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Showing posts from October, 2014

Roasted Pumpkin Cookies

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for the cookies: 130 g butter 40 g vegetable shortening * 1 Tsp orange zest (freshly greater from 2 oranges) 85 g brown sugar 1 egg yolk 1 tsp vanilla extract 140 g roasted butternut squash 310 g flour 1/4 tsp cinnamon pinch of nutmeg powder pinch of salt * you could use one part of butter and one part of vegetable shortening, or you could use 170 g butter Note: Roast your own pumpkin. The canned pumpkin purée is soggy and has lost all the flavours. Roasting the pumpkin on your own will give you control over the stage at which you would like to bake it - just until is soft enough to mash it, or until the sugars caramelize on top. I caramelized the squash, scrape it out from its skin and add it to the mixer bowl, whiteout any further treatment. I kept the caramelized top, although it added slight dark colouring here and there into the baked cookies.  1. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: the flour, cinnamon,

Thanksgiving Log

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Thanksgiving is an extraordinary day. I have discovered the gracefulness of this beautiful holiday while living in Canada. Being grateful is a wonderful feeling.  The season is so amazingly inspiring - all the colours and warm sun, the bright blue sky and the birds in preparation for leaving, the orange pumpkins, sneaking from below the big green umbrellas of their leaves and the juicy heavy apples and pears,  twisting the brunches of the trees.  I love autumn.  This year's Thanksgiving dessert gave me hard time to prepare. I was wondering how to include the pumpkin into a delicate French recipe, how to make nuts present in a celebration of their harvesting, and at the same time to keep the taste and elevate it even more.  For this Autumn Roll, you will need to prepare the following recipes: Ribbon Sponge, Joconde Sponge, caramel sauce, Mousseline Cream (Pumpkin Pastry Cream & Meringue type Caramel Buttercream), quater recipe of  praline paste . f

Lemon - Pie Cookies

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These mini lemon pies are amazing. They are an artistic assembly of lemon wafers, topped with swirls of meringue with lemon curd centres. The combination is incredibly fresh. The lemon cookies could be made a day ahead. They are filled with lemon aroma and flavour and have soft texture. The recipe is for at least 36 - 40 lemon wafers. The recipes for lemon curd and white meringue are for 12 lemon pies. The rest of the lemon wafers could be used as a great breakfast addition to hot chocolate, garnish to ice creams, bases for other confections, or enjoyed on their own. for the lemon wafers: (5.5 - 6 cm large) 250 g butter at room temperature 180 g sugar 12 g freshly grated lemon zest 60 g egg (or one extra large egg) 30 g milk 15 g freshly squeezed lemon juice 370 g flour 1/2 g baking soda 1/4 tsp salt In a bowl, scale the dry ingredients - the flour, salt and soda.  In a stainless steal bowl, with a paddle attachment, cre

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

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Yes, lots of chocolate in the recipe. But it is almost enough for chocolate lovers. I found this rose in the store 2 years ago and fell in love with its name. It was a small plant, just few glossy, green leaves and a couple of tiny branches, on the weakest one of each, a label was hanging, saying - "chocolate blossom". Seriously? What could this be?! I was curios and planted this rose on my backyard, waiting for this precious chocolate blossom. Right this year, at these cold autumn days, this rose bloomed with a beautiful big chocolate blossom. I love it. But no wonder - I love everything that says "chocolate". It looks more like a dark caramel, but a hint of milk chocolate in the centre of the blossom is very obvious. This recipe was influenced by the creative and unique in her cupcake's variety Annie from Annie's eats . for the cupcakes: 120 g unsalted butter at room temperature 160 g sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 60

Cinnamon Cookies

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for the cookies: 250 g butter at room temperature 200 g granulated sugar 1 large egg at room temperature 15 g milk at room temperature 310 g flour 2 g salt 5 g cinnamon Scale all the ingredients ahead. Leave them to rest at room temperature for awhile. This will ease homogenizing them during the process. In a bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter. Add the sugar and cream until light. Add the egg. Mix it well. Add the milk. Homogenize.  Add the dry ingredients and pulse just until the dough is formed.  Divide the dough in two batches. Have a sheet of wrapping foil. Place each batch on a foil sheet and roll into a log. Do not try to form the perfect shape now. The dough is too warm and difficult to handle. Wrap the log into the foil and place in the freezer for 20 min. Take the log out of the freezer and try to form a perfect cylinder. Roll it out in coloured crystal cinnamon sugar. Wrap it tightly and freeze again