Tuesday 31 May 2011

Bakers Block

I have to confess, I do a lot of baking and cooking, not just with chocolate. If this was a regular food blog I could write about almost anything I make for dinner and share my most cherished bread recipes. I could write about whipping up a fresh batch of lavender scones when my best-friends stayed over last week, and how she almost missed her flight because she had to go by Selfridges and buy macaroons for the little ones. 

I could tell you about my love for vegetables, ripe cherries ( I can tie a knot with the stem, not using my hands) chilled mango lassi and how I will jump with joy (and maybe pour myself a drink) when the quiche crust doesn't melt down the side of the pan and cause the egg-filling to spill over. Can you think of  anything better than perfectly cooked asparagus sprinkled with fresh parmesan shavings? Or a tall glass of Eton Mess on Primrose Hill? I actually find myself craving fresh spinach with feta cheese and a generous amount of balsamic vinegar. In the meantime my chocolate recipes, my beloved chocolate recipes, are just sitting there, unused. It must be spring. 

Who can resist the endless sight of sun-riped tomatoes and bunches of fresh herbs? The little store by my bus stop sells the best mint and coriander in all of London. The mint is mixed with water and a few slices of lime, it's mouthwatering refreshing. The coriander is joyfully sprinkled over almost everything I make. The most plain dishes come to life thanks to those beautiful green leaves and a pinch of sea-salt. 

I'm getting carried away. I was supposed to make a 9 layer chocolate torte, or marzipan dipped in chocolate. I have yet to publish a chapter on the best chocolate chip cookies every, and what about the mini sandcakes filled with Bavarian chocolate cream? Why on earth am I sitting here nibbling on a carrot for? It's such a good carrot though. Organic and full of flavour. I have a big bag of them in the fridge.

So what am I baking for the blog this week? I have no idea. The trick is to have cream, butter, egg, chocolate, sugar and flour in the house, then you will be prepared for most recipes. But I don't want chocolate today. I want fresh rasberries with home-made vanilla cream. I want a big bowl of fresh penne adorned with crispy, buttery French garlic. I would like a serving of brie and grapes please, and maybe some oat crackers. Or how about a pot of jasmine green tea with honey and lemon? I really can't decide. I am no cook, and I have a lot to learn about baking, but I do know one thing. Never bake when you are uninspired. Personally I make a lot more mistakes when I'm fretting and indecisive. 

That being the case, I'll leave my recipes alone for now and reach for another carrot instead.

Sunday 15 May 2011

Are we talking about me yet?

Have you noticed how some people always manage to twist every conversation back to their own favourite topics?  
At a friend’s birthday party a woman asked me: ” So, do you have any children? ” I said no, and judging by the look on her face I might as well have been speaking Greek. She got this blank look on her face, like she was starring at a very confusing modern painting. Finally she made a weird coughing sound and said “Excuse me.”  Next thing I know she is eagerly talking to a mutual friend, a very pregnant friend, about sibling rivalry, the challenges of travelling with small children, and how it’s important to carve out time for yourself and take care of you at least once a month. Clearly I couldn’t be trusted to participate in this ravishing conversation, childless as I was. And talking about something else was obviously out of the question.

Bob, Cooper and Lynch
Another time this phenomena came up, was when I was introduced to a man who bore a striking resemblance to Bob. Remember Bob, from Twin Peaks? Anyone growing up in the 80’s will know who I’m talking about. Uncombed, long grey hair, dressed in denim, lurking behind the living-room furniture with that haunting look on his face. I’m still carrying a lot of anxiety from having been exposed to Bob, so you can imagine my shock when I saw this man before me. He had lived in Asia for decades and was therefore blissfully unaware of his evil twin brother. I think he confused my disbelief/curiosity with adoration, because regardless of what we were doing or talking about, he always managed to bring some sexual innuendo to the table. When I was drinking a cup of hot milk I was met with an approving nod towards the milk and the comment: “Warm, sweet and nice, just as a little boy”. When we visited the local museum, it was mainly the exhibition of ancient armors adorned with steel penises that held his interest. One evening, when he was in the more philosophical corner, he asked the following question: “What has given you more pleasure in life, food or men?”

See, that is what I should have asked the woman who could only talk about children! It would never have worked though, too blunt, too direct. There is clearly no right answer, but regardless what you say you will come off sounding kind of weird. If your answer is food, what does that tell you about your interactions with the male population? If you answer men, it makes you sound like a pervert. I will easily choose a French baguette with cream cheese and blueberry jam over most men. In a weaker moment I know it I'm willing to give up chocolate just to get a glimpse of a certain someone without his shirt on. It’s hard to say. I think I will let Winnie the Pooh answer the question for me: “Both, please”

On that note, why don’t you surprise your special someone with a scrumptious chocolate marble cake? Or make it for yourself. Regardless on where you stand on the topic of food and men, you can never go wrong with chocolate.

 Marbled Chocolate Cake

This cake can be perceived as rather boring. There is no frosting, no filling, no decorating required at all. Yet, it’s the simplicity and effortlessness of this cake that makes it such a winner. And if you are still stumbling into the world of baking, still not sure of your cooking skills, this cake is a good place to start.

You need the following:

150g soft butter
150g fine caster sugar
3 eggs
1dl milk
200g flour
50g almond flour (if you don’t have almond flour, just use regular flour instead)
1,5 teaspoon baking powder
0,5 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla sugar

In a separate bowl:
2 tablespoons pure cocoa
2 tablespoons muscova sugar (this is the dark kind, but regular white sugar will also do)
½ dl milk

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, celsius. (In order for the baking powder to have it’s full effect on the rising process, your cake needs a warm oven.)

Cream together butter and sugar, then add one egg at a time, then vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder. Add one third of the dry mix to the creamy mixture, then add some of the milk. Keep alternating between adding the dry stuff and the milk. Don’t go crazy with the mixing, but make sure it’s all blended together. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, cocoa and milk. Add one third of the light batter to this dark paste. Both batters should now be of the same consistency.

Grease a 1,5 l baking pan and pour in half of the light batter into it. Then pour the dark batter in, and pour the rest of the light batter on top of that again. In order to create the marble effect, drag a spoon through all the layers. 

Put the pan in the over and bake for about 55 minutes. After 25 minutes rotate the pan, and after 45 minutes insert a toothpick into the cake. If it comes out clean, take the cake out. If it comes out with runny batter on it, leave the cake in the oven a little longer. It’s always good to check on your cake while baking and not blindly trust the given baking time. All ovens are different, and it also depends on the shape of your pan.

When done baking, take the cake out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack. After 10-15 minutes you can remove the cake from the pan and your marble treat is ready to eat.

Fun fact: Did you know that the Bob character in Twin Peaks wasn't in the original  script? While filming a scene, Mr Lynch saw one of his sound technicians crawling on the floor. He thought it was the most frightening thing he has ever seen, and that is how Bob made it into the series. But enough about Bob, enjoy your cake. 

 PS: I can highly recommend getting a silicon cake pan. Mine is in a shape of a sand caste, and it's really fun to peel the pan off the cake when it's done baking. Just something extra, something different. 

  

Sunday 8 May 2011

The Ladurée Dream

I have no sense of direction. I easily get lost and find maps confusing. However, when two of my closest, most trusted friends told me I had to visit the famous pastry-house Ladurée while in Paris, I had no choice but to stumble through this great city and hope I wouldn't get lost in some dodgy street and end up naked in a dumpster.
When I finally made it to 21 Rue de Bonaparte, it was like finding my true home. Everything was in perfect harmony, the beautiful window display, the chic waiters, the china, even the toilette was stunning. However, Ladurée is not famous for their bathroom design, but for being the very first pastry-house to stick two macaroons together with ganache filling in the middle. Regular macaroons had already been around for centuries, but the ganache filling raised them to a whole new level. They are truly irresistible, and quite addictive. Ladurée alone sell 15,000 of these macaroons, every single day.
I’m totally baffled by this. How do they make them all? Ladurée macaroons come in a wide variety of colours and flavours. Pistachio with raspberry filling, yellow ones with lemon ganache, parfait, passion fruit, chocolate, just to mention a few. And its not like they are easy to make. Even when you get it right, its still really time-consuming. 
Yesterday I was in the kitchen for hours sifting almond flour, making chocolate ganache, whipping egg whites and boiling sugar. I was really pleased with the flavour and texture, but the shape is still something of a challenge.
Still, even an imperfect macaroon is superior to most cakes and cookies I can think of. 
So I keep trying, keep baking, each time getting a little closer to the Ladurée dream in my own home.

Before you start, set the mode with this adorable movie:

Chocolate Macaroons
1 cup minus 2 table spoons finely ground almonds
11/4 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large egg whites at room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
¾ cup fine white sugar

Chocolate ganace
2 cups whipping cream
250 gram dark chocolate, chopped

First we make ganache. I prefer to make it the day before I bake. It needs at least 5 hours to chill, but longer is better. You can of course make it the same day you intend to use it, but then there will be a lot of waiting around, hoping it will firm up soon.

Heat up the cream over medium heat until it simmers. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir a few times, then wait 20 minutes, then stir again. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours, but no more than 4 days before using.

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees and line cookie sheets with baking paper. Depending on the size of your sheets, you will need at leas 2 or 3.
Tip: iron the paper before you put it on the sheets. Here is why: a crumbly, slightly uneven baking sheet might cause the bottom of the macaroons to be uneven as well. They need to lay perfectly flat while baking, delicate as they are.

Find a glass or cup that is about 11/4 inch round, dip it in water, then in flour, and press little circles on the sheet. This is an easy, stress-free way of making sure that all the macaroons come out the same size.

Now for the baking part. Blend together the grounded almond, icing sugar, and cocoa. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk, whip two of the egg whites and the cream of tartar together until soft peaks start to form. You get a better result if you start off with a slow speed, then gradually increase the speed as the whites stiffen.

Combine sugar and water in a pan and stir over medium heat. From time to time brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush. When the syrup reaches 241 degrees whisk it into the egg whites. Make sure you pour the syrup in a thin, steady stream, not all at once. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Now we have meringue!

Work the remaining egg white into the almond mixture with a fork. Then you stir in one quarter of the meringue, creating a soft, sticky paste. With a spatula, gently fold in the remaining meringue.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip, pipe rounds on the cookie sheet, staying within the flour-circle you created earlier. To get rid of unwanted air bubbles, gently tap the cookie sheet on the work surface. Let it stand until a skin forms, about 20-30 minutes.

Bake with the door slightly ajar for 12 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 12 minutes. While the next tray is in the oven, you are left with the fun task of getting the baked macaroons off the baking sheet. You do this by peeling the baking paper off the macaroon, not by attempting to peel the macaroons of the paper. Just do it slowly, gently, making sure not to break them. Another trick is to put a saucer of hot water underneath the baking tray. The steam releases the sticky macaroons from the paper.

When done baking, bring out the ganache. Gently beat it with a paddle attachment before using, this improves the texture. If it is too stiff to spread (it happens), stir it with a heated spoon or spatula.
In any case, sandwich 2 macaroons together with a dallop of ganache and refrigerate for 24 hours before eating.

Can you wait 24 hours? The flavours certainly improve over night, but I think it’s OK to try one or two right away. Put a couple on a little plate, have a seat and enjoy.

Please share your own recipes, or hints and tips related to macaroons. Someone always knows something clever that somehow escapes the recipe books.