( the recipe said a special local rum, but I didn't have so I used the rum i had)
1 egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Method :
Boil the milk with the butter and vanilla extract.

In a large bowl sieve the sugar and the flour.
Then make a hole in the middle of the  flour and sugar mixture , add the eggs one by one and then the egg yolk.
Mix well with a whisk .
Add gradually to the hot milk mixture , mixing well .

At the end , add the rum
Cover the batter and keep this in the fridge for 24 hours.
Next day take the batter out from the fridge half hour before you start making them.
You must butter the mould very well and the flour them too.

Preheat oven  to 250 ° C for 15 minutes , then lower to the temperature to 230 ° C.


Pour the batter to the fluted moulds don't over fill them. Just fill them till 3/4 of the mould.
Bake them in the oven 230°c for 7 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 210 °c and bake for futher 22 minutes. Ofcourse the time of baking depends on the size of you tin.
When they are finished baking unmold them immediately and let them cool on a wire rack to cool so that  they do not soften with condensation.

Strawberry Cream Tarts

This year the strawberry season was late and also the prices are higer , maybe because of the bad weather we have been having here.
But must say I love strawberries, I could eat them straint one by one, Hans and Shyama though they would prefer if i serve the strawberries with whipped cream.

Ofcourse I do wish strawberries didn't had any season and they would be there whole year around, they are available whole year but I think they are the best when it is in season as any other fruit and aslo price tag is much better when they are in season :-)

According to James the Best way to make shortcrust pastry that crumbled in th emouth texture is to do it by hand rather than the machine.
I have noticed when I make short crust pastry the tart shells do shrink a bit maybe because of the butter so make sure your tart shells are deep enough.



For theRich Shortcrust pastry: Source

200 gm plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp icing sugar
100 gm cold butter,cubed
1 egg beaten
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp iced water

1. Mix together the flour , icing sugar and salt. Add half of the cubrd butter to the flour.
Gently and swiftly, rub the fat into the flour untill it resembels coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the rest of the butter and mix untill it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center of the dry indgridients.
2. Mix the egg with the lemon juice and water and gradually pour into the well a little at a time, rubbing it through your fingers, untill it forms a dough ( you many not need all the liquid)
Turn out into a flour board and knead lightly intill smooth. Shape into a ball, wrap in a cling film and fefrigerate at least 30 minutes.
3. To line the moulds, roll the chilled pastry into a circle using a litle flour so thatit don't stick to the board using the help of the rolling pin , roll the dough onto the pin and then unroll into the butterd tin or mould. Gently press in plces using your fingers.
4. Line the pastey cases with grease proof paper and fill witrh baking beans ( i use dry chick pea). Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and the discard the grease proof paper and baking beans and then further bake for 5 minutes or untill the tart shells are baked fully.
Leave the tart shells to cool completley before you fill them. ( I remove the shells from the tin after 10 minutes and then leave it to further cooling.

For the filling.
300 ml full fat cream
2 tbsp of icing sugar
400 gms of fresh strawberries.
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whipp the cold cream together with the sugar and vanilla extract untill they are soft peak.
Spoon the whipped cream to each tart shells and then decorate with sliced strawberries.

 

Mille-feuille/Napoleon - Custard Slice

Something I have always wanted to make was Mille - feuille slices, but like lot of bakes I want to do just sits there in my mind wanting me to make them, but lazy etc...
So when I saw this month Daring bakers challengs I was really excited as I have not been doing the last two challenge and I didn't want to miss it again.
But days passed by and I was like Ok, I will miss this one too because of my same excuses of beeing lazy, nobody to eat and even if I make them it is difficult to transfer them to my inlaws place to share with them etc...
But as you can see I did make them and we here at home loved it.
I am used to make the puff pastry ( only when I made some sweet bread but then tha tis with yeast) but the technic stays almost the same so I knew that I woulb be able to handle it.
I didn't want to make rectangle ones as If i make long ones I know when I slice them I will make them look messy that says a lot about my knife skills.
So I cut the pastry into small circles and baked them.
As one don't want the puff pastry to rise as always one puts a heavy metal tray on top, but I forgot to remove them after a while and only thought aobut it it the last moment so as you can see mine didn't rise at all .
Another changeI did was I used Michel Roux Cream pattiserie recipe as that is the one I mostly make and I thought I will stick to the same recipe.
I also didn't want the traditional sugar icing on top, so I melted a bit of white chocolate, added some color and tried to give it a India look :-)

October 2012 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Suz of Serenely Full. Suz challenged us to not only tackle buttery and flaky puff pastry, but then take it step further and create a sinfully delicious Mille Feuille dessert with it!

Pâte feuilletée /Puff Pastry

Servings: Makes 8-10 mille-feuille (yields: 675g pastry)

Ingredients
 1¾ cup (250g) plain/all-purpose flour
 Scant ¼ cup (55 ml) (1¾ oz)(50g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
 1 teaspoon (5ml) (6 gm) salt
 ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (5/8 cup)(150 ml) cold water

14 tablespoons (210 ml) (7 oz) (200g) butter (for the beurrage), room temperature
 3½ tablespoons (55ml) (30g) plain flour (for the beurrage)

Additional flour for rolling/turning

Directions:

1. Cut the larger quantity of butter into smallish pieces and set aside at room temperature.
 2. Put the larger quantity of flour into a bowl with the salt and the cold, cubed butter.
 3. Lightly rub the butter and flour between your fingertips until it forms a mealy breadcrumb texture.
4. Add the cold water and bring together with a fork or spoon until the mixture starts to cohere and come away from the sides of the bowl.
 5. As the dough begins to come together, you can use your hands to start kneading and incorporating all the remaining loose bits. If the dough’s a little dry, you can add a touch more water.
 6. Knead for three minutes on a floured surface until the dough is smooth.
 7. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
8. While the dough is chilling, take your room temperature butter and mix with the smaller amount of plain flour until it forms a paste.
 9. Place the butter paste between two sheets of clingfilm, and either with a rolling pin or your hands (I found hands easiest) shape it into a 4.5”/12cm square. You can use a ruler (or similar) to neaten the edges.
10. Refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes so the butter firms up slightly. If it’s still soft, leave it a bit longer. If it’s too hard and inflexible, leave it out to soften a touch. You want it to be solid but still malleable.
 11. Once the dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured surface into a 6”/15cm square. Place the square of butter in the middle, with each corner touching the centre of the square’s sides (see photo below).
 12. Fold each corner of dough over the butter so they meet the centre (you might have to stretch them a little) and it resembles an envelope, and seal up the edges with your fingers. You’ll be left with a little square parcel.
13. Turn the dough parcel over and tap the length of it with your rolling pan to flatten it slightly.
 14. Keeping the work surface well floured, roll the dough carefully into a rectangle ¼ inch /6 mm in thickness.
 15. With the longest side facing you, fold one third (on the right) inwards, so it’s covering the middle section, and ensure that it is lined up
16. Then, fold the remaining flap of dough (on the left) inwards, so you’re left with a narrow three-layered strip17. Repeat steps 14, 15, 16.
 18. Wrap up in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.
 19. Repeat steps 14, 15, 16 twice.
 20. Wrap up in clingfilm and chill again for at least 30 minutes.
 21. Repeat steps 14, 15, 16 two final times.
 22. Wrap up in clingfilm and refrigerate until needed. The dough keeps a couple of days in the fridge.

Mille-Feuille/ Napoleon/ Custard Slice

Servings: Makes 8- 10

Ingredients
 1 x batch pâte feuilletée/puff pastry (see above)
 1 x batch crème pâtissière/pastry cream (see above)

2 ¾ cups (660 ml) (12⅓oz) (350gm) icing sugar
 2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon juice
 2 large egg whites
 ½ cup (2¾ oz) (80gm) dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to moderately hot 200 °C /400°F/gas mark 6.
 2. Lightly dust your work space with flour and remove your dough from the fridge.
 3. Roll into a large rectangle, the thickness of cardboard. The recipe I followed specified no other dimensions, but I rolled mine to about 12”/30cm x 18”/46cm.

(I found it easiest to start the rolling on the work surface, and finish it off on a large piece of greaseproof paper. That way it’s easier to move the sheets of pastry around.)

4. Cut into three equal pieces and place on a baking tray. If you don’t have space for all three, you can bake them separately.
5. Prick the pastry sheets all over with a fork.
 6. Place another sheet of greaseproof paper over the top and then a heavy baking tray. This will prevent the layers from puffing up too much.

(N.B. I found my baking trays weren’t heavy enough, so also used a pyrex dish to add more weight. Just ensure that the pastry sheets are evenly weighted down.)
7. Bake each sheet for about 25 minutes in a moderately hot oven 200 °C /400°F/gas mark 6, removing the top layer of greaseproof paper/tray 10 minutes before the end for the tops to brown. Keep an eye on them and lower the temperature if you think they’re browning too much.
 8. Remove the baked sheets from the oven and leave on a wire rack to cool.
9. Once the pastry has cooled, you’re ready to assemble your mille-feuille. Get a sturdy flat board, your pastry and the chilled crème pâtissière from the fridge.
 10. Lay one sheet on the board and spread half the crème patisserie evenly over the top.
 11. Take the second sheet and place it on top, pressing down lightly with your hands to ensure that it sticks to the filling.
 12. Spread the remaining crème pâtissière and place the last sheet of pastry on top, pressing down again. (Don’t worry if there’s some oozing at the sides. That can be neatened later.)
13. Pop in the fridge while you prepare the icing / chocolate.
 14. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie, stirring periodically. Once melted, transfer to a piping bag (or plastic bag with end snipped), resting nozzle side down in a glass or other tall container.
15. To make the icing, whisk 2 egg whites with 2 teaspoons lemon juice until lightly frothy.
 16. Whisk in about (2 cups) 300gm of the icing sugar on a low setting until smooth and combined. The mixture should be thick enough to leave trails on the surface. If it’s too thin, whisk in a bit more icing sugar

.19. STILL working quickly (phew), take a sharp knife and lightly draw it down (from top to bottom) through the rows of chocolate. A centimeter (½ inch) or so further across, draw the knife up the way this time, from bottom to top. Move along, draw it down again. Then up. And so on, moving along the rows of chocolate until the top is covered in a pretty swirly pattern.



 

Fondue Bourguignonne

Fondue Bouguigninne, well I only knew about this after comming to Belgium.

Mostly we make it when we invite family just to have a get together and then if I don't want to prepare any dishes we do this as it is so easy.

You need the foundue pot and you fill with oil keep in the middle of the table, and you have a plate full of variety of meat, salades,slices fresh tomatoes, slices cucumber, corn salade ,grated carrots and a huge variety of mayonaise like simple mayonaise, curry mayonaise, spicy mayonaise , tartare mayonaise, garlic mayonaise etc.... and thenn if I am in the mood I make a rice salade so the only work I have is to do all the vegetables and make some of the mayanaise and the plate of meat is ordered from the local butcher.

As i mentinoed when I do fondue like this I invite family over but last saturday I planned to do just for three of us and I decided why not prepare the meat my self too.

The main work if you don't order the meat platter from the butcher is to make the meat balls for the rest you just have to cut the pieces of variety of meat and then arrange on to a big platter.

And the main reason for me to blog this recipe is my sister also do fondue after hearing it from me , but she makes the meat platter her self but never made the meat balls, so I thought as I am making anyway I will blog it for her as she is planning to do fondue this sunday.

Fondue is a Swiss dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot (caquelon) over a spirit lamp (rechaud), and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese. It was promoted as a Swiss national dish by the Swiss Cheese Union in the 1930s and became popular in North America in the 1960s.

Since the 1950s, the name "fondue" has been generalized to other dishes where a food is dipped into a communal pot of hot liquid: chocolate fondue, where pieces of fruit are dipped into a melted chocolate mixture, and fondue bourguignonne, where pieces of meat are cooked in hot oil.

Fondue Bourguignonne consists of a fondue pot filled with hot oil into which diners dip pieces of meat to cook them. Various sauces are provided on the side.

For the meat platter. ( There is not recipe for the meat just tha tyou have to cut vareirty of meat, I use more chicken and less beef as here at home we are not beef lovers)

1 big chicken breast cut into small chunks

300 gm good quality beef cut into chunks

300 gm Veal cut into chunks.

300 gm pork cut into chunks

Couple of sliced of bacon.

400 gm minced meat ( I take a mix of beef ,veal and pork)

1 small egg

Few table spoon of bread crumbs

Pepper powder

Salt to taste, take care as the spice mix normally have salt in it.

I use spice/herb blend we get here to cover the meat balls. I don't know you get them were you are but I am sure in US it is available as my sis said she has it especially the American steak spice mix. You don't have to use the spice mix i have used you can use what ever flavour you like.

And if you don't get them I suggest you make a mix of herbs, salt, garlic powder, paprika powder,onion powder salt etc to make your own blend.

Few tbsp of Toscane spice mix,

Few tbsp Amrican steak spice mix.

For the meat ball, add the mince in a bowl together with the peper,salt bread crumbs and egg.

Mix everything well .

If you think the mix is too soft add a bit more bread crumbs
.

Now take small portion of meat mix ( a golf ball size) and make into balls, making sure that are well shaped and tight so that the balls don't break when you deep fry them in the oil later.

When all the balls are made, take a drop of oil and rub on each balls and then roll with the spice mix of your choice.

Keep the meat balls in the fridge atleast for 4 hours before you use them.

Now when it is time for having your foundue dinner, arrange the cubes pieces of meat and balls in a plate and layer inbetween or on the side bacon pieces.

Heat up the fondue according to the manufactures instruction and when the oil is hot poke one piece of meat with your special fork and dip into the oil and fry for few minutes or how fries you want you meat to be.

Enjoy with salade and mayo and with slices of baguttes.

Sometimes here we just fry the bacon slices straight. We just curl it up and poke with the special fondue fork and fry or we wrap around the meat pieces the bacon and then fry.