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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...

for the pre-ferment dough: 7 g dry yeast 120 ml warm water 7 g sugar 140 g all purpose flour for the dough: pre-ferment dough 270 g water 45 ml cold press olive oil 15 g salt 450 g flour 100 g kalamata olives, pitted, cut Prepare the pre-ferment dough: 1. Dissolve the yeast in the water. 2. In a mixer bowl, scale the flour and sugar. 3. Add the yeast to the bowl and mix with the hook attachment. 4. Cover loosely with plastic foil and set in a warm place to ferment. It is ready when it starts to fall in the centre. Prepare the dough: 1. Pour some of the water over the pre-ferment. 2. Sift over the flour. 3. Add the rest of the water, olive oil and salt. Mix with the hook attachment for 3-4 min. 4. Cover loosely with cling foil and let it rise for about one and a half hour. 5. Add the olives and knead slightly to combine well. Try not to over-knead so you do not break the olives. 6. Let the dough rise once again for 50 min. Tailoring: 1. Divid...