:: flagrante delicia | leonor de sousa bastos' desserts ::

Refresh yourself

2009-02-02T19:19:00.004+01:00

I ignore the grey wet window. I ignore the bent tree and the umbrella trimmed strees. At home, the eternal summer tempers itself at 25ºC and away from the cold's chastity, the blog refreshes itself with chocolate, coffee and Coca-Cola.

“Refresh yourself.”
(Coca-Cola slogan, 1924)

Iced chocolate with Coca-Cola

Serves 4-6:

120 g 55% dark chocolate, finely chopped.
500 ml whole milk
30 g icing sugar
150 ml coffee
12 ice cubes
300 ml Coca-Cola, chilled
4-6 scoops vanilla ice-cream

Bring the milk to boil with the sugar.
Add the chocolate and combine until it boils again.
Remove from heat and add the coffee.
Let it cool down and reserve in the fridge.
Place the ice-cubes into the glasses.
Add the Coca-Cola to the chocolate and mix.
Pour this mixture into the glasses and top with an ice-cream scoop.

A 9-hour marathon...

2009-01-31T00:17:00.003+01:00

Carmeta's 18th birthday ended another though week at school. In this buffet we had to prepare South European dishes. As the responsible for the portuguese dishes I've made the bolos de bacalhau and bacalhau com natas with all my nationalist pride.
On thursday, totally assured that my work at school was almost completed I left early to my first attempt at a fondant glaced birthday cake.
I've started at 3pm with the dulce de leche filled chocolate cakes (Carmeta's favorite flavors) on a 9-hour marathon.
Despite all the fatigue there's nothing like a coloured ending...

Hojarasca con Manjar

2009-01-27T20:23:00.003+01:00

"[Die slowly] He who becomes the slave of habit,
who follows the same routes every day (...)"

Pablo Neruda

…today I'm heading to South America…

This is a typical dessert from Chile.
In Argentine it's called Rogel and is usually topped with meringue.

Hojarasca con Manjar

Pastry:

225 g wheat flour
60 g butter, melted and cold
60 g white wine
4 egg yolk

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine all the ingredients until smooth.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Roll out the dough over a lightly floured worksurface to 1mm thick.
Cut the dough with the desired shape and size.
Pinch the pastry with a fork and bake for 5 minutes or until light brown.

Dulce de leche (traditional way)

3l milk
1 vanilla bean (seeds)
800g sugar
½ tsp baking soda

On a heavy-bottomed pan bring the milk, vanilla bean and sugar to boil until sugar dissolves itself.
Add the baking soda and keep boiling.
When the mixture starts to thicken, stir constantly.
Stir ocasionally for 3 hours until it reduces its volume and get a brown tone.
Remove from heat and stir until cold.

Dulce de leche (simpler way)

1 condensed milk can

Place the can totally immersed in water on a pan.
Bring to boil over high heat.
Reduce to low heat and keep boiling for 2-2 1/2 hours.
Add water as needed.
Open the can when completely cold (very important!).

You can also use a pressure cooker.

Italian Meringue

450g sugar
120ml water
230g egg whites
a pinch of salt

Combine 340g of the sugar with the water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Continue cooking without stirring, until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (116ºC).
Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a wire whip attachment and whip the whites on medium speed until frothy.
Gradually add the remaining 110g sugar and beat the meringue to medium peaks.
Add the syrup to the meringue in a slow and steady stream while whipping on medium speed.
Whip on high speed to stiff peaks. Continue to beat until completely cold.

Assembly:

Spread generously the dulce de leche over a pastry layer (it's easier if you heat the dulce the leche to avoid breaking the pastry).
Place another pastry layer on top and repeat this operation as many times as you want.
Top with the meringue. Use a torch to brown the meringue.

Lady in Red...

2009-01-25T21:58:00.002+01:00

Vibrant, feminine and ardent…

A Red velvet cake is a type of rich and sweet cake, with a distinctive dark red to bright red or red-brown color. It is very popular in the Southern United States.

Cake:

1/4 cup red food coloring
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Red Velvet Icing:

2 cups milk
3/8 cup all-purpose flour
4 sticks unsalted butter, cold
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and lightly flour three 9- x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together until well combined the food coloring, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Add in the salt. Beat in the cocoa mixture until thoroughly incorporated. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter at the end, making sure to mix well.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. When cake has cooled, ice between the layers, then ice top and sides of cake with Red Velvet Icing.

Icing

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk to combine the milk and flour. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until smooth and thick (anywhere from 12 to 18 minutes). Let the mixture cool for at least 50 minutes. When cool, remove the "skin" that has formed at the top and discard.

While mixture is cooling, on the medium-high speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until quite fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. Incorporate the cooled milk mixture in thirds, beating well after each addition.

Source: Jennifer Appel

Chestnut fingers

2009-01-23T20:52:00.005+01:00

Raw chestnuts, roasted chestnuts, boiled chestnuts, frozen chestnuts, chestnut soup, chestnut mousse, chestnut bavaroise, chestnut cake, chestnut bread, chestnut custard, chestnut macarron, marron glacé, chestnut pudding, chestnut cookies… chestnut fingers…

I just loooove chestnuts!

Chestnut fingers

Cake:
90 g butter
150 g sugar
120 g eggs
175 g wheat flour, sieved
15 g baking powder
50 g milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Grease and flour a rectangular pan (30x15x10cm).
Whisk butter and sugar until white.
Add the eggs (one by one) while mixing.
Fold in the flour and baking powder.
Add the milk and combine until smooth.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Let it cool down.
Cut in 7.5x1.5x1 cm rectangles.
Set aside.

Coffee syrup:
100 g sugar
100 ml water
2 g soluble coffee

Bring the water and sugar to boil to dissolve the sugar.
Remove from heat and dissolve the coffee.
With a brush soak the cake rectangles.

Chestnut filling:
120 g chestnuts
120 ml cream
50 g icing sugar
½ vanilla bean
100 ml milk

With a sharp knife, make a cross-cut across the flat side of the chestnuts, like an X.
Add the chestnuts to a pot of boiling water.
Reduce heat and simmer for for 15-25 minutes minutes, or until tender, and remove pot from heat.
In a pan over low heat bring to boil the chestnuts, half of the cream, milk and vanilla bean until all the liquid evaporates.
Remove from heat, take out the vanilla bean and combine with the remaining cream and icing sugar until smooth.
Place in a pastry bag with a round tip (14).

Chocolate glaze

Place the cake rectangles over a pastry rack.
With the pastry bag make chestnut cylinders lenghtwise on top of the cake rectangles.
Pour the chocolate glaze over the cake.
Refrigerate or freeze, depending on your needs.
Decorate with chestnut purée and boiled chestnuts.

Churros con chocolate

2009-01-22T18:19:00.002+01:00

Winter comes romantically...
Takes off the scarf to warm the cup, bites a churro and licks the chocolate.
On our side of the window time stands still... the world can wait...

Churros

125 ml water
25 g sugar
½ tsp fine salt
12.5 g butter
100 g flour
1-2 eggs
Sugar to sprinkle

Bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to boil.
As soon as it boils add all the flour and reduce to low heat stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the eggs combining well with the mixer with the dough hook attached until smooth.
Let the dough cool.
Put the dough into a churrera (or pastry bag with a star tip) avoiding air bubbles in the inside.
Squeeze strips of dough into hot oil.
Fry until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes on each side.
Drain on paper towels.
Roll churros in sugar or dump the sugar on the pile of churros.

Hot chocolate

Serves 4:

125 g 67% (minimum) dark chocolate, chopped
500 ml mineral water
50 g icing sugar
25 g cocoa

Bring the water to boil with sugar.
Add cocoa and stir well.
Bring to boil again and remove from heat.
Pour this mixture into a bowl with the chopped chocolate (one third at a time).
Stir gently in circles from the center to the edge.
Mix for 5 minutes with the mixer.
Serve imediately.

Pear, Port and stardust

2009-01-19T01:01:00.002+01:00

"We are all stardust"

Carl Sagan

Stardust pears

Serves 4:
20 g stardust tea
500 ml water
4 pears
120 g sugar
100 ml Port wine
Laminated almonds and milk chocolate to serve.

Peel de pears.
Bring water and sugar to boil.
Remove from heat when boiling and add the tea.
Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Sieve.
Add the Port wine and bring to boil again.
Add the pears and cover.
Keep it in low heat for 30-40 minutes.
Serve with laminated almonds and milk chocolate, an ice cream scoop or a biscuit.

Stardust tea: mix of black tea, cocoa, red pepper, rose leaves and coconut.
Taste: chocolate and toffee.

Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone?!

2009-01-15T22:57:00.002+01:00

I love bread!... I can eat bread anytime, I can eat it everyday...
Unfortunately here in Palma almost all bread are pre-frozen baguettes. And when I want to buy some real bread I have to go to some pueblo out of town.
Yesterday I've prepared these almond breads to bake early today:
There's nothing like a buttered hot scent...

Almond breads
Makes 20:
500 g all-purpose flour
25 g yeast
60 g butter
50 g light brown sugar
5 g salt
250 ml de leite morno
50 ml warm water
50 g almonds, finely chopped
Cinnamon

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.

With Oporto and nostalgia...

2009-01-13T22:29:00.002+01:00

"O Porto é o lugar onde para mim começam as maravilhas e todas as angústias."
[To me Oporto is the place where wonders and all the anguishes start.]

Sophia de Mello Breyner

Tarteletas de pêra com Porto

112.5 g açúcar
125 g manteiga amolecida
250 g de farinha de trigo peneirada
2 ovos

Pré-aquecer o forno a 180ºC.
Amassar todos os ingredientes juntos até que fique uma massa homogénea.
Formar uma bola com a massa, envolver com film e refrigerar por 1 hora.
Estender a massa sobre uma superfície ligeiramente enfarinhada.
Forrar as forminhas de tarte e cobrir com papel de alumínio ou vegetal.
Espalhar por cima algumas contas de cerâmica para assados ou alguma leguminosa que faça peso e não deixe que a massa infle ao cozer.
Cozer por 20 minutos.
Reservar.

Recheio:
2 pêras cortadas aos quadradinhos
Sumo de limão q.b.
Canela a gosto
2 colheres de sobremesa de mel
50 ml de vinho do Porto

Regar as pêras com o limão.
Juntar a canela, o mel e o vinho e cozer em lume brando.

Encher a massa com a pêra e cobrir com chocolate branco.

Clementine cakes

2009-01-11T23:21:00.001+01:00

Sweet, light, juicy...

Clementine cakes

Serves 8:
4 eggs
250 g sugar
150 g de cake flour
140 ml clementine juice (70ml+70ml)

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Grease and line with parchment paper 8 small cake moulds.
Whisk egg yols with sugar.
Add the firmly whisked egg whites, the flour and 70ml of juice.
Pour the dough into the moulds and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Pour the remaining juice (sweetened as desired) over the warm cakes.
Unmould when cold.

Decorate with clementine segments, chantilly or citric zests.

Mini Sacher

2009-01-08T23:30:00.003+01:00

It's cold... a moisty cold forced into the soul through the skin.
Streets wear woollen hats and scarves and fill themselves with an icy rush...
I remain here, in the inviting shelter of my kitchen's warmth.

Small, inviting, provocative... my Sachertorte!

Sachertorte

Flourless chocolate cake:
175 g egg whites
60 g sugar
2 egg yolks
35 g butter, softened
140 g chocolate, finely chopped

Pre-heat the oven at 210ºC.
Grease and line with parchment paper a rectangular baking pan.
Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler (or in the microwave at medium power stirring each 20 seconds).
Combine butter with chocolate. Set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks. Set aside.
Whisk the egg whites and add sugar until firm peaks form (meringue).
Gently fold in, with a spatula, the egg yolks into the meringue.
Combine well with the chocolate and butter mixture.
Bake for 7 minutes.

Apricot jelly

Chocolate glaze:

175 ml water
125 g sugar
100 ml cream
25 g corn syrup
62.5 g cocoa
4 gelatin sheets

Bring the water, sugar, cream and corn syrup to boil until 105ºC.
Remove from heat.
Add the gelatin sheets (previously hydrated and drained) and mix to dissolve.
Let it cool down for a while and add the cocoa.

Use while warm.

Cut the cake horizontally in four layers.
Spread the jelly between layers.
Transfer the cake to a wire rack.
Pour all of the warm chocolate glaze on top of the cake.
Cool until the glaze is barely set, then transfer the cake to a serving plate.
To serve, slice with a sharp knife dipped into hot water.
Decorate with apricot and chocolate.

Flourless chocolate cake based on an original recipe by Paco Torreblanca

A sweeter year

2009-01-06T23:21:00.003+01:00

I'm back to the battle field. I take a look at everything around me and I get ready for a new year.
Sweet days will come!...

Coconut and cardamom puddings

320 ml coconut milk
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
60 g sugar
Grinded cardamom or cardamom seeds, as desired
Lichees and green pistachio to decorate

Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.
Pour some water into a large pan (for a double-boiler).
Prepare a caramel and pour it into the bottom of small pans.
Combine eggs and sugar.
Bring the coconut milk to boil with the cardamom seeds. Seive and pour into the egg mixture.
Pour into the coated pans.
Bake in a double-boiler for 40 minutes or until firm.
Unmould when cold.

Christmas holidays and a turrón

2008-12-20T23:33:00.002+01:00

It's cold and the turrón wraps itself in some colored marzipan to celebrate the trip.
Tomorrow I'll be back at Oporto... :)

Chocolate and hazelnut turrón

Serves 10:
400 g hazelnut praliné
400 g dark chocolate
200 g hazelnut, finely chopped

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
Add the hazelnut praliné.
Let it cool down to 26-28ºC (tempering).
Add the hazelnuts.
Pour this mixture into lined moulds and place something heavy on top, or make a roll with the parchment paper, keeping the turrón tightly wrapped.
Reserve at room temperature until thick.
Cut as desired.
Decorate with marzipan.

Marzipan:

1 kg almond, powdered
500 g icing sugar
1 kg sugar
450 g corn syrup
350 g water

In a mixer combine well the icing sugar with the powdered almond.
Prepare a syrup with sugar, corn syrup and water until 114-117ºC.
Gently pour the syrup into the almond mixture while mixing.
Grind until desired.

Marzipan may be colored with food coloring.

Orange...

2008-12-18T21:44:00.002+01:00

Someone opens an orange in silence, at the entrance
to fabled nights.
He plunges his thumbs down to where the orange
is rapidly thinking, where it grows, annihilates itself, and then
is born again. Someone is peeling a pear, eating
a bunch of grapes, devoting himself
to fruit. And I fashion a sharp-witted song
so as to understand.
I lean over busy hands, mouths,
tongues that devour their way through attention.
I would like to know how the fable of the nights
grows like this. How silence
swells, or is transformed with things. I write
a song in order to be intelligent about fruit
on the tongue, through subtle channels, unto
a dark emotion.

Herberto Helder, Teoria sentada, 1977

Candied orange peel

Oranges
250 ml water
220 g sugar

Cut the oranges in quarters and remove all the pulp.
Cut the orange peels in 6-8mm witdth stripes.
Place the orange peels in a pan of cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Drain.
Repeat this process three times, using fresh cold water each time, to remove some of the bitter flavor from the pith.
Set aside.
Bring the water and sugar to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Reduce to a very low simmer, add the peesa, and poach until translucent (about 1 hour).

To dry the peels, drain them and spread on a wire rack set on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
Allow to dry and crystallize overnight at room temperature. Or place the peels on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 140ºC convection oven for 1 1/2 hour.

Toss the peels in granulated sugar or dip them in tempered chocolate.

* Lemon, lime or grapefruit may be used in place of the orange peels.

Based on a Culinary Institute of America recipe

Strawberry fields forever

2008-12-18T21:14:00.001+01:00

I've kidnapped Spring... in a one-bite pleasure...

Strawberry fields

Pâte sablé

Makes 24 (5 cms diameter)
40 g egg yolks
60 g icing sugar
62.5 g butter, softened
84 g wheat flour
5 g baking powder
1.5 g salt

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC.
Combine butter with sugar until creamy.
Add the egg yolks (one by one).
Gently seive the salt with flour and baking powder into the egg mixture, mixing constantly.
With a pastry bag pour the mixture into small moulds.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Almond jelly:

Makes 24 (4cms diameter):

300 ml milk
75 ml cream
75 g almonds, powdered
75 g sugar
7.5 gelatin sheets (15 g)

Grease (with vegetable oil) 24 small pans (or use silicon pans).
Hydrate the gelatin and dry well.
Combine all the ingredients and bring to heat until cooked.
Remove from heat and add the gelatin, stirring constantly to completely dissolve the gelatin.
Pour this mixture into the pans.
Refrigerate until firm.

Place the jelly over the pâte sablé discs.
Decorate with strawberry and pistachio.
Brush with a neutral glaze.

Meringue coconut custard tarts

2008-12-15T22:07:00.001+01:00

These last weeks had been busy... time is devoted to work on fridays' buffets and the little time I have isn't enough to get some rest and to keep my blog alive.
When weekend arrives I just want to go home. I don't want to hear anything. I just want my hot bath and go to sleep without worrying about the next day.
I must try to relax until the sleep brings me the light saturday morning...

Meringue coconut custard tarts

Makes 10 (12 cm diameter):

Pastry:
250 g wheat flour
30 g sugar
125 g butter, softened
2 egg yolks

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Grease and flour 10 small tart pans.
Combine well all the ingredients.
Roll out the pastry over a lightly floured work surface.
Put on the moulds.
Pinch the pastry’s sides and bottom with a fork, cover with parchment paper or aluminum foil and put on some ceramic pie weights (dried beans would work too).
Bake for 15 minutes.
Take off the paper and bake for 5 minutes more.
Set aside.
Reduce oven to 150ºC.

Coconut custard:
120 g de Wheat flour
160 g grated coconut
160 g sugar
2 egg yolks
500 ml milk

In a pan, combine all the ingredients together and bring to heat to thicken.
Pour the filling over the crust.

Meringue:

4 egg whites
250 g sugar
grated coconut, to sprinkle

Whisk the egg whites and gradually add sugar until stiff peaks form.
Top the filling with meringue and sprinkle some grated coconut.
Bake until meringue is dry. ( 20-30 minutes)

Recycled balls

2008-12-04T21:52:00.002+01:00

Between the cake cylinders some leftovers remained...

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Re... Create!

Caramel little cakes

Makes 12 (12g each):

90 g caramel cake
25 g toffee
30 g nuts, roasted and finely chopped (almonds, nuts, macadmia nuts, hazelnuts,...)
25 g whole milk
20 g laminated almonds to coat, roasted

Combine together the cake with toffee and nuts and make small balls.
Roll each small ball in the laminated almonds to coat.

Cake candy

2008-11-30T17:16:00.008+01:00

Today I feel again like the little child wit the pockets full of caramels...
I care my cakes like candies and childhood unwraps in front of my eyes...

This was my twist of Shuna Fish Lydon's (http://eggbeater.typepad.com/) Caramel cake (here).

The hosts for this month's Daring Bakers challenge were: Dolores (http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/), Alex (http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com/) and Jenny (http://forayintofood.blogspot.com/).

The recipe recipe can be found here.

Mamma mia

2008-11-28T19:54:00.002+01:00

Stretches, rolls, unfolds in chocolate...

Chocolate tagliatelle with chocolate sauce

Serves 4:

200g wheat flour + flour
2g salt
2-3 eggs
40g icing sugar
50g powdered cocoa

3 l water (to cook the tagliatelle)
20g butter
50g icing sugar to sprinkle

Sieve the flour with salt to a bowl. Set aside.
Whisk the eggs.
Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa into the whisked eggs and combine well.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour and work by hand into a smooth paste.
Leave in the fridge for 90 minutes wrapped tightly in wrap film.
Gently flour the work surface and cut the dough in 3 pieces.
Stretch the dough with the rolling pin until very thin.
Spread more flour on the stretched dough and roll it tightly.
Cut 5mm wide ribbons from the rolled dough and unfold them onto a gently floured dry cloth, for 30 minutes.
Heat the water in a saucepan and boil the tagliatelle for a few minutes (as soon as they come up they are ready).
Dry the pasta in a large colander.
Sautée with butter and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Chocolate sauce:

Makes 500 ml:

130 g 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
250 ml water
70 g icing sugar
125 ml double cream

Combine well all the ingredients and bring to boil in medium heat stirring constantly.
Reduce to low heat and cook until creamy and it stays at the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and serve immediately.

You could also let it cool down at room temperature, strring occasionally.
You can keep it in the refrigerator for two weeks on an hermetic container.
To serve, place it in a double boiler, stirring occasionally.

Source: Pierre Hermé

No comments from the peanut gallery...

2008-11-24T22:29:00.002+01:00

I swear they taste great!...

Peanut tarts

Makes 10:

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 half an hour covered with wrap film.
Roll out the pastry over a lightly floured work surface until very thin.
Put on small moulds

Filling:
300 g sugar + 150 ml water
100 g peanuts, roasted and powdered
30 g butter, melted
5 egg yolks
1 egg white
zest of 1/2 lemon

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Bring the water to boil with sugar on a covered pan.
Uncover when it starts to boil and let it boil for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the butter.
Let it cool down for a while.
Combine together the remaining ingredients.
Pour the syrup gently over the peanut mixture.
Pour this mixture into the small moulds.
Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.

My favourite snacks

2008-11-23T21:50:00.001+01:00

I'm used to buy some chocolate chips' snacks that I love and today I conviced myself to create some snacks that resemble my favourites...

Crunchy, light and deliciously addictive...

Dark chocolate, sunflower seeds and Maldon snacks

Makes 14 (12 g each):

100 g wheat flour
20 g olive oil (2 tbsp)
30 g sugar
Water (about 30 ml)
Sunflower seeds
Dark chocolate, finely chopped
Maldon salt

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the flour, the sugar, the olive oil and water and combine everything to a firm dough.
Form small strips with the dough (grissini-like) and place them in the baking sheet.
Top with sunflower seeds and chocolate chips.
Sprinkle gently with Maldon.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Millions of peaches

2008-11-21T22:46:00.003+01:00

Out of time peaches, an island's fantasy...

Peach cakes

Serves 6-8 or 16 small pans (7cms diameter).

100g butter, softened
150g sugar
2 eggs
150g cake flour
1 tbsp milk
6 peaches
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
Icing sugar to sprinkle

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
Grease and line with parchment paper a loaf pan or small round pans.
Combine butter and sugar until white and creamy.
Add the eggs (previouly whisked), milk, flour and cinnamon and mix well for a few minutes to smooth the dough.
Pour the dough into the pan and spread the peach dices, pressing a little into the mixture.
Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Bake for 35 minutes (large loaf pan) or 18 minutes (small pans).

Wait 40 minutes before unmoulding the cake.
Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.

Truffled sunday

2008-11-16T22:33:00.001+01:00

Today I volunteered myself to house arrest and devoted my sunday to laziness...
A laid morning over a late breakfast and a slow afternoon between the couch, the truffles and the bed...

Caramel truffles:

Makes 34 (11 g each):

100 g sugar
20 g butter at room temperature
125 g cream
142,5 g dark chocolate, chopped
85 g milk chocolate, chopped
Cocoa

Caramelize sugar with a bit of water.
Add the butter then the warm cream.
In a bowl, pour the toffee over the chocolate and stir until creamy.
Cover the bowl with wrap film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
Put the cocoa on a plate.
With greased hands make small balls with the truffle mixture and gently roll each truffle in the cocoa to coat.

Quindins

2008-11-15T19:09:00.005+01:00

This post was already published on the portuguese version of flagrantedelicia.com but I've never found time to translate it.

They speak for themselves...

Quindins

Makes 12:

5 egg yolks
25 g coconut, grated
75 ml coconut milk
100 g sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 140º C.
Grease 12 small pans with plenty of butter and sugar.
Sieve the egg yolks.
Add the remaining ingredients and combine well.
Fill 2/3 of the pans with this mixture.
Bake in a double boiler covered with aluminum foil for about 45 minutes.
Unmould while slighly warm.

Gnocchi for Fall

2008-11-13T21:11:00.005+01:00

Romantic and melancholic, Fall always tastes like sunset...
The decline of days in a warm colours degradé and bigger nights escort my increasing sleep.
Cold's arrival doesn't cheer me up... I always feel some ceremony with coats and unconfortable with this restart.
Nevertheless I can't avoid the dry leaves crackling, some rain kisses and my crush on chestnuts...

Chestnut gnocchi with hazelnut and milk chocolate sauce

Makes 65 gnocchi:

250 g chestnuts, peeled
250 ml whole milk
10 g butter
50 g wheat flour
30 g sugar
12 g manchego cheese, grated
1 egg yolk

Water to cook the gnocchi
1 vanilla bean
25 g butter
40 g icing sugar

Combine the butter with the vanilla seeds.

Bring the chestnuts and milk to low heat for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked.
Purée the chestnuts.
While warm combine the chestnut purée with all the other ingredients.
Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface.
Roll out the dough into a 3 cms wide rope. Cut this rope into 3 cms pieces.
Gently place the tines of a fork over each gnocchi.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Add the gnocchi.
Gnocchi are cooked when they start to float.
Sauté with butter and vanilla and sprinke with icing sugar.

Hazelnut and chocolate milk sauce

200 g milk chocolate, chopped
100 g cream
50 g hazelnuts

Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC.
Spread the hazelnuts over a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
Wrap the hazelnuts with a kitchen cloth and scrub to peel.
Grind the hazelnuts while warm to paste.
Combine the hazelnut paste with chocolate.
Bring the cream to boil.
Pour the cream into the hazelnut chocolate mixture and stir well.

Place the gnocchi on a plate and serve with the hazelnut and milk chocolate sauce.
Decorate with roasted hazelnuts.
Serve immediately.