For the love of baking

Assorted goodies for a neighbor’s birthday party

Many of us pursue baking simply for the love of it - I know I do. Believe me, I know how fortunate I was back in 2006 to attend pastry school in both Florence and Paris. As a new career and later-in-life endeavor, it was exciting, emotionally charged, exhausting at times and well worth it.

Though I’m both “home schooled” and professionally trained, it’s not a search for fame or fortune that keeps me in the kitchen. Trying new things, reading about how others approach their craft, tweaking a recipe to create a different flavor combination all help to keep me coming back for more.

I find the process - planning, prepping and baking all the way to tasting and sharing - so calming and rhythmic. Even cleaning up, when all is said and done, is its own rite. Everything washed/dried, organized and stored in it’s own place, ready for the next baking adventure.

Just a few frequently used tools

Apricot blueberry danish

Cooling challah

Fresh berry tarte

Caramel knots

The remaining content is taken from a post I first published on March 14, 2022 in the early weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I posted it right on the heels of another post, and I suspect many of you who tend to follow this blog may have missed it.

“If pastry could change the world” still captures what baking means for me and so many others. Enjoy!

Valentine feuilletés

If everything could remind us of love . . . . .

If we could all share fresh bread, cheese and wine . . . . .

If a simple and delicious apple tart could make each day better . . . . .

If a bright, flashy, chewy macaron could shout “Be Happy”! . . . . .

If croissants could bring us together as one, multi-layered as we are . . . . .

If a buttery scone could make us giggle with delight . . . . . .

If creamy profiteroles could smooth out all the kinks amongst us . . . . .

If a shortbread sandwich cookie could hug each and every one . . . .

If caramelized Kouign-amann could roll us up in a big warm embrace . . . . .

Don’t you think the world would be a better place?

Here’s to all the bakers out there everywhere. Cheers!!

Summer beauty

Macaron musings

True confessions - I’ve had a love-hate relationship with French macarons over the past 17 years. When I first tasted these popular delights in Paris in 2006, I found them way too sweet for my taste. No thanks.

However, as is often the case in life, things changed. Having finished my pastry schooling in 2007, I began working at Gracie’s in Providence RI and was asked to start making these little cookies that were, still are and will probably continue to be, all the rage. I generally had the best results with my chocolate version filled with a basic chocolate ganache, but there were times, boy oh boy, when they came out mottled or too sticky or cracked or whatever. Frustration!

After leaving Gracie’s I taught some well received macaron classes in my shop at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket RI. Yet once I turned that business over in anticipation of our move to Michigan, I put macarons aside to focus on my true loves - tarts, puff, croissants, brioche, shortbread, choux and financiers/teacakes just to name a few. My heart simply wasn’t pining to make les macarons.

raspberrry white chocolate ganache filled

Fast forward a few years later - Steve and I had settled back in Grand Rapids and I started teaching pastry classes at the newly opened Sur La Table (sadly closed after the early months of the pandemic - bummer!). Wouldn’t you know one of the most popular class offerings was les macarons!! And so I taught many classes on these babies - sometimes they turned out beautifully and sometimes not so. The questions were always the same - what went wrong??

And so began another period of research, recipe comparisons, trials and macaron making. I even wrote a couple of blog posts about the different types of macarons out there, hoping to open peoples’ eyes to how easy some of the varieties are to make.

macarons de nancy

Yet the so called “jewels” of the pastry case remain on most budding and seasoned bakers’ minds.

chocolate all the way around!

After a number of tests and tweaking the weights of the confectioner’s and granulated sugars, I’ve finally landed on a recipe that’s been working well for me. I’ve always made macarons using the French meringue method as opposed to what I view as the more fussy Italian version, and I continue to be most comfortable with that approach.

Multitudes have written about macaron making, citing factors like low humidity, aged/room temperature egg whites, freshly opened almond flour and blitzing/sifting the almond flour/confectioner’s sugar as all being important to success. I take all of that into consideration for sure, but for me what stands out is the actual process - making the meringue, then the macaronage and finally the macaroner.

In a squeaky clean bowl (I give mine a quick wipe with vinegar or lemon juice) start whisking room temperature egg whites and a pinch of salt on low to medium-low speed until the mixture changes from a straw color to more white with foamy bubbles. Then gradually shower in the sugar over a couple of minutes - the egg whites accept the sugar more readily that way.

here’s where you start adding the sugar

The next important step is whisking the meringue to the proper stiffness (think bec d’oiseau or bird’s beak). Once the sugar is fully added to the whites, increase to medium speed, allowing some time to watch the lovely shiny, stiff meringue develop. It may be 3-4 minutes before you see some thickening and then a few minutes more to reach your goal. Remember always check sooner than later!

In days past I used to amp up the mixer to full speed right away, but I have since adopted this lower and slower approach - breath deeply.

Now the macaronage - with a spatula blend the dry ingredients into the meringue in three additions - it should look thick and a bit rough . . .

then work the mixture to the lava like stage (macaroner) during which it becomes smooth and glossy, ribboning off the bowl scraper or spatula. Here it’s important not to take it too far. Too loose and things will spread in a way that will make you unhappy.

Pipe evenly in circles of about 1.25”, leaving room for the mixture to settle. If you pipe too much, the mixture will spread more than you’d like. In other words, smaller footprint, less spreading, better result.

vanilla speckled

You’ll find fillings ranging from confitures (too sweet for me) to almond paste/butter/flavor mixtures to ganache but frankly, what I’ve really gotten into is Swiss meringue buttercreams paired with ganache to fill the macaron shells. So many choices. One of my faves is a chocolate ganache center ringed by roasted strawberry SMBC. Oh so good.

BTW - notice the plain shells below. I like my shells au naturel, preferring to avoid the use of artificial colorants. Not to worry - there are ways to work around that.

roasted strawberry SMBC/Ganache center

You can dress ‘em up with a dusting of strawberry powder for some color. Fruit powders are available from various online sources, but you can also find freeze dried strawberries and raspberries at Trader Joes. It works well to crush them through a fine strainer/sieve as you dust away.

A few other ways to add some color - use ground pistachios or hazelnuts in place of half of the almond flour for a a nice speckled look. Use espresso, cocoa or fruit powders like raspberry with the dry ingredients to add some color. Add in a bit of spice (cinnamon or coriander anyone?) or ground tea whisked in with the dry ingredients. Top the piped shells with finely chopped nuts, ground cocoa nibs, fine coconut or crushed gavotte crêpe crumbs before allowing the shells to dry before the bake.

pistachio speckled with apricot honey SMBC/raspberry coulis center

chocolate shells/white chocolate sesame pistachio ganache

I admit these next shells are kind of messy - it was harder then I expected to sprinkle some crushed gavotte crêpes evenly but what the heck, eh? Hmmm . . . I wonder if crushed corn or rice chex would work? Great with something blueberry me thinks.

gavotte crêpe topping

I do keep a few concentrated gel colors on hand mainly for class purposes, and on occasion I’ll use a schmear to fit the project. I recently made a batch with lemon-lime SMBC/ toasted coconut and did tinge the shells with a bit of yellow. Looks pretty nice- and tastes good too!

When using concentrated colors, go small - you can always add more. Here’s one instance where I got more heavy handed than I intended but the recipient of these strawberry macs reportedly said “These would make a dead man get up and speak French”.

more roasted strawberry smbc/ganache center

I’ve also taken to heart the importance of letting the filled macarons sit in the fridge for a day or two before enjoying (although many find that difficult!). It’s amazing what that cool rest can do for the texture of this little cookie.

I usually store the baked shells in the freezer, especially if they seem a bit sticky when attempting release from the Silpat. Once frozen they lift off nicely. Then I can fill them when I’m ready.

Even after filling, the freezer is my go to for storage where the texture continues to improve. You can move them into the fridge a day or two before enjoying or give them just a few minutes out of the freezer and enjoy right then and there. It works.

These days, as I look back, I’m a firm believer that attitude and being zen with it all makes a big difference. Ahhh . . . . the pastry gods can look favorably upon us.

It’s tulip time!

Autumn update

Morning pastries

As we head into official autumn (calendar-wise), I wanted to share a few things I’ve been baking lately - scones for my mom’s assisted living facility; pastries for a neighbor’s morning gathering; French macaron trials for classes I’m teaching through our local school district’s adult enrichment program; late summer fruit torte - all good stuff!

Cinnamon oat crunch scones

Sometimes it’s nice to simply show you what I’ve been up to without all the steps and recipe details. I know we all like to experiment and see how things go. That’s me for sure. I’m always here to answer any questions you might have and share tips and techniques. All you have to do is ask.

Don’t forget to check out my recipe page for all kinds of base recipes to get your creative juices flowing. Or set up a class for yourself and a few friends.

One important baking project was spurred on by a neighborhood cookout to celebrate Carla and Jay’s recent marriage. Carla’s husband Daryl died suddenly 2 years ago and Jay’s wife had died 7 years ago. C and J met a year or so ago and realized that they should be together - and so they are. Congrats to Jay and Carla!!

I made my favorite financier cakes with a mini tiered/roasted strawberry butter-creamed affair surrounded by individual petite cakes and fresh Michigan blueberry garnish. Yummy!

For another neighbor’s morning pastry request I went with almond blueberry Danish, tart cherry feuillitées and orange pecan crumble pull-apart buns. Triple yum!

Almond cream blueberry Danish

Tart cherry filling in puff pastry, topped with oat crunch

Orange pecan crumble pull aparts

Here’s another one - I needed to use up some laminated dough in my freezer before it was too late. That yeast doesn’t last forever you know. Using half a batch of dough (the other half became another Danish-y cream thing), I rolled it out to about a 10”x10” rectangle, spread it with a mixture of 2 tablespoons (28 g) soft butter, 70 g brown sugar, a couple of ounces (~60 g) of toasted ground walnuts and 2 teaspoons espresso powder, rolled it into a log, then sliced ten 1-inch slices. I baked them in buttered/sugared individual 3-inch cake tins/ramekins and then rolled them in espresso sugar (mix espresso powder into granulated sugar to your liking) once out of the oven. Pretty tasty I’d say!

Espresso walnut buns

In preparation for some upcoming French macaron classes I’m teaching, I wanted to do a couple of test batches. I’ve been tweaking my recipe and hope to share it soon. I’ll admit that macaron making has been out of my baking life for awhile. Dough is my passion, but I feel challenged to jump back in and get it juuuuuuust right! So many variables.

These are a pistachio version with an apricot honey Swiss meringue buttercream filling and a central dot of reduced raspberry purée. Yup.

Another version with roasted strawberry buttercream and a center of dark chocolate ganache. Double yup.

Isn’t baking wonderful?!!

Oh - and one more. A peach blueberry version of Marian Burros’ classic plum torte.

Ready to bake

All baked up

Talk about delicious! We enjoyed this torte for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream at cousin Jen’s recently. Triple yup.

Autumn is all about spices, nuts, pears, pumpkins, apples, maple, chocolate, custards and more - get into that kitchen and bake up some goodness!

If pastry could change the world . . . . .

If only everything could remind us of love . . . . .

If we could all share fresh bread, cheese and wine . . . . .

If a simple and delicious apple tart could make each day better . . . . .

If a bright, flashy chewy macaron could shout “Be Happy”! . . . . .

If croissants could bring us together as one, multi-layered though we are . . . . .

If a buttery scone could make us giggle with delight . . . . . .

If creamy profiteroles could smooth out all the kinks amongst us . . . . .

If a shortbread sandwich cookie could hug each and every one . . . .

If caramelized Kouign-amann could roll us up in a big warm embrace . . . . .

Don’t you think the world would be a better place?

Chocolate semifreddo (or what to do for a holiday dessert when your oven is on the fritz)

Chocolate semifreddo

Wouldn’t you know that a mere 10 days before Christmas my oven decided to take a vacation. Fortunately I had a good deal of holiday baking already completed, plus we have a couple of neighbors who were more than game to let me use their ovens for the few tarts and pastries that still needed attention.

While this type of occurrence can certainly frustrate, I saw it as the chance to think about how I might function without said oven for a short time. It’s not unlike many things we’ve had to adjust to in the past couple of years as we’ve done our best to navigate through the current state of the world.

My mind starting listing off the goodies that can easily be created without an oven - semifreddo, ice cream, fruit fools, chocolate/nut/dried fruit barks, brittles, chocolate truffles, lemon curd/cream with berries, whipped ganache with caramel and chocolate crunchies, crepes with sautéed fruit, crepe cake . . . . You get the idea.

Perhaps I should be thinking of this as the “ghost of Christmas past” since we’ve already slid into January, but I think it’s still fun to tell you about this deelish semifreddo. Remember - Valentine’s day isn’t far away.

For our small family gathering for Christmas Eve (also a celebration of what would have been my father’s 100th birthday), I chose a chocolate semifreddo, a classic Italian “half-frozen” dessert. While many semifreddo recipes are based on the incorporation of whipped cream or meringue into a sabayon type of mixture (egg yolk, sugar, liqueur or wine or citrus juice), this one is a combination of a Swiss meringue and whipped dark chocolate ganache placed in a mold of choice, frozen and essentially ready to serve whenever the time is right. A perfect make ahead dish.

I chose the simple loaf pan approach in which you lightly grease the pan then line it with plastic wrap that overhangs the sides and gives you enough to cover the semifreddo once it’s in the pan. For individual portions, it’s fun to use small ramekins ready to serve right out of the freezer. Just garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and some crunchies or fresh berries. Easy peasy. You can also scoop it like ice cream to top a crisp or crumble (if your oven is working - ha!).

For the ganache portion, place 170 g / 6 ounces dark chocolate (chopped or discs if that’s what you have) in a medium heat-proof bowl. Bring 360 ml / 1.5 cups heavy cream to a boil in a saucepan on the stovetop or in a glass Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave (my preference). Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let sit a minute then gently stir to blend. Add in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge a good hour or two.

NOTE: You’ll be whipping the ganache then blending the cooled Swiss meringue into it so think about your timing. I used my trusty Kitchenaid hand mixer for the chilled ganache while the Swiss meringue was in progress.

For the Swiss meringue, fill a medium saucepan half full with water and bring to a simmer. In a separate bowl that will nest nicely in the saucepan, whisk together 3 large egg whites (this process goes faster if they’re already at room temp) and 133 g / 2/3 cup granulated sugar then place it over the simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160ºF. Transfer the meringue into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until cooled and thickened with shiny, stiff peaks (I usually give it a good 10 minutes).

Blend the meringue into the ganache in three additions, folding to incorporate. It’s OK if there are a few meringue streaks left.

Part way through the folding

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, cover and freeze. Give it a minimum of 6 hours but overnight or up to several days is even better.

When ready to serve, I find it easiest to overturn it gently onto a plate and peel off the plastic. For garnish I have cocoa nib brittle, pistachio nougatine, chocolate cookie crumbs, and, for the pièce de resistance, freezer stash strawberry macarons filled with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream, a center of chocolate ganache and a dusting of strawberry powder on top. Whoa!

Stripes of brittle and nougatine across the surface, a bottom collar of chocolate cookie crumbs and a crowning flourish of strawberry macs.

I finished off the decor earlier in the afternoon on Christmas Eve so that I could have my garnishing completed and the whole thing ready to slice. Then I held it in the freezer until dessert time. Yes!

For serving I spooned out a small pool of this past summer’s roasted Michigan strawberry purée from my freezer stash, a slice of semifreddo, dollop of whipped cream, chocolate cookie crumbs and a strawberry macaron.

You can’t go wrong with marrying tastes and textures like these. Chocolate-y, creamy, crunchy, chewy and fruity. Yum yum yes.

The good news is, as of January 4th, the oven has been repaired and is functioning in good form. Of course I had to bake some croissants don’t ya know.

Keep on keeping on everyone. Make 2022 your best year yet.

Our first “BIG” winter storm of the season