Category: Baking

Pierre Herme’s Awesome Rich Chocolate Cake

Posted in Baking, Book Recipes, Chocolate, Food, Pastry3 Comments

Pierre Hermè makes desserts with flavors that really pop. If it is a fruit dessert then it sure tastes like that fruit. If it’s a rose litchi macaron then it is the essence of the flower and the tropical fruit.  His book on chocolate desserts with Dorie Greenspan is a classic and I’ve been cooking…… Continue reading Pierre Herme’s Awesome Rich Chocolate Cake

The French Laundry: Pear Strudel with Chestnut Cream and Pear Chips

Posted in Baking, Book Recipes, Eggs, Food, Fruits, Pastry1 Comment

Back to that endless well of inspiration and technique, The French Laundry Cookbook. It’s like a small mini cooking course for every…course. I refine, learn and always end up with an awesome dish or two. This dessert was from a couple months back when pears were at their most abundant. I had some of the…… Continue reading The French Laundry: Pear Strudel with Chestnut Cream and Pear Chips

Naturally Leavened Panettone

Posted in Baking, Bread, Breads and Pies, Dairy, Eggs, Food, Pastry2 Comments

This is another recipe from this past holiday season and it is worth recording for reference (and I got it posted before the end of January!). It worked very good but I will need to change a few things next time around, so a quick record of it is a good idea. Usually I make…… Continue reading Naturally Leavened Panettone

Greens, Pumpkin and Rice Torta

Posted in Baking, Book Recipes, Bread, Breads and Pies, Food, Grains, Green Vegetables4 Comments

If I had to pick all time favorite vegetarian meals they would have to be Mediterranean. They probably focus on lots of greens and wrapped in thin flatbread or dough (proper Falafel is probably on the top of that list). This Italian gem of a recipe from Paula Wolfert is one of those recipes and…… Continue reading Greens, Pumpkin and Rice Torta

Plums and Pistachio: Olive Oil Cake, Pistachio Gelato, Poached Plums, Yogurt

Posted in Baking, Dairy, Food, Fruits, Ice Cream and Frozen TreatsLeave a comment

This is the second installment of the Plums/Pistachio pairing and this one has a much better gelato. This one is an easier plate to pull together and delivers excellent flavor and texture. We have a fragrant Italian olive oil rosemary cake, excellent pistachio gelato, plums poached in a juniper syrup and a yogurt vanilla sauce.…… Continue reading Plums and Pistachio: Olive Oil Cake, Pistachio Gelato, Poached Plums, Yogurt

Plums and Pistachio: Dacquoise, Blueberry Poached Plums, Ice Cream, Chantilly Cream

Posted in Baking, Food, Ice Cream and Frozen Treats, Pastry, Sous Vide4 Comments

This is a very good combination of flavors that I tried out in two separate desserts, both are delicious, both imperfect and need some tweaking. The first one is another lift from Daniel Bouloud that features a disk of crunchy chewy pistachio dacquoise with whipped cream and poached plums with a scoop of pistachio gelato. The…… Continue reading Plums and Pistachio: Dacquoise, Blueberry Poached Plums, Ice Cream, Chantilly Cream

Cronuts at Home

Posted in Book Recipes, Breads and Pies, Food, Pastry3 Comments

According to Chef Dominique Ansel when he created the Cronut he had no clue it would be such a huge phenomenon. He wanted to put a donut on his pastry shop’s menu and figured he’s put a spin on it, thus the Cronut was born. If you have never heard of a Cronut (never heard of…… Continue reading Cronuts at Home

Bread: 100% Rye Starter, Tartine and No-Knead Brioche

Posted in Baking, Bread, Food4 Comments

It’s time for a proper bread baking post. It’s been a long time since I’ve dedicated an entry to bread and the last one was not that informative. It’s truly fascinating as to how much we can do to stretch the capabilities of what flour and water with a bit of bacteria (yeast) can do. The…… Continue reading Bread: 100% Rye Starter, Tartine and No-Knead Brioche