A NOTHER BAKING BLOG I LİKE : CAFE FERNANDO

CAFE FERNANDO

PARMESAN AND BLACK PEPPER BISCUITS

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into half-inch cubes
• 1+1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for flouring the counter and the dough
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl.
3. Add the chilled butter pieces and rub into the flour mixture (or use a pastry cutter) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese and mix well.
5. Add the cream and stir with a spatula until most of the flour is absorbed (at this point it is OK if the dough doesn’t come together completely).
6. Place the dough on a lightly floured counter, sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour over it and bring it together by folding the corners over to the center. Flatten it until it becomes approximately an inch thick.
7. Cut into 3-inch rounds and and place them an inch apart on a parchment lined baking tray.
8. Bake until golden on top, for about 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.

L’ORANGE – Orange, Chocolate and Almond Cake Recipe
Recipe for L’Orange adapted from Fran Bigelow’s “Pure Chocolate”.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Valrhona Guanaja)
• 2 oranges, preferably organic
• 1+1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1+2/3 cups (6+2/3 ounces) almond flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa, sifted
• 1+1/3 cups lacquer chocolate glaze (recipe below)

Method

1. Prepare the lacquer chocolate glaze (recipe below) and set aside (it takes an hour to cool down) while you prepare the cake.
2. Preheat your oven to 300F.
3. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper and set aside.
4. In a double boiler melt chocolate over low heat, remove from heat and stir with a spatula until smooth.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter on high speed for a minute.
6. Finely grate the zest of two oranges directly into the bowl (so that all the fragrant oils are captured) and beat on high speed until light in color, for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
7. Add the eggs, one by one, beating until well mixed after each addition.
8. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed for a minute until you have a smooth batter.
9. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the almond flour and cocoa with a spatula.
10. Evenly spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, until puffed and domed in the center with a slight fracture 1 inch from the rim. A toothpick inserted in the center will come out with few moist crumbs. Allow to cool to room temperature for 20 minutes.
11. Place a cardboard circle or tart bottom on top of the cake and lightly press to even out the surface. Invert the cake and place on a cooling rack set over a large, rimmed baking sheet (you can also use a long double layer of wide heavy-duty aluminum foil) to catch the glaze.
12. Remove parchment paper and have ready the lacquer chocolate glaze.
13. Pour the glaze in an even circular motion on top, starting with the sides, allowing it to cascade over and coat them completely. Start pouring in the middle and as the glaze starts going down the sides, pour the glaze about an inch from the edge to help cover the sides evenly. Reapply glaze as needed. 1+1/3 cups of glaze is enough to cover the cake in a single shot, but you can use the glaze accumulated in the baking sheet if needed.
14. Allow the cake to sit for about half an hour until the glaze stops dripping, then move the cake to a serving plate.
15. Allow the glaze to set for 4 hours. It can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and will keep fresh for two days. If you plan on refrigerating the cake, it will keep fresh for 5 days in an airtight container, but make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving for fullest flavor by taking it out of the refrigerator 2 hours beforehand (and a brief wave of a hair dryer set on low heat will bring the shine back).

LACQUER GLAZE RECIPE
Recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Rose’s Heavenly Cakes”.

Ingredients
Makes 1+1/3 cups

• 1/4 cuP cold water
• 2 tsp powdered gelatin
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp corn syrup
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Method

1. Pour 1/4 cup cold water in a small mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the top, give it a stir, cover with plastic and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar and 1/3 cup water over medium heat. When the sugar completely melts, take off heat and with the help of a wire whisk, stir in corn syrup, followed by the cocoa. You’ll have a smooth and glossy mixture.
3. Stir in heavy cream with a spatula and return pan to medium heat. Bring the mixture to the boiling point, remove from heat and strain into a metal bowl. Cool until an instant-read thermometer reads 122 – 140 F, for about 15 minutes.
4. Stir in softened gelatin until completely dissolved.
5. Strain the glaze into a bowl and let cool until an instant-read thermometer registers 80F (best temperature to glaze the cake; if you’re making this ahead, make sure to reheat to 85 F as it will be thicker). The recipe says this will happen in a few minutes, but it took an hour for the glaze to cool down to 80F (and I’ve made it twice so far).

AND MANY MORE DELICIOUS RECEPIES!

INSTANT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (CHOCOLATE CHANTILLY)
Recipe by Herve This & Heston Blumenthal

Ingredients
(4 servings)

• 9.35 ounces (265 grams) bittersweet (%70 cocoa solids) chocolate, chopped (preferably Valrhona Guanaja)
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 4 tbsp sugar, optional

Method

1. Place a large mixing bowl on top of another slightly smaller one, filled with ice and cold water (the bottom of the large bowl should touch the ice). Set aside.
2. Put chocolate and water (also sugar and/or liquor if you’re using) in a medium-sized pan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl sitting on top of ice and water, and start whisking with a wire whisk (or an electrical hand-held mixer) until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If the mousse becomes grainy (which is possible at your first try), transfer it back into the pan, reheat until half of it is melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.
4. Divide into four serving cups and serve immediately.

DRIED APRICOT AND PISTACHIO SCONE RECIPE
(recipe adapted from Fine Cooking’s Holiday Baking special issue Winter 2004)

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup of dried apricots, diced
• 1/4 cup of pistachios, roughly chopped
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks, lights beaten

For finishing:

• 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk for glazing
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar for sprinkling

Method

1. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 400 F (205 C). Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Add the dried apricots and pistachios, tossing until evenly distributed and coated with flour (this allows the dried fruit and nuts to be evenly distributed among each wedge). Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two table knives until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of peas.
3. In a small bowl, stir the cream and egg yolks just to blend. Add this all at once to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork to begin combining the wet and dry ingredients and then use your hands to gently knead the mixture together until all the dry ingredients are absorbed into the dough and it can be gathered into a moist, shaggy ball.
4. Do not overknead: This dough is sticky but benefits from minimal handling. Set the rough ball in the center of the prepared baking sheet and pat it gently into a round about 1 inch thick and 7 inches in diameter. Don’t be tempted to make the round any flatter.
5. With a sharp knife or pastry scraper, cut the round into eight wedges; separate the wedges. Brush the scones with the egg-milk glaze and sprinkle (liberally) with the sugar. Bake until the scones are deep golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a wedge comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Slide the parchment onto a rack and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
6. Best served fresh, these scones will keep for up to a month, wrapped well and frozen. Thaw at room temperature and then warm in a 325 F oven.

CHOCOLATE & HAZELNUT BİSCOTTİ

Lemon Cheesecake Cupcakes Recipe
Recipe adapted from delicious. magazine’s June 2009 issue

Makes 12 lemon cheesecake cupcakes

Ingredients

Cookie base:

• 3+1/2 oz (100 gr) gingersnap (or shortbread) cookies
• 2 oz (55 gr) ground almonds
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

Important: For a creamy consistency, make sure that all the ingredients below are at room temperature.

• 1 lb. cream cheese
• 3+1/2 oz heavy cream (or sour cream)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 5 oz mulberries (or any kind of berry)
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 325F.
2. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases and set aside.
3. Crush the cookies to fine crumbs and mix with ground almonds, sugar and melted butter.
4. Press 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture into the base of each muffin case and place in the refrigerator to chill.
5. Beat the cream cheese, heavy cream and sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest, beating well after each addition.
7. Rap the mixer bowl hard on your counter to knock out the air bubbles trapped inside the filling.
8. Spoon the mixture over the cookie bases 3/4 full.
9. Press three mulberries into the filling and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheesecakes are puffed and starting to color.
10. Cool, then chill until ready to eat.
11. Decorate each cheesecake with more mulberries and dust with powdered sugar to serve.