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Traditions are sculpted by the memories of the people. For some traditions is particularly easy to cross time and geographical borders, because of the taste. The well known gingerbread houses today are the young ancestors of the lebkuchen houses, born in Germany two hundred years ago, when Brothers Grimm wrote "Hansel and Gretel". German bakers were inspired by the descriptive story and freed their imagination into baking differently shaped and coloured small and big delicious houses.  Decorated with candies, small cookies, chocolate pieces and lots of icing, the houses are extremely appealing not only because of their whimsical appearance, but because of the heavenly aroma of the spices as well. Make this in advance and you will have Christmas feeling all season long.  I chose to bake lebkuchen houses because of the variety of spices used in the recipe . My houses are gently decorated with white royal icing and I did not use any candies. I like this way of decor...

Crispy cut-out cookies that are made with molasses. That is how they have the signature dark colour and are perfect canvas for decorating in snow motives with a contrastingly white royal icing. These spicy cookies are perfumed similarly to the Lebkuchen , but because of their high fat quantity, they are harder and able to keep their crispiness even after stored for months. These should be rolled out very thinly. I rolled mine to 3 mm (even less on one batch) and produced more than hundred.  for the cookies: 140 g unsalted butter 110 g molasses 125 g custard sugar 250 g all purpose flour 70 g cornstarch 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cardamom grated rind of one lemon 1/4 cup ground almonds 5.5 cm 6-point star cookie cutter prepare the cookies: 1. In a heavy-bottomed pan, warm the butter, sugar and molasses, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not bring to boil. Leave to ...

Delicious desert! In its simplicity, it serves an irresistible combination of sponge roll and chocolate mousseline.  What better way to celebrate Saint Anne on December 9th?  for the swiss roll: (for a pan 48/23 cm , or 17/11") 4 yolks from large eggs 4 whites from large eggs 165 g sugar for the yolks 85 g sugar for the whites 175 g flour pinch of salt The basic bowl is the one with the yolk mixture.  1. Combine the yolks and the first sugar quantity in a bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment (or use the hand held mixer). Beat in high speed until very thick (for about 10 -15 min with hand held mixer).  2. In another bowl, beat the egg whites and the sugar to firm, moist peaks.  3. Fold in the yolk mixture alternating with the sifted flour in three steps. Do not overmix.  4. Immediately transfer in the pan and bake at 220° C   for about 6-7 min.  5. Prepare a piece of parchment paper the same  s...

"The Nutcracker" is a symbolic piece. Written in 1892, it became popular much later, as most of the classical music. Tchaikovsky left a print in the music history when this piece turned into a ballet performance. Since 1960, "the Nutcracker" has been a Christmas emblem in most of the big theatres across the world.  Make these cupcakes festive, make them sweet and in big number - they are delicious and celebrate the joy of the season.  for the cupcakes: (makes 24) 240 g unsalted butter 400 g sugar 4 large eggs 160 ml heavy cream 35% 160 ml milk 90 g freshly squeezed orange juice (1 orange) 2 tbsp. vanilla extract 500 g all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. pinch salt for the icing: 220 g unsalted butter softened grated orange zest - 1 orange 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 500 g cream cheese 170 g confectioners' sugar 1 Tbsp heavy cream prepare the cupcakes: 1. Combine the "wet"...

The fall is far gone. White and snowy spirit surrounds us. It is all about Christmas preparation now - Christmas lights and songs, spicy perfumed cookies, chocolate and cakes, friends and family gathering...  My macarons today are a perfect evidence for a personal historical failure. I followed a recipe for a roll out cookies, but ended up with a perfect macarons. At the time I mixed the ingredients, I noticed that the batter is too runny for rolling out. Piping it in macaron shells saved the day and produced these nice rustic white confections. for the macarons: (makes about 25) 220 g finely ground unblanched almonds 140 g egg whites (about 3 1/2 large eggs) 350 g powdered sugar 1 Tbsp lemon juice for the chocolate ganache: 125 ml heavy cream 50 g sugar 175 g dark chocolate   25 g butter prepare the macaron shells: 1. Prepare the baking tins - cover the pans with silicone sheet or a parchment paper.  2. Beat the e...

Rich chocolate sponge cake, glazed in apricot and iced in bittersweet chocolate ganache.  Subject to a court case, this cake recipe was developed almost 300 years ago by Franz Sacher.  Now, there is no argument about the exquisite taste of this Viennese creation. Cut in the middle and layered with apricot jam, or just covered with it on tor and the sides, the cake always proudly wears the signature "Sacher" chocolate stamp.  I decided to prepare Sachertorte, trying to find the most genuine recipe for it - not the contemporary versions with new additions. One of the issues, discussed in court was if the cake should be cut in half and layered with jam, or just covered. I chose not to cut my beautifully baked chocolate sponge. for the cake: 170 g dark chocolate 140 g butter, softened 170 g custard sugar 120 g egg yolks (about 6 extra large eggs) 320 g egg whites (about 8 extra large eggs) 150 g all purpose flour for the glaze: 200 ml apricot jam ...

This is the classic recipe for Christmas Cookies from old Germany, or Switzerland (if you'd prefer). A recipe, I was hoping to find for a long time. Thanks to Sara Kelly Iaia and her fine memories, collected in the book "Festive Baking", I am happy to bake the first cookies for this Christmas. The honey and the quantity of the fragrant spices make these cookies unique. I would advise not to skip any of the spices or to change their quantity. I am pretty conservative when it comes to perfumed spices. I think the simpler ingredients make one dish tastier. But here, the spices are in perfect unison.   for the cookies: 490 g all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1 tsp cardamom 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp powdered anise 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg 1/2 tsp ginger 225 g honey 160 g light brown sugar 134 g unsalted butter 1 large egg 1. Sift the flour in a bowl. 2. In another bowl, sift all...

This pound cake is another way to treat yourself with respect. The recipe is just irresistible. It looks and sounds delicious. Reading the ingredients is like a first sense. But the taste is surely much more than the expectation - moist and dacquoise-taste like chocolate cake in a relationship with moist and spongy lemon cake, both enhanced with creamy chocolate ganache ... This cake was gone right away - first and only serving... I found the recipe and the way of presentation in the new book on the shelf - "The Art of French Pastry". As Jacquy Pfeiffer's triangular cut is perfect, I tried my best in doing it professionally. I really hope that the unevenness on the chocolate ganache could be corrected in the next cakes. And I am definitely doing it again, and again and ...  My daughter is the 'godmother' of the cake - she thinks it resembles envelope - and here comes the name "Envelope" Pound Cake.  for coating the pan: soft butter for ...

In these cold autumn days I still have some flowers in the garden. How beautiful is that?! Surely, it is magically inspiring. Dessert making is even more satisfying - it gives me the feeling of cosines and warmth. With a cup of herbal tea or hot chocolate, autumn is magnificent. I chose today's dessert to be this classic french almond tart Frangipane.  It is really delicious and have an extraordinary mild taste. It is a real celebration of the almonds. I baked it in my favourite cast iron skillet. Why? Well..., just because I really like my heavy skillet and it has never been used for preparing any desserts. Any tart pan or ring with a diameter 20-22 cm (8") will do the work. for the pâte sucrée: (adapted from the recipe of Sebastin Rouxel) 190 g all purpose flour 23 g powdered sugar I 47 g powdered sugar II 25 g almond meal 115 g unsalted butter at room temperature 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract 1 egg yolk  1. Combine the flour, first quantity of...

or ... Cupcakes for Remembrance Day for the cupcakes: 3 eggs, at room temperature 130 g brown sugar 170 g granulated sugar 180 ml buttermilk, at room temperature 140 g yogurt, at room temperature 50 g honey 300 g all purpose flour 58 g unsweetened cocoa powder 5 g baking soda 6 g baking powder 140 g ground almonds 170 g melted butter 250 g plum purée for the chocolate-praline ganache: use one recipe of Chocolate Praline Ganache Prepare the baking pan, lining with paper cups. Preheat the oven to 190 C. prepare the plum purée : 3 big plums would do the work + few drops of lemon juice Pit and peel the plums. Process them in a blender until puréed well. Squeeze 2-3 drops of lemon juice if you want to keep the colour of the fruit before it oxidized. Set aside until needed.   prepare the cupcakes: 1. Whisk the eggs and brown and granulated sugar lightly. Stir in the milk, yogurt and honey. 2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, ba...