Walnut bread

Serves 8:

500 g All-Purpose flour
25 g yeast
60 g melted butter
50 g brown sugar
5 g salt
250 ml warm milk
50 ml warm water
50 g walnuts, chopped

In the mixer, combine all the ingredients together with the dough hook attachment and the yeast dissolved in the milk.
Mix for 10 minutes at medium speed.

Place the dough into a bowl covered with a cloth or wrap film, in a tempered place (24ºC) for 1 hour or until it doubles its size.

Fold gently.
Place the dough into a greased loaf pan.
Cover the loaf pan with wrap film and let it rest again, in a tempered place, for 50 minutes or until it doubles its size.

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.
Bake for 35 minutes.

Labels: bread, recipes, walnuts

I make a cocoa's bed and lay chocolate's sheets over.
With a good night kiss, I put cream and lemon to sleep.





Lemon and chocolate pie

Serves 6:

Crust:
175 g wheat flour
25 g cocoa
25 g icing sugar
125 g cold butter, diced
1 large egg yolk
2 tbsp cold water
a pinch of salt
75 g 60% dark chocolate, grated


Combine together dry ingredients.
Add butter and blend.
Add egg yolk and water.
Wrap tightly and refrigerate (1 hour).
Roll out the dough (5mm thick).
Transfer the rolled dough to a 23 cms diameter pan.
Dock the bootom of the crust to prevent it from bubbling up, cover with wrap film and refrigerate for 2 hours (minimum) or overnight.
Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Take out the foil and bake for 5 minutes more.
Remove from oven and spread the grated chocolate.
Let it cool down.

Filling:

3 lemons (fine zest and 150 ml of sieved juice)
150 g sugar
4 large eggs
150 ml double cream
Icing sugar to sprinkle

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC.
Mix together the juice, zest and sugar, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.
Add the eggs and cream while stirring until creamy.
Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 50 minutes.
Remove from oven and let it cool down before unmould.
Serve chilled.

You can sprinkle with icing sugar before serving, I don't think it's necessary.

Labels: chocolate, lemon, pie, recipes

"I want all the hands of men
to knead mountains
of bread and gather
all the fish of the sea,
all the fruit
of the olive,
all the love yet unawakened
and leave one gift
in each of the hands
of the day."

Pablo Neruda, The gift




Carrot, nuts and white chocolate cakes

125 g self-rising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
185 g brown sugar
80 g carrot, finely grated
85 g nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts, Brasil nuts, hazelnuts)
90 g white chocolate, grated
30 g coconut, grated
2 eggs, slightly whisked
90 g soft butter

Pre heat the oven to 180ªC.
Grease a rectangular pan and line with parchment paper.
In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
Add butter and eggs and mix well.
Pour the mixture into the pan or small individual pans.
Bake for 30 minutes on the large pan or for 20 minutes on the individual moulds.
Let it cool down before unmould.


Mascarpone frosting:

250 g mascarpone
40 g caster sugar

Whisk mascarpone and sugar until creamy.
Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag and decorate.
Finish with nuts.
Refrigerate.

Labels: cakes, carrot, nuts, pisr¡tachio, recipes

The day ended Fellini's way:

"La dolce vita"...





White chocolate Panna Cotta

Serves 10:

400 ml double cream
100 ml milk
40 g sugar
2 gelatin sheets
132 g white chocolate, chopped

Grease 10 individual moulds with oil.
In a pan bring to boil the cream, milk and sugar.
Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and stir well until it dissolves.
Add the gelatin previously hydrated.
Pour the mixture into the moulds.
Refrigerate for 4-6 hours (minimum) or overnight.


Orange jelly:

325 ml orange juice
5 gelatin sheets
(add sugar if needed but remember that the panna cotta is very sweet)

Sprinkle with water a baking sheet and cover with wrap film.
In a bowl hydrate the gelatin with some orange juice.
Bring to boil the remaining juice.
Sieve and add the gelatin and the juice where you've hydrated the gelatin.
Pour the mixture into the baking sheet and refrigerate until thick.
Cut circles with the same diameter as the panna cotta.
Put each of this circles on top of each unmoulded panna cotta.


Orange coulis

300 ml orange juice
90 g caster sugar

Bring the juice and sugar to simmer until it halves its volume.
Carefully take out the foam until it boils.
Sieve and pour the mixture into a pastry biberon.
Refrigerate and use as you want.

Labels: cream, orange, recipes

"Eat your chocolates, little girl;
Eat your chocolates! Believe me, there are no metaphysics in the world other than chocolates;
Believe me, all the religions together do not teach more than the candy-shop.
Eat, dirty girl, eat!"


Fernando Pessoa, Tabacaria




Chocolate pudding cake

250g milk chocolate
225g butter
90g sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp self-rising flour
Icing sugar to sprinkle
Cream to serve

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Grease and line a 23 cms diameter pan with parchment paper.
Prepare a larger pan for a bain-marie.
Melt chocolate with butter and sugar on a double boiler. Set aside.
Whisk the eggs for 1 minute and add the flour stirring constantly.
Add the chocolate and keep stirring.
Pour the mixture into the pan and the pan into the larger pan with water (2 cms height)
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Let it cool down completely before unmold.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream or an ice cream quenelle.

Labels: cakes, chocolate, recipes

Temptation serpentines through the tablecloth.

The apple becomes pie and Heaven comes down to Earth...

Today we are Adam and Eve and again the forbidden fruit is desired as in the original sin.




Apple pie

Crust:
250 g wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
100 g sugar
125 g soft butter
1 egg
1 pinch of salt
Egg yolk to brush

Combine all the ingredients together.
Cover the dough with wrap film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Roll out the dough on a floured work surface and line a pie pan.
Roll out the remaining dough and cut small stripes to cover the pie.


Filling:
7 apples
300 g sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick


Peel the apples and cut in thin slices.
Bring to boil the apple slices with sugar and lemon until they are transparent.
Put the apple slices in te pie shell.
Finish with the crossed dough stripes.
Brush with egg yolk.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Brush the pie with a light coating of apple jelly.

Labels: apple, pie, recipes

... a divine pleasure...




Papos de anjo
(traditional portuguese dessert; 'papos de anjo' means 'angel tummy's")

7 egg yolks
1 egg
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Grease 20 small moulds.
Whisk the egg yolks and the egg until it doubles its size.
Add the cornstarch seived together with the baking powder and keep stirring.
Pour the mixture into the moulds and bake for 10 minutes.
Unmould and drench in the syrup.




Syrup:
500 ml water
500 ml sugar
Lemon zest
Cinnamon stick

Bring all the ingredients to boil for 1-2 minutes.
Let it cool down before drenching the 'papos de anjo'.

Labels: portuguese desserts, recipes

10 minutes to prepare
20 minutes desperately waiting
1 minute to eat them!




One minute brioches

Makes 16:
300 g self-rising flour
100 g soft butter
150 g sugar
100 ml milk
2 egg yolks
1 egg
Dried cranberries

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Grease and flour 16 small brioche moulds.
Combine all the ingredients together.
Pour the mixture into the moulds and brush with egg or milk.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Serve while warm.

Labels: brioche, recipes

What could be more perfect than a marble cake than a marble cake over a marble stone... ?!...

That's how I've spent my afternoon, on an unstoppable search on stone shops looking four the yin yang of our background, that looks lost in the middle of so many and so expensive samples!!!
The effort is always rewarded and our cause was embraced by a super employee that have offered all the choices...

More perfect than a marble cake over a marble stone, only a marble cake over a marble stone and a smile...

Thanks to everyone who takes their jobs as seriously as we do! :)




Marble cake

Serves 8-10:

125 g soft butter
200 g sugar
4 eggs
100 ml whole milk
200 g self-rising flour
140 g chocolate

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Grease a 23 cms cake tin and sprinkle with flour.
Beat the butter and sugar together until white and light.
Add the egg yolks while mixing, then the milk.
Fold through the flour and whipped egg whites.
Divide the mixture between two bowls.
Melt the chocolate and pour into the mixture in one of the bowls.
Take 2 spoons and use them to dollop the chocolate and the plain cake mixes into the tin alternately.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Top with chantilly and melted chocolate.


Chantilly

200 ml cream, chilled
25 g icing sugar
vanilla sugar

Whip the cream.
Add sugar and whip until stiff.

Labels: cakes, chocolate, recipes

At the sound of the last summer notes, plums make their return:
Fleshy, juicy, sweet, with a sour touch that repulse but addicts...




Plum pie

Dough:
125 g wheat flour
75g butter
50 g sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp yeast

Combine together all the ingredients with the butter.
Roll out the dough and line the pie pan.

Filling:
4-5 plums
50 g butter, melted
50 g sugar
2 eggs
A few drops of lemon juice

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Put the plums, peeled and sliced, in the pie shell.
Combine the remaining ingredients and pour the mixture over the plums.
Bake for 30-45 minutes.

You can brush the pie with a light coating of plum jelly.

Plum jelly:
250 g plum jam
2 gelatin sheets (4 g)

Bring the jam to medium heat without boiling.
Add the gelatin, previously hydrated, stirring constantly.
Use while hot.

Labels: pie, plums, recipes

Champagne, hibiscus and rooibos infused plums with a raspberry sorbet and a tuile

Infusion:
1 l champagne
200 g sugar
10 plums
10 g hibiscus
20 g rooibos
¼ cinnamon stick


Bring the champagne to boil with sugar until it dissolves (1-2 minutes).
Remove from heat and infuse herbs and cinnamon.
Strain and set aside.


Score each plum by cutting an 'X' mark into the skin on one end.
Drop plums into rapidly boiling water for some seconds.
Remove plums to an ice water bath. Cool for a minute.
Easily peel away the skin at the X.
Cut in two halves and destone.


Pour the infusion over the plums.
Marinate for 1 hour, minimum.
Serve chilled.




Raspberry sorbet:

1 1 water
1 kg sugar
1 kg raspberry pulp
Juice of 1 lemon


Bring the water and sugar to boil for 1 minute until it dissolves.
Let it cool down completely.
Mix syrup with the pulp and lemon juice.
Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine or frozen stirring regularly to prevent crystalization.


Orange and almond tuiles

120 g sugar
90 ml orange juice
48 g melted butter
72 g almonds, powdered
Some drops of raspberry juice.

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC.
Combine all the ingredients together.
Pour the mixture over a silpat with the desired shapes and sprinkle with some red fruits juice drops.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown.
Let them cool down to stiff.

Labels: champagne, hibiscus, plums, raspberry, recipes, rooibos, sorbet

It was on a time that I barely can remember, in a time when I had too much time to give it some importance, in a time when I didn't realize the huge void that means losing someone...

When I lost my grandmother Leonor, I've lost a part of my name and the answer to all the questions that I didn't even asked.

Sometimes, and besides all my apparent disbelief, I like to feel her behind me, her support at each step of my path and her intuitive "special touch".

Today I bring you her bean tarts, with the same generosity that she would have: the best cook in the world.




Bean tarts
(traditional portuguese tarts)

Makes 12:

Pastry
100 g wheat flour
15 g butter
50 ml milk (as necessary)
a pinch of salt

Combine well all the ingredients.
Let it rest for one hour covered with wrap film.

Filling
500 g sugar
125 g white beans' puree
125 g almond, finely chopped
12 egg yolks
Icing sugar (to sprinkle on top)

Bring to boil sugar and a little bit of water until soft-ball (117º C / 40 Bé)
Add the puree and let it boil for a while.
Add the almonds and let it boil a little more.
Remove from heat and add the sieved egg yolks, stirring constantly.
Bring to low heat, stirring constantly for 10 minutes.
Set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 225º C.
Roll out the pastry over a lightly floured work surface until very thin.
Put on small moulds and fill with the beans' filling.
Bake on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes.

Labels: portuguese pastry, recipes

An humble solution for a failed custard...




Soft egg tartelettes

Dough:
137 g wheat flour
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp sugar
112 g butter
25 ml cold water

With your fingers combine butter with all the dry ingredients.
Add the water.
Fold gently just to combine everything.
Refrigerate with wrap film for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough over a slightly floured work surface.
Put on tartelette pans.


Soft eggs cream
8 egg yolks
150 g sugar
100 ml milk
Lemon and orange zest, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean
8 g cornstarch
300 ml cream

Soft eggs:
Bring to boil sugar and a little bit of water until soft-ball (117º C / 40 Bé)
Remove from heat and add the sieved egg yolks, stirring constantly.
Bring to low heat, stirring constantly until thick.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Dissolve cornstarch in a part of milk.
Bring the milk to boil with the zests, cinnamon and vanilla.
Mix with cornstarch and bring to heat, stirring constantly until thick.
Combine with soft eggs and gently fold the cream.

Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.
Pour the mixture into the moulds with the dough and bake for 30 minutes on a baking sheet.
Garnish with toasted almonds on top.

Labels: recipes, soft eggs, tartelettes

After a whole morning making berliners (from 9:00AM to 3:00PM!) I was in need of the delicious yellowish portuguese filling that I always miss...
I've started my research and I wasn't able to find a single recipe of this filling, or even similar, to what I was used to see in the portuguese pastries' windows... Well... At last I was able to find one single recipe and with a picture of a yellow filling!!!

Despite my fears I've tried really really hard to trust the result and I've started...

Even with all the changes needed to turn that thing into something realistic (I've tried everything from sweet soft eggs with custard to sweet soft eggs with cream or custard with 20 egg yolks...) I ended with lots and lots of egg boxes and a filling far awaaaay from the "original"...

(I'm always sadly surprised by made up recipes, untested, without making any sense and pictures that aren't true at all, I feel angry with impossible things published without any love or care).

In the end I've done a standard pastry cream, without the "coulourant yellow", powdered yellow, the powder used on almos every filling of the portuguese pastry.

As a convicted supporter of top grade ingredients (a nice chocolate, a nice wine and only butter!!!) I was tremendously disappointed when I discovered that the taste I've kept from my childhood comes in a bag and is mixed with water...

Now I wait for another insight on this...




Berliners

Makes 25:

Starter dough:
5 g fresh yeast
275 g All-purpose flour, sieved
180 ml mineral water (at 20ºC)


Dough:
250 g all-purpose flour, sieved
11 g fleur de sel
65 g caster sugar
5 egg yolks
60 g fresh yeast
60 ml whole milk
65 g butter, diced
2 kitchen cloths and flour
Icing sugar or caster sugar to dust

1 l grapeseed oil


To the starter dough:
Dissolve the yeast in mineral water. Combine well with flour.
Bulk ferment the dough about 1h30/ 2 hours, covered with wrap film or until bubbly.

To the dough:
Combine the starter dough with all the dough ingredients and the yeast dissolved in milk.
Mix on medium speed for 20 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Add butter and keep mixing until homogeneous.
Bulk ferment the dough until nearly doubled. Fold gently.
Divide the dough to make 25 balls and place on slightly floured kitchen cloths (5 cms spaced). Cover with another kitchen cloth until nearly doubled.

Carefully transfer the dough balls , a few at a time to a deep fryer (160º C) and fry until golden brown, 5-6 minutes each side.
Lift the fritter from the oil with a spider or basket, allowing the oil to drain away over the fryer.
Drain on paper towels.

Fill with pastry cream, jam, chocolate ganache, dulce de leche... I've used Pastry cream.

Sprinkle with caster sugar mixed with cinnamon or icing sugar.


Pastry cream:

300 ml cream
600 ml milk
200 g sugar
80 g cornstarch
3 egg yolks
Orange and lemon zest, cinnamon stick, vanilla

In a bowl mix together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and a bit of milk (enough to dissolve the mixture).
In a saucepan bring the milk with cream to boil with orange and lemon zest, cinnamon and vanilla.
Pour the milk and cream into the egg mixture stirring constantly.
Sieve.
Place the pan over the heat again and stir constantly to thick (without boiling).
Remove from heat and strain.
Place into a bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap to stop a skin from forming on the cream.
Chill.

Labels: dough, pastry cream, recipes

Crossed glances, shyness and smiles... even the ice cream was melting... 3 spice scoops in love with a tuile.




Spice ice cream

1 l milk
300 ml cream
9 egg yolks
300 g sugar
3 g soluble coffee
a pinch of vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, tea, anise, ginger, etc...

1 - Bring the milk to boil with 100 ml of cream and spices. Add coffee and remove from heat. Sieve.

2 - Whisk egg yolks and 150 g of sugar. Add mixture 1 while it's still hot stirring constantly.

3 - Prepare a caramel with the remaining sugar. Add the hot remaining cream previously.

Combine mixture 3 to 2+1.
Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine or frozen stirring regularly to prevent crystalization.




Walnut tuiles

Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.
Combine soft butter, sugar, egg whites and wheat flour in equal parts.
Pour the mixture over a silpat with the desired shapes and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Bake for 5 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown.
Let them cool down to stiff.


I've sprinkled the ice cream with icing sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.

Labels: ice cream, recipes, spices, tuiles, walnuts

Heat becomes heavy and the dark sky blends itself with the landscape's pale green...
We ran home: our petit Trianon and a wet sprinkled summer.




Trianons

Makes 30:

Vanilla dough:
150 g butter
100 g icing sugar
½ g vanilla extract
2 g salt
50 g egg
50 g almonds, powdered
250 g wheat flour, sieved

Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Add vanilla, salt, egg, almond and finally the flour.
Roll out the dough on parchment paper.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.


Chocolate dough:
150 g butter
100 g icing sugar
2 g salt
50 g egg
30 g almonds, powdered
250 g wheat flour, sieved
25 g cocoa

Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Add salt, egg, almond and finally the flour sieved with the cocoa.
Roll out the dough on parchment paper.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.


Assembling:
Roll out the doughs until 7 mm thick.
Cut rectangles of dough (30x4 cms).
Put one chocolate rectangle over one vanilla rectangle brushing with egg yolk between layers.
Repeat this process 3 times.
Refrigerat for 1 hour.
Cut 5-7mm thick slices.

Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.
Place in a lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes.



Suggestion: With the remaining dough I've put together 2 layers and rolled to make a cilinder. I've refrigerated and sliced it as the trianons.

Labels: chocolate, cookies, recipes, vanilla

And because a picture is worth a thousand words...




Chocolate crust:

To a 20-23 cms diameter pan:

15 g cocoa
125 g flour
36 g icing sugar
75 g cold butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp cold water

Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.
Combine together dry ingredients.
Add butter and blend.
Add egg yolk and water.
Wrap tightly and refrigerate (30 minutes).
Roll out the dough (5mm thick).
Transfer the rolled dough to the pan.
Dock the bootom of the crust to prevent it from bubbling up.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.



Caramel and lemon filling:

150 g sugar
180 ml cream
30 ml lemon juice
1/4 lemon zest
20 g cornstarch
5 egg yolks
90 ml water

Prepare a caramel with the sugar.
Add the warm cream and stir gently until completely blended.
Add cornstarch (dissolved in water), lemon juice and zest.
Bring to medium heat to thicken.
Remove from heat, stir to cool down and add whisked egg yolks.

Meringue:

4 egg whites
250 g sugar
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until stiff peaks form.


Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC.
Fill the crust with the caramel and lemon mixture and top with meringue.
Bake until meringue is dry.

Labels: caramel, chocolate, lemon, meringue, pie, recipes

"The relationship between cooking and wine doesn't need preamble nor explanation. It gathers, at a same table, centuries of indispensable collaboration (...) That's why it is so tasteful, so loose, so full of traps and surprises (...) The result elevates us to a higher step (...) not just as a company but, as composition, alchemy, chemical solution, emotion's temperature."

Francisco José Viegas




Orange and Port Wine creamy pudding

Serves 12:
450 g sugar
9 eggs
1 tsp soft butter
200 ml orange juice
100 ml Port Wine


Spread caramel on a pudding pan.
Mix well all the ingredients together.
Cook for 45 minutes in a double boiler.
Unmold at room temperature.


As I can't find puddings nor pudding pans here in Palma de Mallorca, I've used small crème caramel pans. They came out great but it's impossible to get the "fully caramelized" look of a traditional creamy pudding.

Labels: orange, port wine, portuguese desserts, pudding, recipes

Everything was so perfect... the simple premonition of some sweet breads and three recuerdos on my purse... ;)






Sweet breads

Serves 12:

100 g flour
150 g bread flour
15 g fresh yeast
62.5 g sugar
3.5 g salt
¼ lemon zest
50 ml water
12.5 ml milk, warm
50 g egg
50 g butter, soft

Sieve the flours.
Combine 50 g of flour and 5 g of yeast (dissolved in the milk) and 25 ml of water.
Mix well with the dough hook.
Cover and bulk ferment the dough until nearly doubled (30 minutes).
Combine sugar, yeast and salt dissolved in the remaining water, lemon zest, egg and remaining flour.
Mix well with the previous dough.
Gradually add the butter while mixing.
Divide dough in 50 g balls.
Place the dough on a linen baking sheet. Proof, covered, until the dough springs back very slowly to the touch (30 minutes).
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Brush with egg yolk.
Bake for 15 minutes.


Sprinkle with sugar, almonds or fill with pastry cream.

Labels: bread, brunch, recipes

Santa Eulalia Square... forty minutes earlier... all my wanderings downtown couldn't distract me for too much time.
The mini cakes awaits at home and I wait for Miguel... anxious...


Red currants and poppy seeds mini cakes

serves 54:
100 g butter, soft
125 g sugar
80 g self-rising flour, sieved
3 egg whites
6 g poppy seeds
Red currants

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Prepare the paper moulds.
Whisk butter and sugar until it gets white.
Add poppy seeds.
Add 1/3 of the whipped whites, then the flour and the remaining whipped whites.
Pour the dough into the paper moulds and 3 red currants on top of each, pressing slightly.
Bake for 10-12 minutes on a baking sheet.

Labels: cakes, poppy seeds, recipes, red currants