Pourdouble cream into a small saucepan. Add Vanilla Extract, and heat over medium-low heat.
Meanwhile, roughly chop dark chocolate and put in a medium bowl.
Once the cream is simmering, pour over the chocolate. Cover with a lid, and let sit, a couple of minutes. Then, stir energetically with a rubber spatula until you have a smooth and shiny ganache. Place in the refrigerator, to chill, at least a couple of hours.
Preheat oven to 210°C/410°F. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Combinewater,milkandbutterin a large saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat. Once mixture is slowly boiling and butter is melted, remove from the heat and add both flours all at once, stirring well with a wooden spoon until a soft ball form. Return over low heat and cook, about 2 minutes, until a slight film forms at the bottom of the saucepan, stirring often. Set aside and let cool slightly.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until you get a smooth, shiny, soft-peak paste.
Spoon choux pastry into a piping bag, fitted with a large (1-cm/0.4″) star nozzle and pipe choux pastry into 14-cm/5.5″ long éclairs onto one of the baking trays until you have ten. With the remaining choux pastry you could pipe more éclairsorchouxon the second baking tray. Place baking trays in the hot oven. Bake at 210°C/410°F, for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Using a skewer, carefully piercethree holes at the bottom of each éclair, to let the steam escape and put them back in the warm oven to dry out, 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
For this recipe, you will only need four éclairs. The others (and choux) will freeze well, stored in zip-lock bags and can be kept up to three months in the freezer. You will only need to thaw them before using in sweet or savoury recipes.
Once the chocolate ganache has chilled, beat with an hand mixer, gradually increasing speed to high, until ganache becomes fluffy and a paler shade of brown. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
With a serrated knife, gently cut the topsoff each éclair. Pipe whipped chocolate ganache generously on the bottom of each. Gently press raspberriesin the ganacheof each éclair. Gently press éclair tops onto each éclair. Dust with.
EnjoyChocolate and Raspberry Eclairs immediately, with a glass of chilled Champagneor other sparkling wine, or chill until serving time. Happy Easter!
If you have éclairs or choux buns in the freezer, you can have these anytime you fancy!
Every once in a while, I like preparing a porridge mixture I pop in the frdge before bed. There is something of a sheer relief going to bed knowing breakfast will be ready as soon as you rise. This gives you some extra time, to linger in bed maybe or to go for a morning stroll or a rugby practise in the park, or whatever else you fancy… Besides, these Pumpkin and Chia Seed Overnight Oats are chocka with energy-boosting seeds, and also delicious. A very good morning, indeed! Happy Tuesday!
In your favourite breakfast bowl, combine whole rolled oats,caster sugar,pumpkin seedsand chia seeds. Grate in about ½ teaspoon nutmeg. Give a good stir.
Then, gently stir in milkandVanilla Extract, until well-combined. Cover with cling film, and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, enjoy Pumpkin and Chia Seed Overnight Oats with a cup of teaorcoffee!
Very good and easy breakfast to start the week like a Canadian Soccer Player ;) ⚽
Today,Jules and I are celebrating the National Holiday with a barbie and this Bleu Blanc Rouge Angel Food Cake, which is light as air (and useful when you have egg whites waiting in the fridge)! Joyeux Quatorze Juillet, Happy Bastille Day!
Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Buttera deep round cake pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift flourand caster sugar together. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, beat egg whites, gradually increasing speed to high until soft peaks form. Add saltandcream of Tartar, and continue beating, gradually adding sugar, until stiff peaks form. Gently fold inVanilla Extract with a rubber spatula. Then, gently fold in flour mixture, in three times, until completely blended.
Spoonbattercarefully into prepared cake pan. Level well with rubber spatula, to avoid air pockets.
Place in the warm oven, and bake at 190°C/375°F, 20 to 25 minutes, until just a light golden brown and spongesprings back when lightly touched. Let cool slightly, then turn over onto serving plate. Let cool completely.
Before serving, arrange bluberriesandraspberriesonto the cake, and dust lightly with Icing Sugar. Serve Bleu Blanc Rouge Angel Food CakewithRose Raspberry Coulis.
If, like me, you are a bit anxious about the (French) Election today, a little lightness might be in order. And there is nothing as delightfully light as this BleuBlancRouge Angel Food Cake we once had on Bastille Day! May it come with a side of steadfast democracy; bon Dimanche !
Pourdouble cream into a small saucepan. Add Vanilla Extract, and heat over medium-low heat.
Meanwhile, roughly chop dark chocolate and put in a medium bowl.
Once the cream is simmering, pour over the chocolate. Cover with a lid, and let sit, a couple of minutes. Then, stir energetically with a rubber spatula until you have a smooth and shiny ganache. Place in the refrigerator, to chill, at least a couple of hours.
Preheat oven to 210°C/410°F. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Combinewater,milkandbutterin a large saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat. Once mixture is slowly boiling and butter is melted, remove from the heat and add both flours all at once, stirring well with a wooden spoon until a soft ball form. Return over low heat and cook, about 2 minutes, until a slight film forms at the bottom of the saucepan, stirring often. Set aside and let cool slightly.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until you get a smooth, shiny, soft-peak paste.
Spoon choux pastry into a piping bag, fitted with a large (1-cm/0.4″) star nozzle and pipe choux pastry into 14-cm/5.5″ long éclairs onto one of the baking trays until you have ten. With the remaining choux pastry you could pipe more éclairsorchouxon the second baking tray. Place baking trays in the hot oven. Bake at 210°C/410°F, for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Using a skewer, carefully piercethree holes at the bottom of each éclair, to let the steam escape and put them back in the warm oven to dry out, 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
For this recipe, you will only need four éclairs. The others (and choux) will freeze well, stored in zip-lock bags and can be kept up to three months in the freezer. You will only need to thaw them before using in sweet or savoury recipes.
Once the chocolate ganache has chilled, beat with an hand mixer, gradually increasing speed to high, until ganache becomes fluffy and a paler shade of brown. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
With a serrated knife, gently cut the topsoff each éclair. Pipe whipped chocolate ganache generously on the bottom of each. Gently press raspberriesin the ganacheof each éclair. Gently press éclair tops onto each éclair. Dust with.
EnjoyChocolate and Raspberry Eclairs immediately, with a glass of chilled Champagneor other sparkling wine, or chill until serving time. Happy Easter!
Ever since I baked (and devoured) these delightfully decadent Hot Cross Buns last year, I knew I’d probably have chocolate in them every year now (and still no sultanas!) So this year’s batch are these absolutely delicious Brandy Chocolate and Fig Hot Cross Buns! And I may have shared the recipe with Ava, who will bake my increasingly fanciful versions whilst her Nan bakes the raisin and sultana ones (it’s our Easter tradition now!); but since Julesis not coming home before next week, this dozen is all for me! I may be good and virtuous and save a few for her and pop them in the freezer until she, to, can revel –this is, after all the spirit of this day! Happy Good Friday!
55 grams/2 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 large egg, lightly beaten
70 grams/2.5 ounces good quality dark chocolate
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon/
a bit of water
1 tablespoon good quality Brandy or Cognac
1 heaped tablespoon heather or Manuka H/oney
The evening before, place dried figsin a clean jar. Pour Cognac over the dried fruits, and seal the jar. Shake the jar energetically, and leave to soak overnight.
The following morning, drain the dry fruits thoroughly, saving the soaking Cognac (of which you should have at least a tablespoon) for the glaze. Chop soaked figs into small dices. Setaside.
In a medium saucepan, combine milk,butterandVanilla Extract, and heat over a low flame, until just simmering. Remove from heat and let cool, ever so slightly.
In a large bowl, combine strong white flour,castersugar,yeastandsalt, making sure the last two don’t touch at that stage. Add cinnamonandcocoa powder. Give a good stir. Add butter, and rub into the flour mixture, until it resembles coarse meal. Dig a well in the middle, and add the egg. Add half of the warm milk mixture, mixing ingredientstogether; Gradually add the rest of the milkas you might not need all of it. You should get a sticky soft dough.
Tipdough out on a lightly floured surface, and add figs. Knead them into the dough, for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Returndough to the bowl, cover with cling film, and prove, 1 hour and a half to two hours, or until doubled in size.
Roughly chop dark chocolate into small chunks.
Tipdough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in dark chocolate chunks, a good 5 minutes, stretching the doughand folding it on itself before turning it and repeating, before returning to the bowl. Cover with cling film, and let dough rise a second time, about an hour to an hour and a half .
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Again, tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a ball, and arrange 12 balls on prepared baking tray, leaving a bit of room between them to allow them to grow and join. Prove one last time, for an hour, until buns are joining.
Preheat oven to 215°C/415°F.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour,cocoa powder and water, until you have a smooth paste. Spoon mixturein a small piping bag and pipe a regular horizontal line on each row of buns. Repeat process vertically. Place in the oven, and bake at 215°C/415°F, for 25 minutes.
Warm reserved soaking Cognac with more Cognac andManuka Honey in a small saucepan over medium heat, until it just becomes syrup-y.
Once baked, remove Brandy Chocolate and Fig Hot Cross Buns from the oven, and brush immediately with the warm Honey and Brandy syrup to give them a nice glaze. Leave hot cross buns to cool as long as you can, before enjoying slathered with butterand a nice cuppa!
Heatmilk over a low flame. Once simmering, stir in Vanilla Extract, caster sugar, dark muscavado sugarandcocoa powder. Stir well, until perfectly blended. Add Cardamom and Vanilla Rum and, continue stirring just foamy.
