Tablier taché

adapted from the recipe of Christophe Felder for the brioche: 250 g flour 30 g sugar 1 tsp salt 3 g dry yeast 3 large eggs 130 g butter, softened 1 egg, beaten, for the wash 1. Scale the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. 2. Add the yeast. 3. Add the eggs and knead to form a dough. 4. Add the butter piece by piece until well incorporated. 5. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours. for the huney-almond paste: 100 g honey 80 g butter 80 g sliced blanched almonds 1. Heat the honey and butter in a pan. Let it cook for about 10 seconds. 2. Add the almonds and stir to coat. Set aside to cool. Tailoring: 1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. 2. Take the brioche out of the fridge. Roll the dough 6 mm thick. 3. Using 8 cm round cutter, cut out the rolled dough in small brioches. Let them rise for 2 hours. 4. Give each brioche an egg wash. Spread a teaspoon of the honey mixture on top of every brioche. 5. Bake for about 10 min. Transfer on a wire rack to co

I made this cake for a colleague of  mine who is passionate about sewing. She is a perfectionist and could sew a button with such an elegance and grace as if she were an impressionist who creates the art of a lifetime.     Well, yes... she has spent most of her life identifying notions, drapery hardware, fabrics, rods, threads, trims and more. Her cake had to be a piece of reminder, that these drapery and fashion "ingredients" could build a deliciousness.  The way I piped the pins does not at all describes her system of organization. But why not get messy for once.  I baked and constructed the cake the same way I had done it for my Pastel Cake. Instead of using a stencil, I piped the notions and the stitches. Oh, my..., the stitches! They had to be matched perfectly. Did you know, that when you buy fabric, you always have to consider matching the pattern (if any)?    Well, not perfect, but nice attempt. Hope she wouldn't notice ;)

My beautiful "Marguerite" made this for a friend. I was just an adviser on some details and a provider of the ingredients.  She is an amazingly gentle, beautiful and innocent flower (she has always been) and I have always called her my Marguerite. She is special, special, special - clumsy and passionate in her actions, thoughtful and impulsive, pedantic and chaotic, joyful and gloomy... she is a constant opposite to herself and I adore her devoutness to everything she loves. My best friend, my little, grown up daughter...  for the brownies: 90 g butter 170 g dark chocolate 40 g Dutch cocoa powder 60 g flour 30 g corn starch 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 2 eggs 180 g sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract Nutella topping: 80 g Nutella 1 Tbsp cream cheese 1 Tbsp whipped cream prepare the brownies: 1. In a heavy bottomed pan, melt together the butter + chocolate + cocoa powder. 2. In a bowl, mix together the flour + baking powder + salt 3. Whip t

for the cupcakes: (makes 9) 160 g egg whites 180 g sugar 200 g unsalted butter at room temperature 120 g almond meal 140 g all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 3 g vanilla extract for the chocolate ganache: 300 ml heavy cream 300 g dark chocolate 20 g sugar prepare the cupcakes: 1.  Preheat the oven to  170 °C.  2. Beat the egg whites and 2/3 of the sugar until firm peaks are formed. 3. Beat the softened butter with the rest of the sugar. 4. Sift the flour in a bowl. Add the almond meal and the baking powder. 5. Add one third of the dry ingredients to the butter, Beat until well homogenized. 6. Add one third of the egg whites. Beat well. 7. Follow with the rest of the ingredients, finishing with the egg whites. Stir to homogenize. Work very gently, to keep the volume of the whites. 8. Distribute the batter in 9 cup cakes forms.  9. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 25-30 min. Check with a toothpick.

I am so blessed! Two beautiful girls, who think all good about me and who make all my days worthy. They fill my life with joy, inspiration and gratefulness. I am happy to be a part of this celebration.  I made this cake for a good friend of mine and a good mom of two kids. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers! This is the chocolate Genoise from my very first post in this blog. You could never go wrong with a chocolate cake. I used simple syrup and Meringue Butter Cream . Roses and raspberries make this cake very princess-y looking.

Some creations speak for themselves. Fresh puffs, filled with chocolate pastry cream are a classic dessert. for the chocolate pastry cream: 250 ml milk 3 egg yolks 50 g sugar 30 g corn starch 20 g Dutch processed cocoa 1 tsp vanilla extract 1. Bring the milk to boil. 2. Beat the egg yolks, sugar, starch and cocoa without over beating.  3.  Pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly (dissolving the sugar). Pour the yolk mixture back to the pot where the other half of the milk is and place over medium heat.  4. Stir constantly with a whisk attachment, until thickens. 5. Place the pastry cream in a deep dish, cover it with cling foil, (the foil should touch the cream). Leave to cool at room temperature. 6. Stir the cream and fill a piping bag with a star attachment.  7. Cut "the lids" of the puff pots and fill with the cream. Cover with the lids. 8. Serve the same day.

with the glorious help of Chef Ani: Chef Ani made working on the Joconde sponge a pure satisfaction. She worked very passionately stencilling the shells in the following steps: 1. Prepare the Ribbon Sponge 2. Divide in batches. 3. Colour each batch. 4. Stencil. 5. Refrigerate. 7. Prepare the Joconde sponge, spread, bake and cut, following the instructions in Flower Power post. There are few early flowers in the garden. There are much more on the table. I can not wait to see my garden in full bloom.  The chocolate mini cakes are decorated in different colours and represent different flowers. All of them - great favourites of mine.  Which else to start with, but with the Queen of all flowers - the rose.... My childhood memories are always full of colours. Most favourite are the ones I built in the meadow, braiding head wreaths out of wild flowers. I close my eyes and I feel the sun rays, kissing the flowers around, I sense the aroma of