An unmissable TWD

While I already normally look forward to every Tuesday with Dorie, the recipe this week, The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart, was even more special for me. Why? Because the centerpiece of this recipe, the exquisitely smooth and delicious lemon cream, originates from the Picasso of pastry - Pierre Hermé. 

For those of you who don't know him, Pierre Hermé is a pastry chef extraordinaire. He is responsible for creations such as the Isaphan, a rose flavoured macaron with litchis and raspberries), and Plasir Sucré. For me, no visit to Paris is complete without a mandatory stop at his boutique on Rue Bonaparte. If you're going there for the first time, there's no missing it. Its the little store with the line of people snaking out its door.

 

Knowing what I know about Pierre Hermé, I was sure that this recipe would indeed live up to its name. Sure enough, I was not disappointed. Although the lemon cream is marginally more of a hassle to make than regular lemon curd, if you have a blender or a food processor handy, it really is a snap. I did find the crust a little more difficult to handle - its not one that you can roll easily (which Dorie did warn about) - but by pressing it into the pan as Dorie suggests, the crust turned out beautifully.

I served this for tea on Sunday and again for dinner. M, who is usually a chocolate fanatic, raved about it as well. I think this recipe is definitely a keeper!

The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart

From Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 cup sugar

Grated zest of 3 lemons

4 large eggs

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4-5 lemons)

2 sticks plus 5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces, at room temperature

1 9-inch tart shell

Getting ready:

Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer and a blender or food processor at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.

Set the bowl over the pan and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the lemon cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk - you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling - you'll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point - the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don't stop whisking or checking the temperature, and have patience - depending on how much heat you're giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of the blender (or food processor); discard the zest. Let the cream stand, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high (or turn on the processor) and, with the machine going, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed as you incorporate the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going - to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to blend the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats. 

Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. The cream will keep in the fridge for 4 days or, tightly sealed, in the freezer for up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator). 

When you are ready to assemble the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell. Serve the tart, or refrigerate until needed.

Makes 8 servings

TWD: Gooey Chocolate Cakes

Once again, its time for TWD! I've found that its the perfect solution to Monday blues since every Monday night (if I've procrastinated, which is usually the case), I have a Dorie baking session to look forward to! This week, the chosen recipe was Dorie's Gooey Chocolate Cake aka molten chocolate cake or chocolate fondant.

While I've made this type of cake many times, I've actually never tried Dorie's recipe so I was definitely looking forward to giving it a go. Molten chocolate cake is one of those cakes that is almost universally loved - you can find it on just about every restaurant's dessert menu - but is so quick and easy to whip up.

After having read the problems and questions post on the TWD blog, I decided to reduce the cooking time in order to ensure that I had a gooey inside. As such, instead of 13 minutes, I decided to bake mine for 11. I must have an oven that runs cold though because I think I could have easily left it in for at least another minute. No matter though - the cake was still absolutely delicious, if a little more gooey than normal! Next time you have unexpected dinner guests, this is your go to recipe because you can have it on the table in under 30 minutes tops.

Gooey Chocolate Cake
From Baking: From My Home to Yours

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate,
4 ounces coarsely chopped,
1 ounce very finely chopped
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
6 tablespoons of sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. butter (or spray – it’s easier) 6 cups of a regular-size muffin pan, preferably a disposable aluminum foil pan, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Put the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted – you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until homogenous. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don’t beat) them into the eggs. Little by little, and using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate and butter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate over the batter.

Bake the cakes for 13 minutes. Transfer them, still on the baking sheet, to a rack to cool for 3 minutes. (There is no way to test that these cakes are properly baked, because the inside remains liquid.)

Line a cutting board with a silicone baking mat or parchment or wax paper, and, after the 3-minute rest, unmold the cakes onto the board. Use a wide metal spatula to lift the cakes onto dessert plates.

Makes 6 servings

Back to Tuesdays with Dorie!

After missing the last 2 TWDs, I was determined not to let another week go by without making this important appointment. So as soon as I got a chance , which turned out to be Wednesday night the week before, I got started on my Caramel-Topped Flan, this week’s recipe chosen by Steph of A Whisk and A Spoon.

Now I’ve never made Crème Caramel before, even though I do enjoy it, and was amazed by just how quick it was to make. The caramel, given the 1/3 quantity I was making, was done in 5-7 minutes tops. The custard itself took only about 5 minutes to heat up and mix together. The only slight hassle is having to set up the baking tray with hot water to bake the custard, but honestly speaking, as long as you can read and follow instructions, its really not a big deal.

After 35 minutes in the oven, my caramel has puffed up slightly, as the book said it would so I slid it out, ran my knife around the edge to loosen it and let it cool. I unmolded mine the next day after a night in the fridge and it slid out very easily with the caramel oozing out to coat the custard. The taste, needless to say, was divine – as all Dorie’s recipes are.

To see the rest of the TWD's efforts, please check out the blogroll here.

Caramel-Topped Flan

For the Caramel

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp water

squirt of fresh lemon juice

For the Flan

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1-1/4 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Getting Ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan or a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with a double thickness of paper towels. Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat.Put a metal 8-x-2-inch round cake pan-not a nonstick one-in the oven to heat while you prepare the caramel.

To Make the Caramel:

Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Put the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar becomes an amber-colored caramel, about 5 minutes-remove the pan from the heat at the first whiff of smoke.Remove the cake pan from the oven and, working with oven mitts, pour the caramel into the pan and immediately tilt the pan to spread the caramel evenly over the bottom; set the pan aside.

To Make the Flan:

Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.Meanwhile, in a 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar. Whisk vigorously for a minute or two, and then stir in the vanilla. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid-this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the hot cream and milk. Using a large spoon, skim off the bubbles and foam that you worked up.Put the caramel-lined cake pan in the roasting pan. Pour the custard into the cake pan and slide the setup into the oven. Very carefully pour enough hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. (Don't worry if this sets the cake pan afloat.)

Bake the flan for about 35 minutes, or until the top puffs a bit and is golden here and there. A knife inserted into the center of the flan should come out clean.Remove the roasting pan from the oven, transfer the cake pan to a cooking rack and run a knife between the flan and the sides of the pan to loosen it. Let the flan cool to room temperature on the rack, then loosely cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

When ready to serve, once more, run a knife between the flan and the pan. Choose a rimmed serving platter, place the platter over the cake pan, quickly flip the platter and pan over and remove the cake pan-the flan will shimmy out and the caramel sauce will coat the custard.

Makes 6 to 8 Servings

Missing Tuesday with Dorie...

Its been a really busy time lately and without me really noticing, I've missed two tuesdays with Dorie in a row. Reading about all the other member's entries about their Russian grandmother's apple cake and the deliciously tantalizing brioche raisin snails makes me realize just how much I've missed out. In keeping with the spirit of the group, I'll most definitely be back for the rest of the month. In fact, I'm going to get me a headstart on next week's challenge tomorrow night.

Cookies for charity

The London marathon is in a month's time (yikes!) and I'm still somewhat shy of my fundraising goal of £1,500. Like many people who apply for the marathon through the ballot, I didn't get a spot so I decided to pursue my dream while raising money for a worthwhile cause. In my case, as an animal lover, I'm raising money for Care for the Wild International, an animal conservation charity.

Unlike some of the charities that are fielding hundreds of runners at the event, CWI has just 7 of us. While it means that every pound we raise will mean more to them, it also means that the pressure not to let them down is even stronger. 

To supplement my fundraising efforts thus far, I am planning to ask my colleagues if they will help sponsor my marathon. As a thank you (or a bribe), I baked up a batch of these decadent white chocolate chunk cookies and will bring them into the office tomorrow. I'm hoping this will do the trick. Judging by the lovely smell wafting through my kitchen at the moment, I have high hopes.

White Chocolate Chunk-Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from The Essential Baker

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

8 oz unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 extra-large egg, at room temperature

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

10 oz white chocolate, cut into small chunks

1/2 cup toasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds and preheat the oven to 375F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick liners.

Over a large piece of waxed or parchment paper or a bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir or toss to blend together thoroughly.

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer or in a large bowl. Use the flat beater attachment or a hand-held mixer to beat the butter on medium speed until it's fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the butter and cream together completely. Stop occasionally and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Using a fork, lightly beat the egg and vanilla together in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture and blend thoroughly. The egg will sit on top of the butter mixture, so be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to help mix evenly. The mixture may look curdled as the eggs are added, but as you stop and scrape down the bowl, the mixture will smooth out.

Add the dry ingredients in 4 stages, blending completely after each addition. Stop occasionally and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure even mixing.

Add the white chocolate chunks, macadamia nuts, and dried cranberries and stir to distribute evenly.

Use a large spoon or a small ice cream scoop to scoop out mounds about 2 inches in diameter. Place the mounds on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between them so they have room to expand as they bake.

Bake the cookies for  minutes. Switch the baking sheets and bake another 5 to 6 minutes, until the cookies are set and light golden.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets on racks. Carefully remove the cookies from the parchment paper or nonstick liners. 

Makes 5 dozen cookies