Matzoh Buttercrunch Toffee

Matzo Buttercrunch

1 Apr 2020 Blog, Desserts , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matzoh Buttercrunch Toffee

I write this recipe for Matzo Buttercrunch with a tight heart. As the world is navigating uncertain times with this pandemic, I wanted to come here to my blog and offer help and hope. If there is one thing that hasn’t changed in my life, is the way I feel about cooking, baking, spending time in the kitchen nourishing those we love. Back then, when life was normal, cooking has always been my anchor. OK, it can also be a source of stress sometimes, when I have a big job. But it’s always a good stress, if you know what I mean. Now that the world has turned upside down, cooking is more therapy than ever.

During Passover, we celebrate the exodus of Jewish slaves from Egypt. We do that with many habits and traditions, like abstaining from eating leavened foods for seven days. Instead of bread, we eat Matzoh. You can find it in just about any supermarket. I’m sharing a classic recipe for Matzo Buttercrunch that I discovered through Arthur Schwartz, adapted from his cookbook Jewish Home Cooking. Even if you’re not Jewish, you’re bound to love this recipe! In fact, I have given these treats to friends from all walks of life and they loved it! Everyone does! If you like toffee covered in caramel, you will like this recipe as well. You can top it with almonds, pecans or just about any nuts of your preference. The photos are quite helpful understanding the process. But if you have any questions at all, reach out to me. I’m always here!

 

Matzo Buttercrunch

Adapted from Arthur Schwartz Jewish Home Cooking

Makes one 12 by 15 inch sheet, or about 50 pieces of buttercrunch

 

Ingredients:

4 to 6 matzo boards

1 cup unsalted butter (or parve margarine)

1 cup light brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate Callebeaut, chopped

1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted and roughly chopped

 

  • Pre-heat the 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with silicone mat. Spread the pan with the whole matzo boards, cutting extra pieces to fit any uncovered spaces. You want to leave the matzos as whole as possible, but you don’t want to leave any extra space on the sheet pan without matzah. Also, don’t overlap any pieces of matzo.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and sugar and cook, over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the mixture comes to a boil. At first, the mixture will separate, but as you mix constantly, it will come together in a beautiful caramel. Continue boiling and whisking for an extra 3 minutes. Add the cinnamon and whisk well.
  • Immediately pour over the matzos and using an off-set spatula, spread the caramel all over. Do not worry about covering both sides of the matzoh boards; spread only on the side facing up.

Matzoh Buttercrunch Toffee

  • Place the sheet pan with matzoh caramel in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, checking after 10 minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning.
  • Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate all over the sheet pan.

Let it stand for 5 minutes, then use an off-set spatula to spread the melted chocolate evenly and thinly over the matzos.

Matzoh Buttercrunch Toffee

  • Sprinkle with toasted almonds and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Matzoh Buttercrunch Toffee

  • While the matzo is sill “wet”, cut the candy into squares, or simply, just break it into pieces with your hands. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Bring it bag to room temperature and let it rest and set. At this point, you can keep the matzo buttercrunch in a covered container for up to 1 week, or in the refrigerator for 3 weeks.

 

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Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

7 Mar 2020 Blog, Desserts , , , , , ,

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

I wish Irish Soda Bread would appear more than once a year during St. Patrick’s Day, a celebration of all things Ireland. Although we are surrounded by baked goods, there is something quite special about the Irish Soda Bread Recipe. This rich and handsome bread is made with bread flour, yeast, butter, buttermilk and it’s studded with raisins.

Every culture has its own bread variation, from Babakas from Eastern Europe, Croissants and Kugelholf in France, Colomba Pasquale in Italy, Cheese Bread in Brazil and many more.

Around the early 2000’s, I was an “stagiere” at Payard Patisserie by acclaimed pastry chef Francoise Payard, when the pastry shop was in its full glory in the Upper East Side location. Each day we used to roll croissants in the morning hours and then we’d bake huge batches of dough in the afternoon. Irish Soda Bread was prepared mostly for St.Patrick’s day and Eastern Holiday.

You’d think that I’d be done baking breads by now, but it turns out, I still love to bake at home, especially interesting breads such as this one. I can’t resist a warm oven filling the house with the most wonderful bread aromas. For this Irish Soda Bread, I turned to expert John Barricelli of Sono Baking Company, a lovely bakery in Connecticut.

Bread baking requires patience for sure. Let the yeast do its work and don’t try to rush it. I’m sure you’ll find plenty to do while the dough is resting at various stages. You’ll be rewarded with a delicious and gorgeous bread to enjoy. It also makes a beautiful food gift by the way.

With my recent trip to Belém do Pará, in Brazil, I came back with lots of Cupuacú Jams in the luggage. Turns out, it goes perfectly with Irish Soda Bread. But any jam in the likes of apricots or orange will be nice here! Hope you’ll enjoy this recipe!

 

 

Recipe adapted from Sono Baking Company cookbook

Irish Soda Bread

Makes one loaf

Ingredients:

6 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting the loaves

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons instant yeast

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 cups buttermilk

1 ½ cups raisins

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and yeast. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk, and using your hands, mix until the dough just comes together, mix in the raisins. Using a plastic bowl scraper, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it’s smooth and supple, 3 to 4 minutes. Shape into a round loaf.

Irish Soda Bread in the Making

Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm location (at least 70˚F) until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Irish Soda Bread rising

Irish Soda Bread proofed

Punch the dough down to deflate it, reshape it into a round loaf, and let it rest again until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. With a bench scraper, divide it into two pieces, and shape them into two round loaves.

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Dust the top of each loaf with flour, and with a bench scraper, form an X through the center of the bread, pressing down deeply in both directions with the scraper, almost cutting through the loaf. Place the loaves on a lightly floured baking sheet.

Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the crust is deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Serve it with butter and jam of your preference!

 

 

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Dulce de Leche Souffle

Dulce de Leche Soufle with Coconut Sorbet

15 Dec 2019 Blog, Desserts, Recipes ,

Dulce de Leche Souffle

 

Making a comeback: a 70’s inspired recipe for Dulce de Leche Soufle that encourages satisfaction and conversations. Add a scoop of coconut ice cream and welcome to dessert paradise!

Dulce de Leche Soufle with Coconut Sorbet

Serves 12 people:

Ingredients:

3 cups whole milk

10 yolks

1/3 cup (80g) organic cane sugar

2 tablespoons + 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons + 4 teaspoons cornstarch

200 g dulce de leche (I used Nestle)

 

14 egg whites

Pinch salt

4 tablespoons organic cane sugar

 

Equipment: Twelve 6-oz soufflé ramekins coated with a thick layer of butter and dusted with sugar all over.

 

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with sugar until yellow and pale.
  3. Sift together the flour and cornstarch and add to the egg yolk mixture, whisking well until the mixture thickens. Make sure there are no lumps of flour or cornstarch.
  4. Carefully pour some of the hot milk into the egg yolks then add the remaining milk, always whisking well. Transfer this mixture back to the saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the pastry cream thickens, about 4 minutes.
  5. Add the dulce de leche and mix well, until it becomes homogeneous.
  6. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator in a plastic container covered with a tight lid for up to 2 days. Make sure you bring the base to room temperature before adding the egg whites.
  7. Heat the oven to 350˚ F.
  8. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites with a pinch of salt and start beating until they start to foam and rise. Gradually add the sugar, turn the speed to medium-high, and beat until glossy soft peaks forms (that means when you lift the whisk you should see a smooth triangle shaped pick of egg whites).
  9. Using a large spatula, fold one quarter of the whites into the pastry cream to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites (the reason behind this procedure is to mix smoothly batters that have two very different consistencies like egg whites and pastry cream). Using a spoon or ladle, fill the ramekins up to ¾ full. Place the soufflés on a baking sheet and bake until they are beautifully puffed and golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes
  10. Remove from the oven and dust some powdered sugar on top.
  11. Scoop a ball of coconut sorbet on top of each soufflé and serve immediately.

 

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Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

17 Nov 2019 Blog, Desserts, Recipes , , , , ,

Sweet Potato Pie

Ok, I’m all about healthy cooking. The proof is in the book, Latin Superfoods. But this time of year is a little special! Let’s dig right into this Sweet Potato Pie, adapted from Gourmet Magazine. Go ahead and celebrate the old-fashioned way with family and friends. No guilt allowed. It’s only once a year! Remember, baking a pie, doesn’t mean gorging! Just a sliver slice is all you need. 

Growing up in Brazil, such a tart was not in the habits, and in fact it took some time for me to get the liking of it. But after 20 years of living here, let me tell you, I’m hooked! And Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays since it’s all about food, friends and family!

 A note about the recipe: You can roast the sweet potatoes and mash it up to 3 days ahead of time.You can also make and bake the whole pie ahead of time, and just bring it out to room temperature before serving. I like to garnish this pie with whipped cream and cocoa puffs, but even plain this pie is so good.

 

Sweet Potato Pie

(adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

Serves 8

For the Crust:

1 cup gingersnap cookies

½ cup walnuts

1 tablespoon organic cane sugar

Pinch salt

5 tablespoons melted butter

 

For the Caramel:

½ cup regular sugar

1/3 cup water

 

For the Filling:

2 cups (510g) mashed sweet potato (about 2 large sweet potatoes)

3 eggs

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To garnish:

Whipped cream and chocolate cocoa crisps

Equipment: one 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate

1-  Prepare the Crust: Pre-heat the oven to 350˚F.

2-  In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ginger snap cookies, walnuts and sugar. Process until well combined then slowly drizzle in the butter until the crumbs are uniformly moist. Transfer to a bowl.

3-  Using your hands and fingers, press the mixture into the pan, patting an even layer over the bottom and all the way up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust for10 to 12 minutes then transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

4- Prepare the Caramel: In a sauce saucepan, cook the sugar, pure and dry over high heat until it turns amber caramel. Remove from the heat and carefully pour water —it will bubble and steam and harden the sugar— and return to heat to dissolve the caramel. Remove from the heat.

5- in a large bowl, mix with a rubber spatula the mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, cream, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla and caramel, and mix well, stirring gently.

Pour the filling into the crust. Bake the pie until the filling is slightly puffed and center trembles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 40 minutes. The top may crack, and that’s ok, and the filling will continue to set as it cools. If the crust begins to brown too much before the filling is done, crimp a ring of foil or use a pie shield to protect it. Cool the pie on a rack for 1 hour.

6- Serve the pie at room temperature garnished with shipped cream and cocoa puffs on top.

 

 

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Chocolate Sorbet

Chocolate Sorbet

15 Aug 2019 Blog, Desserts, Recipes , , ,
Chocolate Sorbet

Chocolate Sorbet

 

If there was ever a recipe to sum up a great discovery in the 1980’s, chocolate sorbet was it. Adored for its smooth texture and thin-like silhouette, it was often the choice for restaurant menus with the greats of Le Cirque, or Lutece. Remember those days?

Who did I turn to? Pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini has a great recipe; Revealing in the light taste of summer, this sorbet is very smooth and not too sweet. Keep some in the freezer for a quick chocolate fix.

 

Chocolate Sorbet

Adapted from Johnny Iuzinni’s cookbook Dessert Fourplay.

Makes 1 quart

 

3 cups less 2 tablespoons(690g) water

¼ cup (20g) nonfat milk powder

1 ½ (45g) invert sugar (or corn syrup)

¾ cup (150g) sugar

¼ cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder

3 ¼ oz (110g) unsweetened chocolate

  • Set up an ice bath in a large bowl.
  • Whisk the water and powder milk together in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until it starts to boil. Whisk in the corn syrup and sugar and continue cooking until it’s all dissolved, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the cocoa powder and chocolate and cook, whisking until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Mix well with an immersion blender. Pour into a bowl and set over the prepared ice bath. Chill completely stirring often
  • Freeze in an ice cream maker. This can take a long time in a home-style ice cream maker. Pack into a plastic container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

 

I’m so happy that you visited today! Thanks for reading and browsing my site!

If you like what you read, tell your friends about it,

I’d love to connect with you! Please do send comments and suggestions,

If you prepare any of the recipes on the site, snap a photo and send it to me!

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Leticia

 

 

 

low res cake

Tiramisu Birthday Cake

15 Jan 2019 Blog, Desserts, Recipes , , , ,

Tiramisu Cake

There are things in life that have a simple majesty.

A cake, for example is how we mark a special occasion. This January, I’m celebrating the new year; I’m also celebrating my birthday, but most importantly, I’m celebrating 15 years of cooking with my newly designed web site and a new cookbook on the way! After a decade of Brazilian oriented cooking, a new era of recipes seethes with the needs of our current times.

Tirami- who? Tiramisu Birthday Cake! if you’d like to celebrate anything in your life, I highly recommend this recipe! Inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s Baking book (love her!), this cake is absolutely delicious; a detour from the classic Tiramisu, but with all the authentic flavors of the beloved Italian dessert. Go ahead cake! This is your moment to be beautiful! Make a wish Leticia! The possibility of my wish coming true is actually very exciting!

Tiramisu Cake

Tiramisu Birthday Cake

Adapted by Dorie Greenspan’s Baking, From My Home to Yours

Makes 12 servings

For the Cake:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1 ¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup buttermilk

For the Expresso Extract:
2 tablespoons instant expresso powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
For the expresso syrup:
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoons amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy

For the Filling and Frosting:

one 8-oz mascarpone cheese
½ cup confectioner’s sugar sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon amaretto, kahlua, or brandy
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 ½ oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter two 9 X 2-inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.

1- Make the Cake: Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and baking soda and salt.
2- Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternatively with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions (begin and end with the dry ingredients). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with an off-set spatula.

3- Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans at midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
4- Make the Extract: stir the expresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.
5- Make the Syrup: Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoons of the expresso extract and the liqueur or brandy. Set aside.
6- To make the Filling and Frosting: Put the mascarpone, sugar vanilla and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth. Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.
7- Assemble the Cake: of the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, soak the layer with about one third of the expresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer- use about 1 ¼ cups, and gently press and chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining expresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.
8- For the frosting, whisk 1 tablespoons of the remaining expresso extract into the remaining mascarpone filling. Taste the frosting as you go to decide how much extract you want to add. If the frosting looks a bit too soft to spread over the cake, refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.
9- With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. I decorated my cake with chocolate shavings; but you can choose expresso beans, cocoa nibs, chocolate sprinkles, or just about any kind of pastry decoration you wish. Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours, or up to 2 days, before serving.
10- Remove the cake from the fridge 30 minutes to take out the chill; serve and enjoy!

 

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Chocolate Peanut Cake

Chocolate Peanut Cake

9 Dec 2018 Blog, Desserts, Recipes , , , , , , , , , ,

When it comes to matters of food and cooking for the holidays, I have high standards, which makes this recipe a perfect feature for the festivities.

Not all recipes are easy. Just so you know. Composed of 4 different steps, this cake comes together in a sheet pan and can be frozen up to 3 months ahead of time. Look at the photo again: stay here!

This is truly fancy restaurant style dessert, adapted from Johnny Iuzzini ‘s cookbook Dessert Fourplay. He is a rock star pastry chef who worked for many years at Jean George’s restaurant in NYC. I love his work.

This recipe is a true gem. Godsent. It makes any home cook appear to be better than he or she really is, elevating average baking skills into something that approaches alchemy. Tell no one how many steps this takes though. Make it sound like a breeze, especially since you’ll forget about all the work after freezing the cake. I promise.

If you feel intimidated by it, don’t. I’m here with you, and I’ll be with you every step of the recipe, holding your hand in the kitchen while you make this recipe, and you’ll hear my voice in the procedure.

I’ve made this recipe a few times, so by now, I made my own adaptations and I’ll share a few tricks (like using parchment paper for the sponge; add the peanut butter at the ganache after it is done).

About the feuilletine: this is really the secret of this dessert. If you buy it in a pastry supply store, you are bound to buy a 5lb bag. So, I found these cookies that are made of feuilletine; just crunch them up with your hands (be careful not to over crush them).

ingredients

Hunting for praline paste is also a little time consuming, so if you want to make life easier, just use almond butter and call that your praline paste.

Chocolate Peanut Cake
Serves 8

Chocolate Peanut Praline

1 cup (250g) smooth peanut butter

1 cup (250g) hazelnut praline paste

4 oz (105g) white chocolate

8 oz (230g) feuilletine

Hazelnut Peanut Sponge

½ cup (50g) hazelnut flour

½ cup (50g) peanut flour

8 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 cup + 4 tablespoons (250g) sugar

8 egg whites

Pinch of cream of tartare

8 tablespoons chopped peanuts and hazelnuts

Chocolate Peanut Ganache

10 oz (324g) milk chocolate, chopped

1 ½ cups heavy cream

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (250g) smooth peanut butter

Caramel Chocolate Mousse

2 cups + 3 tablespoons heavy cream

6 oz (170g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoon (50g) sugar

pinch salt

4 egg yolks

Cocoa powder to dust over the cake

  • Prepare the Chocolate Peanut Praline: Line a 12 X 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the peanut butter and praline paste in the food processor and pulse to combine, scraping the bowl.
  • Melt the chocolate over low heat in double boiler (without touching the water). At this point you can’t go anywhere or your chocolate will overheat. Use a rubber spatula and as soon as your chocolate is just melted, take it off the heat. Add to the food processor. Pulse to combine. Scrape into a bowl. Fold in the feuilletine and mix thoroughly, being careful not to break the pieces too much.
  • Feuiettine

    Feuiettine all crunched up

  • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly into the pan. It’s not super easy as the feuilletine will present some force against spreading, but just have patience and it will spread. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and freezer until needed.
  • Prepare the Hazelnut Peanut Sponge: Center a rack in the middle of the oven and pre-heat it to 350˚F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with grease, line with parchment paper, then spray grease again. (Warning: a silpat will not work well).
  • In a bowl, whisk the hazelnut flour, peanut flour, and all-purpose flour until is well mixed and light in texture.
  • Put the egg whites and a tine pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start beating the egg whites on low speed, slowly and gradually increasing the speed to medium and slowly adding one third of the sugar. Continue beating on medium until the whites develop more body. Add another one third of sugar and continue beating. Gradually increase the high speed as you add the remaining sugar and beat the whites at full speed until they are completely structured and looing shiny and glossy and at soft peaks. Remove from the mixer.
  • Carefully sprinkle the dry ingredients over the whites, and fold them with a rubber spatula. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth it out with an off-set spatula. Scatter the nuts on top.
  • Bake in the oven until it just starts to get golden, about 8 minutes. Be very careful here. You are looking for a sponge that is completely malleable after baking. If you over bake, even by a few minutes, the sponge might get too hard and become more like a meringue than a sponge—you don’t want that.
  • Remove the pan from the oven, let it cool for 3 minutes, then careful peel off the parchment paper off of the sponge. Let cool on a rack, then transfer to a clean baking sheet—this is the first layer of your cake.
  • Now we are going to start assembling the cake: on the bottom, the sponge. Then, take the praline from the freezer, and invert on top of the sponge, pressing down firmly to make sure you don’t have any air bubbles between the layers. Peel off the parchment paper from the praline layer, and chill in the fridge while you prepare the Ganache and Mousse.
  • Prepare the Chocolate Peanut Ganache: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl (glass or stainless steel). Place the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour over the chocolate (be sure it is finely chopped) and let it sit for one minute, to allow the heat of the cream to melt the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, start mixing slowly, from the center to the edges, until the ganache comes together beautifully. When it’s nice and smooth, add the peanut butter, and continue mixing, until it’s smooth again. Let it cool completely to room temperature. But not that long that the ganache is set. 20 minutes should do, and only then, spread over the praline layer, using an off-set spatula to make sure it’s nice and smooth. Every time you add another layer to the cake, place it back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  • Prepare the Chocolate Mousse: Place 4 tablespoons of the heavy cream in a small bowl to be used in the caramel. Place the remaining heavy cream in the mixer of an electric mixer and whip to soft peaks. Transfer whipped cream to a bowl and reserve in the fridge for just a few minutes. Warning: remove from the fridge a few minutes before mixing in the mousse as you don’t want the whipped cream to be icy cold when mixing with the chocolate.
  • Melt the chocolate over the top of a double boiler on low heat, without touching the water, until the chocolate is just melted, mixing with a rubber spatula. Remove from the heat and let it sit at room temperature.
  • Put the sugar in a small pan and moisten with a few drops of water to make it moist. You’re looking for the consistency of wet sand, so about 1 tablespoon of water should be fine. Cook the sugar over medium heat, swirling the pan as it begins to color, until it riches a golden amber color. Pour in the cream from the bowl and mix well. Let it cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start beating on low speed and gradually increasing speed. When the yolks have developed some structure (if the yolks are too little on your bowl, feel free to whisk by hand), carefully pour the caramel (should not be too hot) into the yolks, and beat now at high speed until it’s higher in volume, thicker, fuller and completely cool.
  • Fold the melted chocolate into the yolks, mixing well.
  • Then fold in the whipped cream, using a rubber spatula, and making sure the mixture is homogeneous. This mousse is easy to break; work fast as you are dealing with temperature sensitive components here.
  • Spread the mousse evenly over the ganache layer on the baking sheet. Freeze overnight.
  • Remove the cake from the freezer and dust it lightly with cocoa powder. Use a knife dipped in hot water to cut the cake, cleaning the knife between each cut. You want to cut the cake while it’s still frozen, but you don’t want to serve it frozen. Keep the cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Cake can be served by itself, or, if you want to dress it up a little, serve with some chocolate sauce, or gold leaves, or some chocolate décor, or a caramel sorbet, or a chocolate sorbet… or anything that you might desire. You don’t need too much with this cake. It’s a lot of work, but worth it! Enjoy!
Pumpkin Mousse Parfait Latin Style

Pumpkin Mousse Parfait Latin Style

14 Oct 2018 Blog, Desserts , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Every family has its own sequence of non-negotiable desserts during the Holidays and for mine, it’s pumpkin recipes. What is negotiable however, are the recipes itself. Now let’s be honest, to break the rules, you have the master them. After many pumpkin pies, it’s time to give them wings. I’m putting a drone on this recipe so that it lands in your kitchen and make your family super happy!

Get ready for some baking! There are several components to this parfait. Good news: everything can be prepared ahead of time. As always, please get in touch if you have any questions before making this recipe and I’d love for you to share your photos and comments when you make it. Happy October everyone!

 

Components:

Dulce de Leche Sauce

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Pumpkin Mousse

Whipped Cream

Caramelized Pecans or any other crunchy nuts

 

Serves about 10

For the Dulce de Leche Sauce:

1 cup whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup dulce de leche, store bought, at room temperature 

 

For the Pumpkin Mousse:

¼ cup cold water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin puree

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

 

For the Chocolate Brownie Cookies:

¼ cup (35g) all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon of salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup (125g) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter

5 oz (140g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into medium pieces

2 oz (60g) bitter chocolate, chopped into medium pieces

¾ cup (120g) mini chocolate chips

  • Prepare the Dulce de Leche Sauce:In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, and butter and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute and remove the pan from the heat.
  • Add the dulce de leche and whisk gently but constantly in ever-widening circles.
  • When smooth, return the saucepan to the stove, and cook over high heat, whisking constantly, until you reach a full boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, still whisking, until the sauce becomes thick and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • If you want to use the sauce in its pourable state, let it cool for about 10 minutes. If you want to save it for later, keep it in a plastic container covered with a tight-fitting lid for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator (re-heat in a saucepan, over low heat, whisking constantly, or in the microwave, 10 seconds at a time, whisking after each turn, until it’s hot and pourable).
  • For the Pumpkin Mousse: Fill a medium pot with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer.
  • In a small pot, add ¼ cup of cold water, sprinkle gelatin over the top, and let soften for a minute or two. Place on stove and stir over low heat to liquify, being careful not to boil. When gelatin is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool.
  • In a medium stainless-steel mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, and ½ cup sugar.
  • Add the pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and milk and whisk to blend. Set the bowl over the pot of simmering water on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes custard-like, about 5 minutes. You are looking for a mixture with a similar consistency of vanilla sauce, not too thick, not too thin.
  • Add the gelatin into the now pumpkin custard. Pour and scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl and let the pumpkin mixture cool for about 10-15 minutes.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks and slowly add the remaining sugar, beating until the whites are firm and the sugar has been fully incorporated. Beat half of the whites into the pumpkin mousse. Add the remaining whites, folding gently.
  • Beat the cream until it is stiff and fold it into the mousse. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic film. Chill until set, at least 2 hours, or up to a day.
  • Prepare the Chocolate Brownie Cookies:Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with sugar at full speed until white-ish and volume doubles, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla and continue to beat.
  • While the eggs are beating, combine butter and the two bitter chocolates chocolates in a bowl of glass or stainless steel on top of a pan filled with warm water. (Attention: the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.) Melt, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are well mixed. Remove from the water bath and let cool for 5 minutes.
  • Carefully pour the chocolate mixture into the eggs, incorporating with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and continue incorporating and mixing until homogeneous.
  • Add the chocolate chips and mix again. This batter will harden slightly. You can make this up to 5 days in advance and leave it in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for 3 months.
  • Using a scoop or small ice cream scoop, mash the dough and flatten slightly. Place the cookies on the tray with at least 2-inches space between each cookie. Bake until the top cracks, but the inside should still be very moist. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let it cool completely before eating.
  • Assemble the Pumpkin Mousse Parfait:Scoop some pumpkin mousse and divide onto individual glasses, top with some dulce de leche sauce, break some chocolate brownie cookies, sprinkle some caramelized pecans, some whipped cream, and dust some ground cinnamon on top. Serve immediately.
Pumpkin Mousse in October

Pumpkin Mousse in October

1 Oct 2018 Blog, Desserts, Recipes

What do I love most about October? The impeccably crisp smell of fall in the air, the turning leaves, apple cider at its best and pumpkins are all around us. With Halloween and Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s time to get in the kitchen. Let’s set the stage for the extraordinary to happen…

 How tired are you of pumpkin pie? If you’re looking for pumpkin recipes but need fresh ideas, I got you covered on this post (and the next one coming up, stay tuned). Yes, this recipe is an oldie, adapted from the NYTimes   and it’s worth revisiting it.

 My ardent health orientation was put aside when preparing this recipe, as I confess I did take a a few bites. But living a healthy lifestyle is not about total deprivation. It’s about balance. Plus, in cooking, no less than in writing, I feel that I am well positioned to help readers negotiate the passage from fat to fit. Bake, have fun, listen to music while doing it, take a few bites—just a few—and hit the gym the day after.

This pumpkin mousse is a breeze to make. Own it’s own, it is absolutely fantastic. It can be the starting point of many other recipes. Can’t wait for you to try it. As always, please share comments and photos as you make the recipes in your kitchen.

 

Pumpkin Mousse Adapted from the New York Times

Serves 6

 

Ingredients: 

¼ cup cold water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 eggs separated

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin puree

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

Caramelized Pecans for garnish

 

Procedure: 

  • Fill a medium pot with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer.
  • In a small pot, add ¼ cup of cold water, sprinkle gelatin over the top, and let soften for a minute or two. Place on stove and stir over low heat to liquify, being careful not to boil. When gelatin is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool.
  • In a medium stainless-steel mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, and ½ cup sugar.
  • Add the pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and milk and whisk to blend. Set the bowl over the pot of simmering water on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes custard-like, about 5 minutes. You are looking for a mixture with a similar consistency of vanilla sauce, not too thick, not too thin.
  • Add the gelatin into the now pumpkin custard. Pour and scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl and let the pumpkin mixture cool for about 10-15 minutes.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks and slowly add the remaining sugar, beating until the whites are firm and the sugar has been fully incorporated. Beat half of the whites into the pumpkin mousse. Add the remaining whites, folding gently.
  • Beat the cream until it is stiff and fold it into the mousse. Divide prepared mousse among glasses or into a trifle bowl. Chill until set, at least 2 hours, or up to a day.

Gislaine Murgia’s Best Honey Cake

25 Sep 2018 Blog, Desserts, Recipes , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Gislaine Murgia

Gislaine Murgia

 

Gislaine Murgia came to the U.S. 11 years ago. Her kitchen in Queens, New York is strongly connected to her homeland—and mine— from the cakes and snacks like empadinhas (empanadas) and coxinhas (chicken fritters), to brigadeiros and other confections from Brazil. But the sweet she craves the most is pão de mel, or honey cake. And so she decided to give life to the recipe, here in New York City.

Contrary to what the name indicates, there is nothing bready about pão de mel(pão means bread in Portuguese). Gislaine’s honey cake is based on her mother’s recipe, baked in a sheet pan, soaked in syrup, cut into small squares, and dipped in chocolate.

Gislaine was born and raised in São Paulo and immigrated to the U.S. following the footsteps of her mother, who had done the same 20 years ago. Determined to restart her life after becoming pregnant with a baby daughter, Gislaine left a drug addict and alcoholic husband behind, losing 75 pounds in the process.

In Brazil, Gislaine worked as a sales associate in different home décor stores, but when her family bought a pizzeria, she joined the party and acquired a liking for cooking.

Since Gislaine arrived in New York, she has been taking a step-by-step approach to life, not afraid of knocking on people’s door offering her delicious confections. “Everyone who tries my honey cake (pão de mel), wants to buy more”, she says happily.

Mercifully, this style of classic Brazilian pastries has proven remarkably resistant over the decades, and because tolerance is such a strong Brazilian trait—for good and bad—it also got carried over food. Brazilians became so immune to dried versions of pão de mel, that a good one has become an emblem of a particular culinary skill. If one can make a marvelous pão de mel, then one can truly cook.

Gislaine’s pão de mel, moist and perfumed with cinnamon and cloves, reveals the prefect balance between sugar and spicy, chocolate and honey. It caught me by surprise since I wasn’t expecting to find a version as good as this, in New York City, of all places.

Honey Cake

This is just one of the reasons why I love to meet Brazilians who live here. We are immigrants, and we are here not by birth, but by choice. Behind every recipe, there are beautiful story, and the more recipes I discover, the more I realize how strong Brazilian people really are.

Back in Brazil, pão de melis frozen in the past; at best it is home-made classic, at worst, and most often, it is dried cake, overly coated with hydrogenated chocolate. Gislaine’s pão de melrepresents the past at its best. Even thousands of miles away from home, it brought me back to Brazil, and reminded me of my own past and childhood, sweet and unforgettable.

To know more about Gislaine’s work, visit her facebook page

To order Gislaine’s honey cake and other treats, please get in touch with her: [email protected]

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