This is an essential part in French desserts. It is sugar with a vanilla flavour. Very good, and very handy for many a recipe. Not able to find some here, I resolved myself to produce it myself.
For that I needed fresh vanilla sticks; a friend brought me some from Madagascar.
Cut them in the length and put them in jars (the more you put the quicker it will be ready, but the less sugar you get).
Add brown or white sugar on top (I put brown).
Close the jar and wait. 2 months. My sugar was prepared during exams last year and when I came back from the summer holidays, it was ready and is very good.
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Sugar. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Sugar. Afficher tous les articles
mardi, octobre 17, 2006
Tarte aux Pommes
That was the dessert after the main dish prepared in the earlier note.
Take a kilogram of apples and but them in small bits. In a large pot, put some butter and melt it. Add the apples (fire should be small). Add 2 spoons of honey, a little bit of cinnamon and some espelette chili (that is my personnal touch) and a little bit of rum. If you have vanilla-ed sugar (preparation is described in next note) please do. Adding a pear or two is a good idea.
Let cook for about half an hout, slowly, mixing from time to time with the pot almost fully covered.
The mixture, a compote (or apple sauce) should be kind of liquid. If too many bits are remaining, squash them.
In a pie pan, put some dough (we'll learn later how to do one), do little holes in it with a fork and put it in a pre heated oven at 200*C. When you see that it starts to get a bit hard. Add the compote, spead it over the dough but not higher than the side.
Cut two more apples in thin layer and add them in circles over the top.
Put back in the oven until the apples look cooked.
Take a kilogram of apples and but them in small bits. In a large pot, put some butter and melt it. Add the apples (fire should be small). Add 2 spoons of honey, a little bit of cinnamon and some espelette chili (that is my personnal touch) and a little bit of rum. If you have vanilla-ed sugar (preparation is described in next note) please do. Adding a pear or two is a good idea.
Let cook for about half an hout, slowly, mixing from time to time with the pot almost fully covered.
The mixture, a compote (or apple sauce) should be kind of liquid. If too many bits are remaining, squash them.
In a pie pan, put some dough (we'll learn later how to do one), do little holes in it with a fork and put it in a pre heated oven at 200*C. When you see that it starts to get a bit hard. Add the compote, spead it over the dough but not higher than the side.
Cut two more apples in thin layer and add them in circles over the top.
Put back in the oven until the apples look cooked.
lundi, octobre 09, 2006
Crêpes au levain
Leaven crêpes recipe, very light and soft and great for 6 people 25-30 large crêpes
Ingredients:
1 l of milk;
400g of flour;
yeast (fresh or not);
8 eggs; butter;
rum;
salt
Preparing the leaven:
take 100g of flour and 0.4l of milk and mix, then add the fresh yeast into it. If you don't have fresh yeast, buy some dried active yeast, awaken (0.1l of warm water, 1 small teaspoon of sugar and 2 teaspoons of yeast) and use 0.3 of milk instead of 0.4.
Mix very well, then let it wait for an hour at 40° Celsius. the leaven should double its size.
Preparing the crêpe mixture:
Put 300g of flour in a large bowl, mix the salt in, create a well in the flour and pour slowly the milk while mixing (avoid blobs of flour), add the leaven with the same technique. beat the eggs separately and add to the bowl while mixing. Then add 30g of melted butter and the rum (as much as you want). Mix well.
Let it rest for 4 hours at 40°C (temperature at which yeast is active). Mix every hour.
For savoury crêpes, I add some oregano in it, some more salt (one pinch per half litre of mixture and pepper.
For sweet crêpes, add 100g of sugar per half-litre (after the mixture has rested for 4 hours), some vanilla, some cinnamon and rum.
To cook, put a ring to 4 or 4.5/5 let the pan heat up. when it is put a little bit of butter in it, once melted spread it through the pan with a twist of the wrist. Then add some of the mixture and try to make something circular and thin. If the mixture is too heavy, add some water in. If the first crêpes breaks while you turn it, either it was too early or else you need more flour in the mixture
Ingredients:
1 l of milk;
400g of flour;
yeast (fresh or not);
8 eggs; butter;
rum;
salt
Preparing the leaven:
take 100g of flour and 0.4l of milk and mix, then add the fresh yeast into it. If you don't have fresh yeast, buy some dried active yeast, awaken (0.1l of warm water, 1 small teaspoon of sugar and 2 teaspoons of yeast) and use 0.3 of milk instead of 0.4.
Mix very well, then let it wait for an hour at 40° Celsius. the leaven should double its size.
Preparing the crêpe mixture:
Put 300g of flour in a large bowl, mix the salt in, create a well in the flour and pour slowly the milk while mixing (avoid blobs of flour), add the leaven with the same technique. beat the eggs separately and add to the bowl while mixing. Then add 30g of melted butter and the rum (as much as you want). Mix well.
Let it rest for 4 hours at 40°C (temperature at which yeast is active). Mix every hour.
For savoury crêpes, I add some oregano in it, some more salt (one pinch per half litre of mixture and pepper.
For sweet crêpes, add 100g of sugar per half-litre (after the mixture has rested for 4 hours), some vanilla, some cinnamon and rum.
To cook, put a ring to 4 or 4.5/5 let the pan heat up. when it is put a little bit of butter in it, once melted spread it through the pan with a twist of the wrist. Then add some of the mixture and try to make something circular and thin. If the mixture is too heavy, add some water in. If the first crêpes breaks while you turn it, either it was too early or else you need more flour in the mixture
jeudi, octobre 05, 2006
Cake aux poires, au chocolat et au rhum
That is a cake, said cake in French.
In a large bowl, put 250g of flour, 150g of sugar, salt (only a pinch) and a sachet of yeast (can get some in the Meal Shop, Rodgers& Rodgers, on South Street). Mix everything well so that it is about evenly proportioned. Then dig a well in the centre of the mixture.
Take 2 yolks (keeping the egg white aside for later use) and mix them with 0.1l of milk. Add the pears, rum and little bits of chocolate. Pour all of this in the well in the flour and start stirring until you there is no liquid left.
Melt 150g of butter and add carefully in the bowl (might have some weird things happening if the butter is too hot). Stir everything. Now take the egg whites and whip like for meringue (in snow). Add into the salad bowl and … stir again. Once everything is not quite solid but not that liquid either, pour into the cake pan (about 30cm by 5 cm) and put in a preheated oven at 160ºC for an hour and a quarter.
The cake is good when fresh but is also very nice after about a week or more waiting in the fridge which is very handy for parties as you can start preparations a week before and have less stress during the day.
In a large bowl, put 250g of flour, 150g of sugar, salt (only a pinch) and a sachet of yeast (can get some in the Meal Shop, Rodgers& Rodgers, on South Street). Mix everything well so that it is about evenly proportioned. Then dig a well in the centre of the mixture.
Take 2 yolks (keeping the egg white aside for later use) and mix them with 0.1l of milk. Add the pears, rum and little bits of chocolate. Pour all of this in the well in the flour and start stirring until you there is no liquid left.
Melt 150g of butter and add carefully in the bowl (might have some weird things happening if the butter is too hot). Stir everything. Now take the egg whites and whip like for meringue (in snow). Add into the salad bowl and … stir again. Once everything is not quite solid but not that liquid either, pour into the cake pan (about 30cm by 5 cm) and put in a preheated oven at 160ºC for an hour and a quarter.
The cake is good when fresh but is also very nice after about a week or more waiting in the fridge which is very handy for parties as you can start preparations a week before and have less stress during the day.
lundi, octobre 02, 2006
Crêpes, Crêpes, Crêpes, salées et sucrées
What is more easy than doing crêpes? Easily done, easily cooked and opened to any kind of stuffing. We were 8 eating. I did about 30 savoury crêpes and 30 sweet ones. The price is ridiculously small, less than £2. What costs is what you want inside.
For roughly 30 crêpes:
Prepare a basic batter. Pour in 1l of milk in a large salad bowl. Add a little bit of melted butter. Take the yolks of 4 eggs, mix them with some milk in an aside bowl and pour in. Keep the whites in a separate bowl.
Add roughly 400g of flour, very slowly, always mixing. It avoids having bits in it. Actually there will be some, so do not panic too much if after 30 minutes you still see some flours not very well mixed.
Transform the eggs' whites into snow (not sure how you say that in english). You can whip it by hand (takes a long while) or use a machine. To check if they are ready, put the whip in it. When you take it out if must contain some of the snow, like if it was a solid and no more a liquid.
Add a pinch of salt in the milk, mix and then add the snow and mix very well to get a homogenous batter.
Let it rest for about an hour and mix again.
Then you can prepare it as you like. For savoury crêpes, add more salt, some pepper and spices you like or herbs. For sweet crêpes, add sugar, some vanilla, rum and cinnamon if you feel like it.
The cooking:
warm a pan and put a little bit of butter in it. If it boils immediatly, then the pan is at the right temperature (should not be too much either, beware). Pour some batter in it and do a motion of the pan to spread it through the pan. Let it cook a bit and when the border start getting brown, turn it around.
Advice:
you can prepare them long in advance and then just warm them in a pan.
For savoury crêpes, warm the crêpes, and put what you want on it. Ham, cheese, egg (maybe prepare it in a separate pan), tomatoes, peppers, whatever.
Once it is finished (eg the cheese is mellted or the tomato is hot), fold a bit the crêpe over the stuffing and serve.
For roughly 30 crêpes:
Prepare a basic batter. Pour in 1l of milk in a large salad bowl. Add a little bit of melted butter. Take the yolks of 4 eggs, mix them with some milk in an aside bowl and pour in. Keep the whites in a separate bowl.
Add roughly 400g of flour, very slowly, always mixing. It avoids having bits in it. Actually there will be some, so do not panic too much if after 30 minutes you still see some flours not very well mixed.
Transform the eggs' whites into snow (not sure how you say that in english). You can whip it by hand (takes a long while) or use a machine. To check if they are ready, put the whip in it. When you take it out if must contain some of the snow, like if it was a solid and no more a liquid.
Add a pinch of salt in the milk, mix and then add the snow and mix very well to get a homogenous batter.
Let it rest for about an hour and mix again.
Then you can prepare it as you like. For savoury crêpes, add more salt, some pepper and spices you like or herbs. For sweet crêpes, add sugar, some vanilla, rum and cinnamon if you feel like it.
The cooking:
warm a pan and put a little bit of butter in it. If it boils immediatly, then the pan is at the right temperature (should not be too much either, beware). Pour some batter in it and do a motion of the pan to spread it through the pan. Let it cook a bit and when the border start getting brown, turn it around.
Advice:
you can prepare them long in advance and then just warm them in a pan.
For savoury crêpes, warm the crêpes, and put what you want on it. Ham, cheese, egg (maybe prepare it in a separate pan), tomatoes, peppers, whatever.
Once it is finished (eg the cheese is mellted or the tomato is hot), fold a bit the crêpe over the stuffing and serve.
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