Cinnamon bun crisps

Just as pancakes has its own day here in Ireland, the cinnamon bus has its own day in Sweden. This day is the 4th of October and I sure did my duty as a Swede abroad and baked some buns. When buns are fresh they are such a delight to bite into, but after a day or two they loose their freshness and a lot of leftover buns end up in the bin. Then I read about what delicious things they can be turned into; bread and butter pudding, french toast, grilled into a sweet bruschetta topped with apples and mascarpone...the list is long but one idea really caught my interest.
The bun is sliced thinly and put on a baking tray or wire rack, toasted in the oven and then dried out on a low heat to create crisp, biscotti-like biscuits to serve on the side of tea or coffee. I tried and it worked a treat. The bun is so rich itself that even though it's dried out it tastes sweet and buttery.
So just get some old buns, slice them up and toast on 175C for 5min, turn down the heat to 120 and continue to cook until the buns are dry and crisp.

Italian meringue

If you ever think of making meringues, and you should, this is the recipe to use. Sugar and water is boiled to a thick syrup that is poured over beaten egg whites and whisked until cooled, this creates a very firm glossy mixture that can be used as an ingredient in mousses, parfaits and ice creams, or just piped into little bite sized meringues that will look very professional. You will need a hand held electric mixer and a kitchen thermometer. It might sound like a lot of work but once you take time to read the recipe and follow it you wont regret making Italian meringues. The recipe here will make a small batch, maybe a good idea to start small and just double it next time. I made my meringues very small and got about 15 out of this batch.

60 grams caster sugar
20 grams water
30 grams egg white
6 grams caster sugar

Bring the larger amount of sugar and the water to boil in a pot, turn down the heat and let simmer. When the mix comes to 115C start beating the egg white with the small amount of sugar, beat to quite firm peaks. When the sugar syrup reaches 120-124C start pouring over the egg whites while beating. Continue beating until the mix is completely cold. Pipe or spoon the mix into little meringues on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 3H on 80C.

Chocolate Macaroons

The other day I baked Macaroons again and they turned out nearly just the way I wanted. A crisp chocolate meringe shell with a chewy inside, filled with smooth milk chocolate ganache. I used this recipe and added 1tsp of cocoa powder to the icing sugar/almond mix. The milk chocolate ganache is very easy to make and I chose to kepp it plain, next time I might flavour it with some liqour or whiskey. I used Fair Trade milk chocolate of good quality.

Milk chocolate Ganache
100 grams milk chocolate
50ml cream
1tbsp butter

Bring the cream to boil and take off the heat. Add butter and chocolate, stir until the chocolate has melted and it all looks smooth and well combined. Set a side to cool down. The ganache is set when not runny anymore and thick in consistency. Fill the Meringe shells with the ganache and put together two and two. Chill before serving and store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Blood orange drizzle cake

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" the old saying goes but in the month of March it is more a case of blood oranges being in season and I like to make the most of it.
Lemon drizzle cake is something I tasted the first time in London. We were strolling around in a park, the sun was shining and it was a lovely late summer day until all of a sudden the sky turned grey and it looked like bad weather was on the way. In the gardens of Kensington Palace a lovely cafe called The Orangery is located and as we seeked shelter in there the weather started to get better again, and by the time we had ordered our afternoon tea the sky was clear again. English weather, what can I say?
However I decided to go very Brittish this afternoon and ordered a slice of lemon drizzle cake accompanied by a pot of Earl Grey tea. What a pleasure to bite in to this soft, moist sponge drizzled with a lovely tangy lemon icing, sipping tea in the gardens of Kensington palace.
This month I have indulged in blood oranges as they are in season and the price is very reasonable. It is lovely to eat them just the way they are of course but it can be nice to make something more and since I love baking I decided to put a twist on the classic Lemon Drizzle cake and do a Blood Orange Drizzle Cake. A rich sponge is topped with a blood orange juice and sugar mix, the orange juice will sink into the cake and make it moist, the sugar will stay on top and create a sherbet like icing.

Sponge

200 grams butter, room temperature
300 grams caster sugar
4 eggs
240 grams plain flour
1tsp baking powder
100ml milk
1 blood orange, zest and juice
1 pinch of salt

Cream butter, sugar and a pinch of salt until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at the time while beating into a smooth batter. Add flour and baking powder through a sieve. Last fold in milk, zest and juice of the blood orange and make sure all is well combined. Bake for 30-40min on 175C, a skewer should come out dry. Take out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack while making the syrup and icing.

Icing

1 blood orange, juice and zest
80 grams caster sugar (i used icing sugar, it wont be as "icy" on the top, still very nice)

Combine the juice and sugar, pour over the cake and sprinkle zest on top.

Serve with your afternoon tea or as a dessert with a dollop of cream or yougurt.

Pink macaroons with rhubarb and cream tea

I have done it again and this time successfully. I am talking about macaroons and I am now very proud to present my latest attempt to bake these little treasures. It is such a challenge to have patience for all the little steps that are crucial for a perfect result. This time the macaroon bases were close to perfection and they just looked absolutely gorgeous. The recipe is the same as my Hazelnut macaroons but this time I did it the traditional way and used ground almonds.

150 grams icing sugar
60 grams ground almonds
2 egg whites

Mix half of the icing sugar with the ground almonds pass through a fine sieve. Beat egg white until soft peaks appear, slowly start to add icing sugar bit by bit while beating. Continue whisking to a firm meringue. Gently fold in almonds and icing sugar, stir just so all is well blended and has lost a bit of its volume, be careful not to stir too much.

Drop or pipe small rounds of the mix on a tray with baking paper. If small peaks or bubbles appear gently tap the tray against your work top and they will even out and look smooth. Let dry for 1h before baking on 150C for 12-15min. Let cool down completely before removing from the baking paper.

Fill with butter cream or chocolate ganache. My filling was a butter cream flavoured with rhubarb and cream tea, it will come later on the blog.

Profiteroles, petit choux, pate a choux...

When I was younger I used to bake a lot, and one thing myself and my sister would make is "petit choux" as our cake-book would call the light and fluffy pastries more known as Profiteroles. A mix of water, butter and flour is boiled and eggs are whisked into the mix to create a dense batter that will puff up into the oven and become hollow and crisp. It does require some fine skills and I am quite amazed that we actually made them at a young age. Taking turns in beating the eggs in to the mix was a must since small arms get tired quickly, but what a pleasure it was to bite into a light pastry filled with whipped cream garnished with chocolate sauce.
These days my skills has definitely improved and I have realised that one very important step in making these is to make sure that the profiteroles are completely dry inside before taking out of the oven. That will prevent the pastry going soggy or damp when cold.
Last saturday we had friends over for dinner, they brought lovely antipasti and bruschetta, I cooked Saltimbocca (veal medallions with sage, parma ham and white wine sauce) and to follow I made Profiteroles filled with limoncello cream, chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries...

15 profiteroles

30 grams butter
60 grams plain flour
125ml water
2 eggs

Bring water and butter to the boil in a small pot. Add flour and beat with a wooden spoon to create a dense batter. Continue to beat while boiling for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat and let cool down a bit. Add one egg and beat until smooth, add the other egg and beat again until smooth. Let cool down. Spoon little dollops of the dough on a tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 10min on 210C. Turn heat down to 180 and continue to bake until dry inside. Let cool completely and fill with whipped cream just before serving.

Friands or financiers...

This is a recipe I have been looking at for ages now since I first saw it on a very fancy blog called What Katie Ate. These french "tea-cakes" might not look much to the world but the taste is absolutely fantastic. Dense, nutty and buttery this little number appears in various small shapes. The name Friand means "dainty" or "tasty" but they are mainly known by the name Financiers, that because the shop where the recipe was created was located very close to the Paris stock exchange. Originally the cakes were baked in rectangular moulds to resemble bars of gold.
I find these little stories quite amusing to read and this one made me want to bake Financiers even more. What makes them so nice is the toasting of almonds that will bring out some lovely flavours in the nuts and most important; Beurre Noisette, or directly translated from French "brown butter". It will give a very nutty and deep flavour to the butter and when you bite in to a fresh Financier you will not regret this step.
The Financiers can be flavoured with fresh berries or fruit but I made these plain and it was very tasty like that. Maybe next time I will try out some flavour.

12 Financiers

110 grams butter
30 grams plain flour
50 grams ground almonds
90 grams icing sugar
3 egg whites (90 grams)
1 pinch of salt

Start with toasting the ground almonds on a tray in the middle of the oven on 150C until golden, 8-10 min. Let cool down.
Put butter in a small pot on a medium heat, when melted let it come to the boil, stirring or swirling occasionally. A foam will appear on the surface, continue to boil until it looks clear and all the foam/milk parts has sunk to the bottom of the pan. Ad soon as a nutty smell starts to appear and the butter looks deep brown (not black) take of the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Set a side to cool.
Combine flour, almonds, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Whisk the egg whites lightly and fold in to the dry mix together with the butter. Stir until smooth and divide into 12 small moulds well buttered and floured. Bake for 5-7min on 200C.

Hazelnut macaroons with whiskey butter cream

At the moment there seem to be as many macaroon makers as there is food blogs; nearly every blog I follow or read has pictures and recipes of their favourite macaroons. To me it is like chemistry class all over again, and all this whisking, sieving, folding, resting and waiting is a bit intimidating. It is so worth it though, trust me, because it is all those little steps that makes a macaroon perfect. Mine turned out just fine to the look, divine to the taste. So a little work on my technique and even I will be able to present a perfect macaroon on my blog. For now I give you the recipe of a not so perfect, very yummy hazelnut macaroon.

Hazelnut meringue
150 grams icing sugar
60 grams ground hazelnuts
2 egg whites

Make sure the hazelnuts are finely ground, add half of the icing sugar, mix and sieve. Beat egg white until soft peaks appear, slowly start to add icing sugar bit by bit while beating. Continue whisking to a firm meringue. Gently fold in hazelnuts and icing sugar, stir just so all is well blended and has lost a bit of its volume, be careful not to stir too much.
On a tray with baking paper drop small rounds of the mix using a piping bag or a tea spoon. Let rest in room temperature for 1 hour.

Bake in the middle of the oven on 150C for 12min. Let cool completely before removing from the paper.
Whiskey chocolate butter cream
50 grams soft butter
120 grams icing sugar
10 grams cocoa powder
2tsp whisky

Beat sugar, butter and cocoa powder until smooth and creamy. Add whiskey and stir again until well blended.

To put macaroons together pipe a small bit of butter cream on of the bottom one meringue and press one on top, bottom to bottom. Chill before serving

English chocolate fudge

There is a few recipes that I promised never to give away but some promises can be broken if one starts a food blog and feel very giving in the autumn darkness. A couple of weeks ago I made these lovely treats that I have eaten for as long as I can remember, due to the recipe being from my grandmother. And if she did not make them it was my mum, and eventually myself. Home made English fudge is nothing like what you buy in the shop, no this is proper treats made with butter and cream, no way near a healthy option, just simply delicious, melt in the mouth chocolates...

Use salted butter, it is neccessary to break the rich and sweet flavour.

250 grams caster sugar
200ml heavy cream
30 grams butter
1tbsp vanilla sugar
3tbsp cocoa powder

In a pot combine all ingredients and let melt on a low heat. Bring to the boil and continue to simmer while stirring occaisonally.
The mix needs to reach "hard ball" temeprature wich is around 120C. I have never used a thermometer while making fudge, I just put a small bit of the mix into a glass of cold water. If the mix sets enough for you to make a little ball that keeps the shape, the mix is ready.
With a wooden spoon whisk virgously until the fudge has gone paler in colour and starts to change in texture, it should feel "sugary" when you taste it. Pour the mix onto a tray with baking paper on and let cool down before cutting into small squares with a sharp knife. When completely cold store in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Cornflakes in chocolate fudge...

This is the Swedish version of rice crispies treats; cornflakes+chocolate...well this recipe is a little bit more complicated than that, but still very easy to make. I remember the first recipe I ever tried was just equal amouns of honey, butter and cocoapowder put in a bowl in the microwave for a minute or so, then a couple of handfulls of cornflakes were covered in the chocolate mix. Later in life I discovered this recipe and wont go back!

50 grams butter
80 grams caster sugar
2tbsp golden syrup
2tbsp cocoa powder

cornflakes

Melt butter, sugar, syrup and cocoapowder on low heat in a pot. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 1min. Take off the heat and add enough cornflakes to be covered in the chocolate mix. Spoon the mix into little muffins cups and let set in the fridge before eating.

Raspberries and chocolate...

When I was in the last year of catering school I did my work experience in a very wellknown, old cafe/patisserie in Stockholm city. There was seperate kitchens for each department and I was lucky enough to try out each one of them. In the end I did end up working in one of them where we cooked light lunches such as soups, salads and sandwiches made on bread baked the same morning...

...but during my work experience my favorite was definatley the chocolaterie, that was a room one floor down that was almost completly covered in marble and filled with chocolate. I know, it was a dream coming true and in this very place I was thought how to make chocolate truffles. This place is going through a lot of chocolate every week so of course the whole procedure was a little different than when I make truffles at home, but the only difference really is the quantity.

My favorite flavours was always the truffles made from dark chocolate, and cardamom or raspberry are probably still the top two.

Yesterday I decided to make some raspberry truffles at home and it was a sucess! I here give you the recipe that will be enough for 12-14pieces, depending on what size you want them. Raspberry pure is just made from defrosted raspberries pressed through a fine sieve.

Ganache

100grams dark chocolate

50ml cream

50grams raspberry pure

1tsp honey

1tsp butter

25grams dark chocolate

5tbsp granulated sugar, red food colour

Break the chocolate in to small pieces and put in a bowl. In a pot mix cream, raspberry pure, honey and butter. Gently heat up, almost to boil. Pour this over the broken chocolate and stir until completly smooth. Chill for at least 4 hours.

With cold hands shape 12-14 round balls. Put in the fridge again.

Melt the chocolate. If you want the coating to be pink just add a couple of drops of food colour to the sugar and mix with a fork until the colour is even. Roll the chocolate balls in melted chocolate and then in the sugar. Store the truffles cold and dry.