Alsacien Saint Nicholas Treat - Mannalas

Saint Nicholas Day, the 6th of December, is remembered by different cultures in different ways.

In our house it was a day to remember the saintly man who found faith in Jesus and decided to use his wealth to help poor children. Nicholas de Myre was born in Turkey in 270 to a wealthy Christian family. His parents died of an epidemic when he was young and he went to live with his uncle who was a bishop.  The emperor Dioclétien reigned over all of asia minor and persecuted the Christians leading to the imprisonment and exile of Nicholas. In 313 the empereur Constantin reestablished religious freedom and Nicholas took the role of bishop. He was present at the first council of Nicaea in 325. His charitable reputation is celebrated on the anniversary of his death the 6th of December.

His life is full of imagery that you'll recognize in your own modern religious traditions. For example there was a poor family in town with three girls and the father didn't have enough money for the girls' dowry. When they were of age, they would have no choice but to turn to a life of prostitution, Nicholas snuck into their house under the cover of night and saw their stockings hanging to dry by the chimney and he slipped a purse of gold coins in each pair of stockings. Thanks to his generosity the honor of the young ladies and the family name would not be soiled and each girl would be assured a proper marriage.

ENGLISH VERSION
For 6 or 7 mannalas:

2  1/2 cups flour
2  1/2 active dry yeast
1/3 cup + 1.5 tbsp milk
3  1/2 tbsp butter
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt



Pile the flour on a table or on a pastry board or even in a bowl large enough and then make a well in the center of the mountain. In the well, make a paste with baking powder, salt, some sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk: this is your leavening agent.

When the yeast has mounted, add the milk, sugar, egg and butter to form dough.
It is best to let the dough rise once, then punch it down and knead once more before shaping, it gives more lightness to mannalas. Then allow to rise almost 1 hour near a heat source.
The dough should become smooth and not sticky (if necessary add more flour around the dough, and knead again until you can shape the little men).

Shaping:
Break the dough into 80g balls, roll them to get a stick of 12 cm, form the head by squeezing the neck, or by twisting the dough, place the sticks with a head on a plate that goes in the oven, covered with parchment paper to prevent it from sticking.
Finish shaping by cutting under the arm with a knife (dipped in flour if necessary), and by splitting the bottom of the stick in half to form the legs.
Then decorate by dotting the eyes with raisins or almonds or chocolate chips (optional).

Leave the dough to rise near a heat source.

When mannalas are ready to be cooked, brush with a mixture of egg yolk and milk, to give them a nice brown finish. Be careful not to spill the egg mixture onto the plate because it will stick and burns easily.
Place in preheated oven at 180 C for 12 minutes.

Variations: instead of brushing the mannalas with egg before cooking. Bake them first, then you can glaze them when they come out of the oven: with a brush, spread a thin layer  of sugar and water mixture on the mannalas hot out of the oven and allow them to dry as they cool. Light crunchy, sweet and shiny, appetizing finish.

The schnakalas (snails) are formed with the same dough, from a fairly long sausage roll on the table and prepared in the manner of a well-wrapped with two S ends.

 On the evening of St. Nicolas, in Alsace, families dine eating these treats with a bowl of hot chocolate (made by melting a bar of dark chocolate into hot milk). Clementines can complement the decor.

For morning preparation begin your yeast at 7 am to finish baking at 1 pm. Three kilos of flour can make 70 mannalas.

EN FRANCAIS
Pour 6 ou 7 mannalas:

250g de farine
15g de levure de boulanger
10cl de lait
50g de beurre
1 œuf
60g de sucre
1 pincée de sel fin

Faire une fontaine dans la farine, c’est à dire un puits dans le tas de farine versé sur la table ou sur une planche à pâtisserie, ou même dans un saladier assez large.
Dans la fontaine, faire une pâte avec la levure, le sel, un peu de sucre, et 2 cuillers à soupe de lait: c'est le levain

Quand le levain a bien monté, on mélange le tout en ajoutant le lait, le sucre, l'œuf et le beurre pour constituer la pâte.
Il est préférable de laisser lever la pâte une première fois, puis de battre à nouveau avant de façonner ; cela donne plus de légèreté aux mannalas. Il faut prévoir un peu plus de temps (presque 1 heure près d’une source de chaleur).
La pâte doit devenir souple et non collante ; au besoin rajouter de la farine autour du pâton, et battre à nouveau.


Façonnage:
Fragmenter la pâte en boules de 80g, les rouler pour obtenir un bâton de 12 cm environ, former la tête en serrant pour dessiner le cou, ou en tordant le pâton, installer  les bâtonnets avec une tête sur une plaque qui va au four, couverte d'un papier sulfurisé pour éviter que ça colle,
Terminer le façonnage en coupant sous les bras avec un couteau trempé dans la farine si nécessaire, et en fendant le bas du bâton en deux pour constituer les jambes.
Puis décorer avec des raisins pour les yeux par exemple, des amandes ou des pépites de chocolat (facultatif).

Laisser reposer pour que la pâte gonfle, si possible auprès d’une source de chaleur

Quand les mannalas sont prêts à être cuits, les dorer avec un mélange de jaune d'œuf et de lait, au pinceau. Faire attention de ne pas déborder sur la plaque car cela fait attacher et brûle facilement.
Mettre au four préchauffé à 180° pendant 12 minutes.

Variantes : au lieu de dorer avant cuisson, on peut glacer les mannalas : avec un pinceau, étendre une légère couche de mélange de sucre glace et d’eau sur les mannalas à la sortie du four, puis laisser sécher.
Ou peut aussi les dorer avant cuisson puis les glacer au sortir du four, avec un glaçage étendu d’eau ; cela donne un léger croquant sucré et un aspect brillant très appétissant.
- - -
Les schnakalas (escargots) se forment avec la même pâte, à partir d’un boudin assez long roulé sur la table et disposé à la façon d’un S bien enroulé aux 2 extrémités.


 Le soir de la saint Nicolas, en Alsace, les familles dînent en mangeant  ces friandises avec un bol de chocolat très chaud (préparé avec du chocolat noir en tablette et du lait).
Des clémentines, et des papillotes peuvent compléter la décoration et être appréciées.

En une matinée, de 7h à 13 heures avec préparation du levain à 7h et cuisson jusqu’à 13 heures : production de 70 mannalas (3 X 1 kg de farine)

As Simple As Shortbread

I once attended a dinner and saw the most amazing family in action. The way they hosted guests with class and with such grace inspired me. This recipe is from their collection, add it to end of any meal with a nice coffee or herbal tea and your evening will end in peace and serenity.

My favorite in-a-pinch recipe came in handy just this week. That morning we received a phone call from a German friend visiting Paris with some friends. When he announced he would stop by with seven unexpected guests in just a half an hour, I knew I could count on my shortbread to welcome them in out of the rain with open arms. And I still had time to spare to clean up, brew tea and set out the teacups.

2 cups (275 g) flour
1 cup (250 g) butter
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1/2 cup (75 g) cornstarch
1 tsp (càc) salt

Melt the butter, and mix in all of the other ingredients. Press into the bottom of a 9/10 inch baking pan. Use a fork to draw stripes on the surface. Bake at 390°F (200°C) until the edges show the slightest golden color and remove from the oven BEFORE it bakes all the way through. It's best when it's soft and crumbly.

Nichole's Birthday - Automne Apple Cider Cake

I fell in love with a gorgeous photo a friend posted on her Pinterest site. Immediately I was dreaming of birthday cake, even if my birthday was still two weeks away! I was intrigued by the whole wheat pastry flour, and the rustic finished product I would savor in the end.

I started tweaking the recipe : Carmel OUT, I'm not a big fan, well, maybe I'll keep half the carmel to please my guests. Apples IN, What?! and apple cake with no apples? There must be some mistake. I'll keep the applesauce the original recipe calls for and add... three apples. I mean really, how can you enjoy an apple cake if there aren't at least a few chunks of home grown apples in each slice?

 Automne Apple Cider Cake

1½ cups (250 g) light brown sugar
¾ cup (160 g) canola oil
¾ cup (130 g) unsweetened applesauce
½ cup (80 g) caramel sauce or less ;)
2 tsp (càc) vanilla
3 eggs
1½ cups (350 g) buttermilk*
2 cups (260 g) whole wheat pastry flour
1¾ (175 g) cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (càs) baking powder
1½ tsp (càc) baking soda
1½ tsp (càc) cinnamon
½ tsp (càc) salt
3 apples

APPLE CIDER FROSTING
7 1/2-8 cups (1 k) confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup (3/4 d'un brique) butter, softened
1/2 cup (23 cl) apple cider (pommes préssées) or apple juice (jus de pomme)
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F (170 C).

Chop the apples in bite-sized chunks.

In a very large bowl, beat sugar and oil together with an electric mixer until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add applesauce, caramel and vanilla, beat for 30 seconds, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the buttermilk. Then add slowly the dry ingredients : whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and continuing to beat until well combined.

Grease and flour two (8 or 9 inch) round cake pans and set aside. Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Set aside to let cool for 10 minutes, then gently loosen cakes and turn out onto a cooking rack; set aside to let cool completely.

APPLE CIDER FROSTING
Beat sugar, butter, cider, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Arrange one cake on a large plate and spread about 1 cup of the frosting evenly over the top. Arrange second cake on top then frost top and sides of entire cake with remaining frosting. Set aside at room temperature or in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow frosting to set before serving.

Makes a tall 2-layer, 8-9 inch round cake.

*faites votre buttermilk maison en adjutant une cueillir à soup et demi de vinaigre d'alcohol à 350g de lait 5minutes avant d'ajouter à la préparation.

(adapted from A-Hint-Of-Honey, merci Pinterest for this birthday inspiration)

Waldorf Salad On Croissant

I used non GMO (OMG) chicken breasts. It always feels good to do something healthy for my body once in a while.

Serve on croissants sliced in half to make the perfect brunch sandwich.

5 chicken breasts
1/2 cup (75 g) sliced almonds
1 celery stalk
1 cup (1/2 grappe) white grapes
1 granny smith apple
1/2 cup (25 cl) crème fraiche*
1 tbsp (càs) dijon mustard
salt
cayenne pepper (piment d'espelette)
12 croissants

Dice the chicken breasts and sauté in olive oil. Chill.
Toss with diced apple, sliced celery, and halved grapes.
Mix dijon mustard into sour cream and pour over the salad.
Sprinkle with almonds and cayenne pepper.

*The closest thing to real crème fraiche is light sour cream. Some recipes call for mayonnaise or fromage blanc. I thought mayonnaise sounded too heavy this morning, but you can probably do a mixture of any or all of these creamy sauces depending on the flavor you're looking for.

Crêpe Apéro

You'll need a batch of the World's Best Crêpes - Céline's Crêpes, but you can make them the night before. You can even eat a couple for breakfast and still have plenty to dress up your dinner.

smoked salmon
sour cream
chives (ciboulette)
cucumber

These are smaller than they look on the photo. The glasses they are in are actually expresso glasses, no more than two inches in height.

First you lay out a crêpe on a plate, fold it in half and roll it like an ice cream cone around the smoked salmon, cucumber and chives, and add a dollop of sour cream.

Claire's Pizza

This is the easiest pizza ever! I think Claire was in junior high when she started making this wonderful recipe. It's an American-style pizza which means you can whip it up in ten minutes. No yeast means there's no need to wait for the dough to rise, you just throw it on the baking dish and put the toppings on right away. It's that simple.

Claire's Pizza

5 1/4 cups (520 g) of flour
4 tsp (15 g) baking powder (levure chimique)
3 tsp (15 g) salt
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil or olive oil

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Wash your hands. Take off your rings. Mix with your bare hands, folding the dough over on itself until all the ingredients are absorbed into the ball of dough.

Split the dough into two balls, and press onto two pizza stones. *If you are using metal or glass baking dishes you'll want to oil the surface before pressing out the dough.

Spread tomato sauce on the surface of your dough, top with cheese and your favorite toppings!

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes.

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 fresh lemons

SHORTBREAD
Blend the softened butter with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cups flour. Press into pan, bake 15 minutes 350°F (175°C).

LEMON GANACHE
Whisk the last four ingredients and pour over the baked shortbread. Bake another 20 minutes. The ganache will firm as it cools.

My First Cake - French Yogurt Cake

This is the first cake that every kids learns to make during after school snack time. Great for generations and generations of sweet moments together.

So round the kids up and head to the kitchen. This is a recipe they'll never forget. All the measurements are in kid-friendly quantities, and don't worry about little hands accidentally allowing an extra splash of any of the ingredients ... it's pretty difficult to mess up this cake.

If you want a quick vanilla cake with coffee, this is a guaranteed hit. Race the cake baking against the drip coffee machine and I'll bet it will win every time! Let the kids experiment by squirting in some chocolate syrup! Or add bananas to sneak that extra fruit into their diet!

It all starts with a plain yogurt...

French Yogurt Cake
1 pot of yogurt (scoop out the yogurt with a spoon and measure the following ingredients with the pot)
2 pots of sugar
3 pots of flour
1/2 pot of oil
3 eggs
2 tsp of baking powder
1 drop of vanilla
* optional the zest and juice of one lemon

Add all of the ingredients in a salad bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Bake 30 min at 400°F (200°C) until a toothpick comes out clean.

Fondant Parisien de Julien

You'll notice the cake is perfectly done when the chocolate is golden and blackened on top!

I left the original recipe in French because I love the personality that gushes out through all of the alterations...


Fondant Parisien de Julien

250 g de chocolat (8oz baking chocolate)
175 g de sucre (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup sugar)
125 g de beurre (1 stick of real butter)
30 à 35 g de farine
5 œufs (5 eggs)

Faire chauffer le four. Preheat the oven.

Faire fondre 250 grammes de chocolat dans très peu d’eau ou de lait, à feux doux. Melt the chocolate.

Quand il est fondu, ajoutez 125 grammes de beurre, 5 jaunes d’œufs un à un. Add the butter and the yolks to the chocolate. Puis 30 à 35 grammes de farine.

Mélangez bien et ajoutez ensuite 175 grammes de sucre. Once blended add the sugar. 

Pour terminer 5 blancs d’œufs battus en neige ferme MAIS PAS TROP. Incorporer A LA MAIN d’abord 2 cuillerées et battez fortement puis ajoutez le reste en soulevant la pâte. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl to form soft peaks, fold into the batter.

Une fois le moule beurré, je le saupoudre de sucre cristallisé. Butter and sugar the inside of a round cake pan. 

Faire cuire à four modéré 180 degrés 210 °C environ 40 minutes les 15 premières minutes puis 180° Celsius les 15 dernières minutes. Bake at 410°F for the first 15 minutes, and 356°F for the last 15 minutes.

Cover the surface of the plate with english custard to create the 'pac-man' effect.
Bon appétit

Red Velvet Dream Cake

Valentine's weekend and I awake to the sweet scent of bright red cake baking! My super hubby has made me a red velvet cake! The photo doesn't really do it justice. The cake was a luscious deep dark red, and ohh, soo moist!

Thanks Honey-Bunny! I love you !!!

Red Velvet Dream Cake
2 tbsp (50g) unsalted butter
4 tbsp (càs) water
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
3 eggs
1 C buttermilk
2 tsp (càc) vanilla
2 tbsp red food coloring
2.5 C flour
1/2 C cornstarch (maïzena)
1/2 tsp (càc) baking powder
1/2 C fine sugar

Cream Frosting
1 C cream cheese (fromage à tartiner)
3 tbsp (75g) unsalted butter
3 tbsp (càs) fine sugar
1 tsp (càc) vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter two nine inch (23 cm) round baking pans and dust with flour.

Heat butter, water and cocoa in a small saucepan, stirring constantly, without boiling.

Beat together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring until frothy. Beat in the butter mixture. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Add all of this plus the sugar.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 min.

For the frosting, beat together all the ingredients until smooth.

Smooch your hubby ^^

"Hey Honey, It's A First!" - Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée

After nearly ten years of marriage we still have firsts to celebrate. There was our first fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. An exhilarating rush of colors and music and plenty of high society neighbors to hob-nob with. And this week was also my first French Onion Soup!

The idea came upon me rather spontaneously. My honey returned from a run through the park with friends, and he must have underestimated the chill of the morning air because his lungs were complaining under such abuse. So my thought was, a nice piping hot bowl of soup. Miam! (french for yum!)

Fortunately, French Onion Soup is one of those things that every good French family just happens to have around the kitchen at all times. I took inventory, Onions - check, Broth - check, Baguette - check, Emmental cheese - check. And a half hour later onion soup was born.

French Onion Soup is the classic 'day after' meal in France. Traditionally it's eaten on the day after New Years, the day after the French National Holiday, basically the day after any party.

Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée

12 onions
4 tbsp (45g) butter
a fistful of flour
2 garlic cloves
1/2 gallon (2L) bouillon
1 bay leaf (laurier)
pepper and salt
white wine optional
Baguette slices
a handful of Emmental cheese (or shredded swiss or mozzarella - my French friends will murder me for suggesting this substitution, but you gotta do what you gotta do)

Preheat the oven to broil/grill.

Slice the onions and let them in a large pot with the butter 15 min.
Powder with the flour and add the crushed garlic.
When the flour has turned golden add the bouillon and bay leaf. (This is where you add the white wine also) Simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Cover the slices of baguette with the shredded cheese and place under the broiler/grill.

Serve the soup very hot and float the toasted baguettes in the soup so they soak up the bouillon. Miam!

World's Best Crêpes - Crêpes de Céline

This is undoubtedly the best crêpe recipe ever created! I learned it from my bestie here in Paris, and who better right? Crêpes are versatile, they're a great dinner party food, but I also know friends from Brittany who literally make this recipe once a week so that they always have their regional specialty on hand all week long.

Crêpes come from the region of Brittany in France, where not a day goes by when you don't think about crêpes, but there is one day of the year that everyone in France prepares crêpes with friends - a holiday called Chandeleur. The word Chandeleur comes from a pagan latin festival of festa candelarum when they would light a candle for purification. When the Catholic church came on the scene, they said "Hey, we have a celebration where we remember the Jewish prophet Simeon who was promised to meet Messiah before he died, and when he met Jesus as a young boy, he prophesied, this is the messiah I was promised to see, He will be the light of the world." Of course, you don't have to wait till the next february 2nd to light a candle representing the light that chases away the shadows in our hearts, any day of the year will do, but it's kinda fun to have a special day when we are encouraged to do that - while eating crêpes!

To celebrate Chandeleur with friends this year, I invited a dozen friends over to the house to play board games and eat crêpes together. This recipe has never-ever failed me. The crepes are paper thin and smooth. They're lightly sweetened, but not as sweet as American pancakes. This recipe makes 25 crêpes in my crêpe pan that is about 8.5 inches in diameter.

Crêpes de Céline

2.5 Cups (250g) flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp (càs) sucre
2 Cups (1/2 L) milk
1/2 tsp (càc) salt
2 tbsp (25g) real butter

This recipe is easier if the milk and eggs are not cold, but already at room temperature when you begin.

Melt the butter on the stove.

While the butter is melting, mix all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the batter is homogeneous.

Continue whisking vigorously while you pour in the butter to incorporate it into the batter before it hardens. If you're lucky the butter will whisk in and you won't even notice it's presence, but if your milk is cold sometimes you'll see the butter bead up and you'll have little butter lumps floating in your batter. The purpose for the butter is because you will not be buttering your pan, so tiny lumps will not make a difference they will melt instantly and still accomplish their job. I once had a big chunk of butter and I realized that this would probably be bothersome, so I fished out the chunk covered in batter and got another equal-sized piece of butter out of the fridge, melted it and did a better job of whisking the fresh bit of butter in. It worked splendidly. Today my batter was perfectly smooth, untraceable butter!

My favorite way to make crepes is on an electric griddle, but if you don't have one, you can heat a shallow, flat non-stick pan to medium temperature. It is important that it is already hot when you begin.

Lift the pan and bring it to your bowl of batter. Pour a small ladle (or half-ladle) of batter in the middle of the pan, tip and swirl the pan immediately so that the puddle spreads thin and smooth to cover the pan, and replace the pan on the stove. There is a crêpe spreader tool that you can buy that is like a wooden dowrod that pushes the batter in a circular motion so that it gets extra thin. This is my favorite method, but you need quick reflexes to spread the batter faster than it can cook.

If you are using something to spread the batter extra thin, let it set in a bowl of water between uses so that it doesn't get batter caked onto it.

They also make a crepe spatula (very thin tool with a beveled edge to help you get under the crêpe without tearing it) but you can use any wooden or plastic spatula to flip the crêpe when one side starts getting toasty-colored. Cook the other side a bit before transferring it to your plate and eating it immediately while it's still nice a crispy.

You can also wrap your left-over crêpes in aluminum foil and keep them in the fridge for a week. Or layer parchment paper between each leaf and freeze them in a ziplock bag for a quick addition to breakfast.


Favorite Crêpe Toppings

- Smoked salmon, sour cream, chives and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
- Ham and cheese (cover the crêpe in cheese while the second side is still cooking, so that the cheese melts :D)
- Eggs and bacon (fry the bacon ahead of time, but then crack the egg in the middle of the crêpe while the second side is still cooking, continue heating until the white is cooked through "sunny side up" you can smear the whites around the whole surface of the crêpe, the thinner they are, the faster they cook)
- Sausage, egg and cheese
- Shredded zucchini, sour cream and cheese
- Nutella
- Fresh squeezed lemon and sugar
- Fresh fruit and whipped cream
- Strawberry jam (or any jam for that matter)
- Your own creation, anything goes!


Jesus Presented in the Temple

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:22-38)

Sunday Afternoon Tea - Pomegranate Cream Scones

My new year's resolution is to cook something excellent every week. Sometime's that's a family favorite like Grammie's Buns but sometimes it's a daring new recipe that I've never tried before. Today it was scones. Believe it or not, I've never made scones before, and they're sooo easy! They really WOWed our Parisien friends who've never even tasted one before. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Pomegranate Cream Scones

1 3/4 cups (175g) flour
2 1/2 tsp (càc) baking powder
3 tbsp (càs) sugar
1/4 tsp (càc) fine salt
6 tbsp (75g) unsalted butter
1 fresh lemon
Seeds from 1/2 of a fresh pomegranate
1 large egg
1/3 cup heavy cream, (almost all of the 20cl carton save a tablespoon full for brushing on top)
Extra sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425°F (320°C). Use a baking stone or line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until it resembles a coarse meal. Zest the lemon and stir in lemon zest and pomegranate seeds.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and the cream together with a fork. Add to the flour mixture and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough into a round, about 1-inch thick. Cut into equal sized wedges. Place the scones on the baking stone. Brush the tops of the scones with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

A Serene Day's Bliss - Grammie's Buns

"The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight." - M. F. K. Fisher

"[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells... there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread." ~M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

The calming rythmique motion of kneading is toning your muscles, but this time you're not lost in the beat of the song, or counting the seconds until your work-out ends. Embracing this old world tradition means listening to your heart and soul and conversing with the dough.

*Professional photograph thanks to http://erwanmasson.com

"My friends are constantly asking me, 'Nancy what's your secret? How do you stay looking so young?' I just tell them it's three things. Drink lots of water. Stay out of the sun. And be a good girl." - My Grammie (oh, and that good girl comment... she means no smoking or drinking - just in case you didn't get that ;)

I remember my Grammie teaching me to pull the rolls when I was only a child. I reached my double washed hand into the gigantic metal bowl where the freshly risen dough awaited. The dough was warm and soft and retreated at my touch. Grammie showed me how she choked the bulging dough catching the air bubbles before they could collapse. "The less you touch the dough the fluffier your rolls will be." My tiny hand had already squeezed the life out of the bit of dough I managed to pull off. "Like this," she said, "You open your hand wide, and sneak up on the bread with your thumb and forefinger." I was miserable, as I tried desperately to make a perfect ball of untouched dough, so smooth and taught as Grammie had.

I never practiced making my own bread until I was grown and on my own. My first batch was ruined because I played with each ball of dough until each bubble collapsed. But Grammie's tender lesson eventually came back to me, and I trace her finger movements now with grown-up hands.

I've had to call her from time to time seeking advice. One year during the rising process the dough turned to soup, yuck! Help! Seeing that I was living 5000 miles away, I surprised my Grammie out of her stockings when I called for a quick troubleshooting session and laughed and chatted as we caught up over the phone. I learned that the temperature was too hot (I thought I set the temperature to 50°F - it was actually set to 50°C !!!) and it killed the yeast. Add a little bit more flour and you can make a heavier loaf bread, great with bits of cheese and bacon baked into it. Another year, my dough wouldn't rise after many hours and I learned that if the temperature is too low - simply turn up the heat, and with more time the bread will rise as expected.

TECHNIC

If you form a loop with your thumb and forefinger and look through the hole. Imagine that you will need to pull a bubble of dough (the size of a ping-pong ball) slowly drawn through the inside of this hole, thus creating a taut baby-bottom smooth outside surface while not popping the little air pockets that reside inside your bread.

To accomplish this you open your circle as wide as it will go and hover above the surface of the bread, imagine the arch created by your hand to be the edges of a draw string bag. You gently loop a ball of dough, and slowly pinch your fingers together under this arch until your fingers meet and the little pouch of dough sits quietly on the back of your hand. There's nothing like that split second when your thumb and forefinger cross paths and begin to constrict the bottom of the ball until it breaks loose, and like cutting an umbilical cord, he is set free and balances peacefully.

Move the little round body onto a well buttered cooking sheet. Only handle the little rolls by their belly-button where several fragrant air pockets have already been sacrificed. Try not to touch any other surface of the bulging baby. Set it down gently belly-button side down. Keep them warm, so they can continue rising and re-puff after the trauma of being shaped into rolls.

Grammie's Buns

• 3 pm  - Add 2 packages of dry yeast and 2 tbsp (càs) of sugar to 1/2 cup (12cl) of warm water in a 40 cup (10L) Stainless steel mixing bowl.  Mix and set aside for ten minutes. (away from any drafts)
• 3:10 pm - Add 1 rounded cup (215g) of sugar, 3 tsp (càc) salt, 1 cup (25cl) vegetable oil, 4 cups (1L) warm water, and 14 cups of flour - that's a five pound bag minus 2 cups or simply 2 kilo bags. Take off your rings, knead with your hands. The dough will be very sticky. Scrape all of the bits of flour off of the sides of the bowl (I like my rubber scrapper spatula for this) and stick them all together in the ball of dough you are forming in the middle of the bowl. Now you are going to oil the bowl. Over the bowl, pour vegetable oil into the palm of your hand. Smear the oil all over the inside of the bowl around and under the ball of dough. Loosely drape a large sheet of plastic wrap over the edge of the bowl and snuggly hug the baby ball of dough, and back up over the other edge of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep it warm. Stow it comfortably in a warm place, but where it won't dry out. (I get the best results when my bowl is setting on top of the stovetop while I'm baking something else in the oven, so plan a big bake-ahead day and bake up a storm to keep the oven running and the room warm and moist.)
• 6 pm - Peek under the towel, the dough should have doubled in size. Lift the plastic wrap, roll up your sleeves and give the rising dough a big punch right in the middle. Watch it relax, the dough really takes on a personality at this point. Place the plastic wrap back over the bowl hugging the dough. Cover again with a towel, and continue to keep it cozy and warm.
• 9 pm - Slather 6 dozen muffin tins with a thick layer of butter. Uncover the big mountain of dough. Begin pinching off ping-pong ball sized puffs, and place three in each muffin tin, belly button side down. Reread the introduction for inspiration and reminder of how to pinch the dough. Cover each tray of muffin tins with a towel. Snuggle in a warm place overnight.
• 6 am - Bake your buns at 350°F for 15 - 20 minutes (176°C for 8 minutes in a convection oven)
• Tip the buns out onto a sheet of aluminum foil while they're still warm. To reheat your buns, wrap 20 in a large sheet of aluminum foil, crimp the edges, place in a hot oven. Serve toasty and hot.
• Grab a bun with two hands and tear it in half, it should open up like a flower revealing it's soft melt-in-your-mouth center. Serve with cold real butter. 

We Three Kings... Rise Above! - Peach-Berry Tart & Galette des Rois

"When faced with an angering situation we must rise above the frustration to find a solution." - Julien C'est Moi

It's King's Day and the supermarket cannot keep enough almond flour on the shelves!!! I was caught off guard this year. Nothing is more disappointing than not having the privilege of baking a galette des rois to share with your friends... unless you can find a better recipe that inspires you to kingly (or queenly ;) ) greatness.

First - The Tradition
Twelve days after Christmas we throw a party and celebrate the tardy arrival of the Magi, rulers of the orient who elected their kings, who mysteriously arrived at Jesus's house while the boy was still a toddler.

If you're in France on this day you'll have a great dinner, bake a flaky pastry called a galette des rois (king's cake), and elect the king from among your friends. The youngest person of the group crawls under the table while the host cuts the galette des rois into exactly as many pieces as there are guests. As the host serves each piece onto a plate they ask the youngest who that piece should go to, and this way the pieces are distributed randomly without partiality. (*very important, otherwise the kids would accuse each other of cheating!) The guests know that one of the pieces has a surprise fève in it, and whoever finds the surprise in his slice will be king for a day. Traditionally the surprise was a dried bean, being too hard to cut, or bite, it would show up unharmed and be exchanged for a crown. Today the surprise is usually a plastic figurine less than an inch tall, buried in the layers of almond and flaky dough.

Unfortunately, everyone else in France is going to have exactly the same idea, and there never seams to be enough almond flour to go around. Hence the frustration and the dilemma.

Traditional Galette des Rois

2 puff pastry crusts - uncooked (thousands of layers of buttery flaky goodness)
2/3 cup (140g) almond flour (purée your whole raw almonds in a blender)
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter (6 tbsp) (75g)
1 egg yolk
1 fève - if you don't have any mini ceramic figurines, you can use a dried bean
*variations add almond extract or rum to the filling

Lay one puff pastry crust in your tart pan. (Please note, that this is not a pie pan it is a shallow, flat, round pan with decorative sides, if you do not have a tart pan, then you can use a pizza pan.)

Mix the almond flour, sugar, 2 eggs, and butter in a bowl.

Pour this mixture onto the crust and drop the fève in.

Now cover with the second puff pastry crust. Press down the edges so they stick together. Draw designs all over the top with a sharp knife. Brush the egg yolk over the top.

Cook for 20-30 minutes at 365°F (200°C)

Serve warm. Cut into exactly as many pieces as you have guests that way someone is sure to be crowned king!

Make a paper crown to give to your noble victor.

Peach-Berry Tart

Not only was I not going to stay bummed by the news that the grocery was completely sold out of anything remotely almond... Instead, I found a recipe that will smoke your galette and make you forget you even had a craving for one.

Pâte Brisée (French Pie Crust)
Makes one 12-by-16-inch rectangle

2 1/2 cups (350g) flour
1 1/2 tsp (càc) coarse salt
1 tsp (càc) sugar
2 sticks (one brick) cold unsalted butter
6 to 8 tbsp (10cl) ice water

Process flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream just until dough comes together. (Do not process more than 30 seconds.)

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten dough, and shape into a thick rectangular block. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight), or freeze up to 1 month.


Peach-Berry Filling

2 1/4 pounds (about 9) peaches
1 cup (6 oz) (170g) raspberries
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tbsp (càs) fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp (càc) salt
2 pâte brisée (french pie crusts)
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp (càs) heavy cream
Sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375°F (200°F) with rack in lower third. Toss thinly sliced peaches, raspberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

Transfer half the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick (1/2cm). Line a sheet with parchment paper so that it hangs over the sides. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet. Trim edges of dough to hang over sides of baking sheet by 1/2 inch.

Roll out the remaining dough into another 12-by-16-inch rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick (1/2cm). Pour fruit mixture into the dough-lined baking sheet. I know it looks like too much filling, but go for it anyhow. Drop in your fève for the game, if you don't have any mini ceramic figurines, you can use a dried bean. Cover with remaining layer of dough. Trim edges of dough to hang over sides by 1/2 inch. Fold edges of top layer over edges of bottom layer, and pinch to seal.

Poke holes into the top dough layer with a round pointy object, like a wooden spoon handle. Whisk together egg yolk and heavy cream in a small bowl. Brush crust with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until crust turns golden and filling is bubbling, about an hour (30 min in a convection oven). Let cool completely on a wire rack, about an hour.

Cut into exactly as many pieces as you have guests that way someone is sure to be crowned king!

Make a paper crown to give to your noble victor.

The Visit of the Magi

2After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the easte went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

All Happiness Depends On A Leisurely Breakfast - Apple Brie Croustillants

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." ~John Gunther

This recipe was a total failure! Perhaps if in it's recitation I do not find the key to success, you, my readers, may find a light hearted comedy...

So, one fine morning I had invited some friends over for a brunch. I wake up early with a twinkle in my eye. I love preparing quiches, all sorts of quiches and tartes salés as the french call them. My friends rave over them. Earlier in the week a beautiful recipe article caught my eye, with gorgeous photos of mini-quiches in phyllo shells. What a fun variation, I thought.

So when Saturday morning came around I was in a delightful mood, flitting about my mini kitchen and sculpting my phyllo dough into triangles and layering them in muffin pans.

My hubby came to my aide dicing the apples, while I whipped the quiche batter together. Then I layered the diced apple, quiche batter, and brie - just as I had seen in the artistic photo layout. And, up! the tray of Apple-Brie-Croustillants went straight into the oven. Fifteen minutes later, the time recommended by the darling deceptive recipe, the quiches were still liquid. Note-to-self, thirty-five minutes is a more appropriate cooking time.

Placing the brie on top was a great idea, it melted into the quiche itself while the exposed edge was bubbly golden and crispy. They were gorgeous. The triangles of phyllo dough gave them the appearance of artistic mayhem!

Then, the time came, to take them out of the muffin cups. But these mini quiches would not be de-molded. The quiche batter soaked into the phyllo dough and baked into the muffin cups. Becoming one with the muffin tin. As it were, I had lined several of my muffin cups with parchment paper. Brillant for cleaning the muffin tin, and taking nice photos, but impossible if you actually expected to eat your Apple-Brie-Croustillants! Once again the quiche batter had soaked into the phyllo dough and promptly fused with the parchment paper.

One by one, my guests unwrapped their little morsels of mayhem ... Good thing we had all morning to sit and chat and laugh at the paradoxically inedible beauty placed before us. Of course all parts not fused with parchment paper were delectable!!! The Brie was a perfect paring with the granny smith apple and the crusty bits of phyllo dough decorating the top were tantalizing.

The big question remains ... how do you bake these babies so that the batter doesn't soak through the dough and mess everything up. This weekend I'm going to try it again. This time I'll layer twice as many layers of phyllo dough and I'll prebake the crusts before filling them. Wish me luck!

Apple Brie Croustillants

10 phyllo dough shells
1 granny smith apple
5 eggs
1 tsp (càc) Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp (càc) salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
4 oz (100g) Brie

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Arrange phyllo shells in the muffin tins. *Lots of layers, prebake them.
Peel and dice the apple.
Whisk eggs, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large measuring cup. Pour the egg mixture over the apple. Place a chunk of Brie in each shell.
Bake until the egg is set, the Brie is melted and the phyllo is golden around the edges, about 15 I mean 35-40 minutes.

***Second take. I layered three phyllo shells and prebaked them. They appeared to be solid shells ready to fill, but it didn't help. The batter still soaked through and stuck to the pans, or soaked through and fused with the parchment paper. ;( Maybe five or six layers would work? Or maybe I just need to use normal pie crusts like I always do for my quiches? Would puff pastry dough work?

Nutrition information per serving (serving size: one quiche): 39 calories; 2 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 1 gram monounsaturated); 39 milligrams cholesterol; 3 grams carbohydrate; 0 grams added sugars; 2 grams protein; 0 grams fiber; 65 milligrams sodium; 20 milligrams potassium.

Gourmet Is Finding Beauty In Simplicity - French Apple Tart

This is one of my most frequently shared recipes!!!

Everybody wants to cook French pastries but nobody wants the hassle. This recipe is an Old World Classic and it's about as simple as they get. Guests will be ushered in the door by the sweet scent of pastry wafting through the house. This tart smells like home.

So when I host conferences on French culture I love to have our guests carry in traditional French desserts to share, and this recipe is always on the menu. It's absolutely gorgeous, the ingredients are simple, it requires no special baking tools, and you don't even need any special pan.

I made this tart from two fresh apples from my friend's orchard in Alsace. All needed to complete it was a fresh ready-made pie crust from the refrigerated section, a jar of apple sauce, and a sprinkling of sugar.

Here's how it's done...

Choose ready made pie crusts of raw dough ready to unroll. Unroll the fresh dough onto a large flat pan, either a pizza pan or a cookie sheet will do.

Peel the apples, and slice them in half, cut out the cores. Lay the apples core side down and slice vertically in very thin slices.

In the middle of the pie pour the jar of apple sauce in one big puddle. Leave an inch and a half dry crust around the edge.

Then starting on the outside of the circle place the apple slices in a circular pattern, working toward the center.

Fold the dry edges of pie dough over the apples. It's okay if it doesn't lay flat, the ruffle effect adds to the beauty.

Sprinkle sugar over the top of the apples and the crust.

Bake at 325°F (200°C) for 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool before serving. This pie is often served chilled.

Best Recipe Ever - Nichole's Cheesecake

I love cheesecake. But not the cake-y kind that remind you of a bunt cake, and definitely not the instant no-bake kind that resemble a flan. No. For me, a real cheesecake is pure CHEESE! And everybody knows I love cheese. My hubby always jokes that the reason we moved to France was to save money on our family cheese purchases. Real cheese is dessert in itself, and a real cheesecake should be dense, moist, with a perfect creamy crumble like a real cheese. If you like The Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes, you're going to love this recipe.

As soon as I realized I could make my own cheese, my love for cheesecake grew leaps and bounds. I'm probably the only Parisian making my own cheese in my shoe-box sized latin quarter apartment... :) But that's me. A little quirky, I know. If you want to replace the homemade cheese with Philly Cream Cheese, be my guest, you'll need 2 lbs.

I've been working on this recipe for 4 years. As I type this entry, I have before me, my notes in shorthand on a tattered paper stained many times by the recipe it spells out. This will be my second attempt to type it out...

Nichole's Cheesecake
Preparation : 1 heure
Cook time : 1 heure 15 minutes
Waiting time : 1 heure au four, 24 heures au frigo
Makes about 20 pieces

INGREDIENTS
12 C (3L) milk
2 tsp salt
5 tbsp white vinegar
-------------------------------
1 pkg of graham crackers (1.5 C crumbs)
1/3 C melted butter
- - - or - - -
1 C (150g) butter cookies or shortbread
1/2 C (50g) gingerbread cookies
1/3 C (83g) melted butter
-------------------------------
1 pkg (250g) marscapone cheese
1 1/3 C (230g) sugar
6 eggs
1/3 C (60g) flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 fresh lemon
1 tub (50cl) crème fraîche or sour cream

FRESH HOMEMADE SOFT CHEESE

In a large pot bring 12 C milk + 2 tsp of salt to a boil.

At the first sign of bubbles add the 5 tsp of vinegar. Stir, if the curds separate from the whey, then take it off the heat and don't touch it for two hours. (If the curds and whey do not immediately appear continue heating and add more vinegar until they begin to separate, then remove from the heat.) Once the separating process has begun, it will continue on it's own.

I have tried to cheat and only let the cheese set for a half an hour before straining it, but I only got half as much cheese! The longer it sets the more curds it creates. So let it set while you go do something else. :)

After two hours you'll need to strain your cheese, catching all the curds and allowing all the whey to drain out. To do this you'll need a cheesecloth or a fine weave linen tea towel. Line your colander with this cloth and slowly pour the cold curds and whey into the middle of the cloth. Then when all the curds are piled up on the cloth, pull up each of the four corners and grab them with one fist, grab the bulging towel full of curds on the other end with your other hand and twist. Twist, Twist, Twist. When no more whey is dripping, or if the curds start squirting through your towel, unwrap the cheese into a very large mixing bowl. You should have about 2 lbs (900g) of cheese. (more about Fresh Homemade Soft Cheese here)

ASSEMBLY OF THE CHEESECAKE PAN

Open the cheesecake pan, remove the walls and place the bottom on a flat surface. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and reattach the walls overtop leaving the parchment paper sticking out on all sides.

CRUST

Crush your cookie crumbs for the crust. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the crumbs to the melted butter and stir until all of the crumbs are evenly coated. Spread the crumbs evenly on the bottom of the prepared cheesecake pan.

CHEESECAKE BATTER

Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).

Mix the ingredients in the following order with an electric mixer on the lowest speed.

First mix the fresh homemade soft cheese with the marscapone until it's 'as fluffy as it will get'.

Then add the sugar little by little, continue mixing until it's creamy.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each egg.

Then add the flour, vanilla, zest of the lemon, then juice the lemon and add the juice as well.

Add the sour cream (crème fraîche) and mix well.

Pour the batter into the cheesecake pan.

Place it on a high rack in the middle of the oven, leave at least two centimeters space between it and the heating elements because this cake will rise while cooking.

Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. I cover my cheesecake half way through the cooking time with aluminum foil. Too early and it will stick to the cake, but if I don't cover it get's dark.

Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open with an oven mitt and let the cheesecake sit in the hot oven another hour. When you take the cheesecake out of the oven, you should allow it to cool completely before refrigerating it. If it chills too quickly it will crack. Let it refrigerate 24 hours before serving it. Cheesecake is always best after it marinates in the fridge for a while. Bon Appetit.

Cheesecake de Nichole

Préparation : 1 heure
Cuisson : 1 heure 15 minutes
Temps d’attente : 1 heure au four, 24 heures au frigo
Fait environ 20 parts

INGRÉDIENTS
3L lait
2 càc sel
5 càs vinaigre d'alcool
-------------------------------
100g petit beurre
100g spéculos
83g beurre (1/3 d'une plaquette)
-------------------------------
1 pkg marscapone (250g)
230 g sucre
6 oeufs
60 g farine
2 càc extrait de vanille
1 citron
1 pkg crème fraîche (50cl)

FROMAGE À TARTINER FAIT MAISON
3 L lait + 2 càc de sel porté à ébullition
Ajouter 5 càs de vinaigre d'alcool
Laisser refroidir et passer à étamine
(fait 900g de fromage)

LE MOULE À CHEESECAKE
Détacher le fond du moule à cheese-cake et placer le tout seul sur le plan de travail. Couvrir le du papier cuisson. Attacher le cylindre du moule à cheese-cake au fond en laissant le papier cuisson déborde de tous les côtés.

LA PATE
Écraser les gâteaux secs. Mélanger les avec le beurre fondu. Étaler au fond du moule.

CHEESECAKE

Préchauffer le four à 170°C.

Mélanger les ingrédients dans l’ordre suivant avec un mixer électrique – vitesse première

D’abord, mélanger le fromage fait maison et le marscapone jusqu’à Léger. (until fluffy)

Ajouter le sucre petit à petit, continue à mélanger jusqu’au crémeux.

Ajouter les oeufs une à la fois, mélanger après chaque oeuf.

Ajouter le farine, la vanille, le zeste et le jus du citron.

Ajouter la crème fraîche et mélanger bien.

Verser le tout (sur la pâte) dans le moule à cheese-cake.

Placer sur l’étage haut du four en laissant une marge de deux centimètres. Il gonfle, mais pas beaucoup.

Faire cuire pour 1 heure 15 minutes. Je couvre le cheese-cake du papier aluminium la deuxième mi-temps.

Eteindre le four. Supporter la porte du four ouvert de quelques centimètres à l’aide d’une manique, et laisser le cheese-cake au four éteint une heure de plus.

Sortir le cheese-cake du four à refroidir entièrement puis laisser le se fait au réfrigérateur 24 heures avant de le servir.

Fluffier than Bisquick Bake-Off - Pancakes from Scratch

Last week I made Bisquick pancakes - Loved them and raved about them to my friends. One friend challenged me, that he has always wanted to learn to make pancakes from scratch. I laughed. Get real, fluffy pancakes from scratch? Every time I've tried them they've been rubbery or tasted like baking powder.

So, together, we decided to host a bake-off with all of the best fluffy pancake recipes that we could find.

We gathered together for a Saturday brunch and started multiple recipes simultaneously so that they could carefully be compared side by side in steaming hot stacks!

Here is the winning creation, hand crafted from my baking experience and boasting a total of five different leavening techniques...

Pancakes from Scratch

You'll need four mixing bowls!!!

1 1/3 C (30cl) milk

2 tbsp (càs) white vinegar

-----------------------

1 1/3 C (200g) flour, fine (fluide)

2 tsp (càc) baking powder

1 tsp (càc) salt

1 tbsp (càs) sugar

-----------------------

1 egg, separated

1/2 tsp (càc) vanilla

3 tbsp (càs) shortening melted (astra)

First you mix the milk and vinegar to make your own homemade buttermilk. The chemical reaction between the vinegar and the milk makes the milk thicker and creates bubbles which add to the lift of these scrumptious cakes. Let this sit aside in one mixing bowl while you prepare the rest...

If you sift the dry ingredients together twice, you will get lighter fluffier pancakes. So sift (tamiser) the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into the second mixing bowl.

In a metal or glass bowl beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. This is by far the single most important element to the fluffiest fluffiness. So if you're tempted to cheat, don't skip this step.

In the largest bowl whisk the egg yolk, vanilla and melted shortening together. The chemical compound of the shortening has a lighter density than butter, adding to the fluffy composition to your final product. As you whisk the melted shortening it will quickly solidify creating a fluffy paste with the other ingredients.

Now stir your buttermilk well, and pour it in with the fluffy shortening paste, and continue whisking.

Then add the flour mixture and stir well. Then delicately fold the egg whites into the rest.

The batter will be thick and lumpy. Mix the batter as little as possible for the best fluffiest pancakes.

You'll want to cook these pancakes on a medium temperature (not high or low). If the skillet isn't hot enough your first pancake won't set right, so use this classic tip to determine if your skillet is hot enough - just dip your fingers in cold water and flick it on the dry skillet, if the water droplets dance and evaporate before they have time to puddle then you're ready.

Scoop generous portions onto a sizzling hot dry skillet (ungreased). I like mine large. Don't worry about spreading the batter around, just pile it on. Watch carefully as the creamy pool of batter begins to bubble. It is time to flip your pancake when they are puffed and full of bubbles, but before the bubbles break. Flip carefully.

After you pour a pool of batter you can place fruit on top and it will bake into the pancake. Some of our favorites are fresh blueberries, bananas, chocolate chips, or bananas and chocolate chips. mmm...

The second side really only needs a couple seconds on the griddle before it will be golden and ready to eat! You can keep your growing stack of pancakes on a hot plate in the oven at a low temperature will keep them steaming until you're ready to serve.

Serve with a luscious gourmet topping like fresh sweet juicy cantaloupe or try my family recipe for Mom's Homemade Maple Syrup!