Daring Bakers Challenge: February Chocolate Bonanza ~ 純巧克力蛋糕佐巧克力﹑洋槐花蜜風味雪酪

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Chocolate Valentino is a flourless chocolate cake adopted from Sweet Treats by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. The recipe consists of 3 simple ingredients, chocolate (your choice), butter, and eggs. The simplicity of this recipe gives credit to the ingredients much in the same way of French baguette. It comes together very quickly too. However, the end result is a rich, luxurious and moist cake that would have you asking for a 2nd, maybe 3rd serving!



Our hosts have provided recipes for vanilla ice cream but I opted to try something different. I chose to serve the cake with 2 flavors of sorbet, chocolate and Acacia honey. I recently was giving a book written by the founders of Scharffen Berger and there is this wonderful but seemingly simple recipe for chocolate sorbet that I have wanted to give a try. It was indeed simple to make and has such a deep and clear flavor. This chocolate on chocolate combo answers the call to all the die hard chocoholics =)

I am in love with Acacia honey since I used it to make this lovely cake. I love its subtle floral note and thought that it would make a lovely and delicious flavoring for a sorbet. It was light, delicate and has a distinctive honey aroma. This flavor combo is for those that are looking for a balance from the dense texture of the chocolate cake.

Thank you Wendy and Dharm for this wonderful recipe! Click here to check out my fellow DBrs' version of the cake!




The rules as per our hosts:
- Use the provided cake recipe.
- The original recipe calls for the cake to be served with whipping cream BUT we decided to make this more of a challenge and ask you to make your own ice cream – a first for the DBrs. You can choose any flavor you want and any recipe although we provided two vanilla ice cream recipes. We are giving you a little freedom here and will allow whipped cream as a topping as well or of course non-dairy whip. Be as creative as you want with your topping. Any fruit puree or sauce would be lovely with this cake.
- It is optional to use a heart shaped pan. For a real Valentino, bake it in a heart shaped pan or cut it out into a heart shape. You may use any shape pan that gives you an area of 50” - 6x8 or 7x7. An 8” spring form pan works with great results as do smaller pans or ramekins.

What you need to know:
- A higher cocoa percentage increases the bitterness of the chocolate, which means the darker the chocolate, the denser the cake
- Use your favorite chocolate – the finished cake will taste exactly like the chocolate you use. Be creative with your chocolate, if you like a sweeter cake use milk chocolate or a combination of the semisweet and milk chocolate. If you like bittersweet chocolate use that and add sweetness by mixing the semi sweet with bittersweet. If you are daring, try white chocolate.
- The cake will sink a little as it cools but will still hold its shape and the top forms a light crust kind of like a brownie.

Chocolate Valentino – 8-inch cake

16oz (454 grams) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams) unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated

Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

While the chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter the pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls. Whip the egg whites in a large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry). With the same beater beat the egg yolks together then add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with the remaining 2/3. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375°F/190°C。

Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140°F/60°C。.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.Remove cake from oven and cool on rack for 10 minutes then unmold and let cool completely.



Chocolate Sorbet - makes 1 quart
adopted from The Essence of Chocolate

2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
4 cups water
1tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine cocoa powder and sugar in a saucepan. Whisk in 1 cup of the water until any large lumps of powder are broken up, then whisk in the remaining water, 1 cup at a time, and whisk until all dry ingredients are dissolved.

Bring the mixture to just a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour mixture into a bowl, let cool then refrigerate overnight. The following day, place the sorbet base in an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instruction.

Acacia Honey Sorbet
makes 1 quart

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon Acacia honey
4 cups water
1tsp vanilla extract

Combine honey and water in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the honey. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour mixture into a bowl, let cool then refrigerate overnight. The following day, place the sorbet base in an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instruction.

Plating:
Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter, stamp out little cake hearts. Place the hearts on plate, scope out the sorbets and place it on cake. Add the chocolate praline feuillete (recipe here) and top with edible gold. If you like, you may drizzle chocolate sauce on top of all.



抱歉喔﹐說好過兩天會補上食譜的﹐結果過這麼久才貼。這幾天都不在家﹐還有舊金山灣區下了好些天的雨﹐讓我心情鬱悶到不行﹐懶懶的什麼都不想做。還好這兩天太陽伯伯終於露臉了﹐我的心情也跟著放晴 =)

這個純巧克力蛋糕又名巧克力華倫天奴是我二月的Daring Bakers的培烘挑戰。這個月的hostess選用了據說是馬來西亞最華麗耀眼的美食大使Chef Wan 的Sweet Treats 書裡的食譜。雖然不知為什麼以華倫天奴命名﹐但這名字好像常跟浪漫掛鉤﹐我想以這命名的蛋糕是想讓吃到蛋糕的人感受到甜甜濃濃的愛意吧﹗這麼說頗適合送給情人﹐特別在情人節又或是送給喜歡的人表白。。呵呵。。。

此款蛋糕的特色是完全沒有添加任何麵粉，能輕鬆﹑近乎零失敗的在家製作。口感吃起來外層乾、脆，有點像布朗尼蛋糕但內層比布朗尼蛋糕更濕潤綿密，含有濃濃的巧克力味。單吃蛋糕好像單調了點﹐所以建議佐冰淇淋或醬汁一同享用。Hostess提供了香草冰淇淋的做法﹐可我想嘗試不一樣的口味配搭。早前朋友送我一本Scharffen Berger 創辦人寫的巧克力食譜書﹐裡頭有個巧克力雪酪讓我心癢癢的想吃很久了﹐這下終於付諸行動製作手工雪酪了。很容易製作的說﹐然而口感濃稠綿密﹑入口即化。

眼看雪酪這麼好製作﹐決定再弄其他的口味。因為不是人人喜歡濃郁的口味﹐就想來點清爽的﹐那就花蜜口味好了。自從使用洋槐花蜜製作慕斯就喜歡上這個味道﹐喜歡它淡淡的花香﹐我想用作雪酪的調味應該也不錯。還真的是不賴﹐綿綿的口感﹐非常清爽可口﹐很滋味。

你應該知道的事 - 蛋糕:
- 完全沒加麵粉﹐只需3樣材料就能做出的一個蛋糕。烤好的蛋糕中心會稍微下陷﹐但蛋糕體的形狀還是膨膨的。
- 選用的巧克力的可可脂肪越高也代表味道越濃郁﹐也就說蛋糕體越是稠密濃厚。
- 這個蛋糕的風味完全就是你選用的巧克力的拷貝品﹐所以建議使用你鍾愛的巧克力種類。

巧克力華倫天奴蛋糕– 8寸 (20.5cm) 圓形模具1個
16oz (454g) 苦甜巧克力﹐切碎
½ 杯 加 2湯匙 (146g) 無鹽奶油﹐切丁
5 個 L尺碼蛋黃
5 個 L尺碼蛋白

事前準備:
- 將一烤架移到烤箱中格﹐烤箱預熱至375°F/190°C。
- 模具抹上一層奶油﹐鋪上烤盤紙﹐再在紙上抹上一層奶油﹐備用。

先燒開一小鍋的水﹐備用。將切碎的巧克力和切丁的奶油混合倒進一個耐熱的容器裡﹐放小鍋上(容器不能碰到熱水)隔熱水不停攪拌至順滑﹐完全融化為止。放一旁降溫。

在另一碗中加進蛋白﹐用電動攪拌器以中速攪打蛋白﹐攪打至富含空氣且顏色變白出現尖角程度為止﹐約3分鐘﹐蛋白霜就完成了。跟著將蛋黃倒進另一個拌碗中﹐打發至顏色變鵝黃色﹐然後拌進微溫的巧克力中﹐拌勻。

將1/3量的蛋白霜加進巧克力蛋糊中﹐用橡皮刀輕輕的源邊往下刮翻切拌勻。再分兩次拌進剩下的蛋白霜﹐刮翻切拌勻至不見任何蛋白霜即可。

將麵糊倒進模具中﹐將麵糊推勻﹐輕輕敲一下烤模釋放氣泡後﹐放進預熱過的烤模裡﹐以375°F/190°C烘烤約25分鐘。將糖果溫度計插入蛋糕中央﹐如果溫度到達140°F/60°C﹐蛋糕就烤好了。如果沒有糖果溫度計也可以用竹籤插入中央﹐慢慢拔出時不會沾黏但還是濕濕的﹐而蛋糕表面已形成一層硬薄膜(有點像布朗尼蛋糕的薄膜)就好了。從烤箱取出﹐擺在網架上放涼5分鐘﹐然後翻轉倒扣脫模﹐翻轉﹐整個放涼後用心形餅乾模吸切割出小蛋糕。
如果不立刻使用﹐可將蛋糕包好放冰箱存放﹐可以保存3天﹐使用前靜置回溫即可。　



你應該知道的事 - 雪酪:
- 類似冰淇淋的雪酪(sorbet)，跟冰淇淋的區別是完全不含乳脂製品﹐多以新鮮果泥、果汁為主要成分。
- 新鮮做的雪酪有點柔軟，如果喜歡吃質地硬一點的，將雪酪放進冰箱多冷凍1小時。

巧克力雪酪 – 4杯份量
食譜摘自The Essence of Chocolate

2杯 無糖可可粉﹐篩過
1 ¾ 杯 砂糖
4 杯 水
1茶匙 香草精

把篩過的無糖可可粉、砂糖混合裝進小鍋裡，慢慢注入1杯水﹐攪拌勻後再注入餘下的3杯水﹐拌至可可粉及砂糖溶解為止。以中火煮沸，熄火，加進香草精﹐拌勻。將可可漿倒進1個大碗中﹐放涼後再放冰箱冷藏一個晚上。從冰箱取出雪酪基地﹐倒進冰淇淋機裡，然後根據製造商的指示製作雪酪。

洋槐花蜜風味雪酪 – 4杯份量

¾杯加2湯匙 洋槐花蜜
4杯 水
1茶匙 香草精

把洋槐花蜜、水混合裝進小鍋裡，以中火煮至沸騰花蜜完全溶解，熄火。加進香草精﹐拌勻後倒進1個大碗中﹐放涼後再放冰箱冷藏一個晚上。從冰箱取出雪酪基地﹐稍攪拌直到它變得有點順滑後，倒進冰淇淋機裡，然後根據製造商的指示製作雪酪。

組合擺飾:
將用心形餅乾模吸切割出的心形小蛋糕﹐擺放在碟子中央。將雪酪挖成橢圓形狀的小球﹐然後放在蛋糕的上方。將切成三角形狀的巧克力千層酥(食譜點這裡)插在蛋糕體﹐再擺些烤過的杏仁片﹑食用金箔點綴即可。如果喜歡﹐也可以擠些巧克力醬。

Eggs, 2 ways ~ 以蛋為主角的甜點 =)

The egg is the simplest, highly nutritious and versatile food. Not only can be prepared into savory dishes like omelets and egg benedicts but also a favorite of pâtissiers and dessert chefs. It is important to use fresh eggs whenever possible but it is quite difficult for those who live in the city - local farmers’ markets are your best bet. When mom came home from Friday’s farmer market with 2 dozens of farm fresh eggs, I was quick on my feet to use them for desserts.

First is a simple vanilla custard, quintessentially English but it is known as crème Anglaise to most; made of a mixture of cream and eggs thickened by gentle heating. It is favored for serving warm alongside grilled stoned fruits, cakes; chilled and layered with jelly, mousse in frozen desserts, or churn it using an ice-cream machine to make your own ice cream. Though I made the traditional vanilla flavor, its flavoring options are virtually unlimited, whether infused with spices, scented with flower essences, spiked with booze, or enriched with chocolate. The vanilla bean I used is the Madagascar Bourbon variety. It blends beautifully with all the ingredients and didn’t just stand out by itself.

Traditionally, egg soufflé refers to a savory dish that is served over Sunday brunch. This dessert should be called faux soufflé because it requires no baking! When I saw it made into a dessert and served in egg shell, I thought it was just too cute to pass off ;)




How to prepare eggshells as serving vessels:
Using a paring knife, score the top of the eggshells, and carefully crack. Separate egg whites and yolks. Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Add eggshells, and boil 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove shells, drain then scrape out membrane, and discard. Set eggshells aside in an egg carton.

Egg Soufflé – makes 8 (eggshells)
Adopted from Michel Richard in Off Duty

Lemon Curd
recipe here

Meringue
2 large egg whites
100g caster sugar

Whisk the egg whites, adding sugar little by little, until they form soft peaks. Pour the meringue into a piping bag, snip a little corner, and pip into the prepared eggshells to 1/3 full. Spoon a teaspoon of the lemon curd on top of the meringue then pip meringue until full.

Before serving, place it into the microwave and heat for 5 second (this will cook and sterilize the egg whites). Burn the top with a blowtorch or put under a hot grill for a few seconds.

Vanilla Custard Served in Eggshells
Makes 6 eggshells - adopted from Martha Stewart

2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ cup whipping cream
¼ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
¼ cup vanilla sugar
3g leaf gelatine
¼ teaspoon salt

Separate egg whites and yolks. Transfer the egg yolks to a bowl; reserve egg whites for another use.

Put milk, cream, vanilla bean and seeds, and sugar into a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, once sugar dissolved, add in the pre-soaked gelatine, stirring until completely dissolved, removes from heat.

Whisk salt with egg yolks. Slowly whisk in hot milk mixture until combined, and then pour back into saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove vanilla bean then pour custard through a sieve. Divide custard among the eggshells, refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.



雞蛋有良好且均衡的營養成分﹐可做成簡單卻又華麗的蛋料理像蛋捲﹑班尼迪客蛋﹐更是烘烤﹑製作甜點不可缺的材料。挑選雞蛋的重點是它的鮮度。越是新鮮的雞蛋其蛋黃和蛋白的張力越強﹐在打發起泡時越是結實鬆軟。而放在冰箱冰過的雞蛋張力也很強﹐打發時也容易起泡。對於我們這些城市人來說﹐想吃新鮮的雞蛋好像也只有往農夫市場碰運氣了。媽媽的運氣還不賴﹐前幾天從市場帶回從雞蛋農場買到的新鮮雞蛋﹐我迫不及待的拿了一些做甜點。

簡單的製作了卡士達奶黃布丁及蛋舒芙蕾。說到這個卡士達奶黃醬﹐我想大家應該不陌生。它的另一個名字是英式奶黃醬﹐有著甜而不膩且滑潤的口感﹐在甜點裡面算是運用最廣、最多的醬料。它不僅是佐簡單烤核果的最佳醬料﹐也可與打發的鮮奶油、果膠拌勻而變身為美味的慕斯甜品，還可以做成冰淇淋﹐用途廣泛。



我用產自瑪達加斯加的波旁香草Bourbon vanilla來調味﹐氣味溫和但同時擁有芬芳無比的香氣。倘若與其他材料結合的話，它的變化更是豐富﹑多樣化的。大家不妨採用香味藥草﹑乾燥辛香料﹑甜酒﹑巧克力來加強香氣及調味﹐會有意想不到的效果喔~

而小小的蛋舒芙蕾是我在Off Duty書裡看到並迷上的甜點。食譜由Citronelle的主廚﹐ 人稱French-Californian料理之父Michel Richard 提供。是不是很可愛?﹗ 這個甜點除了有可愛的造型﹐享用的人吃到蛋黃即檸檬乳醬時驚喜無比呢^^

如何將蛋殼處理作容器:
先用小刀在蛋殼上劃痕﹐將蛋一一小心翼翼劃破﹐然後將蛋黃和蛋白分別盛進碗裡﹐蛋殼備用。燒開一小鍋水﹐將蛋殼放滾水中燙3分鐘後﹐撈起瀝乾﹐去掉蛋殼內壁的透明膜﹐裡外抹乾備用。



蛋舒芙蕾 – 蛋殼8個

檸檬乳醬
食譜在這裡

蛋白霜
2 個大的蛋白
100g 細砂糖

要注意什麼呢?
- 製作蛋白霜時﹐儘量選擇新鮮或冰過的雞蛋為要。

用電動攪拌機將蛋白打發至柔滑、顏色變白。將細砂糖小量地分數次加入蛋白中﹐仔細發泡﹐打至出現軟角成光滑立體蛋白霜的程度為止。

將蛋白霜倒入擠袋裡，剪去一角﹐將蛋白霜擠進蛋殼裡至3分滿﹐取1茶匙檸檬乳醬舀入蛋殼中﹐然後整體擠滿蛋白霜。

享用前將它們放進微波爐以高溫加熱5秒達殺菌的功效。上桌前用烹飪用噴槍將正面﹑側面焦化上色即可。




香草卡士達奶黃布丁- 蛋殼6個
改自Martha Stewart

2大的雞蛋
1杯全脂奶
½杯鮮奶油
¼香草荳﹐開半刮籽
¼杯香草風味砂糖
3g魚膠片
¼茶匙鹽巴

事前準備:
- 明膠片用冰水泡軟之後擠掉水分，備用。如果用明膠粉: 將明膠粉倒入水裡 (2大匙) 泡脹後備用。
- 將蛋黃跟蛋白分開﹐再分別盛進碗中。

將牛奶﹑鮮奶油﹑香草荳和籽﹑及香草砂糖混合裝進小鍋裡，以低火煮至砂糖融化即離火﹐加入泡軟的明膠片，確實拌勻備用。

用打蛋器攪打蛋黃和鹽巴至顏色變淡。將熱奶漿慢慢地注入蛋糊中﹐這時要用打蛋器不斷攪打﹐拌勻後﹐倒回小鍋中加熱。用打蛋器持續不斷的攪拌至變稠﹐並可以在木匙背劃出清晰的線條時(約5分鐘)﹐蛋黃醬就完成了﹐離火。將蛋黃醬過濾﹐倒進蛋殼中至滿﹐ 放進冰箱冷藏凝固約2小時。

St. Valentine’s Day: Coup de coeur ~ 草莓花蜜慕斯蛋糕

Happy St. Valentine’s Day, everyone! This is my Valentine’s gram to you =)

This is a remix version of the classic French fraisier or strawberry shortcake! Instead of filling it with crème patisserie, I filled it with honey mousse, something I have been tempted to do since I got myself a copy of Christine Manfield’s Desserts. There isn’t a fraisier recipe in her book but when I saw the recipe for the honey mousse I immediately thought of it as a substitute for the cream filling. It is so much lighter! However, I can’t guarantee that it is skimmer^^ I also used her génoise sponge recipe but made some adjustment to it. The recipes were easy to follow but the end result is marvelous!

Coup de coeur
yields 2 - 6x2in cakes

Almond Génoise Sponge Cake
5 large eggs, separated
150g granulated sugar
80g almond flour
70g all purpose flour, sifted
1tsp vanilla essence
50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 320°F/160°C. Grease a 24cm round cake pan with generously with butter and line it with parchment paper.

Sift together almond flour and flour. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and creamy. Add in the sifted flour mix, vanilla essence, the melted butter; stir until combined after each addition. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form then gently fold it into the cake batter with a spatula, fold until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tap the pan slightly on the counter to release any air bubbles, bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice it into 10mm thick rounds then stamp it with the heart shaped mousse ring.



Acacia Honey Mousse
320ml whole milk
60g *Miele di Acacia (Acacia Honey)
4 egg yolks
100g granulated sugar
7g gelatine leaves
250ml heavy cream

*Elegant and rich, Acacia honey is called the "moonflower honey" in Italy. It has a clean, light vanilla flavor. It tastes delicious with coffee or tea, also great drizzled over toast, ricotta cheese or shaved hard cheeses.

First, bring a pot of water to boil then reduce to low heat once boiled. Bring the milk and honey to just boil over medium heat; stirring constantly to avoid burning the mixture. Remove the honey milk mixture once reached simmering point. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl then whisk in the honey milk slowly. Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water and stir gently until the mixture thicken into a custard or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon then remove from heat. Stir in the pre-soaked gelatine leaves, stir until completely dissolved. Pass the custard through a fine meshed sieve and place into a bath of icy water to cool. Whisking constantly to keep it aerated as it cools.

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form then fold 1/3 of this into the cooled custard, mix until combined. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream until combined. Spoon the mousse into a piping bag without a tip, set side.

Kirsch Syrup
2tbsp granulated sugar
4tbsp water
2tsp Kirsch (cherry liqueur)

Put sugar and water in a heatproof bowl then place it in the microwave to dissolve the sugar, about 30 seconds. Let cool until adding kirsch to the mixture, stir until combined.

Rose Flavor Chantilly Cream
200ml heavy cream
2tbsp caster sugar
1tsp rose essence

Place the cream, sugar and rose essence in a bowl and whip until semi-stiff peaks form.



Assemble and decorating the cake:
Place the mousse molds on a tray then put a cake base inside each mold then brush a layer of kirsch syrup on top. Arrange the strawberry halves cut side to the side of the mold, pipe the honey mousse in between the strawberries and fill up to about 1/2 of the height of the moulds. Arrange strawberries on cake base until full, pipe more mousse until almost to the top, take another piece of cake, brush a layer of syrup then place it on top with syrup side facing down. Push it down slightly with your palm to take out any air bubbles then place in fridge to set for 1 hour.

Remove from fridge. To unmold the cakes, wrap a hot towel around the mold for 10 second then use your fingers to push the cake upward. With an icing knife in hand, spread the cream onto the cake center, move the knife over the top to get a smooth finish. Decorate with white chocolate ruffles, rose petals and fresh strawberries.

情人節快樂﹗這是阿Vi送你的情人節禮物喔~

這個蛋糕是法式經典草莓蛋糕fraisier的變奏版。由原本奶油餡心(crème patisserie)改成了花蜜慕斯﹐口感清爽許多。不知為啥在翻Christine Manfield的Desserts一書時看到這個食譜馬上就想到用它做為fraisier的餡心。傑諾瓦士海綿蛋糕的食譜也是來自這書﹐不過我加了杏仁粉﹐蛋糕體也變的較濕潤。食譜雖然簡單﹐但是甜點整體味道豐富有層次。蜜糖的濃郁甜味配酸酸的草莓合適的不得了﹐吃了滿嘴的草莓奶香~

草莓花蜜慕斯蛋糕 ~ 法式經典草莓蛋糕變奏版
2個 - 直徑6x2in 心形蛋糕

杏仁傑諾瓦士(海綿)蛋糕 ~直徑24cm/10寸圓形模具1個
將原份量的一半麵粉用杏仁粉代替﹐所以有別於傳統海綿蛋糕﹐口感品嚐起來較濕潤及清爽。

5 個 大的蛋黃
5 個 大的蛋白
150g 砂糖
80g 杏仁粉
70g 麵粉, 篩過
1tsp 香草精
50g 放涼的澄清無鹽奶油

事前準備:
- 將一烤架移到烤箱中格﹐烤箱預熱至320°F/160°C。
- 模具抹上厚厚的奶油﹐再鋪上烘烤紙﹐備用。

將杏仁粉和麵粉混合篩過﹐備用。用電動攪拌器以中速攪打蛋黃和砂糖﹐攪打至富含空氣且顏色變淡為止。加進篩過的杏仁麵粉﹑香草精﹑及放涼的澄清無鹽奶油﹐每加進一樣就要確實拌勻。

在另一大碗裡加進蛋白﹐用電動打蛋器以低速將蛋白打發至起泡出現軟角的程度時﹐將速度加至中速打發至立體為止。小量地將蛋霜拌入麵糊裡﹐用橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻切拌勻﹐會如緞帶般重疊時即可。

輕輕地將麵糊倒進烤模中﹐輕輕敲一下烤模釋放氣泡後﹐放進預熱過的烤模裡﹐烘烤約20分鐘。等烤到焦色恰到好處時﹐週圍會因烤熟而稍稍縮小﹐烤模和蛋糕體間就會出現空隙﹐輕按蛋糕中間時感覺到彈性即烤好。也可以用竹籤插入中央﹐慢慢拔出時不會沾黏﹐就烤好了。從烤箱取出﹐翻轉倒扣脫模﹐擺在網架上整個放涼。將海綿蛋糕橫切成10mm厚片﹐然後用直徑6x2in的心形慕斯模吸切出4片蛋糕片﹐備用。

如果不立刻使用﹐可將蛋糕包好放冰箱存放﹐可以保存3天。使用前靜置回溫即可。



洋槐花蜜慕斯
取自洋槐又名相思樹花之蜜，清澈純淨的色澤，細緻高雅的風味中帶有洋槐花香。

320ml 全脂奶
60g 洋槐(相思)花蜜
4 蛋黃
100g 砂糖
7g 魚膠片
250ml 鮮奶油

事前準備:
- 明膠片用冰水泡軟之後擠掉水分﹐備用。如果用明膠粉﹐將其倒入水裡泡脹後備用。

製作蜜糖蛋黃醬：
先燒開一小鍋的水﹐轉小火。將牛奶跟蜜糖混合裝進小鍋裡，以中火煮至剛沸騰即離火﹐備用﹔要不時地攪拌以免燒焦。

用電動攪拌器以中速攪打蛋黃和砂糖至顏色變淡。將蜜糖奶漿慢慢地注入蛋糊中﹐這時要用打蛋器不斷攪打。放小鍋上隔熱水加熱﹐用打蛋器持續不斷的攪拌至變稠﹐並可以在木匙背劃出清晰的線條時(約10分鐘)﹐蜜糖蛋黃醬就完成了﹐離火。加入泡軟的明膠片，確實拌勻後將蜜糖蛋黃醬過濾﹐再放進冰水浴中﹐並不時的攪拌至完全放涼。

製作花蜜慕斯:
將鮮奶油打發至出現尖角的起泡程度﹐用切拌法(用橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻)將3份1份量的發泡鮮奶油拌入蜜糖蛋黃醬中﹐攪拌乳化後﹐拌入剩餘的鮮奶油﹐確實攪拌勻備用。

櫻桃酒糖漿(塗抹蛋糕用)
4湯匙 清水
2湯匙 砂糖
2茶匙 櫻桃利口酒

清水﹑砂糖裝進小碗裡﹐再放微波爐微波30秒煮沸至砂糖融化為止。放涼後拌入櫻桃利口酒備用。



玫瑰風味香堤麗鮮奶油 – 約1 ½ 杯份量
200ml 鮮奶油
2湯匙 細砂糖
1茶匙 玫瑰精

將鮮奶油﹑玫瑰精﹑和細砂糖放入mixing bowl裡﹐用電動打蛋器先以低速打發鮮奶油至起泡﹐再轉中速攪打至出現尖角的程度。將鮮奶油放冰箱冷藏10分鐘即完成。

組合及裝飾蛋糕:
將一片蛋糕片鋪進慕斯圈中﹐在表面用刷子塗上櫻桃酒糖漿﹐然後將切掉蒂頭﹑對半縱切的草莓原著模型邊緣排列。將慕斯倒進擠袋裡﹐剪去一角﹐先擠些慕斯填滿草莓間的空隙﹐然後由外往中心整體填滿慕斯至半滿。將去蒂的草莓排列填滿整個模型﹐然後再擠進慕斯填滿。在另一片蛋糕片的表面塗上櫻桃酒糖漿﹐塗面朝下疊蓋在慕斯上﹐輕壓使其確實貼黏著﹐放入冰箱冷卻凝固60分鐘。

取出蛋糕﹐將蛋糕脫模﹐以溫毛巾圍著模型溫熱10秒後﹐用手指將慕斯往上推出脫模。用抹刀將玫瑰香堤麗鮮奶油平均的塗抹在蛋糕的正上方。在蛋糕上方的一角擺放白巧克力裝飾﹐再擺放滿滿的玫瑰花瓣及草莓即可。

In season: Lemon Mousse with Citrus Curd ~ 檸檬慕斯乳醬杯

Since I developed an interest in pastry and baking, all these gorgeous food magazines seem to just appear out of no where! To name some of my favorite reads: Donna Hay, Delicious, Elle à Table, エル・ア・ターブル(Elle à Table in Japanese) Gourmet Traveller , Saveurs , Vogue Entertaining + Travel , and fresh off the press is jamie magazine - Jamie Oliver’s newest project - which was launched this past holiday! These are food magazines that seamlessly married beautiful photography with stunning styling! I strongly recommend that you look for a copy of any of the above on your next trip to a book store. I am positive that you won’t be disappointed^^

Oh back to this dessert – so we know that citrus are in season and like any other great chefs would do – cook with what is in season! Plus I got the prefect recipe for it too^^

The recipe belongs to Andy Bunn of Café Sopra at Fratelli Fresh in Australia, who also is a contributor at VE+T. I have been eager to give this lemon mousse with citrus curd a try since I saw it on the cover of Vogue Entertaining + Travel (Vol.33 no.4) - it simply looked divine. Now that the citrus in my garden are at their best, I couldn’t wait any longer. I made these as the finale for a family dinner over the weekend and it was well received.



I stayed true to his recipe and didn’t make any adjustment except adjusting the quantities of some ingredients. It tasted lovely, airy and has an ultra silky texture. I served them with elderflower thins giving that it is quite tangy – a recipe I found in the Delicious December issue. I came to love anything make with elderflower after having eaten this dessert. Btw, this is great to be served at the Valentine’s Day dinner that you may be preparing. Talking about Valentine’s Day, I have just the perfect cake recipe in mind but let’s just hope that I am able to share with you before this date….

Lemon Mousse with Citrus Curd

Citrus Curd
175g caster sugar
3Lrg. eggs, lightly beaten
125g unsalted butter, chopped into cubes
Juice of 3 lemons

Lemon Mousse
200ml fresh lemon juice
160g caster sugar
10g leaf gelatine
300ml whipping cream
250ml water

Garnish:
1 pink grapefruit
1 orange
Some candied kumquat



Make the citrus curd:
Place the lightly beaten eggs, lemon juice, caster sugar and butter in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Using a whisk, whisk the mixture continuously until it becomes thicken and glossy. Remove from heat, cool slightly then spoon into an airtight container and let chilled.

Make the lemon mousse:
Bring lemon juice, sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil until sugar completely dissolved then remove from heat. Add in the pre-soaked gelatine and still until completely dissolved. Place the mixture in an ice water bath and let cool completely, stirring occasionally. This cooling step is critical: otherwise, when the cream folded in, the two mixtures will separate into two layers. While the lemon mixture is being cool, whisk the cream until soft peak forms then fold it into the chilled lemon mixture until combined. It should look runny/loose at this point.

Spoon and divide the citrus curd among 6 glasses, tap glasses lightly to release the air bubbles, place 1 - 2 pieces candied kumquat on top then spoon in the lemon mousse next and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight to set. Garnish with orange and grapefruit slices, also some grapefruit pulps.



Elderflower thins – makes about 50 cookies
100g unsalted butter, softened
110g caster sugar
1 egg
1tbsp elderflower syrup
200g all purpose flour, sifted
1tsp baking powder

I thought you should know:
- Only bake the cookies the day you plan to serve them to keep its flaky texture.

Sift together flour and baking powder and set aside. Place the unsalted butter in a bowl, mash it with a spoon. Add in the sugar and stir with a spoon to combine. Add in the flour mixture gradually until combined then add the elderflower syrup, egg and mix to form a soft dough ball.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a cylinder. Wrap it with parchment paper, place it in the freezer and chill for 2 hours.

Take the dough out and let rest for 15 minutes to soften; meanwhile, preheat the oven to 380°F/190°C. Cut the dough into 5mm slices and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.



自從對甜點跟培烘產生濃厚的興趣﹐突然間像發現新大陸似的發現很多讓我眼睛為之一亮的烹飪雜誌。奇怪了﹐為什麼以前都好像沒看到呢?﹗其中又以Donna Hay, Delicious, Elle à Table, エル・ア・ターブル(Elle à Table 的日文版) Gourmet Traveller, Saveurs, Vogue Entertaining + Travel, 還有去年 十二月才創刊的jamie magazine是我每期必敗的。這些雜誌從擺盤到攝影風格都充滿美感﹐美的不像話﹗我隆重推薦給大家﹐希望你們下次進書店的時候找找看﹐我敢說你一定會得到一個視覺上的饗宴﹗

這個甜點就是來自雜誌的。大家也知道現在是柑橘當令的季節﹐大廚們常建議說多食用當季的蔬菜生果﹐所以找食譜的時候也是朝著這方向選材的。甜點食譜來自Vogue Entertaining + Travel。是由澳洲的Café Sopra的主廚Andy Bunn提供的。去年夏天VE+T的封面就是這個檸檬慕斯乳醬杯﹐咋看好不驚艷哦﹗食譜除了改了某些材料的量﹐基本是沒有更改﹐原汁原味。味道酸酸的﹐乳醬又或是慕斯的質地都非常細緻軟滑﹐入口即溶﹐ 口感輕盈的不得了﹐佐清雅的接骨木花脆餅享用會取得絕妙的均衡與和諧滋味喔~

還有過幾天就是情人節了﹐這個甜點操作不難﹐推薦大家做這個作為餐後甜點﹐酸酸甜甜像極了戀愛的感覺呢^^



檸檬慕斯乳醬杯 - 約8杯

檸檬乳醬
175g 細砂糖
3個 L尺寸全蛋﹐稍微打發
125g 無鹽奶油﹐切丁
3個 Meyer檸檬(過濾檸檬汁)

檸檬慕斯
200ml 濾過的新鮮檸檬汁
160g 細砂糖
10g 明膠片
300ml 鮮奶油
250ml 清水

裝飾用:
1個 柳橙
1個 柚子
適量的糖漬金桔

要注意什麼呢?
- 檸檬糖漿一定要完全放涼才能拌入打發好的鮮奶油﹐要不然兩者是不能完全乳化﹐會分離的。

製作檸檬乳醬：
先燒開一小鍋的水﹐轉小火。將打散的蛋﹑濾過的檸檬汁﹑細砂糖及奶油混合裝進耐熱大碗裡，放小鍋上隔熱水攪打。用打蛋器持續不斷的攪拌至變稠﹐並可以在木匙背劃出清晰的線條時﹐約8-10分鐘﹐乳醬就完成了。稍微放涼後倒進密閉的容器裡﹐放冰箱存放。

製作檸檬慕斯:
明膠片用冰水泡軟之後擠掉水分﹐備用。如果用明膠粉﹐將其倒入水裡泡脹後備用。

把檸檬汁﹑細砂糖及水混合倒進小鍋裡﹐用中火煮至砂糖完全融化後﹐離火。加入泡軟的明膠片，確實拌勻後將小鍋放冰水浴放涼。

待檸檬糖漿放涼後﹐將鮮奶油隔著冰水打發至出現尖角的起泡程度﹐然後拌進冷卻後的檸檬糖漿中。用切拌法(用橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻)將3份1份量的發泡鮮奶油拌入檸檬糖漿裡﹐攪拌乳化後﹐拌入剩餘的鮮奶油﹐確實攪拌勻備用。

舀取3 – 4湯匙檸檬乳醬倒入杯中至3份2滿﹐抹平﹐輕輕叩幾下釋放氣泡﹐放1 - 2塊糖漬金桔在上, 然後舀進檸檬慕斯至滿﹐輕輕叩幾下釋放氣泡﹐放進冰箱冷藏凝固﹐至少2小時或一個晚上。

享用前放幾瓣柳橙﹑柚子在慕斯上﹐再撒一些柚子果肉。



接骨木花脆餅– 約50個
100g 無鹽奶油﹐室溫放軟﹐切丁
110g 細砂糖
1 全蛋
1tbsp 接骨木花糖漿
200g 麵粉, 篩過
1tsp 發酵粉/泡打粉

要注意什麼呢?
- 這個餅乾的麵糰預先做好﹐享用的時候才烘烤方能保持酥脆的口感。

將麵粉和發酵粉混合篩過。將室溫放軟的奶油用湯匙壓散拌勻至蓬鬆。加入細砂糖攪打勻後加入小量的麵粉﹐拌勻後再加入剩下的麵粉﹐然後加入接骨木花糖漿﹐雞蛋﹐拌成糰塊。

將麵糰放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐揉至成圓柱狀﹐用烘烤紙包裹好再放進冰箱靜置2個小時醒麵。

取出麵糰﹐室溫回軟15分鐘。同時預熱烤箱至380°F/190°C。在餅乾烤盤上鋪上烘烤紙﹐備用。將麵糰切成約厚5mm的薄片﹐有間距地排放在鋪了烤盤紙的烤盤上﹐放入烤箱烤15分鐘或是烤到餅乾週邊變金黃色就可以了。烤好後記住要在鋼架放涼﹐否則口感沒那麼酥脆。