A quick hello \(~o~)/

Hello friends!!! Looooong time no see! I haven't forgot about this space but wedding season has been crazy. Will be back soon. If you miss Vi much, come see me here! Before my big return (I mean BIG, giveaways and all), you can make macarons like these one. Heart-shape macarons are such eye pleasers, don't you agree?! For the recipe, click here. Macarons don't have to be just round =)

Until then, ciao~

Kisses,
Vi

Come Spring...Tarte aux fraises ~ 春的氣息の草莓田園

Hello friends, it has been a while. Do you miss me? Hug <3

If you have been following me then you know the reason why I have been missing in action although it is not an excuse for not updating this space for such a long period of time. I thought it is still January, time just flies!

We had the coldest winter in the San Francisco Bay Area in years. It is especially cold and wet for the past 2 weeks making me really down. To cheer myself up, I fooled myself into believing spring is here by making spring-ish desserts =)

I decided to make fruit tarts simply because I found the cutest and yummiest strawberries at this marketplace. OMG, I can go on and on about this place but I’ll save that for another post because it deserves to have a post dedicated to it. It has the most amazing produces department – a must-visit shop if you live in the area. Now back to sweets. This is not your typical fruit tart - this one is a light version made with fresh whipped cream instead of pastry cream but it is nothing short of deliciousness! The shell is of a light, crumbly texture like sablé cookies. The strawberries are of the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. Put the 3 together, a mouthful of goodness and the perfect tea-nack! For variation, use raspberries and raspberry puree and rose water for the cream. So heavenly! bon appétite~





Tarte aux fraises
- make 6 individual size tarts

Pâte Sucrée or French Sweet Pastry Crust
290g all purpose flour
20g pastry flour
100g unsalted butter, softened and diced
80g caster sugar
2 eggs
Pinch salt

Strawberry Chantilly Cream
Makes about 2 cups

250ml heavy cream
60g granulated sugar
55g strawberry puree
1tbsp strawberry liqueur

Strawberries, mint leave for garnish

For the sweet pastry:
Sift together the flour and pastry flour; set aside. Beat butter, sugar and a pinch of salt using an electric mixer until pale, add eggs and mix. Add flour, mix until just combined, then turn onto a lightly floured surface and form into a disc; add a tablespoon of ice water if it appears too dry to form into a ball. Wrap in food wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 360°F/180°C. Rollout the pastry as thinly as possible on a lightly floured pastry board. Use a 12cm/5-inch diameter round cookie cutter to stamp out 6 circles then use these cut outs to line six 10cm/4-inch pastry rings. Prick the bases with a fork and chill for 1 hour or until firm then trim off excess pastry.

Line each pastry ring with foil then fill with pie weight/baking beans/uncooked rice. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove foil and pie weight, return the pan to the oven for 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the Strawberry Chantilly Cream:
Place the heavy cream, sugar in a bowl and whip using low speed then gradually increase to medium speed until soft peak forms. Add in the strawberry puree, liqueur and whip until stiff peak. Pour the whipped cream into a piping bag w/o a tip, let chill in refrigerator.

To assemble:
Spoon the Chantilly cream into each tart shells until ½ full. Arrange the strawberry halves, cut side up on top of the cream and some diced strawberries in the center. Finish off with a few mint leave. Serve soon after assembling.




哈囉﹐大家過的好嗎﹖阿V終於來更新了﹐真的不是故意偷懶喔。如果你常來這裡該是知道阿Vi在忙什麼。可能是忙昏了頭﹐我以為我只是離開了一會兒嘿嘿。。。

這個冬天好像特別的慢長﹐特別的冷﹐尤其是過去的兩週﹐好鬱悶喔。為了找回我的好心情﹐唯有騙自己說春天就在轉角所以特地做了富春天氣息的甜點。不知道是吃甜的讓人心情變好﹐還是看著嬌嫩剔透的莓果賞心悅目的關係﹐心情是up up =)

本來是想做慕斯蛋糕的﹐但是在這個好地方看到長的超可愛又香甜的草莓就決定做簡單又可突顯它美味處的甜點。說到這個好地方﹐簡直是愛煮愛吃的人的天堂﹐我可是可以幫它做一個專輯﹐愛死這家店了﹗好了﹐再說這個草莓塔﹐可不是一般的傳統果塔因為它的餡是發泡的鮮奶油而不是卡士達餡。加了草莓泥打泡的香堤麗鮮奶油除了香氣逼人外﹐口感清爽無負擔﹐搭配口感像sablés般酥脆到不行又富滿滿的奶油香可又不膩的塔皮﹐加上清甜中帶微酸的草莓﹐吃的很滿足。若用心的將草莓排列在鮮奶油上來營造賞心悅目的視覺效果再招待朋友來家吃下午茶很體面呢。聽起來不錯吧﹖也可以做成覆盆子玫瑰口味 - 將草莓改成覆盆子﹐草莓泥改成覆盆子泥﹐再用食用玫瑰露代替利口酒即可。


草莓田園
~ 6個直徑 10cm/4寸的塔

法式甜塔皮
290g 中筋麵粉
20g 低筋麵粉
100g 無鹽奶油 - 室溫放軟﹐切成小方塊
80g 細砂糖
2個 全蛋
/4茶匙 鹽巴

草莓風味香堤麗鮮奶油 – 約2 杯份量
250ml 鮮奶油
60g 砂糖
55g 草莓果泥
1湯匙 草莓利口酒

裝飾用
草莓
薄荷葉

製作甜塔皮：
將中筋麵粉﹑低筋麵粉混合過篩後備用。將切成小方塊的室溫奶油﹑細砂糖﹑1/4茶匙的鹽巴用電動攪拌機攪打至奶油變淡黃色後加入雞蛋﹐攪拌勻﹐然後加入麵粉快速拌勻成糰塊。若是麵粉過乾﹐加入1湯匙冰水﹐如果看起來還是很乾再加1湯匙冰水至聚集成糰塊。將麵糰放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐揉至軟滑成球狀。輕壓成扁圓片﹐蓋上保鮮膜﹐放進冰箱靜置60分鐘醒麵。

烤箱預熱至360°F/180°C。取出麵糰﹐放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐將麵糰桿成約厚3mm的薄片後用直徑12cm/5寸的圓的餅乾模具吸出4個圓形薄片。鋪進直徑10cm/4寸的塔派圈模裡﹐壓實塔皮底及塔皮壁﹐再用叉子戳刺氣孔。然後蓋上保鮮膜放進冰箱冷藏60分鐘定型。

取出﹐用刀子將模型裡多出來的麵皮切掉﹐在每個塔皮鋪上烘焙用紙﹐加入烘焙石或乾豆至半滿﹐放入烤箱烤15分鐘。取去烘焙用紙及烘焙石﹐繼續烤10分鐘或至塔皮呈金黃色。取去﹐擺放在網架上放涼。

製作草莓風味香堤麗鮮奶油:
將鮮奶油和砂糖放入拌碗中﹐用電動攪拌機先以低速打發鮮奶油至起泡﹐再轉中速攪打至出現軟尖角的程度。加入草莓果泥和草莓利口酒﹐以高速攪打至出現尖角的程度及拌勻即可。將香堤麗倒進擠袋裡﹐放冰箱冷藏備用。

組合及裝飾:
享用前將香堤麗鮮奶油舀進塔皮內至5分滿﹐然後將切掉蒂頭﹑對半縱切的草莓排列在上﹐再舀些草莓丁至塔的中央﹐最後以薄荷葉隨意的裝飾即可。

Macarons au Chocolat-Mangue ~ 巧克力香芒奶油馬卡龍

From time to time, you saw these little jewels graced the web page of my blog so you should know that I am a huge fan of Parisian macarons! As it turns out, I am not the only addict - this beautiful bride also is a fan. She requested that macarons be included on the menu of the dessert table that she ordered for her wedding although she didn’t specify what flavors so that left the possibilities wide open. Giving thought that not everyone is into exotic flavors, I have made 2 flavors, raspberry macaron with raspberry confiture – a classic favorite, and a more exciting chocolate mango flavor.

Bursting with flavor, what a fantastic combo! If you haven’t paired the two together, you should definitely give it a try! Based on previous feedbacks from my guinea pigs, many complained that buttercream is a bit dense, so I decided to add mango purée to flavor it, hoping that the acidity would help cut the grease. The result is an incredibly fragrant and flavorful buttercream, which married well with the fruity, bitter undertone of the cocoa used to flavor the macarons. Undeniably, this have become my new golden combo and I am sure I will pair these two again very soon! Also, I have dressed up the macarons with a dash of cocoa nibs – just sprinkle the top of the piped batter before baking! That way, not only do they taste scrumptious but look great too! Again, presentation is very important!

I stressed many time that ingredients play a key role in the food we eat. I would have made my own mango purée but I didn’t find any good one in the markets that have that incredible fragrance that I was looking. Fortunately, I found some les vergers boiron mango purée in the freezer of the Pasta Shop in Berkeley. I have heard so much praise about this line of deep-frozen purées from France that I have been searching for ages. Something that you can’t easily find in the Bay Area so I was very excited that I came across it! What makes boiron’s purées so special? This line of purées is produced from carefully selected fruits at the peak of their ripeness, which are then squeezed and strained. Most importantly, no addictives and retain the full flavor and original color of the fruits. I too, call myself a fan now (^u~)

To find out more, click here~




Crème au beurre de mangue (mango buttercream)

1 large whole egg
40g caster sugar
40ml water
100g unsalted butter
70g mango purée

I thought you should know:
Fruit purées are high in water content, when mixed with butter it appears to be separated at first, but keep whisking and the cream will come back together giving a smooth and shiny texture.

Cut the butter into ½ inch (5mm) thick squares, place in a heatproof container and heat in the microwave over medium heat for 10 – 15 seconds. Butter should be soft to touch but NOT melted. Using a rubber spatula, mash the butter until smooth and creamy (like the texture of mayonnaise), set aside.

In a heatproof container, mix the caster sugar with the water then heat over medium heat in a microwave for 1 minute, stir until sugar completely dissolved. Return it to the microwave and continue to heat for 4 more minutes over medium heat. Remove with CARE out from the microwave and stir with a spoon. Spoon a little bit of the hot syrup into some ice water; it should solidify into a little ball. If it does not, continue to heat in the microwave, 1 minute at a time, until it gets to this state.

While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment, whisk until pale and foamy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl, being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture, as it will harden! Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the egg mixture is thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in the butter. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the butter cream is thick and shiny. Add the mango purée, beat for an additional minute until incorporated. Refrigerate the buttercream for 10 minutes before piping.

If stored in an airtight container, it will keep for 5 days and up to a month if frozen. Bring the cream back together before use.

FAQs for making buttercream:
- Wait! My buttercream won’t come together!
Reheat the buttercream briefly over simmering water for about 5 seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon. Be careful and do not overheat. The mixture will look broken with some liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium speed just until the cream comes back together.

- Wait! My buttercream is too soft!
Chill the buttercream in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes and rewhip. If that doesn’t work, cream an additional 2 – 4 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl– making sure the butter is not as soft as the original amount, so make sure is cool and smooth. On low speed, quickly add the creamed butter to the buttercream, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Macarons au chocolat – 20 sandwiches

2 large egg whites
40g granulated sugar
120g powdered sugar
55g almond flour or finely grounded blanch almonds
8g Dutch-process cocoa powder
some cocoa nibs

Prep:
- First, sift the almond powder twice then add it to the powdered sugar and cocoa powder mix, and sift again.
- On the backside of 2 parchment papers, trace 1½-inch (4cm) circles about 2 inches (4cm) apart. Flip them over and line the baking sheets.
- Preheat the oven to 440°F/220°C.

I thought you should know:
- Must let the piped cookies sit out for 10 - 20 minutes before baking.
- Press the piping tip on the baking sheet and pipe for uniformly shaped macarons. Do not suspend the tip in the air.

In a large dry bowl, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy and the color turns white. Gradually add the granulated sugar, increase the speed to high and continue to whip until stiff peaks form – the whites should be firm and shiny, about 3 minutes.

With a rubber spatula, fold half of the almond/sugar/cocoa mixture to the meringue, fold until incorporated then fold in the remaining flour mix and fold until completely incorporated. Now it is ready for the macaronnage process.

With the rubber spatula, scoop and spread the batter, in a full circle, on the inside wall of the mixing bowl. Repeat this scoop & spread process, for a total of 15 times. Lift some batter with the spatula, it should falls into the bowl in a ribbon fashion, and should look glossy.

Fit a piping bag with a 3/8 inch (1cm) round tip, fill it with the cocoa batter and pipe the batter from the center of the drawn circle onto the baking sheets, about 40 circles. Sprinkle some cocoa nibs over piped circles. Let dry at room temperature for 10 - 20 minutes before baking to allow skins to form. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 440°F/220°C.

Bake for 4 minutes at 440°F/220°C, then turn it down to 260°F/130°C, continue to bake for 8 minutes. Remove macarons from oven and transfer to cool on the cooling rack. Once cooled, slide a knife underneath the macarons to remove from parchment paper.

Assemble the macarons:
Pair 2 macarons of similar size, pipe about 1 teaspoon of the buttercream filling onto the flat side of one of the macarons then sandwich them. Place in the refrigerator to set. Make about 20 sandwiches. It will keep for 3 days, if stored in the refrigerator and up to 4 weeks if frozen. Let stand at room temperature at least 20 minutes before eating.



常來這裡的朋友應該知道我對小巧玲瓏的馬卡龍著迷不已﹐所以我就不再強調了。不過現在才知道除了我﹐身邊很多人也很愛﹐這個新娘子就是其一。她要求跟我訂的甜點布斐菜單中必須包含這道小點心﹐而口味卻不挑。我想了很久﹐為了讓人嚐到不同口感與風味的成品﹐決定做兩種口味(要不是時間及人手不充足﹐我還想多弄幾個口味呢﹗)。除了男女老少都愛的酸酸甜甜覆盆子馬卡龍配覆盆子果醬口味﹐另一款就是這個較新鮮的組合 - 巧克力芒果風味﹗

原來濃郁的巧克力跟香氣襲人又帶有酸味的芒果的配對是很有個性的。加了芒果泥的奶油餡甜中微帶一點清新的酸剛好托襯出巧克力的甘苦味﹐還順帶的令口感清爽起來。那芬芳四溢的芒果香氣在口腔裡久久不散﹐讓人心醉神迷﹗除了在皮與餡的組合花了點心思﹐造型上也稍作改變﹐就是在表面灑了些可可豆碎加以裝飾﹐讓整體更富趣味~

至于這個芒果泥﹐我用的是法國boiron牌。耳聞很久了﹐好不容易在Berkeley的Pasta Shop找到的呢﹗不便宜但是果香濃厚襲人﹐顏色鮮艷﹐嚐起來像在吃新鮮的芒果﹐極品呀﹗除了芒果泥我還購入百香果泥和青蘋果泥﹐我想也是擁有極致的品質的﹐值得極力推薦的優質果泥﹗

關於boiron果泥(轉自Gourmet' s Partner):

Les Vergers Boiron是來自法國的天然頂級果泥，於1936年成立，1970年開始創新研發生產冷凍果泥，為市場第一位推出該類型商品的製造商，因為高成本與高品質的緣故，幾乎僅有五星級以上的飯店才會使用，為西點烘焙業的領導品牌。通過ISO 9001與ISO 14001認證，每種果泥口味皆嚴選各國最適合的水果來源及品種，挑選最高峰的採收期採收，因此無論是口味、顏色、重量和紋理，都絕對經過縝密的挑選，以獨特的產品篩選及完善巴氏瞬間滅菌法的保存技術，展現獨具要求的製程技術，採用標準化的萃取精華，混合四個味道，分別是桔子、紅橙、福柑和檸檬。同時強調「產地、品質、色澤」做為產品的最高要求。每批產品都維持一致的完美口感，不會因產季採收、熟成度等外在因素，而影響其口感及成品之表現。同時根據不同的水果種類屬性，研發出不同的製作技術與成分比例，秉持健康天然原則，100%不添加防腐劑、人工色素、濃稠劑等，符合現代顧客追求健康的飲食取向，低糖不膩口，全程冷藏，彈牙爽口不言而喻，嚐起來有天然果香，絕對是果泥中的極致。

篩選全世界最新鮮美味的嚴選水果，使用最完善規模的冷凍技術，Les Vergers Boiron對於天然果泥的堅持，讓世界各國如日本、法國等熱愛精緻美食的先進國家指定購買，有了最完美的果泥，烘焙出讓人安心又幸福的甜蜜糕點，品嚐最健康美味的結晶。



香芒奶油餡心

1個 大的全蛋
40g 細砂糖
40ml 水
100g 無鹽奶油
70g 芒果果泥

要注意什麼呢﹖
水果泥的水份含量高﹐容易在和奶油攪拌過程中造成分離﹐但只要繼續攪拌就會成為滑潤的奶油醬。

把無鹽奶油切成1/2寸(5mm)厚的小方塊﹐然後放進一個耐熱的容器裡﹐再放進微波爐裡加熱10 - 15秒使奶油變軟。絕對不可以加熱到融化﹐手指按下去有壓進去的軟度即可。用橡皮刀用力壓變軟的奶油﹐再攪拌成美乃滋狀﹐備用。

將細砂糖與水混合倒進一個耐熱的容器裡﹐放進微波爐裡加熱60秒後取出﹐迅速拌至砂糖完全溶解。再次放進微波爐裡加熱4分鐘後取出(要小心處理﹐非常燙喔﹗)﹐用湯匙拌勻。舀取一小匙糖漿滴到冷水中﹐取出在手指間搓揉﹐若能成為小球狀的濃度即可。若是沒能搓成球狀﹐再加熱60秒。

利用糖漿加熱的時間以電動攪拌機以高速將蛋打散至起細泡﹐再轉低速繼續打發﹐待糖漿達到所需的溫度時﹐邊打發邊細絲般的慢慢地注入滾燙的糖漿(千萬不要讓糖漿直接和攪拌機接觸到﹐要在碗邊注入糖漿﹐這樣就不會結晶了)，完全注入糖漿後轉高速繼續打發﹐直到冷卻出現結實尖角的程度﹐約5分鐘。將奶油分2次加入蛋霜中﹐以中速打發攪拌至融合﹐拌入芒果果泥﹐轉高速繼續打發2分鐘至光滑立體狀態為止。將奶油醬放冰箱冷藏10分鐘即完成。

如果不立刻使用﹐將奶油醬倒入密閉的容器裡放冰箱存放﹐可以保存5天。如果放冰格冷藏可以存放1個月。使用前靜置回溫即可。

製作奶油餡最常遇倒的問題:
- 奶油餡看起來有分離的跡像:
將奶油餡隔熱水加熱5秒﹐看到奶油餡融化時即停止加熱。用木匙稍微攪拌﹐然後用電動打蛋器打發至光滑立體狀態為止。

- 奶油餡看起來太軟了:
將奶油餡放進冰箱冷藏10分鐘後﹐用電動打蛋器打發至光滑立體狀態為止。如果還是不夠立體﹐可以加2 - 4湯匙的奶油 (硬的) 至奶油餡中用低速打發至光滑立體狀態為止。



巧克力馬卡龍 - 20個

2個 蛋白(L尺寸)
40g 砂糖
55g 杏仁粉
120g 糖粉
8g Dutch-process無糖可可粉
適量 可可豆碎

事前準備:
- 杏仁粉過篩2次後和糖粉、可可粉混合過篩1次﹐備用。
- 準備兩塊烤纸﹐然後在每一張的反面畫上直徑1 ½寸間隔2寸(4cm間隔4cm)的小圓圈﹐然後鋪在烤盤上。

要注意什麼呢?
- 擠出麵糊後要放置10 - 20分鐘讓表面乾燥﹐才可進烤箱。
- 擠可可糊時先固定一個點﹐從上方擠出是要訣。

用電動攪拌機先以中速將蛋白打發至起泡、顏色變白﹐將砂糖分成2 - 3回加入蛋白中﹐仔細發泡﹐轉高速打至出現尖角成立體型蛋白霜﹐約3分鐘。

將一半篩過的粉類加入蛋白霜中﹐用橡皮刀從底部往上翻起的方式迅速拌勻﹐加入剩餘的粉類﹐攪拌至粉末完全消失為止。進行macaronnage程序。Macaronnage即是將麵糊從底部往上翻起再往拌碗的內壁壓推勻15次至表面紋理細緻且有光澤的麵糊為止。

將可可糊倒進裝上直徑3/8寸(1cm)的圓形擠花嘴的擠花袋中﹐在先前畫了圓圈的烤盤紙上擠出圓形的可可糊。先固定一個點﹐再從上方擠出比圓形稍小的可可糊﹐總共擠出40個。在可可糊上面灑上些許可可豆碎﹐放置10 - 20分鐘讓表面乾燥﹐用手摸不沾黏即可。放置的同時預熱烤箱至440°F/220°C。

用440°F/220°C的烤箱烘烤4分鐘﹐然後降溫到260°F/130°C繼續烘烤8分鐘。取出後放網架上靜置放涼﹐用抹刀取下﹐備用。

組合馬卡龍:
在半數的馬卡龍平坦面上擠出約1茶匙的夾心﹐再蓋上另一半的馬卡龍﹐做成20個。放冰箱至餡心凝固即可。

將馬卡龍包好放密封的容器中放冰箱存放﹐可以保存3天。如果放冰格冷藏可以存放1個月。食用前靜置回溫即可。

Stone Fruit Bonanza ~ 盛夏の核果響宴

I have been enjoying quite a few stone fruit recipes recently due to endless supply of yummy peaches, nectarines, and apricots from my dear friends at the Kashiwase Farm. I am grateful to their generosity and I tried to repay them with the desserts made from these fruits. They seem to enjoy them as much as I do and I hope you will too^^

I have bookmarked the page for the roasted apricots with chamomile from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course as soon as I saw the recipe. I just love the idea of cooking with flowers =) It sounds so appealing yet seems easy to make and I know it is going to taste great since I had a taste of another dessert using a recipe from this same book! Yes, the taste was as promising as the ingredients gave away - tender, luscious, and gently perfumed. They were lovely just as is but CF suggested serving it as a topping to plain cake and ice cream, which I’m yet to try.

Not long ago, I spent a day making feullitage or puff pastry dough and I still have some left over so I thought some fruit tarts would go well with the roasted apricots. It was very simple, all I did was poached some apricot and yellow peaches in vanilla and star anise infused syrup and baked with the pastry. While still warm, I brushed some syrup on the tarts then serve. Easy but nothing short of deliciousness! Oh, these pair well with ice cream too.

Next up is a Wa-fu or Japanese style tiramisu. When I saw this gorgeous post by one of my all time favorite bloggers, I just couldn’t wait to get started!! The flavor combination – apricot and matcha – sounds so intrigue and exciting! The apricots were cooked until tender in vanilla syrup then made into purée to fold into whipped cream to make the mousse. Although the matcha sponge was yummy but I had to use a different recipe because I thought it tasted too subtle and I like a more intense flavor. The tangy sweet mousse paired with fragrant matcha sponge, feather-light mascarpone cream and a generous dust of unsweetened cocoa powder simultaneously underscore and complement each other. Rich was not the word to describe this cake, it is more of a taste of summery freshness! Oh, I piped some left over mousse into small molds and made bite size cakes too^^

I also made a cheesecake with yellow peach at the request of my mom for her to share with her co-workers. I prepared the peach purée the same way that I did with the apricots then added some pâte de peche (peach paste) to enhance the flavor. Once the cheese mixture was set, I arranged thin slices of peach on top then added a thin layer of peach jelly, made with the syrup and agar powder.

I know I have been posting lots of fruit desserts lately but I just can’t help it! Summer has so much lovely fruits to offer and I like to cook with what’s in season =)




Roasted apricots with chamomile
serves 4

1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup fresh chamomile flowers or 1 chamomile tea bag
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
8 apricots, unpeeled, halved and pitted
1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 375°F/185°C. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the vanilla pod and seeds, chamomile flowers (or tea bag), then simmer for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve into a baking dish or roasting tray.

Arrange the apricots in the syrup, cut side down, roast for about 10 minutes. Turn them over, baste with the syrup and roast for another 5 minutes until tender. Serve warm.

The apricots will keep for 3 days, refrigerated.

Vanilla spice poached apricot & yellow peach tarts

1/3 recipe of homemade feullitage or 2 sheets of store-brought puff pastry
1 large yellow peach, peeled, finely sliced and pitted
4 apricots, unpeeled, halved and pitted
2 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
1 star anise
1 ¼ cups sugar
50ml white wine
200ml water

For the egg wash:
1 large egg yolk
1tsp water

Some flour, for work surface

Remove the feullitage out the freezer 10 minutes before. On a slightly floured work surface; roll out the feullitage to a 5mm/¼in thick square. Stamp out 3in/5in ~ 7.5cm/12.5cm rounds using cookie cutters, prick all over with a fork then return the dough to the freezer to firm up. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Combine the sugar, water, white wine, star anise and vanilla pod + seeds in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down to medium and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the apricots to the hot syrup and let poach for 3 minutes; removed. Add the peach slices to the hot syrup and let poach for 2 minutes, removed. Simmer the syrup down to two thirds of its original volume then strain, discard the solid and reserve the syrup.

Beat the egg yolk with the water to make the egg wash. Set aside. Take the feullitage out the freezer and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a knife, score but not cut all the way through a ¼ inch boarder all around, then brush with egg wash but avoid the boarders.

Arrange 2 apricot halves on each 3in rounds and peach slices on the 5in rounds (within the boarders), then dot with diced butter. Place in oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush the tarts with the reserved syrup. Serve warm.



Apricot and Matcha Tiramisu
makes 4 3in x 3in squares

Matcha génoise
100g granulated sugar
70g all purpose flour
15g matcha
20g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs

Apricot mousse
350g apricots (after pitting)
250ml water
100g sugar
1 vanilla bean (cut lengthwise, seeds scraped out)
4g gelatine sheet
150ml heavy cream
2 egg whites
75g caster sugar

Mascarpone cream
100ml heavy cream
15g caster sugar (you may not need it if you’re using tinned apricots)
30g mascarpone cheese

For the matcha génoise:
Brings a small pot of water to boil, set aside. Melt the butter in a microwave, set aside to cool.

Lightly butter a 12 x 9in/28 x 24cm roll cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Sift together flour and matcha, set aside. Preheat oven to 360°F/180°C.

Using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs together in a heatproof bowl then add sugar and beat until blended. Place the bowl over the pot of boil water and continue to beat over medium speed until it is foamy and warm to the touch. Remove from heat, continue to beat in a circular motion until it doubles in volume and soft peaks form. Gradually add in the sifted matcha flour mix using a rubber spatula and fold gently until incorporated. Add in the melted butter, quickly fold until completely incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread and smooth out the batter using the spatula. Tap the pan slightly on the counter to release any air bubbles, place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the apricot mousse:
Soak the gelatine in cold water. Place the water, 100g sugar and vanilla seeds (as well as the pod) in a saucepan over medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, add the apricots and simmer for about 5 minutes until just tender. When cool, strain the apricots through a fine sieve (you’ll get about 250g purée) and add 50ml syrup from the pan. Reserve some syrup and discard the solids.

(If you’re using tinned apricots, puree 250g fruit and strain through a fine sieve then add 50ml syrup from the tin. Reserve some syrup for soaking the sponge.)

Squeeze out the gelatine, melt in a bain marie and stir into the puree. Whip the double cream into soft peaks (it’s important that the purée and cream have a similar consistency). Make the meringue with the egg whites and 75g sugar – whip the egg white until foamy, add the sugar a little at a time, whipping as you go along. When the purée is slightly set, gently fold the cream and meringue into it.

To make the mascarpone cream:
Place the double cream and sugar in a bowl and whip into soft peaks then mix the cheese in.

To assemble the cake:
Cut 4 pieces of sponge to the size of your mold. Place the sponge in the mold as a base and brush with the left over syrup, pour the mousse, then place the other sponge on top.

Freeze the cake until firm enough to slice (you don’t need to but it helps to cut neatly), layer the mascarpone cream on top and dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

Peach Flavor Chilled Cheesecake
makes one 18cm/6in round cake

Peach purée
2 large yellow peach, skinned, pitted, sliced
1tsp vanilla extract
1cup sugar
50ml white wine
200ml water

Crust
100g honey graham crackers
50g unsalted butter

Peach cheesecake mixture
200g cream cheese
50g mascarpone cheese
200ml whipping cream
100g condensed milk
50g peach purée
1tbsp pâte de peche
5g gelatine sheet

Peach Jelly
200ml peach syrup (add water if you don’t have enough)
8g agar powder (Kanten/寒天- かんてん)
1tbsp lemon juice
1tbs Amaretto liquor

Prep:
- Wrap the cream cheese in plastic food wrap and place in microwave on low for 1 minute to soften it.
- Soak the leaf gelatine in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to soften it. Squeeze off excess water, set aside.

For the peach purée:
Combine the sugar, water, and the white wine in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down to medium and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the yellow peaches to the hot syrup and let poach for 3-5 minutes then remove from heat. When cool, strain the peaches through a fine sieve. Add the vanilla extract and 35ml syrup from the pan to the purée. Strain, discard the solid and reserve the syrup.

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 360°F/180°C. Break the crackers into small pieces, then place into a zip lock bag or any heavy weight plastic bag (remove air bubbles), and crush + roll using a rolling pin until crackers become fine crumb. Place butter in microwave and heat for 30sec – 1min over medium heat. Pour melted butter into the bag, remove air bubble and close the bag, then shake it to mix the two. Pour this mix into the cake pan; using the back of a large spoon, press crumb firmly to pan until packed. Bake for 20 minutes then cool on wire rack.

For the peach cheesecake:
Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Using a whisk, whisk cream cheese until blended; add the mascarpone cheese and whish until blended then add in other ingredients in the following order: --> condensed milk --> peach purée --> cream --> pâte de peche, make sure that each item is well blended before adding another; set aside.

Place the pre-soaked gelatine and 1 tablespoon of cream in a heatproof bowl then place in microwave and cook for 30 seconds on low heat to melt the gelatine. Cool it in a cold water bath then gradually pour the melted gelatine into the cream cheese mixture while stirring non-stop. Mix well until combined then strain the cheese mixture, pour into the cake pan and then place in fridge and leave to set for 2-3 hours.

Skin, core, and slice a yellow peach then arrange the slices on top of one another in a circle on the set cheesecake; place back into the fridge.

For the peach jelly:
Pour the strained syrup into a saucepan then sift in the agar powder and cook over low heat. Once it reaches 150°F/75°C, remove from heat and place saucepan in a cold water bath. When it cools to room temperature, add the lemon juice and amaretto. Slowly pour it into the cake pan from the side and let set for an hour.

To unmold the cakes:
Wrap a hot towel around the cake mold for 10 second then push it out.




夏季是核果橫行的季節﹐這樣說應該沒人會不認同吧﹗最近常享用這些水嫩多汁的核果﹐也很常用它們製作甜點及點心。說來還得謝謝在Kashiwase Farm工作的朋友們不停的提供這些有機培植的時果。吃了那麼多﹐我也很不好意思﹐只有以甜點回報她們了。可是給她們送去的甜點越多﹐送來的水果的盒數就越多﹐我想這應該是她們喜歡吃﹐莫非是要我做多一點送她們的意思^^

這道洋甘菊烤杏桃是我翻Claudia Fleming的The Last Course甜點書時其中一個黏了標籤要製作的甜點﹐只因喜歡以花卉來製作甜點的方子。看起來是頗簡單的甜點﹐不過由於做過這位女甜點主廚的其它甜點的方子﹐對她充滿驚喜及創意的材料配搭很有信心﹐所以還是很期待。不用多說味道很美味﹔杏桃經慢烤後釋放更甜美的果香﹐且還帶有淡淡的清雅花香。除了單吃﹐CF還建議將烤杏桃作為較單調乳酪蛋糕或冰淇淋的配料﹐為平平無奇的它們添加色彩。

我不喜歡吃市售的果塔﹐總覺得添加了很多有的沒的﹐味道並不討喜﹐所以總是喜歡自己動手做。剛好不久前耗了一天半的時間反覆摺疊製作出有著無比酥脆口感的千層派皮﹐想說配核果做成餡塔應該和烤杏桃很搭。做法很簡單 – 將用香草﹑八角茴香﹑糖跟白酒泡煮好的杏桃跟黃桃鋪在派皮上烘烤成金黃色﹐再刷一層香草茴香糖漿即成。雖然簡單﹐可味道讓人一口接著一口的吃過不停﹐配冰淇淋更是無敵 =)

再來是充滿和風的提拉米蘇。杏桃配抹茶這個組合怎麼樣? 很特別吧?﹗是一個阿Vi很喜歡的博客跟據某本日語甜點書的食譜演變出來的美的讓人心醉的一道甜點。將煮過的香草杏桃製作成杏桃果泥跟發泡鮮奶油做成酸甜適中的杏桃慕斯夾在兩片有著襲人淡雅茶香的抹茶海綿蛋糕間﹐跟著是一層綿密富乳香的馬斯卡朋奶油乳酪﹐最後是超濃厚的可可亞。跟著方子做出來的抹茶海綿蛋糕很美味﹐但抹茶味偏淡﹐由於喜歡重一點的﹐我改用另一個抹茶方子。除了做成小蛋糕﹐還做成一口小點呢~

我還應媽咪的要求製作了一個黃桃風味的冷藏式乳酪蛋糕讓她跟同事分享。以製作杏桃果泥雷同的方法做出黃桃果泥後﹐再混合奶油乳酪﹑馬斯卡朋乳酪做成乳酪糊。為了讓桃子的味道更鮮明﹐我加了少量的桃子濃縮糊。要是這樣稍嫌單調了點﹐所以加了一層透明果凍﹐讓賣相更引人。

呵呵。。。這次先post這些。Bon Appétit =)



洋甘菊烤杏桃
1 ½ 杯 砂糖
¼ 杯 新鮮洋甘菊或1個洋甘菊茶包
1條 香草豆﹐縱的開半﹐刮籽
8個 杏桃﹐開半﹐去核﹐留皮
1杯 水

預熱烤箱至375°F/185°C。將砂糖跟水倒進小鍋中﹐以高溫加熱至沸騰。加進香草豆跟籽﹑洋甘菊或茶包﹐然後轉中火熬煮5分鐘﹐離火。用濾網過濾糖漿﹐然後倒進耐熱烤盤中﹐跟著將杏桃切面朝下排列在烤盤中﹐先烤10分鐘﹐然後翻面沾上糖漿再烤5分鐘即可。最佳食用的溫度是微暖。佐香草冰淇淋﹑烤餡餅﹑味道是一級棒。

香草茴香核果餡塔

自製千層派皮3分1 的份量或2片市售的千層派皮
1個 大的黃桃﹐開半﹐去核﹐去皮﹐切薄片
4 個 杏桃﹐開半﹐去核﹐留皮
2湯匙 無鹽奶油 ﹐切丁
1條 香草豆﹐縱的開半﹐刮籽
1粒 八角茴香
1 ¼ 杯 砂糖
50ml 白酒
200ml 水
桿麵皮用的麵粉適量

蛋汁
1個 (L尺寸) 蛋黃
1茶匙 水

將千層派皮從冰箱取出解凍備用﹐約十分鐘。

將派皮麵糰放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐用桿麵棒將派皮桿成約厚5mm或1/4寸的薄片﹐用分別直徑3寸跟5寸(7.5cm/12.5cm)圓形餅乾模具吸出薄片﹐再用叉子戳刺氣孔﹐放進冰箱冷藏備用。預熱烤箱到350°F/175°C。

將砂糖﹑水﹑白酒﹑八角茴香﹑香草豆跟籽一起放入小鍋裡﹐再以高溫加熱煮至沸騰後轉中火繼續煮2分鐘。將杏桃加入熱糖漿中泡煮3分鐘﹐取出。跟著將黃桃片加入熱糖漿中泡煮2分鐘﹐取出。繼續熬煮糖漿至濃縮變稠﹐約至原體積的3分2量﹐用濾網過濾糖漿﹐備用。

把蛋黃和水一起拌勻成蛋汁﹐備用。將派皮從冰箱取出，放到鋪了烤紙的烤盤上。用刀子輕輕的在麵皮邊緣劃界線﹐約寬1/4寸(5mm)﹐小心不要切斷麵皮。用蛋汁塗抹界線裡的麵皮，界處不塗抹蛋汁。將兩塊杏桃排列在直徑3寸(7.5cm)派皮上﹐然後將黃桃片排列在直徑5寸(12.5cm)的派皮上﹐隨意將切小丁的無鹽奶油撒在派皮上，放進烤箱烘烤約25 - 30分鐘至金黃色。取出﹐放涼5分鐘﹐然後用刷子將香草茴香糖漿塗在餡塔表面即可。



杏桃抹茶和風提拉米蘇
4個3in x 3in 小蛋糕

抹茶傑諾瓦士
100g 砂糖
70g 麵粉, 篩過
15g 抹茶
20g 無鹽奶油
3個 大尺寸全蛋

杏桃慕斯
350g 杏桃(去核後的重量)
250ml 水
100g 砂糖
1條 香草豆﹐縱的開半﹐刮籽
4g 明膠片
150ml 鮮奶油
2個 大的蛋白
75g 細砂糖

馬斯卡朋奶油
100ml 鮮奶油
15g 細砂糖 (可免若用罐裝糖煮杏桃)
30g 馬斯卡朋乳酪

製作抹茶蛋糕:
先燒開一小鍋的水﹐備用。將奶油切丁﹐倒進一個耐熱的容器裡﹐然後放微波爐加熱融化﹐靜置放涼備用。

將1個直徑12 x 9in/28 x 24cm長方形模具抹上厚厚的奶油﹐再鋪上烘烤紙﹐備用。將抹茶和麵粉混合篩過﹐備用。將一烤架移到烤箱中格﹐烤箱預熱至360°F/180°C。

將蛋倒進耐熱拌碗中﹐用電動攪拌器以中速打散﹐加進砂糖﹐攪打至顏色變淡。將拌碗放小鍋上隔熱水加熱打發﹐不停攪拌至微溫發泡。停止加熱﹐繼續以劃圓圈的動作打發至富含空氣會如緞帶般重疊時即可。分數次加進篩過的抹茶麵粉﹐用橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻切拌勻﹐然後拌入放涼的融化無鹽奶油﹐同樣的以橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻切拌勻。

一鼓作氣地將麵糊倒進烤模中﹐推勻﹐輕輕敲一下烤模釋放氣泡後﹐放進預熱過的烤箱裡﹐烘烤約15分鐘。當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。將蛋糕切成所需的片狀。

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。

製作杏桃慕斯:
將水﹑100g砂糖﹑香草豆跟籽一起放入小鍋裡﹐開中火加熱煮至砂糖完全融化後加進杏桃熬煮5分鐘至軟﹐離火。靜置放至室溫後﹐將杏桃用濾網撈起﹐用力碾壓擠成杏桃果泥﹐約有250g成品。用濾網過濾糖漿﹐將杏桃果泥跟50ml的糖漿混合﹐剩下的糖漿包好備用。若是用罐裝糖煮杏桃﹐將250g的糖煮杏桃用同樣的手法壓成泥﹐再從罐裡取50ml的糖漿跟泥混合。

明膠片用冰水泡軟之後擠掉水分。將泡軟的明膠片隔熱水融解後拌進杏桃果泥中﹐確實拌勻﹐備用。將鮮奶油打發至出現尖角的起泡程度﹐備用。將蛋白打散﹐然後將細砂糖分數次加進蛋白中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2分1的發泡鮮奶油拌入杏桃果泥中﹐攪拌乳化後﹐拌入剩餘的鮮奶油﹐確實攪拌乳化後再拌進蛋白霜﹐攪拌乳化後倒進擠袋裡備用。

製作馬斯卡朋奶油乳酪:
將馬斯卡朋乳酪室溫放軟。將鮮奶油和砂糖混合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)將放軟的馬斯卡朋乳酪拌入發泡鮮奶油中﹐攪拌乳化即可。

組合及裝飾蛋糕:
將4個無底方形慕斯模擺放好﹐然後在每個模中鋪放一片抹茶蛋糕。用刷子將糖漿塗在蛋糕表面, 將杏桃慕斯擠進模中﹐鋪進另一片抹茶蛋糕﹐輕輕按下去(去氣泡)﹐跟著用抹刀抹一層馬斯卡朋奶油乳酪﹐抹平後放進冰箱冷藏凝固﹐至少3小時或一個晚上。

將蛋糕脫模﹔以溫毛巾圍著模型溫熱10秒後﹐然後用手指將蛋糕往上推出脫模。享用前撒上一層無糖可可亞粉﹐再以食用金箔點綴即可。



黃桃風味冷藏式乳酪蛋糕
1個6in/18cm 的蛋糕

黃桃果泥
2個 大的黃桃﹐開半﹐去核﹐去皮
1茶匙 香草精
1杯 砂糖
50ml 白酒
200ml 水

全麥餅底
100g 蜜糖全麥餅乾
50g 無鹽奶油

黃桃乳酪糊
200g 奶油乳酪
50g 馬斯卡朋乳酪
200ml 鮮奶油
100g 煉乳
50g 黃桃泥
1湯匙 桃子濃縮糊(膏)
5g 明膠片
1個 大的黃桃﹐去核﹐去皮﹐切薄片

桃子透明果凍
200ml 糖漿
8g 寒天粉
1茶匙 檸檬汁
2湯匙 義大利杏仁酒

事前準備:
- 將奶油乳酪用保鮮膜包起來﹐放進微波爐﹐以弱溫加熱1分鐘﹐使其軟化。
- 將明膠片用冰水泡軟﹐擠掉水分備用。



製作黃桃果泥:
將砂糖﹑水﹑白酒一起放入小鍋裡﹐以高溫加熱煮至沸騰後轉中火繼續熬煮2分鐘。加入黃桃塊繼續煮3 – 5分鐘。靜置放至室溫後﹐將黃桃用濾網撈起﹐用力碾壓擠成桃泥。用濾網過濾糖漿﹐將桃泥跟35ml的糖漿跟香草精混合﹐剩下的糖漿包好備用。

餅底﹕
烤箱預熱至360°F/180°C。將蜜糖全麥餅乾裝入拉鍊袋﹐用桿麵棍打碎。滾動桿麵棍﹐將餅乾壓成細末。奶油放進微波爐加熱至融解﹐加入袋內並封緊袋口﹐用手搓揉混合。倒入1個6in/18cm底板可以拆除的模模具中﹐用湯匙背使勁壓平後﹐放進烤箱烘烤20分鐘。取出﹐擺在網架上整個放涼。

黃桃乳酪糊:
將軟化的奶油乳酪放入拌盤中﹐用打蛋器攪拌至順滑加入馬斯卡朋乳酪﹐攪拌均勻順滑後依序加入煉乳à 黃桃果泥à鮮奶油à桃子濃縮糊﹐每加入一樣都必須確實攪拌均勻, 備用。

將1湯匙的鮮奶油和泡軟擠掉水分的明膠片倒進一個耐熱的容器中﹐再放進微波爐以低溫加熱至明膠完全溶解。放冰水浴中冷卻﹐然後拌入乳酪糊中﹐用打蛋器攪拌至順滑後用濾網過濾﹐倒入模具中﹐放進冰箱冷藏2 - 3個小時。將桃片以放射狀排列於凝固的乳酪蛋糕上﹐放進冰箱備用。

桃子透明果凍:
將濾過的糖漿倒進小鍋裡﹐然後將寒天粉過篩到糖漿上﹐以低火煮至150°F/75°C﹐離火﹐放冰水浴中冷卻後﹐加入檸檬汁跟杏仁酒。在模的邊緣緩緩的倒進模中至滿﹐再放進冰箱冷藏凝固1 - 2個小時或一個晚上。

以溫毛巾圍著模型溫熱10秒後﹐用手指將蛋糕往上推出脫模即可。

Chocolate Shortbread with Cacao Nibs, Pink Pepper & Fleur de Sel ~ 巧克力鹽之花胡椒奶油酥餅

Many of you remind me that I should update my blog more regularly but I have been preoccupied with projects and things other than desserts lately. What have been keeping me busy? I have been working on the making of my summer wardrobe, practicing point de croix (cross-stitching), taking dance classes and putting together a friend’s wedding in August; not much but just enough to drain my energy and drag me away from the kitchen for now. Nevertheless, I did manage to squeeze an hour to bake this shortbread, something that has been on my to-bake list for a while. Adopted from a recipe by Elizabeth Falkner in The Essence of Chocolate, this chocolate shortbread is another favorite of mine since I discovered these matcha shortbreads.

I first baked these chocolate shortbreads to nibble on the drive to a friend’s wedding up in Lake Tahoe. Though friends are used to my pick of unusual flavor combinations in desserts & pastries, few were still surprised with this “salty” cookies. Most thought they were too rich and odd with a salty sweet flavor but a few thought the saltiness added a kick to the chocolaty cookie. As for me, these shortbreads are quite intriguing, the perfect balance of sweet and savory. They have an intensely rich buttery chocolate flavor, the sweetness of the chocolate pairs especially well with the mineral notes in fleur de sel sea salt. The fleur de sel and chocolate combination just enticing, seductive and simply brilliant! Bitterness, acidity, sweetness, astringency and saltiness are inherent to chocolate and fleur de sel sea salt brings out and enhances these spectacular dimensions of flavor in chocolate, emphasizing its aromatic and bittersweet note.



Again I baked these chocolate shortbreads this past weekend because I had a craving for it. However, I added another spice to the dough and that is ground pink peppers. It has a sweet, mild taste not pungent like the regular ripe pepper fruits, which I think further enhances the chocolate flavor. I think other spices like cumin, lavender would also work but take care not to add too much because you want to enhance (or balance) not overpower the chocolate flavor. Also, they are quite rich so enjoy them with a cup of good tea or serve with sorbet like I did - click here for the chocolate sorbet recipe ~

Chocolate Shortbread with Cacao Nibs, Pink Pepper & Fleur de Sel – yields 30
Adapted from Elizabeth Falkner’s recipe in The Essence of Chocolate

1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup + 2 tbsp cacao nibs, crushed with a rolling pin
½ tsp pink pepper, finely grinded
1 tsp fleur de sel sea salt
12 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

I thought you should know:
- The dough can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Make sure to press the cookie cutter hard into the dough to get a clean cut. Take care to keep the shape by shaking the cutter slightly before pushing out the dough.
- To preserve the crispiness, shortbreads must be completely cooled before being stored in an airtight container.

Combine flour and cocoa powder then sift the flour mixture into a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the cocoa nibs, sea salt and pink pepper. Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the vanilla extract then add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add in the remaining flour mixture, stopping as necessary to scrape down the bowl. Once incorporated, mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until well combined. Mix in the nibs + salt + pepper mixture and mix until evenly distributed.

On a lightly floured board or between two pieces of parchment paper, roll the dough into a square ¼ inch (7mm) thick. Cut into 1 by 2.5 inch (2.5cm by 6.5cm)rectangles or stamp out other desired shape using cookie cutters, and place on the prepared pans about 1 inch (2.5cm) apart.

Bake for 20 minutes. It is sometimes difficult to tell when these are done; however, one of the best indications is the smell of baked cookies in the air. When the cookies are nudged, they shouldn’t feel soft, but the bottoms should seem crisp.

Remove from the oven and transfer shortbreads to a cooling rack to cool completely. The shortbreads can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.




不知是夏天的好天氣讓人變的懶散﹐還是少了嘗試新的甜點方子的動力﹐最近進廚房的次數五隻手指可以數的出來。走出廚房﹐阿Vi還是有忙不完的事。忙著做手工﹐忙著做夏天的衣服﹐忙著幫人做嫁衣﹐還有忙著籌備朋友八月的婚禮﹐生活過的頗充實的。

這道簡單的奶油酥餅是繼抹茶餅乾我最愛的小點心。在過去的五月往太浩湖參加朋友的destination婚禮時帶去跟朋友在車上分享﹐可評語是參差不齊。不喜歡它的朋友的評價是酥餅的口感太厚重﹐過於濃郁﹐不喜歡那偏鹹的風味。喜歡它的人卻愛它那淡淡的鹹味跟吃完之後的甘甜餘味。我個人是偏愛鹹酥中帶有淡淡的甜味的這種風味的﹐但也明白大眾普遍喜歡味道甜一點的。我覺得酥餅的味道有深度﹐出色之處在於用料上的組合。可可亞本身帶有甜味﹑苦味﹑酸味及它獨特的香氣﹐海鹽能凝聚及提引它的甜味﹐襯托出它的苦甘味﹐強調它的存在感﹐使它更加鮮明﹐帶出它獨有的風味。

對它的味道念念不忘﹐在剛過去的週末又再次烤了這個酥餅。聽說胡椒﹑鹽跟巧克力是充滿魅力的組合﹐所以加了粉紅胡椒來提味。品嘗酥餅時吃不到辛辣味﹐但巧克力味很濃郁﹗好像是粉紅胡椒辣味不強﹐但帶有獨特的香氣﹐能讓巧克力更出色鮮明的原因吧﹗如果你想嘗試搭配其它的香料﹐注意不要使用過量的香料﹐因為過量反而會干擾巧克力原有的香氣。不得不說口感是有點厚重﹐建議佐杯解膩的好茶又或是像我這樣佐杯巧克力雪酪享用 ~



巧克力鹽之花胡椒奶油酥餅 – 約30塊
食譜摘自The Essence of Chocolate

1杯 麵粉
¾杯 無糖可可粉
¼杯 + 2湯匙 可可豆碎(桿壓成碎末)
½茶匙 粉紅胡椒﹐ 磨碎
1茶匙 鹽之花海鹽
12湯匙 無盬奶油(室溫放軟﹐切丁)
½杯 砂糖
1茶匙 香草精

要注意什麼呢?
- 酥餅麵糰如果不立刻使用﹐用保鮮膜包好﹐再放冰箱存放約1個星期﹐若放冰格可存放2個月。
- 用餅乾模具吸出麵糰時一定要大力的按下出﹐左右搖晃幾下﹐這樣麵糰才會輕易的脫出。
- 酥餅烤好後一定要在鋼架放涼後存放﹐否則就不會有酥脆的口感。

將可可粉和麵粉混合拌勻後﹐篩過備用。將可可豆碎﹑鹽之花﹑磨碎的粉紅胡椒混合倒進另一個容器中﹐攪拌勻後備用。 烤箱預熱至325°F/165°C。在餅乾烤盤上鋪上烤盤紙﹐備用。

將砂糖跟室溫放軟的奶油用電動攪拌器先以低速拌勻﹐改用中速打至蓬鬆且顏色變淡及一致﹐約5分鐘。加入香草精及二份一的可可麵粉﹐以低速拌勻後倒入剩下的可可麵粉﹐再以低速拌勻﹐然後轉中速攪拌2分鐘。將可可豆碎﹑鹽之花﹑胡椒混合物拌入麵糰中﹐用橡皮刀從底部往上翻起的方式切拌至完全混合。

將麵糰放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐揉成四方形條狀﹐再輕壓成1寸乘2 ½ 寸(2.5cm乘6.5cm)的長方形狀。將麵糰切成¼寸(7mm)的厚片或是將麵糰桿成約厚¼寸(7mm)後﹐再用餅乾模具吸出麵糰。以1寸/2.5cm之距排放在鋪了烤紙的烤盤上﹐放入烤箱烤20分鐘或是烤到酥餅變硬即可。取出﹐放網架上靜置放涼。酥餅放密閉式容器中可存放1個星期。

Mad about strawberries - Macarons à la fraise ~ 吃草莓之馬卡龍﹑果醬﹑甘納許

Every Spring I pick up these Sequoia June-bearing strawberry plants from a local nursery. The reason that kept me returning every spring is because this variety produces bountiful, luscious and juicy fruits that are exceptionally sweet, aromatic, which just perfect for making dessert and jam. Normally, they bear fruit in June over a period of just a few weeks into mid July but this year, I found some of the plants already bearing fruits and this give the perfect reason to bust out my long list of must-try fruit recipes^^

The first thing that came across my mind was making jam, a first for me. I found a tempting recipe in Mes Confitures, a book which many claimed is the bible of jam making. The author of this book is Christine Ferber, whom people in France and food lovers all over the world refer to as the fairy godmother of jams and jellies. She has been known to use only the best, freshest, seasonal fruits and ingredients from local farmers and that she produces only small batches at a time by hand in her small boulangerie-pâtisserie, Au Relais des Trois Epis in Niedermorschwihr in Alsace, France. I have not come across any of her confitures at my local markets or specialty stores but I am already won over by the interesting flavor combinations presented in this book: wild blueberry + pinot noir + licorice, white peach + lemon verbena, black cherry + eucalyptus honey + fresh mint and that just to name a few! I picked out the seemingly easy recipe to start with - strawberry with black pepper & fresh mint. The recipe called for 2 pounds plus strawberries but unfortunately, this early harvest didn’t produce enough strawberries and I had to buy some. So you ask the taste of this jam? Très délicieux!! I must admit that it is an elevation from the really good strawberry jam I buy from A.G. Ferrari. I wonder if it is the recipe or just because I made it ;p




Macarons à la fraise or strawberry macaron is next up on my must-try fruit recipes. I just love these dainty little jewels! After looking through all my books on macaron, I found that strawberry macarons are actually vanilla macarons with red coloring paired with either strawberry jam or strawberry buttercream!! I always thought the macaron was flavored with strawberry! Well, I just learn something new. So for this recipe, I have added dehydrated strawberry powder that I got from this wonderful store to the batter to make real strawberry flavor macarons. As for the filling, I tried a new recipe – white chocolate ganache with a hint of strawberry flavor. To do so, I infused the cream with sweet and fragrant strawberry tea leaves overnight. I also paired the macarons with the jam for variation. For an intense burst of strawberry flavor, pair both the ganache and jam with the macarons!

Macarons à la fraise – yield about 30 sandwiches

Italian meringue method
55g egg white
150g caster sugar
40g water

Tant pour tant
150g almond flour
150g powdered sugar
10g dehydrated strawberry powder
55g egg white
1 drop red food coloring
Some chopped raw almonds

Prep:
- On the back side of 2 parchment papers, trace 3cm/1 ¼in circles about 3cm/1 ¼in apart. Flip them over and line the baking sheets.
- Prepare 2 sheets of foil the size of the baking sheets.

I thought you should know:
- Must let the piped cookies sit out until dry to touch before baking to prevent them from cracking during baking.
- Press the piping tip on the baking sheet when piping for uniformly shaped macarons. Do not suspend the tip in the air!
- It is best to consume the macarons within 3 days as it loses its moisture and becomes dry fast.

Sift together almond flour, strawberry powder, and powdered sugar twice then place the mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add 55g egg white to the flour mixture and stir until it forms into a sticky ball, set aside.

Heat water and caster sugar over medium heat until it thickens and register at 230°F/116°C on a candy thermometer. While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg white at high speed in the bowl of a mixer using the whisk attachment; whisk until pale and foamy. Reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl, being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden! Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until it becomes thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch, about 5 minutes. When you lift the meringue with the whisk, it should form into a stiff peak. Dilute a drop of red food coloring with a tablespoon of water, adding a little by little to the meringue until it reaches the desired pink hue, fold until incorporated.

With a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the almond/sugar/strawberry flour mix to the meringue, fold until incorporated then fold in the remaining flour mix and fold until completely incorporated. Now it is ready for the macaronnage process.

With the rubber spatula, scoop and spread the batter, in a full circle, on the inside wall of the mixing bowl. Repeat this scoop & spread process, for a total of 15 times. Lift some batter with the spatula, it should falls into the bowl in a ribbon fashion, and should look glossy.

Pour the batter into a piping bag with a small round tip and pipe the batter from the center of the drawn circle onto the baking sheets. Pipe about 60 circles. Sprinkle some chopped raw almonds over piped circles. Let dry at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking to allow skins to form. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F/220°C, with racks in upper and lower thirds.

When the batter is dry to the touch, place into the preheated oven and bake for 2 minutes, then quickly turn it down to 300°F/150°C, bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets (upper and lower racks), cover the sheets with foil, and continue to bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to cool on the cooling rack. Once cooled, slide a knife (fragile, must be careful) underneath the macarons to remove from the parchment paper.

Assemble cookies:
Pair 2 macarons of similar size, pipe about 1 teaspoon of the ganache filling or spoon 1 teaspoon of jam or both onto the flat side of one of the macarons then sandwich them. Let them set in room temperature or refrigerate to set. Make about 30 sandwiches. If refrigerate, let stand at room temperature at least 2 hours to soften before eating.



Ganache chocolat blanc à l'infusion de thé à la fraise
(White Chocolate Ganache flavored with Strawberry Tea)

150g quality white chocolate
150g heavy whipping cream
1tsp loose strawberry tea leaves

The night before, add the tea leaves to the whipping cream and let infuse overnight in the refrigerator.

Strained the tea mixture and discard the solid. Bring the whipping cream to just a boil over medium heat and pour it over the chopped white chocolate. Let seat for 1 minute before stirring the hot mixture with a rubber spatula until completely melted and has a satiny look. It is ready to pipe when it registers 70°F/35°C on the candy thermometer.

Strawberry with Black Pepper & Fresh Mint Jam
Adopted from Mes Confitures: The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber

2 ½lbs strawberries
1 ¾cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1 small lemon
5 fresh mint leaves
5 black peppercorns, freshly ground

Day 1
Rinse the strawberries under cold water then dry with a towel and hull them. Let the strawberries macerate with the lemon juice and the sugar in a ceramic bowl covered with a piece of parchment paper overnight in the refrigerator.

Day 2
Bring the preparation to a simmer over medium-high heat in a preserving pan. Pour it back into the ceramic bowl, cover with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

Day 3
Sterilize the jam jars by putting them in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, drain, then dry with paper towel.

Pour the preparation into a sieve. Bring the collected syrup to a boil in a preserving pan, skim and continue cooking on high heat. When the syrup appear concentrated and register at 221°F/105°C on the candy thermometer, add the half cooked strawberries from the sieve, fresh mint and pepper; return it to high heat. Skim and bring back to a boil for about 5 minutes, stirring gently. The strawberries will now be translucent, remove from heat then quickly spoon the jam into prepared jars to almost full, lightly tap them to release air bubbles and seal. Flip the jars upside down and let cool completely. Store in a cool, dry place, and out of light.



每年的春天我都會在家附近的花圃買入Sequoia June-bearing品種的草莓苗回家種植。這品種所培植出來的草莓不僅色澤紅亮﹐滋味豐腴甜美﹐更有著迷人的甜蜜果香﹐非常討喜。樣子紅灩灩的又精緻剔透﹐還有著清甜柔軟的口感﹐無論是製作甜點﹑果醬又或是裝飾蛋糕都是不二之選。本來每年六月到七月間才是收成的季節﹐可今年五月中就有少部分的草莓已經結果了。也好﹐終於有了藉口好好清一清我那必試水果甜點食譜清單的機會。

最先在我腦中閃過的就是很早就被列在必試清單上的草莓果醬。這還是生平第一次嘗試做手工果醬哩﹐所以定必找個很棒的食譜才行﹐而我在被稱為果醬聖典的Mes Confitures 一書中找到了。這是在法國無人不知﹐被美食圈中人稱為果醬教母的Christine Ferber所出版的果醬食譜書。她之所以被稱果醬教母﹐原因在於她的果醬及果凍配方獨特﹐又採用當地各種優質上選時令水果﹑花朵﹑香料﹑蜂蜜﹑酒等食材加上繁複的手工製作過程熬煮而成。值得一提的是不同於其他的名廚﹐她沒有華麗的店面或包裝﹐她的店只有一家﹐就是當年太祖父開在法國阿爾薩斯鄉間的Au Relais des Trois Epis甜點店。舖子很小﹐但所推出的各款果醬卻是名聞全球擁有很多星級粉絲像法國料理教父Alain Ducasse﹑甜點界的畢加索Pierre Hermé等。雖然我還沒有那個福分吃到她的果醬(好像美國沒有售賣的說)﹐以她書中果醬的配方涵藏著的無限的可能性及精彩度﹐也足以令我臣服了。我所選擇的配方是書中比較簡單操作的了﹐堪稱草莓果醬變奏版。配方需要2磅多的草莓﹐比採收到的數量多﹐只好向超市購買填補了。吼~~~~加了黑胡椒跟新鮮薄菏熬煮的草莓果醬﹐味道質地口感比我從A.G. Ferrari花$8USD買的好許多。味道濃郁﹐果香襲人又隱約嘗到薄菏的香氣﹐都不知該如何形容才好了﹐我想還是你自己嘗味才行﹗

另一個清單上必試的水果食譜就是草莓風味的馬卡龍。翻過家裡所有和製作馬卡龍有關的書籍﹐居然記載的草莓馬卡龍配方都是香草馬卡龍加色素的做法﹐原來所謂的草莓馬卡龍根本只是指它的草莓餡心吧了﹗為了做出有著草莓香氣及味道的馬卡龍﹐在L’ Epicerie買來乾燥處理過的濃縮草莓粉來實驗。呵呵。。。這次烤的馬卡龍折損率偏低﹐我好像捉到竅門了﹗至於餡心﹐嘗試了新的配方﹐就是添加了草莓花茶的白巧克力甘納許﹐讓人吃的滿嘴是優雅迷人草莓奶香﹗為了讓草莓風味更濃郁突出﹐我將有著不同口感的草莓果醬跟甘納許一同作為餡心﹐組合成名符其實的草莓馬卡龍 =)



草莓風味馬卡龍 - 30個

義式蛋白霜
55g 蛋白
150g 細砂糖
40g 水

Tant pour tant
150g 杏仁粉
150g 糖粉
10g 草莓粉
55g 蛋白
1滴 紅色食用色素
裝飾用切碎的生杏仁隨意

事前準備:
- 準備兩張烤纸﹐然後在每一張的反面畫上直徑3cm/1¼in間隔3cm/1¼in的小圓圈。鋪在烤盤上。
- 準備兩張相等於烤盤大小的鋁箔紙﹐備用。

要注意什麼呢?
- 擠出麵糊後要放置到表面乾燥為止才可進烤箱。
- 擠麵糊時先固定一個點再擠出是要訣。
- 馬卡龍不宜放置太久﹐否著就會失去濕潤的口感﹐最好在3天內吃完喔~

混合草莓粉、杏仁粉、糖粉﹐過篩2次後倒進一個大的拌碗中。將55g的蛋白倒進粉中﹐用橡皮刀確實攪拌勻成膏狀後靜置備用。

把水和細砂糖混合倒進小鍋中﹐以中火熬煮至出現黏稠狀﹐糖果溫度計達到230°F/116°C或用手指沾黏(非常燙喔﹗)會牽出糖絲的程度即可。在煮糖漿的同時﹐將55的蛋白用電動打蛋器以高速打發至起泡但還沒出現尖角的程度。轉低速繼續仔細打發﹐然後邊打發邊細絲般的慢慢地注入滾燙的糖漿(千萬不要攪拌糖漿不然會結晶)，完全注入糖漿後轉中速繼續打發﹐直到冷卻出現結實尖角的程度至光滑立體狀態為止﹐約5分鐘。將1滴紅色食用色素用1湯匙的水拌稀﹐再一點點的拌入蛋白霜中至達到理想的顏色為止。

將3分1的草莓杏仁粉拌入蛋白霜中﹐用橡皮刀從底部往上翻起的方式拌勻﹐再分兩次加入剩餘的草莓杏仁粉﹐拌勻後進行macaronnage程序。Macaronnage即是將麵糊從底部往上翻起再往拌碗的內壁壓推勻15次至表面紋理細緻且有光澤的麵糊為止。

將麵糊倒進擠花袋中﹐在先前畫了圓圈的烤盤紙上以小口徑的圓形擠花嘴擠出圓形的麵糊。先固定一個點﹐再從上方擠出比直徑3cm稍小的圓形。總共擠出60個﹐然後將切碎的生杏仁粒撒在麵糊上。放置30分鐘讓表面乾燥﹐用手摸不沾黏即可。放置的同時預熱烤箱至400°F/200°C。

待表面形成薄膜後用400°F/200°C烘烤2分鐘﹐然後迅速降溫到300°F/150°C繼續烘烤5分鐘。迅速取出烤盤各自覆上包裝鋁箔紙﹐放回烤箱時將烤盤調換 (上下烤架) 好 讓馬卡龍烤的均勻﹐再烘烤7分鐘﹐取出﹐放網架上靜置放涼後用抹刀取下﹐備用。

組合馬卡龍:
在半數的馬卡龍平面上擠出約1茶匙的夾心﹐再蓋上另一半的馬卡龍。做成30個。可放室溫或冰箱至餡心凝固。



草莓風味白巧克力甘納許餡心

150g 白巧克力﹐切碎
150g 鮮奶油
1茶匙 草莓花茶葉

鮮奶油與茶葉混合，放進冰箱冷藏泡浸一個晚上。

白巧克力切碎後﹐放進一個耐熱的碗裡。將奶漿從冰箱取出﹐過濾後倒進小鍋﹐開中火煮至剛沸騰後熄火。將滾燙的奶漿注入切碎的白巧克力中﹐靜置1分鐘﹐然後用橡皮刀攪拌至完全融化順滑的狀態為止。放涼至70°F/35°C﹐這是擠花的適當軟硬度。

草莓+黑胡椒+薄菏手工果醬
食譜源自果醬女主廚 Christine Ferber的Mes Confitures: The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber

2 ½磅 草莓
1 ¾杯 砂糖
1個 小檸檬﹐榨汁
5片 新鮮薄菏葉
5粒 黑胡椒粒﹐磨碎

第1天
把草莓洗乾淨﹐抹乾﹐去蒂。將草莓﹑檸檬汁﹑砂糖混合倒進陶瓷碗內﹐全體充份拌勻後蓋上烘培紙﹐放進冰箱糖漬浸軟一個晚上。

第2天
將浸軟的草莓和汁倒入銅鍋中﹐開強力中火熬煮﹐不間斷地邊煮邊攪拌至沸騰後離火。倒回陶瓷碗內﹐蓋上烘培紙﹐放進冰箱浸泡一個晚上。

第3天
將果醬罐子消毒: 燒開一鍋水﹐然後將果醬罐子放進滾燙的水中煮3分鐘﹐取出﹐用紙巾抹乾備用。

將網篩架在一個有深度的大碗上﹐將草莓倒進網篩中過濾﹐撈起草莓﹐僅加熱糖漿。將糖漿倒入銅鍋中﹐開強力中火熬煮﹐不間斷地邊煮邊攪拌至變稠(約221°F/105°C) ﹐此時才將草莓﹑薄菏﹑胡椒加進糖漿中一同熬煮。不間斷地邊煮邊攪拌至沸騰後﹐繼續煮5分鐘至草莓呈現剔透模樣為止﹐離火。將熱騰騰的果醬舀入罐子內直到罐口處﹐將罐子輕輕敲一下去除氣泡﹐緊栓住瓶蓋後倒立放置冷卻。將果醬放日光無法直射的陰涼處存放。

Blueberry & Kumquat Cream Cheese Tarts with Graham Cracker Crust ~ 藍莓﹑金桔奶油乳酪卡士達塔

I have heard so many praises from my fellow food bloggers about a book titled - The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern that I decided to purchase a copy for me. However, it turned out that the book has been out of print for sometime. I have searched numerous used book stores but no sight of it then I found copies available at Amazon but I wasn’t ready to pay hundreds dollar for it. Nevertheless, I finally made the purchase and I’m glad I did. This beautiful book by Claudia Fleming is a gem. Her minimalist approach and use of local, seasonal ingredients in her desserts are so inspiring. Her recipes seem simple to make but they all have a little twist (cracked-pepper ice cream anyone?) to them making them special and unique.

Who is Claudia Fleming? She was the award winning pastry chef at the famed Gramercy Tavern in NYC but in 2006, she and her husband (also a renowned chef) moved from New York City to Long Island, New York, to open The North Fork Table & Inn, which features a seat-in restaurant and guest rooms. Btw, I just found out she re-printed her book and you can order it off her site here.

The first recipe I tried from this book was this dainty blueberry cream cheese tarts with graham cracker crust. I’m not a tart person as the others I had before seem too sweet for my taste. So why pick this recipe? I was convinced by the picture in the book! Also, I thought the graham cracker shells were supposed to be made from the store brought cracker like the way we made cheesecake crust but I was wrong. It is actually graham cracker crust, redolent of honey and cinnamon and has a crispy texture. The cream cheese custard is soft, airy and melts at the tip of your tongue and pair so well with the sweet-tangy blueberry & kumquat compote – perfect for spring~



Blueberry & Kumquat Cream Cheese Tarts with Graham Cracker Crust

Graham Cracker Tart Shells
makes about 10 (1 ½x4in) flute shell & 12 (2x4in) financier tart shell

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup Demerara sugar
¼ cup honey
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth over medium speed until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and light in color. Add the honey and beat until combined; set aside.

Combine the flours, salt, and cinnamon in another bowl then add to the butter mixture in two batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Mix until the dough is well combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and form into a disk. Chill until firm, at least an hour and up to two days.

Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Use a rectangular cutter or knife to cut out the dough to fit the tart pans, press the dough gently into the tins, trimming away any excess dough. Prick dough all over with a fork and let chill for 20 minutes or until the dough is firm enough. Chill longer if necessary.

Bake tart shells until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. They can be made a day in advance. Also, they can be kept up to 3 months in the freezer when stored in an airtight container.

Cream Cheese Pastry Cream
makes about 4 cups

1 cup milk
5 tbsp sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 ½ tbsp corn starch
6 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Combine ¾ cup of the milk and 3 tablespoon of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Whisk the remaining ¼ cup milk into the yolk mixture. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add a little of the hot milk to the yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from cooking. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour.

Return the custard to the stove and bring it to a boil, whisking constantly. Let the custard cook for 1-2 minutes until it thickens. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Using a fine sieve; strain the mixture into a clean bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

Beat the heavy cream over medium speed until soft peaks form. Whisk the pastry cream until smooth and fold in the whipped cream until combined.




Blueberry Compote - 2 1/2 cups

2 ½ cups blueberries
1 tbsp sugar

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup of the blueberries with the sugar. Cook over low heat until all the berries have popped and the juices come out.

Strain the mixture into a bowl and discard the solids. Add the rest of the blueberries into the syrup and toss to combine.

Kumquat Compote
Make 48 halved kumquats

400g (about 24) kumquats
2 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cup water

Wash and pat dry kumquats. Remove calyces, cut them in half horizontally then pit with a fork. Bring sugar and water to boil, add the kumquats. Cover with a paper towel (directly on kumquats) and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.

Remove from heat and let sit overnight at room temperature. Trash the paper towel and remove the kumquats and transfer to a bowl. Reheat the poaching syrup to a boil then remove from heat. Add the kumquats back into the syrup and let sit overnight at room temperature. Place the compote (discard the syrup) in an airtight container and keep refrigerated; good up to a week.

To assemble:
Spoon the pastry cream into each tart shell and top with the blueberries or candied kumquats, sprinkled with finely chopped pistachios. Serve soon after assembling.



有頗多bloggers推薦一本名為The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern的書。他們跟著食譜做出來的甜點很是吸引人。我好奇它是不是像大家說的那麼棒﹐所以決定也買一本來看看。去過幾家大型的連鎖書店也找不到﹐問店員才知道這書絕版了。去信出版社﹐得到的答案是他們不會再印這本書了。沒辦法﹐只好往賣舊書的書店碰運氣。可是去過很多店﹐都是失望而回。終於在Amazon看到有人出讓﹐可是要$100 USD多﹐而且還是圖書館的書﹗半個月前﹐終於找到非圖書館版本又價錢比較合理的。收到書的那天真的好激動 ;p

好在書沒讓我失望。食譜的名字很有詩意﹐看似簡單但處處看到驚喜之處例如胡椒口味﹑羅勒口味的冰淇淋。可惜照片很少﹐要不然就完美了。而這本書的著者是紐約星級Gramercy Tavern餐廳的前甜點總廚Claudia Fleming。她以採用當季的食材製作甜點和節約風格而著名。現在想吃到她的甜點就需前往她和丈夫經營位於紐約州Long Island的小旅館囉。這是我下一次到紐約必去的地方。如果你有興趣買她的書可前往她的旅館網站訂購(按這裡)。我剛剛才得知她自己出資重新出版這本書。嗚嗚嗚。。。我買貴了。。。

其實我不是很喜歡塔派類的甜點﹐因為印象中這些都很甜膩。那麼為什麼我還選擇這個藍莓奶油乳酪卡士達塔呢? 很簡單﹐因為照片很漂亮﹗而且這個肉桂甜塔皮聽起來很好吃的樣子。果不其然塔皮在烘烤時﹐廚房是滿滿的肉桂香﹐真的好香好香。奶油乳酪做成的卡士達醬輕盈細緻輕易的在舌尖上化開﹐和我以前嘗過的甜膩口感完全不一樣﹐好驚喜哦﹗最愛的是糖煮藍莓﹐本來吃起來很酸﹐可是將跟糖煮過的莓汁混合後就變的剛好﹐我留起了一半佐原味優格吃。看冰箱還留著早前做好的糖漬金桔﹐就拿了一些做餡料﹐也很配。甜酸適中﹐很開胃﹐很適合春﹑夏季節吃的一道點心。就連不愛吃甜的媽媽都一口氣吃了3個塔﹐還帶了一些給她的朋友。希望你也會喜歡~



藍莓﹑金桔奶油乳酪卡士達塔 – 約22個

肉桂甜塔皮– 10個直徑1 ½ x 4寸船形塔皮跟12個直徑2 x 4寸長方形塔皮

1杯 無鹽奶油 - 室溫放軟﹐切成小方塊
¼杯 黃糖
¼杯 甘蔗糖或黑糖
¼杯 蜜糖
2杯 麵粉
½杯 低筋全麥麵粉
1茶匙 鹽巴
½茶匙 肉桂粉

將麵粉﹑低筋全麥麵粉﹑鹽巴﹑和肉桂粉混合備用。將切成小方塊的奶油﹑砂糖用電動攪拌器以中速攪打至奶油變淡黃色呈蓬鬆狀後加入蜜糖﹐攪拌勻﹐然後加入混合好的粉類快速拌勻成糰塊。將麵糰放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐揉至軟滑成球狀。輕壓成扁圓片﹐蓋上保鮮膜﹐放進冰箱靜置最少60分鐘(最久兩天)醒麵。

烤箱預熱至325°F/165°C。取出麵糰﹐放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐將麵糰桿成約厚3mm或1/8寸的薄片後用長方形的餅乾模具吸出或用刀子切割出薄片。鋪進塔派模裡﹐壓實塔皮底及塔皮壁﹐用刀子將多出來的麵皮切掉﹐再用叉子戳刺氣孔。蓋上保鮮膜﹐放進冰箱冷藏約20分鐘定型。

取出﹐放入烤箱烤20分鐘或至塔皮呈金黃色。取去擺放在網架上放涼。



奶油乳酪卡士達醬 – 約4杯

1杯 全脂奶
5湯匙 砂糖
4個 大的蛋黃
2 ½湯匙 玉米粉
6oz 奶油乳酪
1茶匙 香草荳精
½杯 鮮奶油

將3/4 杯牛奶跟3湯匙砂糖混合裝進小鍋裡，以中火煮至砂糖融化沸騰即離火備用。另一個拌盤裡加進蛋黃﹑玉米粉﹑剩下的2湯匙砂糖﹐拌勻後拌入剩下的1/4 杯牛奶﹐攪拌均勻。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﹐倒回小鍋中以低火加熱。用打蛋器持續不斷的攪拌至變稠﹐約2分鐘﹐然後拌進奶油乳酪及香草精﹐不停攪拌至順滑﹐離火。將蛋黃醬過濾後﹐倒進碗中﹐在蛋黃醬表面蓋上保鮮膜(黏著蛋黃醬)﹐放進冰箱冷藏約60分鐘。

將鮮奶油打發至出現軟角的程度﹐拌入放涼的蛋黃醬中﹐用橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻切拌勻即可。倒進密閉的容器裡﹐放冰箱可存放3天。

糖煮藍莓 – 2 ½ 杯
2 ½杯 藍莓
1湯匙 砂糖

將1杯藍莓和砂糖倒進平鍋裡﹐以低火煮至砂糖融化﹐藍莓變軟成漿為止﹐約3分鐘。將藍莓漿過濾取汁。將剩下的藍莓拌進莓漿中﹐拌勻即可。

糖漬金桔
24粒 金桔　
2杯 砂糖
1½杯 水

作法：
把金桔洗乾淨﹐抹乾﹐去蒂﹐橫的切成兩半﹐再用叉子去籽。將水和砂糖裝進小鍋裡﹐開中火煮沸﹐把金桔加進去﹐用一片*紙巾覆蓋在金桔上﹐繼續煮兩分鐘﹐離火﹐在常溫中放涼置一晚。

丟掉紙巾﹐把金桔撈出來﹐僅加熱糖漿﹐煮沸後熄火。此時才將金桔放回糖漿中﹐在常溫中放置一晚。把糖漿倒掉﹐倒進密閉容器中﹐可冷藏存放一個星期。

*紙蓋的作用是要使金桔沉入鍋內﹐完全浸泡在糖漿裡。

組合:
將奶油乳酪卡士達醬舀進塔皮至8分滿﹐舀些糖煮藍莓﹐再以薄荷葉裝飾一部分的塔。剩下的隨意的擺放金桔﹐再撒些切碎的開心果仁裝飾。

Sablés au thé vert ~ 富傳奇色彩的抹茶餅乾

The shortbread cookie you see here is legendary and has a cult followings. It is so good that it won itself a Golden Scoop Award, not to mention that it is insanely popular among many food bloggers (you can find the list here) . It is not difficult to understand why after eating a few (Okay, I lied. It was more like a few dozens!). These cookies are the creation of Kelli, the owner of Amai Tea & Bake House in New York City. She has posted the recipe to her blog – Lovescool – some time back and I bet it was due to popular requests by fans^^

I didn’t learn of her shop and the cookies until I seen it here years after she posted the recipe. I immediately fell in love with the elegant packaging hoping that I can have a taste of them. You can imagine how happy I was when I found out that she has posted the recipe to her blog!

To my surprise (and everyone else), the recipe called for ingredients that I already have and the instruction was easy to follow. However, it does take time (patience too) to do the chill – cut – chill dough process though your work will be rewarded! Also, the quality of matcha plays a major role here as it is the main flavoring. I strongly advise that you use the best quality of matcha that you can find or afford. I used matcha from Uji, the area known to produce the finest matcha in Japan and the world. You certainly can taste the differences between so so and premium matcha. The color definitely shown too – better quality matcha equals more brilliant color.



These cookies are just as good as everyone promised and more! They are exceptionally delicate, crumbly and have a distinctive matcha aroma and the most brilliant shade of jade! The recipients of these cookies can’t agree more - I baked these cookies as holiday treats to friends along with the icebox cookies that everyone raved about^^

Btw, I must have baked hundred dozens because I was forever “tasting” the cookies so it seem like I don’t ever have enough to pack the boxes ;)

Sablés au thé vert – makes 2 dozens

I thought you should know:
- Make sure to press the cookie cutter hard into the dough to get a clean cut. Take care to keep the shape by shaking the cutter slightly before pushing out the dough.
- Matcha tends to fade when exposed to sunlight so store the cookies in container that blocks out sunlight to preserve the color.

Recipe

Happy baking!




你現在看到的抹茶餅乾可是大有來頭極富盛名的哦﹗美味到贏取獎項及擁有為數龐大的粉絲團﹐更是很多網友及food bloggers(點這裡)的最愛。我想那也是應該的因為它是位於紐約市的Amai Tea & Bake House 的鎮店之寶。當初在這裡看到這家店的產品介紹時就被它清雅的包裝所吸引﹐很想每一樣都咬上一口。而當我品嘗後就明白它的魅力所在了。不像我吃過的只有綠色卻無抹茶味的成品﹐Amai的抹茶餅乾極具抹茶的清香獨特風味﹐讓人吃到停不了口。可是它的價錢也不便宜﹐3個小餅乾盛惠$3.50﹐所以不能天天買。當我由他人口中知道Kelli﹐Amai的老闆娘將食譜上載到她的部落格時我可開心的咧。。呵呵呵呵。。。

跟著食譜不僅做出了那個讓我難忘的味道﹐還比我吃過的更酥脆﹗食譜也沒有想像中的困難讓我頗驚訝的。想說一定是加了什麼特別的材料才能做出那麼讓人難忘的味道﹐可是沒有﹗我想食材都是用頂級的﹐就算是簡單的材料也能做出那麼美味讓人魂牽夢寐的成品。因為這餅乾的特色是它的香氣﹐所以抹茶的品質是舉足輕重的。購買抹茶時不要吝惜錢﹐品質越高的抹茶越發凸顯香氣﹐顏色越是翠綠﹐成品就越出色。

美味的東西當然要和家人﹑朋友分享所以特地烤了上百的餅乾在過去的這個聖誕送人。我烤了很多次才籌夠數﹐因為每次餅乾一烤好都給我吃了一半﹗就是忍不住口﹐希望你會比我有自制力 ^__~

抹茶小知識:
抹茶具有極高的蛋白質、氨基酸、維生素、礦物質和葉綠素的含量很高。具有清熱解毒、生津止渴、抗疲勞、醒酒消醉、降血壓、防衰老、明目清肝的保健功能。雖然具有這麼多保健功能﹐據中醫師說抹茶屬寒涼物﹐體質屬涼性的人應少喝為妙。多喝會造成血氣不流暢﹐臉色蒼白。



抹茶餅乾 - 餅乾的數量就要看餅乾模了
食譜來自Lovescool

¾ 杯 糖粉或細砂糖
150g 無盬奶油 (室溫放軟, 切丁)
1 ¾ 杯 麵粉
3個 L尺寸蛋黃
1.5湯匙 抹茶 (我用的是宇治抹茶)
1杯 砂糖 (包裹麵團用)

要注意什麼呢?
- 用餅乾模具吸出麵糰時一定要大力的按下出﹐左右要幾下﹐這樣麵團才會輕易的脫出。
- 抹茶遇熱後顏色會變淡﹐所以記得將放涼後的餅乾存放在不透光的容器裡。

將抹茶和糖粉混合拌勻。將抹茶糖粉跟室溫放軟的奶油用電動攪拌器先以低速拌勻﹐改用中速打至蓬鬆且顏色變淡及一致。加入麵粉﹐攪打勻後加入蛋黃﹐拌成糰塊。

將麵糰放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐揉至軟滑成球狀。輕壓成扁圓片﹐蓋上保鮮膜﹐放進冰箱靜置30分鐘醒麵。

烤箱預熱至350°F/180°C。在餅乾烤盤上鋪上烤盤紙﹐備用。取出麵糰﹐放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐將麵糰桿成約厚3/8in的薄片後用餅乾模具吸出麵糰﹐然後放到盛著砂糖的碗中讓麵團完全包裹著砂糖。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。