Summer frangipane

My friend Suzanne went away for a week so she gave me the keys to her house and offered me to use her oven (my oven is still broken). How generous is that! Anyway, I wanted to bake something with the ingredients I had so I started digging around my kitchen. I found frozen sweet pastry (that I made from scratch) in the freezer so my first fought was "tart!!". But later on, after finding ground almonds in my cupboard I made a decision on frangipane (which is a tart technically, but I like the frangipane name better)! So today on my way to my friend's house I bought some strawberries and here it comes the result :)

STRAWBERRY FRANGIPANE

For the sweet pastry:

• 500g plain flour
• 250g unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 egg

For the cream:

• 150g unsalted butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 150g ground almonds
• 50g plain flour
• 1/2 pod of vanilla seeds (optional)
• 250g strawberries

For the glaze:

• 2 tbsp apricot or seedless raspberry jam

1. Place the butter and sugar in mixing bowl and beat them together until they are light and fluffy. Add the egg to the butter mixture and mix it until combined. Then add the flour gradually and mix until it looks like smooth dough.
2. Place the pastry in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to rest. (or into freezer if you want it to be used another time)
3. Meanwhile make the cream. Place the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl and mix them together until they are creamy and light. Mix the eggs in 1 at a time until well combined. Sift the flour and ground almonds together. Slowly add the almond and flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix the ingredients together until you have a creamy mixture. Set the frangipane cream aside until ready to use.
4. Remove the pastry from the fridge. Roll it out on a well floured surface until it is around .5-.75mm thick. Lightly grease 30cm tart tin (or line it with baking paper). Line the tart tin with the pastry. Place the lined tin in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes until just firm and without colour. Remove the pastry from the oven an allow it to cool.
6. Reduce the temperature to 180°C. Place the frangipane cream in the tart tin and spread it out evenly with a palate knife (do not over fill).
7. Place the strawberies in the frangipane so that they are spread out over the tart.
8. Place the tart in the preheated oven and cook it for 30-40 minutes. The frangipane cream will be golden brown, risen and firm when the tart is ready.
9. Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the tart carefully from the tin.
10. Place the apricot or raspberry jam in a small saucepan and place it over a moderate heat. Heat it while stirring until it has melted. Remove it form the heat and brush it over the tart lightly with a pastry brush.

No Coments...

My oven is still broken so here is another no bake desert that I made out of desperation: the chocolate mousse dessert.... I think you have to find it for yourself and actually taste to appreciate. So, NO COMMENTS FROM ME...

COCONUT AND MIXED BERRIES CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

 Ingredients:  200g dark chocolate
                      4 tbsp double cream
                      2 tbsp coconut flavored rum (something like "Malibu")
                      3 eggs
                      4 tbsp sugar
 For serving:  4 tbsp desiccated coconut
                      2 handfuls of mixed berries (like blueberries or raspberries etc... the more the better!)
                      200ml double cream

1. Melt the chocolate and mix it with double cream.
2. Separate egg yolks from whites (reserve the whites in separate bowl). Add sugar to the egg yolks and whisk it until it becomes pale. Gradually add it to melted chocolate mixture.
3. Whisk the egg whites until it forms stiff peaks. Add it gradually into the chocolate mixture by folding and don't overwork it as it would let all the air out!
4. The mixture then is ready to split into 4-6 glasses (I used cups as I thought that looks really cute!). Cover them with cling film and place them into the fridge for at least two hours.
5. Decorate the deserts with whisked double cream, desiccated coconut and mixed berries.

The rest is up to you....

Broken oven??? :'-(

The past couple of weeks I have been a little bit upset as the oven in my house is broken... which means no baking :-(. But this did not stop me from eating deserts... You see, I have been experimenting with no-bake cheesecake, which I tried to fit into little cups. Why? because I think the smaller the cuter! So there you go my best version so far...

CUP-CHEESECAKE
(makes 12)

Ingredients:   200g (14) Bourbons (chocolate biscuits)
                      75g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter
                      200g (7oz) soft cheese (something like Philadelphia)
                      300ml (1¼ cup) sweetened condensed milk
                      250g (9oz) cream fraiche (soured cream) 
                      1tbsp lemon juice
                      10g (4 sheets) gelatine, soaked in cold water
                      36 raspberries (3 per cup) 
                      50g chocolate (optional)

1. Break up the Bourbons into food processor then crush them up. Stir in the butter. Use crumbs to line the base of 12 cupcake cases.

2. Blend the soft cheese with condensed milk and cream fraiche.
3. Heat the lemon juice in a pan. Squeeze water from the gelatine leaves and stir into the juice. Strain trough a sieve over the cheesecake mixture and continue mixing until well combined. Pour the filling into the 12 cups over the base.

4. Drop tree raspberries into each cup and place the whole cupcake pan into the fridge to set for approximately two hours.

 5. Meanwhile melt the chocolate and pour it into the piping bag. On the parchment paper pipe whatever shape you want to decorate your cup-cheesecakes (I tried to create little hearts, but it could be anything).

6. Place the tray with the chocolate decoration into the freezer for 15min and then they are ready for the job.
7. This is the end job to enjoy... yum!

    

What Pinterest told me to bake for the Easter?

I recently fell in love with Pinterest. They say this social website is going to be the next Facebook! I totally agree, however my friend disagree as she is a hardcore Facebook-er. But I bet when Pinterest becomes more popular she will convert. Anyway, the cool think about Pinterest is that is so visual as people "pin" their crafty decor ideas, fashion and of course deliciously looking bakes in picture form.... so when I was looking for Easter ideas, I "repinned" on my profile these speckled Easter eggs...

then these Easter eggs that have been dyed with natural dyes like beetroot juice, blueberries and orange peel (this reminds me of Lithuanian traditions when we dye our Easter eggs with onion peeling)....

and this egg-pot idea, which is not only for Easter...

These Cadbury cream cookie cups have been pinned by Katrina (http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/2012/03/cadbury-cream-cookie-cups.html) , but I edited the recipe slightly. I don't know about you, but I find the cadbury eggs a little bit sickly... however these cups taste heavenly....

I tried to make it as natural as I can so I used agave nectar in the cream. Accidentally I used agave nectar that have been flavored with honey. So my chocolate cookie have been flavored with honey which tasted yummm.... however I don't know if this is to everyone taste.

CADBURY CREAM COOKIE CUPS
(makes 12)

Ingredients: 125g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
                    125g (3/4 cup) light brown sugar
                    1 egg (beaten)
                    200g (1 3/4 cups) flour
                    1 tsp baking powder
                    1/2 tsp salt
                    2 tbsp coco powder
                    50g flaked chocolate bar (I used milk chocolate)
                    50g chopped nuts (I did it with coconut flakes since I had none in my cupboard)
                    (for the cream)
                    25g (6 tsp) unsalted butter
                    85g (1/4 cup) honey flavored agave nectar or runny honey
                    260g (2 cups) icing sugar
                    2 tbsp water
                    yellow food colouring                
1. Cream butter with soft brown sugar, then add egg and combine well.
2. Add flour, baking powder, salt, coco powder, chocolate and nuts and mix again.
3. Grease muffin pan with little butter and spoon cookie mixture into it and press it in so it creates a cup.
4. Bake for 10-13min until firm. Let cool for 15 min in the pan and remove them by gently twisting them with your fingers. Let cool completely.
5. In the bowl combine agave nectar and softened butter. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Remove about 1/3 of cream and dye with yellow food colouring.
6. Pour white cream into the cookie cups. Finish off with small of yellow cream.

Happy Easter :)

"Little Paris Kitchen": the breakfast treats

"Little Paris Kitchen" is the new program on tee-vee that made me to forget my beloved "Desperate Housewives". And it's not that there is anything to compare between them two! I used to be really devoted to watching a little of Wisteria Lane mysteries, but now I am just dazzled by this grand appearance of Rachel Khoo and her wonderfully looking food, style sense and her little kitchen. I love her lifestyle so much... in fact I even feel a little bit jealous.

Even though there have been only two series, I have managed to try some of "Little Paris Kitchen" recipes myself: two breakfast treats! First I tried Croque Madame muffins as seeing it how it was created really inspired me!

Then I made these Eggs in pots (oeufs en cocotte)...

And I can say that I finally found something better for breakfast than Eggs Benedict.... and it is easier to make! Except I used bacon instead of lumpfish roe since is really difficult to find it in UK. Here is the recipe.

EGGS IN POTS

Ingrediants:    150g creme fraiche

                       salt and freshly ground black pepper

                       pinch nutmeg

                       handful of chopped dill

                       4eggs

                       1 rasher of bacon

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
   
2. Season the creme fraiche with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
   
3. Place a heaped tablespoon of creme fraiche in the bottom of a ramekin, followed by a little dill.
   
4. Crack an egg on top, add a second tablespoon of creme fraiche and sprinkle with a pinch each of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add small tear of bacon on top. Repeat all this with three more ramekins.
   
5. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour enough lukewarm water into the dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
   
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the egg yolks are set to your liking.
   
7. Finish each serving with some dill.
   

My French pastry baking class

I know we are coming to the end of the week, but guess what I did last weekend! You obviously thinking: "of course it is going to be a French pastry course, since you have written that on the title"! Yes yes... that is exactly what I did and it's because I wanted to face my fear and finally be able to bake all these complicated pastries (especially puff pastry since it is more time consuming than I thought). Our tutor Pino Ficara taught us to bake Praline Mille Feuille (Napaleon Pastry)...

...Chocolate Eclair, Madeleine...

... and Creme Brulle....hmmm!

 I was particularly happy to see savory option there as after all this sweet I felt a little too overwhelmed (I had cake before the class - really bad idea). Here it comes....

 
"PISSALADIERE" OR SAVORY PASTRY TART

Ingredients: 250g puff pastry
                    1 onion, thinly sliced
                    1 courgette, quartered and sliced
                    1 aubergine, quartered and sliced
                    1 red pepper,  cut into julienne
                    oil, butter, salt, sugar, pepper

1. Pre-cook vegetables: in deep pot over low heat add butter and olive oil, add onions, pinch of salt and about 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let onion cook gently without coloration, remove onto tray lined with foil and let cool.
2. In a oven tray add enough oil to barely cover bottom and over medium heat cook all the vegetables separately until tender. let it cool.
3. Preheat the oven at 200C. Roll puff pastry into square, place on the tray lined with baking paper and with a fork prick dough well to prevent it from puffing too high when cooking.
4. Place cooled onion onto ready pastry,

     then arrange the other cooked vegetables.

Brush the sides with the egg yolk for the glaze...

 

 

Bake immediately until golden, let cool a few minutes before slicing and serving.

If you would like to attend the french pastry class yourself like me, go to  http://www.bakewithmaria.com/courses/

The story about how the spinach pretended to be a sorrel

Last week I finally made the trip to my garden in London. Oh... how I love spring! I was actually expecting to face the worst: weeds and my neighbor's blackberries invading my garden. But instead I was delighted to see the sorrel and the rhubarb all recovered after long winter we had! I know you all know well about the rhubarb, but I really want to highlight how amazing is the sorrel. Well... this leaf vegetable taste crispy sour when raw and makes my childhood's favorite soup soooo yummy! I know it is not common to grow in England although it grows better in my garden then in Lithuanian climate. Never mind that.... my mum came up with this sour spinach recipe that matches my so loved sorrel soup... and she did not come up with that for me (since I am in England and can't buy sorrel in the shops). My mum's major goal was to get my little brother (age 10) to eat more spinach (sorrel soup was also his favorite). Let me tell you more about my little brother. He is like a most children don't like vegetables or anything green food related (except sorrel of course) and likes pizza, fries or cola. So you can imagine my mum's frustration to feed him with the healthy foods. That is how she comes up with sour spinach soup to imitate the sorrel soup... GENIUS!!!

SOUR SPINACH SOUP
Ingredients: 1 onion
                    5 rashers of smoked bacon
                    2 carrots
                    1l chicken or vegetable stock
                    2 potatoes
                    200g fresh spinach leaves 

                    2 eggs
                    juice of half a lemon
                    salt and pepper to taste


1. Fry onions, cubed smoked bacon and shredded carrot.
2. Add stock and diced potato. Bring it to boil and simmer it for 20 min.
3. Reduce the heat and add the spinach and cook for about 2-3min

4. Remove it from the cooker and stir in whisked eggs and lemon juice. season it to taste.

I hope you like it!