La Praluline de Pralus

Thanks to blog reader Pete, Steve and I popped back over to Vieux Lyon on our last full day in the city. Our goal - to stop at the Pralus chocolate/pastry shop to purchase La Praluline de Pralus. The link should take you to the shop page in English if you’re interested in reading more about François Pralus, a winner of France’s coveted Meilleur Ouvrier de France, MOF (essentially a best in their field designation).

Having been generally disappointed with the various praline rose items we tasted (except the tarte from Paul Bocuse), I was given a push by Pete to give La Praluline a try. OK! We headed over the river to the old town on Good Friday afternoon - LOTS of folks out and about on a beautiful sunny day.

Photo compliments of Steve Soper

These babies were literally flying out the door of the shop. We could see the ready and waiting inventory both on the front counter as well in the back kitchen. The sales folk were efficient and friendly, one being the wrapper/bagger and one taking payment with barely a moment to spare until the next customer stepped up.

Once I opened the package I found an informative insert all about this regional specialty. A buttery brioche loaded with chopped pink pralines which, at Pralus, are made with BOTH almonds and hazelnuts chosen from the best producers. I’m in.

Looks like some kind of meteorite or moonscape!

We shared a small slice mid-afternoon just to get a taste (didn’t want to spoil our appetite for dinner, don’t ya know). Crunchy, buttery and delicious.

Just loaded with pralines rose

Due to the brioche butteriness, this keeps well for several days and doesn’t mind a short warm up in a medium oven for a few minutes. If you’re ever in Lyon, give it a try.

Here’s another vision of spring to make you smile.

Pralines rose de Lyon

I’ve been vaguely aware of these traditionally Lyonnaise treats but never really made a point of familiarizing myself with them and how they might be used in the baking and pastry world. I don’t really recall seeing them used during my pastry training at Le Cordon Bleu Paris but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any lurking around.

These things are EVERYwhere in Lyon! Basically pink-red tinged sugar coated almonds, my first taste of a morsel from the sac on the right (from C-Gastronomie, a shop just around the corner from our AirBnB) was less then exciting - too sweet, kind of soft and not crunchy and crisp as I had expected. Remember French burnt peanuts? I used to love those!

Me being me, I had to buy another bag to make a comparison. The sac on the left is from Paul Bocuse’s shop at Lyon’s foodie nirvana, Les Halles de Paul Bocuse - other then different words on the ribbon and package, they look exactly the same. My side by side tasting indicated they were indeed the same. My cross section showed me that the almond inside is about the same size and the coating about the same thickness. There must be a large production facility somewhere that churns these babies out.

I was more intrigued by the pastries that are made using these pralines rose than the candy itself. We’ve seen MANY shops selling praline rose tartes, sablés et brioche de St-Genix all of which incorporate them into the final product.

Where to start. My first trial was from Boulangerie Ferriandière just a few blocks down from our AirBnB. We went in to purchase a loaf of bread (delicious by the way) and there I saw both individual brioches with pralines rose and larger brioches de St.-Genix. I went for the single. Not much to look at really.

I must admit that brioche in general can be pretty boring - I was hoping for the best. Check out the inside.

Hmmmmm . . . . not much going on in the praline rose department

I was right - it had little to recommend it from the praline standpoint. I found only a few small pieces of praline and the brioche itself was dry. I admit this was a pathetic attempt at investigation into the brioche side of things. Typically I take all my own photos but this time here’s a Wikipedia image of the larger version - it at least gives you sense of it. We saw a number of people strolling around with these, tearing pieces off as they went. Hmmm. . .

Credit to Wikipedia for this photo

Next - Steve and I returned to Les Halles de Paul Bocuse and spied a number of tartes à la praline rose from the likes of P.B.’s and Richard Sève’s pâtisseries. We purchased a couple of individual tartes for tasting purposes.

Paul Bocuse version

I did some research on the making of said tartes. Sève’s site/recipe (in French) claims that they make “la Véritable Tarte à la praline”. Here’s the link to the recipe in French - very detailed. They highlight the fact that they make their own pralines rose in copper equipment, coating them and then crushing them just so for their tartes.

The tarte process: in a nutshell it consists of a blind baked pâte sucrée crust and a filling made with equal weights (200-250 g each for a 8-9” tarte) of crushed/chopped pralines rose and heavy cream plus vanilla. Bring the cream with the seeds from one vanilla bean to a boil, then stir in the crushed pralines and let cook about 5-10 minutes. Pour that into your cooled blind baked crust and bake for 5 minutes at 200ºC. Let cool and refrigerate overnight before serving. Sounds pretty straight forward, right?

If you want to make your own pralines rose, you first roast the almonds then coat them in sugar syrup that has a red coloring added. The nuts ultimately become coated with a hard sugar coating to create the outer shell. As I read about the process, it’s not unlike caramelizing hazelnuts and almonds to make praliné paste used in many pastry applications.

Of course, if you wish to purchase already made pralines rose, Sève recommends theirs. Bien sur! But . . . . when we looked at the shop to buy a bag of their’s - none to be had!

Let’s talk tarte tasting! The appearance of les tartes à la praline rose from the two shops is quite different as is easily seen below. Bocuse’s tart shell is deeper and the filling is smoother and less chunky while Sève’s shell is more shallow and full of praline pieces.

As I cut into each, the texture of Bocuse’s filling is thicker, almost custard like, while Sève’s is thinner and more jammy/chunky. Bocuse’s crust is snappy and crisp while Sève’s is softer in texture.

Over all Steve and I preferred Bocuse’s version. The crust certainly won me over and the filling had a lovely unctuousness without being too sweet.

Now for the big question - will I make this when we get home?? We’ll see. I’d love to reproduce the Bocuse filling but not necessarily with the red coloring. I’m very curious about the simple mixture of finely chopped caramelized nuts and heavy cream as a filling. Hmmm . . . . maybe I’ll pursue it. Time will tell.

Lyon

Check out this wisteria would you?!! We’re seeing gorgeous flowers out and about but that’s not what I’m here to talk about right now.

This may sound a bit odd to many of you but, one of the things we enjoy when traveling in Europe, France in particular, is going grocery shopping. It’s fun to check out the shelves for interesting new foods or versions of some of our household favorites, presented not only in French but in slightly different packaging.

Granted, if one is visiting a place for a very short time, it’s unlikely that you’ll be pursuing that particular endeavor. But since we typically book AirBnBs with decent kitchens, it’s nice to be able to do some food preparation on our own rather than eating out all the time. Particularly stocking things like fruit, yogurt, eggs, nuts (roasted Marcona almonds!), bread, cheese and perhaps the occasional morning pastry treat allows us to enjoy the simple pleasures like morning coffee and a light breakfast without having to hit the streets first thing. And we’ve been enjoying “at home” evening meals of veggies, rice, chicken, pasta and fish in various combinations.

It’s also interesting, and at times eye opening, to compare prices, especially as some in our American groceries have sky rocketed. As an aside, some of you know how I tend to be detail oriented thus . . . . . . fair warning - perhaps boring calculations coming up!

Five pounds of my go-to all purpose/bread/white whole wheat flours from King Arthur were typically $3.99 per bag ($0.80/lb) at our local Meijer not that long ago. Now they’re running around $7 ($1.40/lb) unless you snag ‘em on sale. The best deal I find in Grand Rapids is at Costco where I can buy 12 pound bags of King Arthur all purpose and bread flours at $8.99 ($0.75/pound). I’ll take it!

Here in Lyon I’ve been checking out some grocery store flour brands at U Express and Monoprix, as well as the Francine line of flours, pretty standard in French markets. I must note here that the exchange rate keeps changing and not in our favor mind you. So price quotes may be off a bit.

Right across the street from our AirBnB, the “U Express” store brand farine de blé (blé = wheat) is sold in 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) packages. T45 is the quasi-equivalent of our all purpose flour. There’s a fluide version for 1,02 euro ($0.53 per lb) that’s more finely milled and recommended for liquid batters like crepes. Then there’s one pour cuisine et pâtisserie for 1,12 euro ($0.58 per lb). Not bad at all.

We also stopped at a nearby Monoprix to check out the Francine price for T45 - 1,49 euro for a kilo or $0.77/lb. Not bad either - along the lines of the Costco King Arthur prices.

On a non flour note, I’m throwing Bonne Maman into the ring, since it’s our at home go-to store brand for jam. That price has gone up considerably in the US - anywhere from $7 to $8 a jar at our local Meijer (I also found some flavors for $6.79 on Amazon). Of course there is the issue of tariffs and France having to ship it to the USA so I know it’s not a fair comparison.

Here in Lyon the Bonne Maman prices run 1,85 euros ($2.10) for Fraises (strawberry always seems to be the most cost effective, even in the US) up to 3,24 euros ($3.69) for Fraises et Fraises des bois OR 3,19 euros ($3.63) for Myrtille et Cassis OR 3,00 euros ($3.42) for Abricots et Peches , combos which we don’t typically even see in the US.

OK - that’s it for now. Enough already.

Enjoy spring - we certainly are.

On the grounds of Musée des Beaux-arts in Lyon

Until next time! Ciao.

Bread and pastries in Tours

Before we head off to Lyon, I’m popping in with a post to show you what one can enjoy for a VERY reasonable cost here in France. When we’re talking the standards of French viennoiserie, you can’t go wrong with your corner boulangerie or pâtisserie for excellent products at a fraction of the cost you would shell out in the US of A.

Remember - I’m not talking here about the highfalutin shops/tea salons on so many high end streets in so many French cities, but rather the “mom and pop” spaces that are literally around ever coin and down every rue.

Freshly baked breads are also a steal. Not only for their artisanal preparations but their flavor, crust and crumb. Picking up baguettes and other breads from a local shop is part of everyday life in France, a custom that we love to latch onto when we’re here.

For me a fresh slice is so delicious right out of hand without anything on it; OR add a schmear of French butter and a dollop of jam; OR top with a slice of delicious cheese (of which we all know there are beaucoup en France). Mmmmmm good!

Steve purchased ALL of above goodies for a total of 8,60 euros (about $9.55 with the current exchange rate). The mix includes un pain au chocolat, un chausson aux pommes, deux cannelés et une miche du pain (what I’d call a medium-ish size loaf). The broken down cost: 1,70 euros each for the pain au chocolat, chausson aux pommes et cannelés and 1,80 euros for the bread. You can’t beat that!

Just to give you a sense, I did some quick price checking specifically for pain au chocolat in Grand Rapids MI and found that two places that I feel are worth buying from (Field & Fire; Nantucket Baking Company) charge $5 (F&F) and $4.50 (Nantucket) for theirs.

A loaf of country French bread at Nantucket is $5.50. Field & Fire sells a levain loaf for $7.50. I realize these aren’t exact comparisons but . . . . just sayin. And to amp things up a bit, I checked out well known San Francisco Tartine Bakery’s prices - a full sized loaf of country bread $14.95; one pain au chocolat $7.25!! On the other coast at Flour Bakery in Boston I didn’t see pain au chocolat on their menu but their croissant is $4.75 and pain au raisin $4.50.

Circling back to West Michigan, even finding chausson aux pommes or cannelés in GR (chez moi perhaps?) is unlikely. I didn’t see either on the above mentioned GR shops’ menus.

At the famous Bordeaux cannelé maker, Baillardran, depending on how many you buy of the typical boxed set, they run about 3 euros each (the more you buy they less they cost).

I hadn’t made cannelés in awhile - below is a batch I made this past Christmas. Although I’m still working on getting the outside nice and darkly caramel-y, they tasted pretty darn good. I’ve always used silicone molds for these but would consider getting reasonably priced metal ones that would help me achieve that almost burnt looking exterior.

Since West Michigan is huge in the apple growing industry, we do see plenty of places offering apple pies and traditional apple turnovers. But if you ever get a chance to try a well crafted chausson aux pommes, go for it. The oh so flaky puff pastry and sautéed caramel-y apple filling is a match made in heaven.

From The French Tarte’s kitchen

We’re looking forward to our upcoming Lyon stay. I’ll be back!

Meanwhile, here’s a very lovely petite jardin we passed on our walk today - nestled right along the sidewalk.

Enjoy spring wherever you are!

Délices à Tours France

Hello from Tours! Steve and I arrived here March 29th and, once the travel fatigue from our trip over the pond lifted, we’ve been out and about. If you’re interested in reading a blow-by-blow account, Steve is posting on his blog daily.

We’re staying in an AirBnB right in town, not far from the Cathédrale Saint Gatien as well as the main drag, rue Nationale. It’s also a very short walk to the banks of le fleuve Loire. And, to make things even more convenient, we’re just a few steps from rue Colbert, a very popular street full of shops and restaurants. Grocery chain Carrefour has become our go to for food and wine staples for our “home'“ kitchen. Not bad.

While we do our best not to indulge too much, we’ve been sampling some of the pastries and breads from neighborhood boulangeries and pâtisseries. Our first trip to Les Halles, the large indoor market here, yielded a loaf of pain intégral (a hearty wholemeal bread), a couple of brioche feuilletée and, of course, deux croissants.

Brioche feuilletée

We also bought a kilo of small-medium sized yellow potatoes (we think they were the Charlotte variety suggested by blog follower C. I.) and a beautiful head of fresh broccoli that Chef Steve turned into delicious meals for us for a few nights. An additional market visit, when more vendors were open, netted us a rotisserie chicken which joined the potatoes and broccoli for a couple of meals.

One day, for an out-of-town mini adventure, we took the train east to Blois to visit the Château de Blois. After our tour there we tucked into a lovely brunch/lunch/tea spot where I had the most delicious quiche Lorraine with the de rigueur salade vert and a glass of Cheverny rosé.

The quiche was baked in puff pastry and the filling oh so tall, light and fluffy - just the way it should be.

On one late morning stroll up rue Scellerie we stopped at La Chocolatière to browse, then returned later to purchase a chocolate éclair (Steve), a slice of flan Parisien (a huge favorite of mine) and a few specialty packaged chocolates.

Just a hint of what you might find inside

Getting ready for Easter

Mr. Steve’s chocolate êclair

Flan Parisien á la vanille

chocolate treats (Foil wrapped eggs compliments of the shop)

That same day we purchased a delicious share-for-lunch-at-home sandwich at Boulangerie de la Scellerie (another suggestion from blog reader C.I.). Filled with chicken, tomato, lettuce, egg and some version of mayo, the bun appeared to be rye, at least on the surface. To our surprise, upon cutting the sandwich in two, the crumb was very dark grey, the texture wonderful and the flavor with a hint of barley malt (?) with a subtle sweetness. So hard to describe.

I thought they may have used a mix of flours to yield the particular shade of the dough, perhaps including buckwheat, rye, wheat?? Puzzled over what went in to making this, we stopped back at the shop later that day and discovered they call it pain au curry noir - no special flour but the addition of a black curry spice mix that gives it the grey color.

An extremely brief online search led to finding several versions of so called black curry powder. Most seem to be made by toasting various whole spices like cumin seed, (black) cardamom pod, coriander seed and grinding them up with ground turmeric, dry mustard and perhaps some cayenne. Probably no cayenne in ours since we didn’t get any heat - just that lovely mellow flavor.

One evening, after an absolutely delicious meal with friends Richard and Pauline at O Sidon, a lovely Lebanese restaurant on rue Colbert, I decided to order the café gourmand. Over our years of traveling in Europe, we’ve come to know and love this particular dessert offering of coffee or tea accompanied by assorted small portioned treats. I opted for tea instead of coffee and enjoyed baklawa (classic pistachio filled flaky pastry), chabiyeh (another feuilletée pastry with honey/orange flavors), namoura/gâteau au semoule (orange scented semolina cake) and mouhalabiyé (a potted rose and orange scented custard). Wow.

Thé gourmand

If that isn’t enough already, here’s one more! Another evening at restaurant Le Laurenty (also on rue Colbert), Pauline and I shared a poached pear creation for dessert that was oh so classically French and oh so deliciously good. Not too sweet with a wonderful melding of flavors and textures, it combined refreshing sorbet atop a bed of crumble, softly textured amandine (simple almond cake) sandwiching diced pears poached to perfection/held together by a light crème fraîche. And check out that dark chocolate ganache swoop! Who could ask for more!

OK. Enough about food. On our various outings to châteaux et vignobles we’re being greeted by spring floral displays, primarily tulips with a few other species tucked in here and there.

Aaahhh spring

I hope to be back with you within the next couple of weeks. On this trip we’re spending blocks of time in several locations, Tours being our first. Next up Lyon. We’ve never been there, but we’re told it’s a foodie heaven. Who knows what we’ll discover.

Ciao for now.

Apricot Beaumes-de-Venise cake

This cake is uniquely delicious! The key to it’s flavor in my mind is the addition of diced dried apricots that have been soaked in muscat Beaume-de-Venise, a well known regional French dessert wine along the lines of Sauternes. Moist with a hard to pin down hint of spice on the tongue (the muscat perhaps?), the cake has a dense crumb and a lovely hint of crunch from the butter/sugar topping.

As you can see, I used organic dried Turkish apricots from Whole Foods. I’ll admit that as I was planning to bake this cake, it became a matter of convenience to stop by that particular grocery, since I had no apricots in my larder and Steve and I happened to be passing by the place. And, as luck would have it, a nearby wine vendor had bottles of the muscat I sought! A win-win in my book.

A note on organic dried apricots - they’re un-sulfured which allows them to darken when dried; non-organic are treated with sulfur dioxide which keeps them brighter orange. Apricots in general are good for you, being high in iron, potassium and fiber and a good source of Vitamins A and C. Another win-win.

First - a quick back story - Steve and I moved back to Grand Rapids, Michigan in the summer of 2015 - we can’t believe it will be 10 years in July!!! One day in the spring of 2016 we were browsing in a nearby Barnes and Noble and on the magazine stands I spied an issue of “Bake from Scratch”, a publication I had not seen before. What really got my attention was the header “The French Issue” and the simple fact that it contained recipes for all manner of French baked goods. I bought it!

After some quick research I was reminded that the first issue of the magazine was released in the fall of 2015. Since then there have been special issues, some focused on certain countries like Ireland and Italy, some on specific topics like cakes or breads or holiday cookies. Each year the company publishes a hard cover compendium of the previous years recipes. It’s still going strong and, in fact, is now celebrating its 10 year anniversary.

After subscribing on and off over the years I finally let it go. In addition to so many of my tried and true base recipes that I tailor to different flavor profiles, I have plenty of baking and pastry books on hand that will keep me inspired for quite a while. But I did save a number of issues and had pegged the section on “easy French Gâteaux” in this particular one all those years ago. It’s been sitting on my “to do” pile ever since.

I was very familiar with and had already made a number of the highlighted gateaux well before discovering this magazine: Gâteau Basque, Gâteau Breton, dacquoise, fraisier and clafoutis. Finally it’s time for apricot Beaumes-de-Venise! Let’s go!!

Mise en place

Here’s my adaptation of the recipe. You know my mantra about planning ahead. You need a 9” springform pan, bottom lined with parchment, then bottom and sides brushed with olive oil. NOTE: one can substitute other Côte du Rhône varietals such as Marsanne, Viognier or a Rhône white blend for the Beaume-de-Venise.

Here’s the mise set up.

• Dice about 140 g / 5 ounces dried apricots; heat one cup muscat to a simmer, add the diced apricots, remove from the heat and let cool about 30-40 minutes. You can do this earlier in the day and let them sit until you’re ready.

• Soften 113 g / 4 ounces unsalted butter and let 2 large eggs come to room temperature.

• Have extra virgin olive oil (3 tablespoons + extra for prepping pan) and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) handy.

• Have 150 g / 3/4 cup sugar in a separate bowl along with the zest of one orange and one lemon.

• Have 200 g / 1.5 cups all purpose flour, one teaspoon baking powder and one teaspoon kosher salt whisked together in another bowl.

• You’ll be topping the cake toward the end of the bake with a couple tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons diced butter.

The steps are very familiar to all of you cake bakers out there. Remember - here’s the recipe.

• Heat oven to 350ºF.

• In a stand mixer with the paddle blend butter with 3 tablespoons EVOO for about 30-40 seconds; add sugar, zests, one teaspoon vanilla and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

• Add eggs one at a time, beating just til combined, scraping down after each.

• Add flour mixture alternating with apricot/wine mixture in three additions, starting and ending with flour.

• Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top.

• Bake 35-40 minutes until nicely browned and a tester comes out clean. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar (I like raw sugar for this) over the top and dot with the 2 tablespoons of diced butter. Bake an additional 5 minutes.

• Remove from oven, let cool 20 minutes then release from pan to continue cooling.

Toppings added

Just out of the oven

Once released from the pan sides and cooled, gently slide an offset spatula under the cake to separate it from the parchment lined bottom and carefully lift the cake onto a platter.

Steve and I enjoyed our first slices with a small scoop of vanilla mascarpone ice cream (homemade of course) and some oat crumble. Oh so good. We shared a couple of slices with neighbors and enjoyed additional small slices (au naturel) as post lunch or dinner treats.

The cake keeps covered at room temperature for several days. Is it worth it? You bet!

A hearty thank you to “Bake From Scratch”!

It’s officially spring on the calendar, my tulips are already coming up and our travel to France is getting closer. Enjoy spring!

Spring 2025 update

Here we are, and March continues to march on! It’s been an interesting few months since my mom’s death November 15, 2024 and Steve’s near death experience on New Year’s Eve. We are thankful for so many things as we continue to move through life.

News flash - I’m migrating to a different email - frenchtarte52@gmail.com. You’ll see it in the footer sections on the site’s pages and it will be the email that is used when submitting requests through the contact page.

While my kitchen projects have been somewhat limited since the first of the year, I’d like to share a few from recent months (and some planned for the future!) as we ease into spring. Steve and I are looking forward to our trip to France March 28th with fingers crossed that the world hasn’t gone completely mad by then.

This Squarespace platform I’ve been using for many years now has changed in such a way that I can’t figure out how to link you directly to previous posts that I might be referencing. I’m working on it but it’s frustrating to say the least.

Above are cannelés bordelais that I made for a Christmas treat. A delicious caramel-y custard, native to Bordeaux, we enjoyed several versions of it on our trip last spring.

Composed cannelé dessert in bordeaux last spring

In addition to the “ways to use brioche” I posted on recently, I’ve tried a few other recipes from the Ferrandi book. So far the results have been less than stellar. Even though the recipes are written very clearly with excellent illustrations and step by step descriptions (and I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing), the textures and flavors of the end results are simply lacking. Bicolor croissant, flaky puff rolls, rye wheat loaves - all made with laminated dough - do not have me coming back for more. Live and learn.

Rye wheat loaves - so-so results

Caramel topped blueberry cakes in early January offered visions of Michigan summer fruits. Plus I still have local Michigan blueberries in the freezer to keep us going until July/August.

I made baguette a couple of weeks ago which turned out OK but not with as crusty a crust or as open a crumb as I would have liked. So, I’ve been reading various sources/recipe approaches as I investigate the deeper nuances of a good baguette. I’ll be making more soon. Gotta keep learning, right?

Here’s the poolish for a Richard Bertinet baguette that I’ll be baking soon.

Here’s a baguette from days past.

From my November 2020 post - Now this is what I’m looking for!

I hadn’t made pizza dough for some months for a variety of reasons, but a recent batch using King Arthur’s 00 flour was fantastic.

Thanks King Arthur!

I have another pizza dough batch on hand using a Michel Roux recipe that we’ll be baking soon. I’ll keep you posted on that one.

As we get closer to our departure to France, I’m working on using up certain ingredients in my larder, one of which is some Danish Creamery salted butter. I’ll make batches of my classic sea salt caramel shortbread dough as well as the dough for the Scandi style caramel biscuit slices I made this past Christmas season.

Caramel biscuit slices - oh so tasty!

The doughs keep very well in the freezer (well wrapped, of course) for some months, so it will be nice to have those at the ready for some easy after travel baking projects.

I have a couple of classic gateaux on my list too - you may be hearing about at least one of them before we head across the pond. Fingers crossed on that one.

OK, so I admit I’m all over the place with projects, past and future. Processing emotions and doing our part to enjoy life is important as we age. No one ever said it was gonna be easy.

Meanwhile we’re feeling spring in the air, the sandhill cranes are coming back, the snowplow piles are almost gone, my tulips are poking out of the ground and the daylight is lengthening. Aaaaah - so refreshing.

As Steve often says “life is short - go to Paris”.

Let’s call this the bluebird of happiness

And finally . . . . .

Prelude to the blood moon - photo compliments of Steve Soper

Mini Bostock and chocolate almond bread pudding (what to do with brioche that didn't turn out the way you thought it would!)

First let me explain. I have a new book (thanks to a Christmas gift card) entitled “French Boulangerie: Recipes and Techniques from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts”. Written by chefs at Ferrandi Paris, it “delves into the world of breads and viennoiserie”. It is chock full of classic techniques for creating breads, laminated pastries and so much more.

One of my projects was a laminated brioche loaf that didn’t turn out as expected. Hence the question - now what?? I certainly didn’t want to waste the end result since it did have a lovely flaky texture and buttery flavor (I used Kerry Gold for this one).

I’m not going to bore you with all the sordid details, but I had adjusted the recipe by portioning the finished dough to fit my longer, narrower loaf pan. The rolling and shaping process was interesting - cutting the rolled out dough into two lengths that were then folded again lengthwise and squiggled up to go into the pan.

Hmmmm . . . . interesting

After the rise it looked like some sort puffy smooshed monster. I was having serious doubts about this.

But . . . . . there may be hope! In spite of its unattractive appearance, once baked and out of the pan, the exterior layers were flaky and tasty!

hmmmmm . . . .

It was the sunken center that got me down.

Time to regroup! My thoughts turned to Bostock which I think of as the brioche version of almond croissants. It’s typically made using leftover brioche which is sliced, imbibed with simple syrup, topped with almond cream, maybe some jam or fruit, sliced almonds and baked. That’s it!

I proceeded to divide my odd loaf in half - one half cut into cubes for my mini version of Bostock and the other half smaller chunks that would become bread pudding (another favorite!)

For the Bostock: toast the cubes in a 325º oven for 10-15 minutes to dry them out a bit. They can better absorb the simple syrup dunking that comes next. Once dunked, set them on a wire grid over a sheet pan to drip a little.

Now pipe a swirl of almond cream, add a center dollop of jam (cherry-raspberry here) and some crushed sliced almonds on top.

Assembly in process

Ready for the oven

Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes until the almond cream is set and edges golden.

All baked up

Once cooled, give ‘em a light dusting of confectioners sugar, just because. Enjoy as is with your morning coffee or afternoon tea. They keep in a covered container in the fridge for several days and do enjoy a 10 second or so refreshing warm up in the microwave.

Delicious bites of goodness

Next up - bread pudding! I’ve made various iterations of this luscious treat over the years, usually to use up left over croissants, brioche or other enriched bread.

As is true of so many things in the baking and pastry world, the base custard varies from recipe to recipe - could be all cream, half cream/half whole milk, less sugar/more sugar, whole eggs vs yolks or a blend of whole and yolks. You get the picture.

I’ve developed a general ratio for a tasty mixture. Here’s a good base recipe for a chocolate almond version I decided on.

Many recipes call for about a pound of bread cubes. I had ~1/2 pound of brioche to work with so I chose a 8”x8” square ceramic baking dish rather then a larger 2 quart 9”x13” one and halved the base recipe.

For this half custard recipe I used 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 40 g granulated sugar and 2 large eggs plus 1 yolk. Heat dairy and sugar on the stovetop to dissolve the sugar. Have eggs/yolk in a separate bowl. Temper the warm dairy mixture into the eggs, whisk in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract then strain into a pitcher or bowl. If not using right away, refrigerate it up to overnight - just whisk it back together when ready to use it.

Butter the casserole and layer 113 g / 4 ounces coarsely chopped chocolate in the bottom. Top with bread pieces then dollop on blobs of almond cream (around 3-4 ounces total for this half recipe), tucking in between and over the brioche cubes.

Assembling

Ready for the custard

Pour the custard over everything, letting it settle into the nooks and crannies. Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Push the bread cubes down every now and then to keep things well soaked.

going into the fridge

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350ºF. Have an empty larger casserole dish ready, into which you can place your bread pudding dish. Fill the larger casserole with hot water about half way up the sides.

Remove the plastic wrap and generously sprinkle raw sugar over the surface.

Sugar sprinkled and ready for the oven

Place carefully into the oven and bake about one hour. Look for puffing, lovely golden color and the custard set.

Lift out of the water bath and place on a wire grid to cool a bit.

Puffed and golden - yum!

Oh so delicious! Served warm (and I admit a bit over the top with butter pecan ice cream, oat crumble and caramel drizzle), Steve and I were in heaven. We shared some with our neighbor Sandy and refrigerated the leftovers which keep well for several days.

And yes, we freely admit to savoring additional portions warmed from the fridge for a lovely winter treat.

Wishing all of you a belated Valentine’s day. Be safe out there.

Quiche

Sometimes I’m amazed at the baking adventures that I HAVEN’T written about. You would think that with my penchant for French-y type bakes, quiche would be at the top of my list.

I’ve made quiche a number of times and have enjoyed some delicious versions in various eateries both locally and on our European travels over the years. Let’s do it!

Some months ago I was tasked with making two quiches for my friend Kim down the road. I decided on a classic Lorraine type version with bacon and Gruyère and a broccoli/cheddar/caramelized onion number. The latter is what I’m highlighting here.

You know how I’m always going on about planning ahead for your baking projects. Well this is one great plan ahead-er. Blind bake your crust and hold it in the freezer for a day or two until you’re ready to fill and bake; make the custard base a day ahead and hold in the fridge; prep filling additions too, like blanching veggies, grating cheese, caramelizing onions. It makes it all so much smoother.

NOTE: I always blind bake the crust for quiche. Nothing is more disappointing than cutting into a piece of quiche and finding a soggy and nearly raw or barely baked bottom. Not cool!

Ready for assembly!

I prefer using my standard pâte brisée for the crust. If you’d like a refresher tutorial on that, check this post out. For savory applications like this, the crust is especially tasty when you sub in spelt and rye flours for some of the all purpose.

As many of you know, I’m a recipe comparer and often take tidbits from similar recipes to make my own version. The base custard filling is one of those, being an amalgam of a quiche recipe in the October, 2018 issue of Saveur and one from the book “Tartine” by Robertson and Prueitt. The one thing that makes it different is the addition of flour to the traditional milk/cream/egg in classic quiche recipes. It enhances the texture, making it more velvet-y.

Here’s my full recipe PDF for quiche Lorraine, including pâte brisée and steps for its preparation as well this broccoli/cheddar filling option + one more.

My blind baked crust is ready (using a deep fluted 9” tart pan as seen above). I blanched a cup of broccoli florets, grated 113 g / 4 ounces cheddar (I like Cabot’s seriously sharp cheddar) and caramelized a pound of sweet onions.

If you’ve made your custard ahead, just re-whisk it before pouring it in. It’s made with one cup whole milk, one cup heavy cream, 4 large eggs + one large yolk, 4 tablespoons all purpose flour, a teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme (or herbs of choice) and a few grates of fresh nutmeg.

Heat your oven to 375ºF. Place your already blind baked crust on a parchment lined sheet pan. Distribute your filling additions evenly over the bottom.

Start of assembly

Carefully pour your custard in, letting it settle into the crevices as you go. Fill to just below the rim. Keep any filling you might have left.

Carefully place the panned up quiche into your heated oven and bake 10-15 minutes. Now, if you have leftover filling, poke a hole in the center of the quiche with a paring knife and slowly pour in the remaining custard. Reduce oven temp to 325ºF and continue to bake an additional 35-40 minutes.

The center should feel firm - look for puffing, light browning and the filling set.

Just out of the oven

Let cool on a wire rack 20-30 minutes to allow the custard to set up before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Since I was making this for someone else, I decided to make a second one for Steve and myself - gotta test the product, don’t ya know.

We enjoyed a slice with a green salad and glass of red. Delicious!

Leftovers keep in the fridge over 2-3 days. Just warm up in a 325º oven for 15 minutes or so. Next day’s breakfast, brunch or lunch here we come!

A tasty light meal!

Create your own favorite combo of goodies for your next quiche and enjoy!

It’s February! What are you making for Valentine’s Day?? Have fun!

Caraway rye rolls

Rye flour has become a more frequently used ingredient for me in recent years, so when Steve requested a caraway rye bread of some sort, we procured a jar of caraway seeds for that very purpose. This is my first bake with those seeds.

After a quick look online I learned that caraway seed is also referred to as Persian cumin and is the fruit of a plant from the same family as fennel, carrots, and anise. Interesting!

The recipe is based on one I found on King Arthur Baking Company’s site. I tweaked it a tad and decided to make rolls instead of a loaf. Once you’re on their site you’ll find all sorts of recipes and indulgences.

Pssssst - there’s a “secret” ingredient - dill pickle juice! Not being a dill pickle eater, I have however enjoyed the flavor the juice can impart from enjoying my mom’s potato salad over the years. Gives it that certain je ne sais quoi.

Mise en place

Rye flour is lower in gluten and the dough made with it tends to be more sticky. I used a combo of Bob’s Red Mill dark rye and the coarser rye flour I bought back in the early summer at Farm Club in Traverse City MI. I talked a bit about that here.

Here’s the recipe. To begin you’ll blend 120 g medium or dark rye flour, 232 ml/one cup lukewarm dill pickle juice (or water), 4 teaspoons granulated sugar and 7 g / 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook to make a very soft batter. Let that rest for 20 minutes to allow the rye flour to absorb some of the liquid.

Just blended - pretty loose

Getting more sludgy

Now add 120 g / 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream), 7-14 g / 1-2 tablespoons caraway seeds (I did ~10 g - would go up to 14 next time!), 4 g / 3/4 teaspoon table salt (if using water instead of pickle juice, increase salt to 9 g / 1.5 teaspoons), 290 g / 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour.

Knead the dough on low-medium speed 5-7 minutes until smooth. It will be sticky - don’t add more flour. With lightly oiled hands do a fold set and form into a ball.

Let the dough rise until puffy, 60-90 minutes.

Gently deflate the dough and divide into nine portions (about 85 g or 3 ounces each).

Shape each portion into a rough ball and let rest 20 minutes under lightly oiled film wrap. Then proceed with final shaping, creating nice tight rounds. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Cover with lightly oiled film wrap and let rise 1.5 hours. During winter months I’ll use my turned off oven as a proof box. Place a bowl of warm water on the bottom rack and the tray of rolls above it. Just be sure to take them out before you heat your oven for baking!

Toward the end of the rise heat the oven to 350ºF.

Before popping them into the oven brush with water and make a crosshatch snip into the tops.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Brush the tops with melted butter if desired. Cool and enjoy.

Steve and I enjoyed these a few ways: as tuna salad sandwiches; with a simple slice of cheese; with scrambled egg/chopped greens. The dill pickle juice makes for a wonderful flavor combo with the caraway. Yes.

Enjoy!

Ricciarelli

A classic Sienese almond meringue cookie, these gluten free treats are delicious and straight forward in their preparation. Some say the name comes from the fact that the cookies are shaped to resemble grains of rice (riso in Italian), although I’ve also read it comes from the Italian word riccio which translates to hedgehog. Who knows!?

Historically made for the Christmas holiday season, over time they have become so popular that they can be found year round. Steve and I first discovered them on a trip to Italy back in the late 90s and not only loved their flavor and texture but their shelf life as well.

Made with almond flour, confectioners sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, lemon or orange zest and vanilla and almond extracts, they require just a couple of bowls, a hand mixer with whisk (or stand mixer if you prefer), spatula, bowl scraper and your hands. Have the egg whites at room temperature - they whip better that way.

Here’s the recipe. I use a large bowl to blend together 250 g almond flour, 250 confectioner’s sugar and the zest of one orange (or two lemons, or a mix!). Place 85 g / about 3 large egg whites in a medium bowl along with 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Start whipping on low-medium speed until they get foamy, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract then increase speed and whip to stiff peaks (kind of like that dacquoise I showed you recently).

Stiff peaks!

Now blend the whipped whites into the almond flour/confectioners sugar mix. You’ll be knocking the air out of the meringue - that’s OK. It will be like a paste. Once blended, form a rough oblong and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate over night.

The next day, when ready to proceed, remove the paste from the fridge; dust your work surface generously with confectioner’s sugar and roll the paste into a 5 cm (~2 inch) diameter log.

I made a double batch of paste for an upcoming demo so what you see below are two single quantities of paste. Make sure the log is well coated with confectioner’s sugar.

Slice the log into 12 cm (1 inch) wide discs, continuing to dust with confectioners sugar to prevent sticking. Form each disc into a sort of rice grain shape and place them on parchment lined sheet pans.

Dust with more confectioner’s sugar then set the pan(s) aside and let the cookies dry for 1-2 hours, uncovered and at room temperature.

Heat your oven to 300ºF. They’re ready to bake when you push on the edge with your fingertip and feel some resistance with the paste starting to crack.

Dried

Bake for 5 minutes, increase the oven temp to 350ºF and bake an additional 10 minutes. The cookies should crack during baking, showing golden cracks amongst the powdered sugared surfaces.

Let cool fully on the sheet pans then store in a covered container for up to a week.

Try ‘em, you’ll love ‘em!

French apple cake

I mentioned this cake in passing ONE YEAR ago (!) in one of my update posts. I had baked the first test batch back in autumn of 2023 in preparation for a demo session I did at an assisted living facility - it was a big hit. I’ve made it several times since and added it to my to-do list for the blog. Well here goes! Plus, you’ll have time to make it for your own New Year’s celebration!

Inspired by a recipe in Aleksandra Crapanzano’s book “Gateau”, I did some quick research and found a number of recipes for this rum scented classic French cake. While AC’s ups the ante a bit with adding rum soaked raisins to the batter along with the apples, the bulk of recipes on line follow a simpler approach.

When I did my stages in 2007 at Pâtisserie Pascal Pinaud in Paris’s 5th arr., Golden Delicious apples were the go to for apple tartelettes and apple cakes. They have a lovely flavor and hold up well when baked without getting all mushy. I still like using them but also find Fuji, Granny Smith and Jonagolds great for baking. Of course, one can play around with a mixture of favorites too!

I’ve made the base recipe in a 9” cake pan, two 6” cake pans and silicone muffin type molds (using molds with 3 ounce/85 g wells yields about 14 cakes). Silicone molds don’t require buttering but the pans should be buttered and lined with parchment - I like to butter the parchment and inner sides of the pan and dust with raw sugar. It gives the outer edges a nice hint of crunch. Below is a nine inch pan ready to go.

I add a couple of my favorite spices (coriander and nutmeg) to the batter and dot the top with diced butter and raw sugar sprinkle early in the bake.

Here’s my recipe. Eggs and butter should be at room temperature. In the foreground of the photo below is organic golden cane sugar, a Costco find that I’ve been using as my “house” sugar for awhile now. On the right are my diced butter and raw sugar for the top.

mise en place

I probably sound like a broken record, but the process here is very much like many cake recipes out there. Here’s the recipe again.

Prep your pan. Heat the oven to 350ºF.

Peel, core and cut apples into 1/2” cubes.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 130 g / 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, a few grates of fresh nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream 113 g / 4 ounces unsalted butter and 130 g / 2/3 cup cane sugar on medium high about three minutes until light and fluffy.

Blend in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl down after each addition. Blend in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 45 ml / 3 tablespoons dark rum.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in apples.

Ready to pan up!

Transfer batter into your prepared pan and level the top. Lots of apple chunks goin’ on!

Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and top with diced butter and raw sugar.

Place back into the oven and bake another 30 minutes, checking half way through and rotating the pan 180º. Look for a golden top and a tester coming out clean.

Looks good (and smells good too!)

Let the cake cool in the pan 10-15 minutes before gently turning out onto a cooling grid. If you’re using a springform pan or a removable bottom cake pan like the one above, it’s very easy to release the cake. You can then let it fully cool resting on the pan bottom. Then, once cooled, carefully slide an offset spatula under the cake to separate it from the parchment and place on your desired platter for serving.

I made this for a Thanksgiving family gathering so for transport (and to give it a hint of decor) I set it on a doily topped cardboard cake round and stashed it in a covered cake carrier for the road trip. Simple.

To snazz it up a bit I went with my favorite whipped mascarpone topping, dolloped on and spread into swirls. Whip 56 g / 2 ounces mascarpone with 4 ounces / 1/2 cup heavy cream, a teaspoon of vanilla and 2 tablespoons (or to taste) of either confectioners sugar or caramel (my preference here - so good with apple desserts).

A sprinkle of oat crumble sets it off.

Hmmmm . . . good!

As mentioned earlier, I’ve also made these in silicone muffin style molds. I’m a big fan of the mascarpone/oat crumble garnish!

The recipe also works well in two 6” cake pans. If you’re serving just a few people, you can freeze one of them for later. Not a bad deal.

You still have time to make this for your New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day gathering so get into that kitchen of yours and go for it!

Here’s to new adventures in baking and in life for 2025!

French Tarte Faves (FTF) No. 3: dacquoise

Here I am, back with another favorite - dacquoise in all it’s glory. I’ll warn you - this one’s kind of a mouthful with various components, assembly steps etc. But the end result is deelish! And it’s a great make-ahead project.

Dacquoise is a nut meringue made in a similar fashion to the ever popular French macaron. While very versatile for creating all manner of assembled desserts, it’s also delicious baked into petite button-like cookies that can be sandwiched or simply left alone. In fact, the term dacquoise can refer to the meringue base itself OR the assembled/layered dessert.

Here are a few posts on past creations: pistachio berry dacquoise; hazelnut dacquoise tarte; chocolate hazelnut marjolaine; vanilla/chocolate dacquoise.

This time I went with a passion/raspberry/pistachio flavor profile, feeling the dessert would be a good palate refresher after an Asian meal that Steve prepared recently for a group of friends. The idea actually goes way back to my Gracie’s days when I came up with a dacquoise/passion cream/raspberry number for the dessert menu. I won’t even begin to tell you how fussy that assembly was, but, boy oh boy, it was delicious!

The nut meringue dacquoise component is frequently made with almond flour but you can substitute in hazelnut or pistachio flour (or a mix of your favorite ground nuts). This time around I used half blanched almond flour and half ground pistachios.

Plan aheads are: bake the dacquoise a few days ahead/hold in the freezer until ready for assembly; make passion fruit curd and raspberry coulis a day or two before/hold in the fridge; make a basic crumble and hold in the freezer (or use some of your freezer stash); on assembly day whip heavy cream to fold into the passion curd. NOTE: once assembled you can freeze the whole shebang (except for last minute garnishes) too!

Here are the ingredients for the dacquoise base: almond flour, ground pistachios and confectioner’s sugar sifted into the bowl left/front. Then simply whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy, then gradually add the sugar. Once all the sugar is added, increase the mixer speed and whip to stiff peaks.

Dacquoise mise

Nice Stiff peaks

Blend the nut flour/confectioner sugar mix into the whipped whites in three additions then pipe your desired shapes.

I planned to assemble this in my mom’s longer, narrower Mirro loaf pan so I use the pan as a guide, placing it on Silpat and dusting over it with confectioner’s sugar to give myself an outline for piping my dacquoise shapes. I know I’ve shown you this trick before - it’s pretty slick.

I ended up with two rectangles plus a number of cookies for garnish.

Piped and unbaked

Once the dacquoise is baked at 350ºF for about 20 minutes, let it cool then gently release from the Silpat with a small offset spatula. You can freeze the pieces now if you’re not ready for assembly yet.

Next up: passion curd. Through Amazon I ordered Funkin brand passion fruit purée (reportedly popular with bartenders for making cocktails). It stores at cool room temperature - as long as it’s unopened, shelf life is great. Once opened, refrigerate it and use within 10 days. I only needed a portion of the total amount so I poured the extra into ice cube trays and froze them for future use. I do that with freshly squeezed lemon juice too.

Passion curd mise en place

Whisk 2 large eggs and 4 large yolks in a medium bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan heat 150 ml / 1/2 cup+2 tablespoons passion purée with 45 ml / 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 150 g / 3/4 cup granulated sugar (I’m using a golden organic cane sugar here). Temper half of the passion mixture into the eggs then return all to the saucepan and cook stirring constantly over low heat until thickened and a couple of bubbles appear (165º-180º).

Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in 140 g / 10 tablespoons cubed, room temperature unsalted butter. Using an immersion blender makes for a nice creamy end result. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, let cool briefly at room temperature then refrigerate. This keeps in the fridge for up to a week and can be frozen. Here’s the recipe again

The curd recipe makes about 2.5 cups. I needed 360 g / 1.5 cups for this project so I froze the rest.

I often have different berry and other fruit purées in my freezer as well as whole raspberries and blueberries from summer crops. If you happen to have raspberry purée on hand, by all means use it. Otherwise thaw a couple pints of raspberries (or use fresh), smush them and strain out the seeds and add ~10% sugar to the purée to create a coulis. I used 120 g of purée set with 1/2 sheet of gelatin for the middle layer of my assembly. I saved the remaining coulis for garnishing and, if you have any of that left, freeze it for later. You’ll be ready for next time.

Let’s assemble!! Lightly oil or butter the insides of a loaf pan then line it with plastic wrap wide enough to have some hanging over the rim. Press one dacquoise rectangle gently into the bottom of the pan. You may have to trim edges a bit.

Whip 200 g heavy cream, blend it into the 1.5 cups of curd and set the blend by whisking in 1.5 sheets of bloomed, strained and squeezed out gelatin, creating a bavorois.

Use about half of that to cover the bottom dacquoise layer. Let the remainder rest in the fridge.

Pop the whole pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes to set before covering with the coulis.

Pour the coulis over passion cream and once again place the whole thing in the freezer to set.

Next I topped the berry layer with some pistachio olive oil shortbread crumbs that I had in my freezer. I had made the cookies a while ago and found them tasty but very crumbly so . . . . into the freezer they went for such an occasion as this!

Now carefully cover the crumbs with the remaining passion cream and smooth the top. Place in the freezer to set.

Finally place the second dacquoise rectangle on the top. Fold the plastic wrap edges up over the top and freeze the entire pan. I fully assembled this some days before the dinner event to make the day-of super easy. Plan ahead - my favorite mantra!

On the day you plan to serve, transfer the pan from the freezer to the fridge about 4 hours ahead. A couple of hours later, have a platter or even a simple cutting board at the ready. Gently lift the whole thing from the pan by the plastic wrap edges while it’s still semi-frozen without being rock hard. I find a warm, wet cloth wiped along the outsides of the pan helps it release more easily. Place it on the platter or cutting board, pulling the plastic away from the sides.

Hold it in the fridge where it will continue to thaw but remain cold. It should hold it’s shape.

When ready to serve, slice with a sharp knife (8 slices worked well here), plate and top with a dollop of whipped cream, some raspberry coulis, a few fresh raspberries and a petite dacquoise cookie. Yum.

All plated up

The new year is almost upon us. Take care of yourselves.

Caramel biscuit slices

Hi all! Christmas week is upon us, the winter solstice has passed by and now we can look forward to lengthening daylight in the coming weeks. I love it when the end of January creeps up on us and we realize “Wow it’s not getting dark at 5 pm any more!”

I’m easing back into life and want to share these delicious cookies with you. This Scandinavian recipe is compliments of Brontë Aurell’s book “Brontë at Home - baking from the Scandi Kitchen”. The word biscuit is used in Great Britain and Northern Europe for what we Americans think of as cookies. Tea and biscuits anyone?

One of this recipe’s ingredients is golden syrup which is made from cane sugar. Buuuut . . . . for my trial run I used honey since I didn’t have any of said golden syrup in my larder. That first batch of biscuit slices was a big hit, much enjoyed by those who were around to accept the role of samplers.

I ultimately got my hands on a couple of bottles of Lyle’s Golden Syrup, a brand that’s been around a long time and an ingredient that I often see in baking recipes from the Brits and “Scandis”. Made by the British company Tate and Lyle, the story began in 1881 when businessman Abram Lyle built a sugar refinery on the Thames in East London. The golden syrup was a by product of refining sugar cane to create sugar. He started selling it from wooden casks and was soon supplying large quantities to London businesses weekly.

It’s an inverted sugar syrup, the golden end result adding caramel (almost on the verge of being burnt, in a good way) and honey notes to baked goods. It can also withstand higher baking temperatures and helps prevent crystallization.

On to the task at hand! Making the dough is a straight forward process, As a plan ahead step, I like getting it shaped into planks then wrap and fridge (or freeze) them until I’m ready to bake.

Here’s the recipe. For general baking I use unsalted butter such as Challenge or Land O’Lakes, but for cookies I’ve been experimenting with European style butters which contain a higher amount of butter fat. There are a number that I can find locally - Land O’Lakes Extra Creamy (salted or unsalted, black box), Vermont Creamery (salted or unsalted), Danish Creamery (salted - made by Challenge), Kerry Gold (salted and unsalted). So far I’m enjoying the flavors in the cookies I’ve baked with the salted versions, finding that the salt adds a certain je ne sais quoi. If you opt to use salted butter in a recipe that includes salt as an ingredient, simply reduce the recipe amount by half.

I often replace a quarter to a third of a recipe’s all purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour, (WWPF) particularly in my shortbread cookies and pâte brisée. Pastry flour is softer with less gluten than all purpose, giving a more tender end result. Plus I like the flavor the whole wheat imparts.

Buuuuuuuut! This year I had a hard time finding Bob’s Red Mill WWPF which is the one I’ve been using for some years now. Luckily I found some at a local specialty market here in Grand Rapids, but sadly I’ve just learned that all of Bob’s pastry flours have been discontinued. Oh man!

Mise en place (FYI - my mise here is for a larger batch of dough than the base recipe)

The dough process is a familiar one - cream butter and sugar (lately I’ve been using golden granulated cane sugar from Costco); add in golden syrup (or honey) and vanilla and blend; mix in flour and baking powder until it all comes together. Here’s the recipe again.

Once the dough comes together, divide it in three portions about 215 g each. To create the dough strips I place them on plastic wrap and get a rough shape going. You’re looking for a final sized strip of approximately 2” wide by 14” long for each portion of dough. Of course you can play around with size variations - I’ve done some where I cut the strips in half lengthwise for nice mini bites. Yummy.

Fold the plastic wrap up around the pre-shaped dough, leaving a bit of room for rolling it to it’s final dimensions. At this point you can proceed with baking or stash your strips in the fridge or freezer for later.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350º and place two strips on a half sheet pan. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top.

Bake about 8-10 minutes - you might need a few minutes more. You’re looking for the dough to appear set and golden in color. Remember every oven is different.

Pull the sheet pan and drizzle caramel in squiggles across the surface. Pop the sheet pan back in the oven for 3-4 minutes to set the caramel. Top with finely chopped blanched almonds and pearl sugar if you’d like. I’ve been keeping most of my batches pristine with caramel and sea salt. So good!

Let the strips cool on the sheet pan for 5-10 minutes, then cut into slanted strips with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. I gently push them apart with a small offset spatula and let them cool fully before enjoying.

They store well in a covered container for several days at room temp or in the freezer for several weeks. Simply take them out and place at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before enjoying.

Chopped almond/pearl sugar version

I made these for several demo sessions I did for a local seniors group and they were a big hit. Below is a holiday cookie trio of these slices along with ricciarelli (delicious Italian almond meringues) and diamant au chocolat (classic French sablés).

Here’s a plate of the mini versions. One or two are simply perfect with my afternoon cup of coffee.

Give these a try - you’ll love them!

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas, peace, calm and all things bright.

Holiday Light show at nearby Meijer Gardens after a snowfall; Photo courtesy of Connie B.

Mom

February 1929

Remembering Bernice Audrey VanHalsema VandenBerg 8/09/1927-11/15/2024. My caring, smiling, loving mother has left this earth for another place - a heaven that she has been ready to welcome with open arms. Steve and I, my siblings and their spouses and my entire extended family are rejoicing in her life and thankful that the ups and downs she experienced in recent weeks are now behind her.

My baking has taken a back seat over the past couple of months, but I hope to be back in the kitchen and writing of more baking adventures soon.

For those of you in West Michigan/Grand Rapids, I’m putting a pause on offering any baking/pastry classes for the foreseeable future. I wish all of you a joyful and peaceful holiday season.

Rest in peace Mom. Love you.

June 2015

Autumn 2024

Hi everyone! It’s been a number of weeks since my spate of posts in August/early September. While I had hoped I’d have some baking projects to share with you during this my very favorite month of the year, alas, a variety of life events have taken up both Steve’s and my time and attention.

Our October days of late have been pristine, crisp, bright and beautiful with brilliant blue skies and colors that have been late in coming but are now popping out all over. The changing slant of the sun’s rays gives the light an ethereal quality, and the recent full moon only added to the thrill of the natural world we experience.

A bit fuzzy but you get the drift

I’m itching to make a caramel apple tarte to go with the butter pecan or vanilla ice cream that I managed to make with a bit of available kitchen time these past weeks. Now I just have to whip up a fresh batch of pâte brisée and fill it with some of the wonderful Michigan apples we’ve been eating.

Did you know Michigan is in the top three apple producing states in the US? Yes sir!

Here’s just one example of a caramel apple tarte I made for a family supper earlier this year.

Yum!

Anyhoo! I’m plotting out some cookie projects for a couple of upcoming classes. Here’s one I tested back in the summer. It’s a Scandinavian recipe and quite tasty indeed. I’m calling them caramel/almond slices.

I also plan to test out some meringue type recipes using aquafaba (chickpea water) in place of egg whites for a vegan dacquoise/passionfruit/raspberry dessert - hope it turns out.

Meanwhile I hope all of you are enjoying your autumn baking and experimenting with new things. Here’s to sharing more goodies with you in the upcoming weeks.

Take care!

Maple blueberry almond butter teacakes

These craggy, chunky, fruity, crumbly teacakes are delicious! I mentioned them back in a “puttering in the kitchen” update back in August, 2020 when I first gave the recipe a try. I discovered it on the foil lid of a Siggi’s yogurt container and did a couple of different versions then. It calls for almond butter, an ingredient I’d like to use more often. Since I purchased a fresh jar of said butter a few weeks back, I thought it was time to give it another go.

Here’s the recipe and my mise below. Lots going on here but once you have all your ingredients laid out, the prep is very straight forward. Think calm, organized, methodical and you’ll be just fine.

My flour mix is all purpose, almond, spelt and dark rye (or whole wheat pastry) - play around with your own mix. The sweetener is a blend of maple syrup, dark brown sugar and honey in amounts that play down the sweetness. When I first made these, they seemed a bit flat on the taste buds, but once one gets used to the reduced sugar content, the other ingredients offer new found cake enjoyment.

Mise

In a medium bowl blend dry ingredients - flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate larger bowl whisk together milk, almond butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, egg, vanilla and yogurt. Whew!

Dry and wet ready to blend

Fold dry ingredients into wet in three additions.

All blended up

Fill your chosen molds about 3/4 full. As many of you know I’m a sucker for Silikomart silicone molds in various shapes and sizes (set them on a wire grid placed in a half sheet pan - better air circulation for even baking). This time I went with one of my newer shapes - a pleasing rounded rectangle of sorts. Press a few blueberries into the tops and cover with streusel.

My streusel topping is made by blending 50 g / 1/4 cup sugar, 100g / 3/4 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry) and a large pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Then sand in 70 g / 5 tablespoons cool, diced unsalted butter to coarse crumbs and stir in 30 g toasted sliced almonds. Give the cakes a generous coverage even though it looks messy. And remember - if you’re making streusel, double or triple or quadruple your batch and stash the extra in the freezer for next time. Nothing like planning ahead.

Bake at 400ºF for 20-25 minutes. Look for a tester to come out clean.

All craggy and crunchy

Let cool in the molds about 10 minutes then release the cakes onto a cooling rack. When baking plain cakes in silicone molds, I simply lift up an edge, tilt and let each cake fall out onto a rack, but when streusel/crumble is involved, it can be a little tricky to get them out of the molds. I pick up a corner, tilt it and gradually push each cake up from the bottom as you ease it out. You’ll lose some streusel in the process but just be gentle and go for it. Finish cooling on racks or sneak one while it’s still a bit warm.

The cake is nicely moist and the blueberries and streusel add just the right combo of flavors and textures. These keep for 2-3 days in a covered container at room temp and also freeze well for several weeks.

Have fun with it!

It’s still summer by the calendar, but we’ve already had a few crisp chilly nights in the 40s. I’m looking forward to the official start of autumn - anyone wish to predict the first frost?

Cheery late summer blooms

French Tarte Faves (FTF) No. 2: pots de crème

OK! My first FT FAVE post was on financiers in early June. Next up - pots de crème!

Custards have been one of my favorite things since as far back as I can remember. Back in the 50s and 60s, as more and more foods became available in “convenient” form, Mom glommed onto Jello brand pudding mixes, making the stovetop-cooked versions which were WAY better than the instant variety that came later. Vanilla still warm, topped with chocolate chips so they got all melty; butterscotch with chopped walnuts; chocolate with mini marshmallows. Oh those were the days. I would always snag one of my sibs portions (thanks Joybell for not liking pudding!) for an extra treat.

As I contemplate which FTFs I’d like to post about, I realize that I’ve covered many of them over the years in some way, shape or form. I see it as my chance to review and share a bit more about them as I update recipes and links (which believe me is no small task!).

This particular topic begs to include a discussion of custards in general but that becomes a bit overwhelming. I did write up a mini primer on custards that will give you a sense of the range that ingredient portions can take and how you can adjust them.

The custards I make most commonly are crème anglaise for ice cream bases; crème pâtissière as filling for profiteroles and tartes (or blending with crème d’amandes for frangipane - think galette des rois) and this post’s (and my!) particular fave, pots de crème. Think Jello pudding a thousand times better.

Briefly: the first two custards mentioned above are stove topped cooked versions, the primary difference being that crème pat (as the Brits call it) contains a thickener like flour or cornstarch (or a blend of both) and is brought to a boil to thicken/cook it. Crème anglaise on the other hand contains only egg yolk, dairy and sugar and is cooked to the nappe stage (thick enough to coat the back of a spoon), not boiled ‘cuz the eggs will cook and curdle. My standard ice cream base is a version of crème anglaise - flavor variations are endless as you can see here.

Even on hot summer days, working in the cooler morning hours, one can whip up pots de crème in a low oven and have them ready for a dessert treat that evening. Even better - they keep for several days in the fridge!

My favorite pots de crème are chocolate, maple, butterscotch, cappuccino and lemon (links are to each recipe).

The header image is the maple version (recipe compliments of Sur La Table) which I adorned with maple walnut shortbread, Chantilly and toasted, chopped walnuts. Love it! Truth be told, the garnishing is half the fun. It doesn’t have to be fancy, no sirree. Fresh berries and a favorite crumble will do the trick.

Petite lemon pots

The steps of preparation are essentially the same for all recipes but I’ll talk a bit about a couple of variations that add that certain something to the end result. I don’t want to bore you with too much detail, but I’ll also provide a few process pictures.

Below is prep for the butterscotch version which starts by making an easy “caramel”: melt 56 g / 2 ounces unsalted butter in a medium saucepan then blend in 200 g / 1 cup brown sugar, one cup of heavy cream and a tablespoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste until smooth. That step can be done a bit ahead and the mixture set aside. You’ll blend three more cups of heavy cream and 1/2 teaspoon salt into it and bring it to a simmer on medium heat.

Once I have my dairy/sugar mixture heating up, I separate my eggs as close to the tempering step as possible - that way they don’t sit too long and get shriveled. In this case the yolks are kept separate but note that some recipes have you whisk half of the sugar with the dairy and half with the egg yolks before the tempering step. In that case, whisk the yolk/sugar mixture thoroughly and aggressively until it becomes pale and thicker. If you let yolks and sugar just sit, the sugar can “burn” the yolks and they’ll get all grainy.

Preparing butterscotch pots de crème

When I first made butterscotch pots, I used a mix of 660 ml / 2.75 cups heavy cream and 300 ml / 1.25 cups milk. The end result wasn’t as thick as I like but the flavor was superb. And I saved some of the base, chilled it for a day or two in the fridge then processed into a most delicious ice cream. Yum! NOTE: the recipe link gives you an ALL cream version for pots de crème. If you want to make it into ice cream, use the cream/milk mix.

Butterscotch pots - too loosey goosey for me!

Here’s a lemon version so creamy and tart. The twist here is, rather than replacing a portion of dairy with freshly squeezed lemon juice and adding lemon zest, this one involves reducing a lemon zested simple syrup that is ultimately added to the custard at the end. A nice punch of flavor.

For the syrup you zest a couple of medium to large lemons and rub the zest into 50 g / 1/4 cup sugar; then squeeze yourself 180 ml / 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice and blend it all together.

Mise for lemon simple syrup

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and continue on a low boil to reduce down to 1/2 cup, stirring periodically.

Coming along nicely

Then you’ll follow along with the base recipe, blending in the reduced simple syrup at the end.

I typically bake my pots at 325º F conventional OR 300ºF convection. Both work although total baking times vary.

Carefully fill the ramekins to about 1/4” below the rim.

Ramekins just filled and ready for the oven

Pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches half way up the ramekins. No splashing!!

Cover loosely with foil and bake 35-45 minutes. Some pots take longer - I usually check things at about 25 minutes then continue checking until the edges are set and there’s a quarter size jiggly circle in the center. Remember - every oven is different!

Carefully lift the ramekins out of the water bath and place on a wire grid.

Just out of the oven, cooling

Once the custards have cooled to room temperature, chill them in the fridge for several hours. If not serving that day, cover with plastic wrap, keep refrigerated and enjoy over the next several days. So delicious!

I haven’t made the cappuccino version for awhile but looking back over my recipes, I found a note from way back in May of 2010 when I made a batch for a dinner gathering. I wasn’t taking photos of my stuff back then (Steve was my official pastry photographer). I garnished that one with almond nougatine and Chantilly cream. Basically you could add instant espresso powder to any base - hmmmm, should be good in butterscotch or chocolate or maybe even maple.

Chocolate is the flavor I make most often. Check out this post from early pandemic days (6/22/20) where I describe the steps and also create a frozen treat from the same base. Cool!

Enough of all that! I hope I’ve given you an understandable summary and some good recipe variations for you to try. Be creative with your garnishing and have fun with it.

Lemon/chantilly/raspberries with financier on the side

It’s September and baking season is comin’ at ya!

Wild grapes

Citrus olive oil almond flour yogurt cake

Wow! That title is one heck of a mouthful. Here’s another cake quickie with more citrus coming at ya! I’ve shared a couple of other citrus cake beauties with you in recent months - orange and lemon - and this one sort of rounds those out as summer wanes. Soon I’ll be gearing up for autumn with buttery pâte brisée, croissant and puff laminated doughs, nutty/caramel-y tartes and so much more.

While citrus is typically heralded during winter and early spring, the flavors marry so beautifully with summer fruits - lime with strawberry or cherry; lemon with raspberry or blueberry; orange with blackberry come immediately to mind. You’ll find many recipes for things like fruit crisps, jams, fruit sauces or purées that call for a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten flavors. I’m on board.

One lazy warm summer afternoon as I was reviewing recipes from various sources, this one caught my eye. It’s from Aleksandra Crapanzano’s book “Gâteau” which offers a wonderful array of simple classic French cakes. There’s a section specifically focused on yogurt cakes in which she offers some interesting versions and flavor choices. This is one of them. And besides - I had yogurt and some almond flour to use up! It’s a straight forward prep that doesn’t even require a mixer. Nice!

I first wrote about the French approach to a simple yogurt cake here. And you’ll find an orange olive oil cake here - I made this one during the early weeks of the pandemic when I was abuzz with free time and the need to bake.

As is often my wont when making a loaf cake, I use my mom’s longer, narrower Mirro loaf pan which gives a slimmer, less bulky looking end result. I like that. Butter, line with parchment, then butter and raw sugar coat it for that hint of a sugar crunchy edged result.

Here’s the recipe PDF. My mise is below where you can see I decided on a mix of lemon, orange and lime zests which I rubbed into the sugar to release the oils. I’m sure many of you know that trick. Eggs should be at room temp. I use Chobani whole milk plain yogurt and a fruity Italian extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). I’ve been using Mandelin blanched almond flour for several years now - I used to order the 5 lb bag from the company but you can now find it on Amazon. Costco sells 3 pound bags of their Kirkland brand at a decent price too.

All mised up

In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, yogurt, sugar/zests, EVOO, vanilla and almond extracts. Blend in almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt then sift in the all purpose flour and blend. Remember - the recipe is here just for you!

Flour is the final addition

I thought I’d try a suggested variation of sprinkling sliced almonds on top before baking, but once I had done that I said to myself “Susan - these babies are going to sink - I should have added them after the cake had started to set”. Guess what - I was right. Down they went! Sometimes our brains tell us something for good reason.

Almonds soon to disappear!

The cake bakes at 350ºF about 40-45 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Even though the almonds sunk, the result was a lovely golden brown with a pleasing aroma of citrus.

Next time I’ll wait about half way through the bake before sprinkling almonds on top. Or, even better, forget the added almonds and check out some serving suggestions below.

No almonds to be seen

Let cool about 10-15 minutes. Rather than lifting it out of the pan, I opted to turn it out so the bottom side ended up top. Looks pretty good to me. I think I see a fleck or two of sunken almonds.

Moist, tender and citrus scented, serve a simple slice with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee. For a light dessert, serve with Chantilly, a sprinkle of fresh berries and toasted or candied sliced almonds. Or amp it up a notch and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, warm berry sauce and a crunchy crumble. I think you’ll like it.

I see some almonds!!

Autumn is coming! Yay!

Classic plum torte

Hi again! This one will be a quicky. Just wanted you to know about this if you aren’t already familiar with it. Perfect for fresh summer fruit nestled in a buttery cake. The recipe comes from Marian Burros and was published in the NYT every September from 1983 to 1989. Then readers were so bummed when it went AWOL that the Times makes sure the recipe is easily available for everyone. Play around with different fruits - I shared a peach/blueberry version with you back in an autumn update in 2022. You can add spices, sub in different flours - make it your own.

Here I’m using a mix of red and yellow plums from Nyblad, my favorite fruit vendor at the Fulton Farmers Market here in Grand Rapids. Now’s the time!

All mised up

It couldn’t be simpler and the results are delicious. You can choose an 8”, 9” or 10” pan such as a springform or round cake pan. Some folks double the recipe and bake it in a 9”x13” pan. I like to use my 8” springform - the end result is so pleasing to me. The coriander and ginger are my choices. You could add cinnamon if you’re of a mind.

Here goes. Heat oven to 350ºF. Butter the bottom of your pan, place a round of parchment in the bottom then butter/flour bottom and sides of the pan.

Cream 150 g / 3/4 cup sugar with 113 g / 4 ounces softened unsalted butter. Blend in 130 g / 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (I do half all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour), 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, a pinch of ginger, a pinch of salt and 2 large eggs. Beat well.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan, smooth top and place plum sections skin side up on the batter. Sprinkle top with granulated or turbinado sugar, 1/2 teaspoon coriander and a little lemon juice.

Marian’s original recipe calls for 24 halves of pitted purple plums. I eyeballed it, cut mine into narrower slices and had plenty for my needs. I like the mix of red and yellow skins.

Oooooh boy! Going in . . . .

Bake about one hour. Remove from oven, let cool about 10 minutes then release the springform ring. I carefully slide a long offset spatula underneath and slide the cake off the parchmented pan bottom. Cool fully on a wire rack.

Enjoy as is or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Chantilly. The cake freezes well for some weeks - be sure it’s well wrapped. Thaw at room temperature and warm briefly at 300º if desired.

More fun coming up - I’m on a roll!

Here’s a natural beauty I’m seeing along my walking route. Enjoy nature - it’s the best.

Elderberry bush