Lemon Pralin Nest

Makes 1 cake of 18 cm in diameter and 4,5 cm high

Ingredients :
Crunchy shortbread pastry
- 37,5 g butter
- 25 g icing sugar
- 10 g powdered almonds
- 12,5 g eggs
- 62,5 g flour
- 0,75 g baking powder
- 0,5 g salt
- 17,5 g flaked grilled almonds

Hazelnut Sponge Cake
(for 1 layer, 60*40 cm)
- 150 g icing sugar
- 150 g powdered hazelnuts
- 125 g eggs
- 275 g egg whites
- 100 g caster sugar
- 2 g cream of tartar
- 120 g flour

Praline Cream
- 400 g custard filling
- 100 g hazelnut praline
- 12 g gelatin leaves
- 260 g whipped cream, 35% fat content

Lemon Custard
- 93,75 g custard filling
- 25 g lemon juice
- 125 g fromage frais
- 3,75 g gelatin leaves
- 168,75 g whipped cream, 35% fat content
- 50 g sugar

Lemon Syrup
- 125 g syrup 30°B (bring to boil the same amount of water and sugar until it reaches 102°C)
- 50 g water
- 1/4 lemon zest

Instructions :
Crunchy shortbread pastry
Whip the butter up with a mixer with a spatula attached. As soon as it is smooth and creamy, add the icing sugar, the almond powder and the eggs.
Mix.
Add the flour, the baking powder and the salt. Mix a little before adding the flaked almonds.
Let the dough sit in the frifge for at least 2 hours.
Roll out the dough, 3 mm thick and cut it into discs, 16 cm in diameter.
Bake for 12 minutes at 170°C.
Cool and coat with milk chocolat coating (optional).

Hazelnut Sponge Cake
Beat with an electric beater with a spatula attached, the icing sugar, the powdered hazelnuts, the eggs and the egg yolks.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the sugar and cream of tartar.
Fold in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the first bowl, add the sifted flour and then delicately fold the remaining whites.
Lay the sponge cake out in a flexipat.
Bake 12 to 14 mins at 200°C in a ventilated oven.

Praline Cream
Smooth out the custard filling, add the praline. Mix and add the melted gelatin. Delicately fold in the whipped cream.

Lemon Cream
Smooth out the custard filling. Add the lemon juice, the fromage frais, then the melted gelatin.
Delicately fold in the whipped cream and sugar.

Lemon Syrup
Mix the water and the syrup and bring to a boil. Let the lemon zest infuse for 10 minutes. Sift it then chill.

Montage
Cover the inside surface of a circular dish of 18 cm in diameter and 4,5 cm with a stripe of acetate sheet. Cover the inside with pralin cream.
Place a disc of crusty sweet flan pastry.
Sprad a very fine layer of praline cream so the sponge will hold.
Place a disc of hazelnut sponge cake soaked in lemon syrup.
Garnish with praline cream, 1 cm thick. Place the lemon cream insert.
Garnish again with a very fine layer of pralin cream then place a second disc of hazelnut sponge cake soaked in lemon syrup.
Smooth down with praline cream.
Set in freezer.
With a pastry bag with a tip, make a crown of pralin cream on top of the cake so as to give it the appearance of a nest.
Freeze again.

To finish...
Spray with a milk chocolate mixture (see "milky hazelnut").
Dress the nest with white and dark chocolate couverture on a frozen tray.
Sprinkle with icing sugar, special for decoration.

EBBP6 finally !

Finally I'm writting my post about the 6th edition of the EPPB (Euro Blogging By Post). This time it was host by Johanna at http://thepassionatecook.typepad.com
I received my parcel quite a long time ago, on the 2nd of october if I remember well. I realize that since my first time in taking part in that event, my secret Santa has always been a British Santa (at least someone who lives there), which is great since I'm totally in love with that country. This time, it was Mel from the real nice blog Hacticium at www.hecticium.blogspot.com and the parcel contained - some ingredients to make Jamie's Oliver Maroccan Lamb Stew (will be a chicken or beef stew for me as I dislike lamb) : couscou, herbs.
- There was also some dark chocolat, had a piece today and it's really lovely.
- Organic dried apricots.... hum... I love those !
- Ginger biscuits : I never ate those but will definetely try soon.
- A jar of homemade white currant gin : no idea what it tastes like but it tastes good !
A big thanks to Mel ! and sorry for having taken such a long time to post about it but between work, school, my 23rd B-Day... I didn't really had time but I know, everybody's busy so that's no excuse...
As for me, my parcel was sent to Bonnie, read her post here.
For the round up it's here !

Lemon Strawberry Delice

Délice Citron Fraise

Makes 3 delices of 18 cm in diameter and 4,5 cm high

Ingredients :
Almond shortbread pastry
- 150 grs butter
- 100 grs icing sugar
- 35 grs powdered white almonds
- 50 grs eggs
- 260 grs flour
- 2 grs baking powder
- 2 grs salt
- 80 grs grilled flaked almonds

Raw almond seeds dacquoise
- 100 grs icing sugar
- 50 grs powdered white almonds
- 75 grs powdered raw almonds
- 7,5 grs powdered bitter almonds
- 75 grs raw almonds seeds
- 150 grs egg whites
- 50 grs caster sugar
- 2 grs tartar cream

Light lemon cream
- 375 grs custard filling
- 100 grs lemon juice
- 500 g fromage frais
- 15 grs gelatin leaves
- 675 grs whipped cream, 35% fat content
- 100 grs sugar

Strawberry Jam
- 460 grs strawberries
- 225 grs caster sugar
- 2 grs pectin

Instructions :
Almond shortbrad pastry
Whip up the butter with an electric beater with a spatula attached.
When smooth, add the icing sugar, the almond powder and the eggs. Mix.
Add the flour, the baking powder and the salt just mix before together.
Mix just a bit before adding the flaked almonds.
Set the pastry dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Roll out the pastry dough to a thickness of 3 mm and cut into 16 cm circles.
Bake for 15-18 mins at 160°C.
Cool.
Coat the discs with white chocolate coating so they don't soften (I recomment not to do it coz then it's far to hard when eaten. Not doing it allows the lemon cream to infiltrate the shortbread pastry and soften it, which makes the cake real nice to eat).

Raw almond seed dacquoise
Sift the icing sugar and the almond powders, then add the raw almonds seeds.
Beat the egg whites with the sugar and the tartar cream.
Sprinkle the almond-sugar mixture over the beaten egg whites and mix delicately.
Pipe with a stencil, 16 cm in diameter and 15 mm thick.
Sprinkle twice lightly with icing sugar.
Bake for 5 mins at 200°C, oven closed and 20 mins at 170°C, oven open in a ventilated oven.

Light Lemon Cream
Smooth the custard filling. Add the lemon juice, fraomage frais, and melted gelatin leaves. Delicately fold in the whipped cream with sugar.

Strawberry Jam
Mix the strawberries, with the sugar and the pectin. Cook at 63°C. Cool.

Montage
Place a strip of acetate sheet inside of a dessert dish, 4,5 cm high. Cover the inside surface with a strip of printed sponge cake.
Place a layer of stenciled shortbread pastry on the bottom, cover it with strawberry jam.
Lay a disc of almond dacquoise.
Garnish with lemon cream, 1 cm thick.
Lay on another disc of dacquoise.
Smooth down to the top of the disc with lemon cream. Freeze.

To finish...
Glaze the top of the cake with clear yellow glaze. Decorate with fruits.

Recipe extracted from "Entremets, L'envers du Décor" by Stéphane Glacier

Milky Hazelnut

Lacté Noisette

Makes 3 cakes of 18 cm in diameter and 4,5 cm high
Ingredients :
Hazelnut sponge cake
- 125 grs icing sugar
- 125 grs powdered hazelnuts
- 175 grs egg yolks
- 390 grs egg whites
- 70 g caster sugar
- 2 grs tartar cream
- 95 grs flour
- Ground hazelnuts

Grand Marnier Syrup
- 300 grs syrup 30°B
- 1 orange zest
- 100 grs water
- 40 grs Grand Marnier

Chocolate Cremeux
- 120 grs egg yolks
- 60 grs caster sugar
- 550 grs whipping cream, 35% fat content
- 200 grs milk couverture
- 200 grs couverture, 64% cocoa

Milk Chocolate chantilly
- 660 grs liquid cream, 35% fat content
- 240 grs milk couverture

Instructions :
Hazelnut sponge cake
Beat with an electric beater, spatula attached, the powdered hazelnuts and the egg yolks. In another dish, beat the egg whites with the sugar and tartar cream.
Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the first bowl, add the flour and delicately fold the remaining egg whites.
Place the discs, 1 cm thick and 16 cm in diameter.
Sprinkle with ground hazelnuts.
Bake for 20 minutes at 170°C, oven closed.

Grand Marnier syrup
Heat up the water and sugar and let the orange zest steep for 5 minutes. Add the syrup and the Grand Marnier, sift and cool.

Chocolate Cremeux
Blanch the egg yolks with the sugar. Boil the cream in a pan then pour half of it over the blanched egg yolks.
Place the contents in a pan and bake at 85°C. Sift out onto the couvertures that have already been grated.
Mix in order to obtain a smooth texture.
Pour the contents on a sheet pan in order to cool.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave to cool.

Milk Chocolate Chantilly
The first day, boil the cream and pour it onto the grated couvertures that have already been grated.
Mix and place in the fridge.
The second day, beat with a beater with a spatula attached.

Montage
Place on the inside of a circular dish, 4,5 cm high and 18 cm in diameter, a strip of acetate sheet.
Cover the inside surface with a strip of printed sponge cake, 3 cm high.
Place at the bottom of the circular dish, a disc of hazelnut sponge cake, soaked in Grand Marnier syrup, and smoothed down to the top of the circular dish with chocolate cremeux.
Freeze.
Garnish the top of the dessert with milk chocolate chantilly. Put back in freezer.

To finish...
Spray with a milk chocolate velvet over the top of the dessert.
Decorate with black and white chocolate motifs.

Recipe extracted from "Entremets, l'envers du décor" by Stéphane Glacier

Macaroons : Chocolate

Chocolate macaroons... Everyone has its own way to make them, there are many recipes out there and I can say I've tried quite a few. This recipe gave me excellent results and therefore will be the one I'll be using in the future.

Ingredients :
- 100 g egg whites
- 125 g almond meal
- 225 g icing sugar
- 25 g caster sugar
- 15 g cocoa powder Van Houten
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- a few drops red colouring

<-- Ganache -->
- 12,5 cl double cream
- 1 tsp light corn syrup
- 100 g dark chocolate (Barry Tanzania 72% cocoa solids)
- 15 g butter, softened

Instructions :
Preheat oven to 150°C.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.
Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa. Use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn't quite fine enough.

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the caster sugar until very stiff and firm.
Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and shiny stop folding and transfer the batter into the pastry bag.
Pipe the batter on the baking sheets (previoulsy covered with parchment paper) in 4cm circles evenly spaced 3 cm apart.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the countertop to flatten the macaroons, then bake them for 12-15 minutes.
Let cool before removing from baking sheet.

Now, time to prepare the ganache.
Start by grating finely your chocolate.
In a saucepan, bring to boil the cream and corn syrup. Once boiling pour it over the chocolate and slowly stir until smooth.
Let cool and then using a teaspoon or a piping bag, spread the filling onto half the number of macaroons and sandwich them with the ones you didn't spread chocolate on.
To be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the freezer.

EBBP5

The EBBP5 or Euro Blogging By Post 5 was created (if I'm not mistaken) by Andrew a while ago and is most of the time hosted by Andrew himslef. But this time, Jeanne over at cook sister ! is hosting the event.
In case you're not familiar with this event, it consists of fellow bloggers sending parcels to each other. More precisely, a food blogger named A will send a parcel to a fellow food blogger named B and received a parcel from W, W will also receive a parcel from someone.... Euro because all the bloggers will be living in Europe. Sometimes there's a theme, sometimes not. This time the theme is SUMMER (oups, I kinda forgot about it when I put together my parcel).
For the round up it's here !
Last monday I received this very nice things sent by Johanna. Those goodies come from England. Each thing was in it's own little package, it was so cute :) And on each was a little explanation.
- marshmallows : Johanna loves campfires in the summer and during them enjoys eating roasted marshmallows. I love marshmallows too, roasted or not.
- Tyrnells : Those ones are parnship chips. I never tried those before and I have to say I would never have thought of trying them, the idea of parnship in chips doesn't thrill me. Still, I did try a couple and have to say I was agreably surprised.
- colourfull muffin cases : Johanna thought I'd like them and I do, very much. Now I just have to find what kind of muffins I'm gonna bake in those cute little cases.
- Lamponaceto : an italian kind of jam introduced to Johanna by a italian friend. The original, called Fragolaceto is made with strawberries. This one is made with raspberries and therefore J. decided to call it Lamponaceto.
- Milherb : a blend of herbs, great for vinaigrette making. Johanna even gives me a recipe ! Great !
- a Zotter's chocolate bar : a austrian chocolate that I'm eager to try.
Big thanks to Johanna at the www.passionatecook.com

As for the parcel I sent. What a mess ! A little bit more than two weeks ago I sent out a parcel to XXX. Last week Jeanne wrote me to let me know that my recipient hadn't received anything yet. After a few times of going to the post office, my local, then the headquarters, I found out that the parcel hadn't been sent. Why ? I don't know, neither does the staff there. Still, the parcel had been sitting in a room since the day I posted it. I got angry, shouted a little...
Finally, the parcel was sent out this monday and will probably not reach its destination before a week or so. Oh, postal service, grrrrrrrr

Apple Tart (using puff pastry)

Hi everybody. After more than a month without blogging, I'm finally back with a "new" recipe.
On the 19th of July, I, along with friends, assisted to Placebo's concert in Nîmes. It was great ! Love that Band !
Antyway, on that night, C. sort of complained because on the french version of this log, the recipe was the same since mid june. I promised her I would post new recipes and technics now that I'm a trainee baker. So there it is.
Still I have to say that when it's above 30°C outside you don't feel much hungry and when you eat it's scoops of ice cream. Beside I'm baking all day so don't feel like it when I'm home. I also spend quite some time at the pub because I know that if I stay home on the afternoon I'll fall asleep so I like better be outside, having a diet coke with a friend in a nice pub in town.
Anyway, here's how to make this apple tart. What I love with apple tart is how quick and simple it is to make it and how good it taste.

Ingredients :
- 1 round puff pastry (either bought or home made)
- apples compote (if you wish to make it, take 6 apples that you cut into thick slices - don't peel them, only take off the seeds, add about 60 g caster sugar and the juice of half a lemon along with a little water. Cook until apples are cook - doesn't take more than 20 minutes - and blend until you have a smooth mixture).
- 4 - 5 apples (I like using golden, or royal gala)
- glaze

Instructions :
Roll out the puff pastry (if you bought one, it's already done) in a 26 cm round (knowing the circle and not tin we'll use is 24 cm wide).
Coat the tart ring with it.
Spread the compote onto the pastry. The layer of compote must be 1 or 2 cm thick.
Peel the apples, and slice them thinly. Dispose on compote as shown on the pictures.
Preheat oven at 200 - 220°C.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry's cooked. The tart is cooked when the bottom of it is.
Transfer on to a wire rack to cool.
Let it cool for 10 minutes or so.
Prepare the glaze (which is an already made product, called nappage blond) as suggested on the package. Using a brush (do not use a sillicone one), brush the tart with the glazr, going from the center to the outside. Do not brush twice.
Leave to cool completely and store in fridge until you're ready to eat it.

Result :
Apple tart made with puff pastry and compote is one of my favourite desserts. It tastes good, is easy and quick to make. Plus, it's light and refreshing.

Breads & Brioches

Hello everyone. So what have we got on those photographies ? Obviously, we have bread, 2 different kinds and various brioches, unglazed, glazed, uncooked and cooked.
The first picture represents a ciabatta bread which is an italian bread made with olive oil. This ciabatta is a little different from the classic one. Working in an organic bakery means that we use as little yeast as possible (not at all for most breads), a very special kind of flour ("farine de meule") and cook it the old fashioned way (in a huge oven made of stones and requiring wood).
Therefore all those things mean it is impossible for us to get bread as light as white bread (baguettes...). The inside is far more dense (I'll show you the inside of the wholewheat bread newt time) and the bread color is always golden brown. The taste is far better, no acidity... and the best thing is it can be kept several days without getting hard.
Second picture is a wholewheat bread. I often bring some home for my mum to eat when she goes for a bike ride.
Other pictures are pictures of brioches made today. There were about 40 of them, some chocolate ones, some raisins (dried) and some cocunut one.
Having a bit of dough leftover, we (the bakers and I, the pastry "chef") decided to make ourselves one brioche. On the last pictures you see mine, I played a little with it. I think it looks quite good and certainely taste delicious (you'll see the inside tomorrow).
Well, I gotta go. Due to the football worldcup, I'm spending more time at the pub (Fitzpatrick, Irish pub) than at home (that also might be because I fancy one of the barmen of the said pub).
Have a good day.

Organic : Meringues

Bio : Meringues

So, what's different between those meringues and other meringues ? They're organic, therefore all ingredients used are organic. Why am I making organic meringues ? Well, I work in an organic bakery, and therefore I'm trying new recipes, using organic ingredients to see what they taste like... If they're good, look nice, I could try them at work.
Well, every organic recipe here will be compared to the non organic one.
Transforming a recipe into an organic recipe can in some cases be achieved by switching from non organic ingredients to organic ones, but not always. Sometimes, I think quantities... need also to be change.

Ingredients :
For 6 large meringues
- 115 g egg whites
- 115 g organic sugar
- 115 g organic icing sugar

Instructions :
Using an electric beaters, beat the egg whites until fluffly. Add 50 g caster sugar and go on beating until stiff peaks form. Then, add the remaining caster sugar, a spoonful at a time, going on beating until very stiff peaks form.
Now, carefully fold in the icing sugar using a plastic spatula.
Once done, transfer the egg white mixture into a pastry bag with a star tip.
Pipe the mixture onto a baking tray covered by parchment paper.
Bake for 1.30 hour to 2.30 hours at 195°F (90°C) (or more depending on the size of the pieces and the consistency you wish to reach. I bake mine for a little more than 2.30 hours)

Result :
As you can see on the pic, they're not white. I didn't expect them to be as the organic sugars (caster and icing) are light brown.
They taste great, better than normal meringues, perhaps coz both sugars are more flavoured than normal ones.

Pierre Hermé's Gâteau de Suzy

Gâteau de Suzy

I made this cake a while ago but didn't have time to translate the recipe until today.
I love this cake, the inside is so soft and whether you eat it cold or at room temperature, you get a very different cake.
Serve with whipped cream it's perfect.

Ingredients :
- 250 g butter, softened
- 200 g caster sugar
- 250 g chocolate (Barry Tanzania 75% cocoa solids)
- 70 g all purpose flour
- 4 eggs

Instructions :
Preheat oven at 180°C (356°F).
Coat a 9 inches wide cake tin with greaseproof paper (be carefull to use a cake tine at least 5,5 cm high).
Using a microwave, melt the chocolate. Leave to cool. The chocolate must be just warm when you mix it to the other ingredients.
Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one by one, beating well between each addition.
Stir in the chocolate and the flour.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes. When a skewer is inserted in the middle it comes out cover with batter. The top of the cake must be mat and break a little (see pic).

Result :
I love this cake, very easy to make.
Can be kept in the fridge up to 2 days. Think about taking it out of the fridge about 1 hour before you eat it to have a really soft cake, now if you want a more "fondant like" cake then eat right away.