A night to remember

It was a clear night.. One could hear from the deck,the laughter of the passengers enjoying a quiet evening, music was in the air. Many already slept. It was 11:40 and the name of the ship was about to become eternal and world famous. On the fifth night of its maiden voyage the Titanic ceased to be just a ship and became immortal.

What is it about Titanic that gets so much fascination? Maybe for the fact that her first trip became the last, or because of all the souls that went down with her, or because of the many legends, like the orchestra playing in one of the decks as passengers ran from one side to another trying to find a place in the few lifeboats, the courage of many, the cowardice of a few, and the ladies with their hats and dresses in the fashion of the early twentieth century, leaving their husbands behind, many were already widows without knowing it. It was a clear night, and it was the end of Titanic.

On the night of April 14th 1912, the dinner in the first class dining room consisted of a ten-course menu. Oysters, soup, vegetables, fillet mignon, lamb, carrots, asparagus vinaigrette, salmon, duck, veal, chicken, pigeon and several desserts. This post t recreates some of the menu, my version of two of the dishes last night of the Titanic:

Chicken lyonnaise with vegetables
Chocolate and vanilla eclairs
Waldorf pudding

Chicken Lyonnaise

Ingredients for two:

A boneless chicken breast with skin
Four tablespoons of fresh thyme
Two onions finely chopped
A clove of garlic
One tablespoon of tomato puree
100 g flour
Salt and pepper
Two tablespoons of olive oil
A cup of chicken stock
Half cup of white wine
A pinch of sugar

Fry the onion in a frying pan with olive oil, until it begins to brown, then add garlic, a little thyme, cook a few minutes over a high heat and add wine, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent paste, reduce for a minute and add tomato puree, stock and sugar, cook for two minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. At this point you can add the sliced ​​chicken or plate it with the sauce all over.

Method:

Spread chicken skin on a board and open the breast so that it covers the skin, spread the meat, if necessary flatten it a bit, season the meat and sprinkle half the thyme. Roll up and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate half an hour .. In a bowl mix the flour with more thyme, salt and pepper, remove chicken from refrigerator and cut into slices. Roll in flour and fry in oil. Leave in the oven at medium-low heat while preparing the sauce.

The vegetables:
Carrots
Cumin
Fennel
Butter
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Place the fennel in a saucepan and cover with water, season and boil until the water begins to evaporate, at this point add a tablespoon of butter and cook until browned. Keep aside.
For the carrots, follow the same procedure as with the fennel, but adding the cumin together with the butter.

Waldorf pudding

Ingredients:

A golden apple, peeled and diced
200g sponge crumbs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
In a saucepan mix the apple, lemon, and butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar and cook until the apples begin to caramelize.
In another saucepan combine the milk with the remaining sugar and vanilla, when it starts to bubble,in another bowl mix four or five tablespoons of the milk with the yolks, then add this mixture to the milk and vanilla and stir constantly with a spoon stick until it begins to thicken slightly.



At this point, you can do two things:

Spread the apple mixture in a oven safe bowl or in individual ramekins and cover with the cream, top with the crums and bake at 180 degrees on a Bain Marie for 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard is set. Cool 5 minutes, run a knife around the edges, invert on a serving plate and serve.

In individual ramekins alternate layers of apple, cream and the crumbs. Refrigerate.


Chocolate and vanilla eclairs

Ingredients:
Choux pastry:
1/4 litre of water
100g butter
150 g sifted plain flour
5 eggs
15 g sugar
3 g salt

For the pastry cream:
1/2 litre of milk
4 egg yolks
45g cornflour
100g sugar
A vanilla pod split open
the rind of half a lemon
For the ganache:
200 g dark chocolate
Single cream 50 dl
For the vanilla glace:
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 or 3 tablespoons water

Method for the eclairs:
Put water, butter, salt and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add the flour stirring, cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add eggs, one by one. Form eclairs with a piping bag in a greased baking tray. Cookfor about 15 minutes at 180, then another 5 with the oven door ajar. Cool on wire rack.

The pastry cream:
Mix the cornstarch with half a cup of the milk and the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Bring the remaining milk to a boil with the sugar, lemon peel and vanilla .. When it boils, mix the egg yolk mixture and cornstarch,place back in the saucepan and keep stirring with a wooden spoon .. Remove from heat when it begins to thicken , remove the skin of the lemon and vanilla. (vanilla is washed under running water and dried, and can be used to make vanilla sugar). Cover with plastic film to prevent the formation of the skin layer. Once at room temperature, refrigerate.
For the ganache:
In a saucepan heat the cream and mix the chocolate until is completely melted. Cool.
For the vanilla frosting:
Sift the icing sugar and mix with the vanilla extract and water until it forms a paste ..
Filling and icing:
Once the custard is cooled, fill the eclairs using a pastry bag, and coat them with the warm ganache.
Fill the chocolate eclairs with the cold ganache and coat with the vanilla glaze.

Cupcakes for a bachata man

So, I went to this concert...

Ever since I heard his music, I was more than hooked. His name is Juan Luis Guerra and he is a remarkable singer. His music is more than just music, it's a way of life. He comes from Dominican Republic, and the joy of life is happily represented in his lyrics. He is also a philosopher, and thinker...And listening to his music I just can't help but wonder why life is not always like his songs. Anyway, when I read about his concert in London, I quickly got my tickets. It was magical, getting goosebumps with every song, singing along with him, burning calories as well, because there is no way you can remain seated. The audience was so pleased, and so was I...

These cupcakes are dedicated to this man, Juan Luis Guerra, for making my life happier, and for introducing me to the world of Bachatas, Merengues and all kinds of Caribbean music. If you want to know what am I talking about, check this video.
Two kinds of cupcakes. Ones with raspberry buttercream, decorated with mini madeleines; the others, decorated with mandarin dust, very easy to make and deliciously dangerous. If you don't have a mini madeleine mould, you can bake mini biscuits and put them the same way as the madeleines.

Raspberry cupcakes with a madeleine little friend

175g self raising flour
100g sugar
115g softened butter
pinch of salt
3 eggs
50g ground almonds
Raspberry buttercream
175g softened butter
150g icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
150g fresh raspberries or raspberry jam

Method

Preheat the oven to 190. Line a muffin tin with paper cases and brush a mini madeleine mould with a little melted butter.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and stir in the sugar

Melt the butter and leave to cool. Lightly beat the eggs and mix them into the sugar and flour, then add the cooled butter and ground almonds. Mix well, cover and chill in the fridge for an hour. Fill the paper cases three quarters full. Bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool then turn into a cooling rack.

Half fill the mini madeleines mould and bake for 5 or 6 minutes until golden. Cool and reserve.
For the buttercream

If using fresh raspberries, crush them with a fork. Beat the butter with the icing sugar until light and fluffy, stir in the lemon juice and the crushed raspberries or the jam.
When the cakes are cool, fill a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with the raspberry buttercream. Pipe a whirl over the centre of each cake and press a madeleine to one side of it.

For the mandarin cupcakes

Mandarin dust is very versatile and delicious, you cantop ice creams with it, or decorate lots of cakes and desserts.

Ingredients

4 or 5 mandarins
2 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 200. Line an oven tray with parchment paper. Cut the mandarins into very thin slices, with a mandolin or a very sharp knife. Place them in the tray and bake in the oven for three hours, don't let them get too brown. When cool, place them in a food processor or coffee grinder. Keep in a glass jar.

For the mandarin cupcakes

175g softened butter
175 sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon mandarin zest
4 eggs
175 plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

For the cream
2 cups quark of philladelphia
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
175g icing sugar
Mandarin dust

Method
Preheat the oven to 180. Place the paper cases into their holes.
In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla and the zest, the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each one. Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the mix. Fill the paper cases. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and place them in the cooling rack.
To decorate, mix all the ingredients of the cream, except the mandarin dust and place into a piping bag fitted with the plain nozzle and pipe a whirl over the whole of the cake. Dust with the mandarin powder.

A nice touch

Bye bye summer!

OK, let's get to it.

These delightful bitesize cakes are a beauty and so delicious you won't believe how easy and fun they are to make. They taste of summer, so before winter arrives I give you these little cuties...I would also tell you about what happened one night not so long ago after I made these. Here is the story...

It's so grateful to be rewarded for your work, even more when you least expect it. This is what happened one night, not too long ago. It was quite late, around 8 pm, when my doorbell rang. I opened the door and there was this delivery man handing me a form to sign and with a big long box by his side. I looked at the box and when I saw the Interflora logo, I kindly smiled, (I may have slipped a patronizing sigh (He, my husband, the Vegetarian hasn´t brought me flowers in years!) so I opened my mouth to let him know he got the wrong door, when my eyes saw the addressee name: Mrs B. Wait a minute, that's ME! I signed the form and I almost hugged the man! (he run away of course!) Then, this got me thinking, could it be that my hubbie, the Vegetarian, had the urge for bringing me flowers? They say that if this happens out of the blue, he might have been having an affair! I grabbed the box, closed the door and had a deep breath. 
-"Do you have anything to do with this???" -I shouted. His steps getting closer downstairs...
-"Erm...Noooo?"- (suspicious smile)
So, I opened the box and there it was, a beautiful, colourful and huge orchid plant! The plant pot was the same colour as the flowers, a nice touch. So, the Vegetarian had to break and he spat it all out. His workmates were the ones. I use to send them my culinary creations via the Vegetarian, like the ones from this post, and this was their way of thanking me, along with a nice card with a lovely message. I am more than grateful to these guys, to whom I've never met, for letting me know about their tastes, for helping me out with my experiments and for eating them. So, people from BAA, at Heathrow, Thanks a lot!

Here's the lovely plant.

And here's the recipe, passion fruit mini bites and bites size cherry cakes. They're so simple to make and the result is impressive.

Mini passion fruit cakes

Ingredients

2 tablespoon passion fruit pulp
60g softened butter
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1/4 cup (55g) sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup (75g) self raising flour
1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk

Icing
1/2 cup (80g) icing sugar
1 teaspoong milk

Method
Preheat oven to 180. Grease two 12 hole mini muffin tins
Strain passion fruit pulp over small bowl, reserve seeds and juice separately.
Beat butter, rind and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, add flour, passion fruit juice and buttermilk. Spoon mixture into muffin tin holes. 
Bake cakes about 20 minutes. Stand them 5 minutes. Turn, top side up, onto a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, stir icing sugar and milk, add the reserved seeds and mix until combined. Top cakes with icing.

Cherry bites

Ingredients

115g self raising flour
Pinch of salt
100g sugar
115g softened butter
3 eggs
50g ground almonds

Method

Preheat the oven to 180. Grease the muffins tin.
Sift the flour and add a pinch of salt, and stir in the sugar.

Melt the butter and leave to cool. Lightly beat the eggs and mix them into the sugar and flour, then add the cooled butter and ground almonds. Cover and chill for an hour at least. Fill the tin three quarters full.
Top with a cherry (you can substitute with any other fruit) and bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Leave to cool then turn out to a cooling rack.

Bloody Tarts!

Relax...it’s just a dessert.

Now that blood oranges are on season, we have to really enjoy this time of the year, and take advantage of this beautiful fruit, not only because of its flavour, but also its amazing and psychedelic colour. Today  was a “tart” day... because there times when one fancies a cake, or biscuits, or even a hot pudding, but today was a tart day, and since its sweet time in my blog, and I had some blood oranges, there is nothing better than an orange curd crowned by a lovely touch of meringue, not very sweet, just about..The recipe comes from AWW (Australian Women’s Weekly) now, you can tell I like these books, can’t you? This is an easy recipe, and the orange curd as filling is absolutely delicious. You can use lemons or limes instead, or simply normal oranges.  These tarts are a lovely and spectacular end of a dinner party. If you like the flavour of citrus fruits, this is for you.

Ingredients for the pastry

250 plain flour

150g softened butter

1 teaspoon salt

A pinch of sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon cold milk

Method for the pastry

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 12 muffin tin or 12 tartalette individual cases. Mix all the ingredients but the milk, when all is combined add the milk and mix until you get a non sticky and uniform mixture, cover with cling film and refrigerate at least for half hour. Then it’s time to cut the pastry in rounds and pinch the surface with a fork, refrigerate again for half hour. After half and hour, cover with ovenproof paper and fill the tins with baking beans (or you can use any beans or ice instead). Bake only for ten minutes, and keep aside whilst you prepare the filling.

For the filling

½ cup sugar (110g)

2 tablespoon cornflour

2/3 cup blood orange juice

2 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons finely grated blood orange rind

75g unsalted butter, chopped

2 eggs, separated

½ cup sugar, extra

Method

Combine sugar and cornflour in a saucepan, gradually stir in juice and the water until smooth. Cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat, simmer for one minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the zest, butter and egg yolks. Cool 10 minutes.

Divide filling among pastry cases. Refrigerate 1 hour.

For the Meringue

Increase temperature to 240 degrees.

Beat egg whites with electric mixer, until soft peaks form, gradually add extra sugar, beating until sugar dissolves. Using star nozzle, pipe meringue over filling. Bake about 3 minutes or until browned lightly.

Swedish cinnamon rolls

Who doesn't like cinnamon rolls? There's not a moment in the day when I don't fancy one. This recipe is Nigella's and as all her recipes its quite easy to make and you'll be very pleased with the results. When the rolls are in the oven, your place will smell like heaven...

Ingredients:

For the dough:

600g plain flour

100g sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

21g of dried yeast or 45g fresh yeast

100g melted butter

400ml milk

2 eggs

For the filling:

150g softened butter

150 sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg beaten

For the glaze:

1 cup icing sugar

splash of water

Method:

You need a 33cm x 24cm square cake tin, or you can make them separate in an oven tray. Preheat oven to200degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl. Mix the butter with the milk and eggs. Mix with your hands or in the mixer using the dough hook, until smooth and springy. Form a ball and place it in a oiled bowl, cover and let it rise for 30 minutes or more.

Form a rectangle with the dough, you may need more flour for the mixture to become less sticky, mix the ingredients for the cinnamon butter and spread it all over the surface of the rectangle, roll it until you have a sausage. Cut it into 2 cms slices and placethem in the baking tray, keep them some centimetres apart from one another, let them rise again, brush them with the egg and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

You can also try to make them stuck to one another in a cake tin, or in an oven dish, like in the photos above, let them rise for haf an hour or 45 minutes and bake them, 20 minutes or until a skewer comes away clean.

Once they are baked, transfer them to a cooling rack, let them cool and mix the ingredients for the glaze until it becomes a runny but sticky mixture and GLAZE!

Danish pastries for everybody

I love puff pastry, it has endless possibilities. Either sweet or savoury, stuffed, glazed...well, ask the danish, they are THE masters. These mini danish pastries are so cute you won't be able to resist, and they are two bite size. Some of them are stuffed with a delicious almond paste, very easy to make, and I am going to use it many times for a lot of sweets. Other are filled with a cinnamon butter, or vanilla buttercream. I love making them this size, they look more cute, in my opinion. They are very easy to make, and if you wonder how to fold them and fill them more graphically, all the answers are here, it's a website where you will learn wonderful things about the pastry, so, there you go, there's no excuse now.

Ingredients for all the pastries:

Two packets of ready made puff pastry

Apricot jam for brushing once they're baked

Cinnamon wheels

For the cinnamon butter:
100 g softened butter

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Mix and reserve.

Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar

splash of water

Method:
Roll a rectangle with the puff pastry, put down a thin layer of the cinnamon butter and roll the top edge, cut thin slices of this sausage and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 12 minutes.Once dried glaze with the tip of a spoon.

Bear paws

Ingredients:

Sliced almonds

For the almond paste:

1 cup ground almond

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 egg white

splash of almond extract (I used a splash of amaretto)

Mix everything and reserve.

Method:
Make a square with the puff pastry, make a small roll of the almond paste and place it close to the edge.Roll and close, seal with water. cut small cuts and shape. Place one laminated almond in each "toe"and scatter more almonds over the top. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool in racks and brush with the warm jam.

Jam Pinwheels

Shape the pinwheels according to Joe, place a teaspoon of jam in the center and bake for 12 minutes. Brush with the jam.

Vanilla Wheels

A handful of crushed almonds.

For the buttercream

1 cup softened butter

splash of vanilla extract

1/2 cup icing sugar

Mix the above ingredients and spread a thin layer on a rectangle of puff pastry, carefully fold it down and cut into thin strips, roll them and shape like a small wheel. Sprinkle some crushed almonds and bakefor 12 minutes. Cool in racks and brush with jam.