Chocolate Soufflés makes 4-6 Ingredients: unsalted butter, granulated sugar, 3 oz bittersweet-sweet chocolate (depends on how sweet you like it), 1/3 cup half-and-half, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/3 cup water, 8 large egg whites, 12 tbsp granulated sugar, powdered sugar Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F 1. Coat/brush 6 ramekins with melted butter. Put some granulated sugar in one ramekin and cover the opening with a paper towel or your hand. Shake the ramekin until all of the inside is coated, then pour extra sugar into the next ramekin. Continue until all the ramekins are coated. 2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces. 3. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the half-and-half until bubbles begin to form around the edges. 4. Take off of heat and add the chocolate until well combined and the chocolate is melted. 5. Make a double boiler by setting a large mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water. Put the ganache into the bowl. 6. Add cocoa powder and water into the bowl with the ganache and mix. Remove from heat and set aside. 7. Place egg whites in a stand mixer and whip until foamy and soft. 8. Increase mixer speed slightly to make a meringue. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time and whip the whites until just stiff. 9. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold about half the meringue into the warm chocolate mixture. 10. Carefully and gently fold (not mix) the chocolate mixture into the meringue. Do not deflate the egg whites. Streaks of white are okay. 11. Use a large spoon to gently spoon the soufflé mixture into the ramekin. Fill about 1/4 inch under the rim and run your finger around the edge to get rid of the excess butter and sugar. Place ramekins onto a baking pan for easy transfer. 12. Bake for about 11-12 minutes or until it has risen to about 1 1/2 inches over the rim and starts browning at the top. 13. Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar.
Mary Berry's Viennese Whirls Ingredients for cookie: Tart raspberry jam, 250g unsalted butter (very soft but not melted), 50g powdered sugar, 225g all purpose flour, 25g cornflour for filling: 100 grams of unsalted butter (softened), 200 grams of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Oven: 375 degrees 1. Line three baking sheets with non stick parchment paper. On the parchment paper, trace 24 2" circle using a cookie cutter or a cup's top. Put about 8 circles on each paper. Flip the paper over so the pencil is on the bottom and leave on the pan. 2. Beat the butter and the powdered sugar together until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. 3. Sift in the flour and cornflour and beat until thoroughly mixed. 4. Put your batter into a piping bag with a wide star tipped nozzle and pipe whirls onto the paper following the circle pattern. 5. For 10-13 minutes, bake your cookies in the oven. Be careful of where you put the pans because the cookies are extremely delicate and will bake differently based on where you put them. I suggest putting them in the center to top of the oven. Bake until pale golden brown. 6. When the cookies are done, let sit on the pan for five minutes. Then carefully transfer onto wire racks to cool completely. 7. For the filling, measure the butter into a bowl. Sift the sugar on top of the butter. Add in the vanilla extract in and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and pale. Scoop into a piping bag with a large star tipped nozzle. 8. On half of the completely cooled cookies, spread a generous amount of raspberry jam onto the flat side of the cookies. Then swirl filling on top of the jam and gently sandwich a second cookie on top of the cookies with the filling. Sift some powdered sugar on top of the cookies.
Fruit Tart Ingredients for the Pastry: 350 grams flour, pinch of salt, 125 grams or 4 1/2ounces of unsalted butter, 125 grams or 4 1/2 ounces caster sugar, 2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk, and a separate egg yolk Ingredients for Pastry Cream: 4 large egg yolks, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 cups of milk, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (cut into tablespoon sized pieces) Optional Glaze: 4 tablespoons jam (apricot jam), 1-2 tablespoons of water Pastry Oven at 350 degrees 1. Flatten the butter out between two sheets of greaseproof parchment paper to about 1 cm or 1/2 inch thick. Then let it chill in the fridge. 2. Lightly grease and flour a tart tin with a loose bottom. 3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. 4. Add the flattened butter straight from the fridge and put it into the flour mixture. Use to your fingers to rub it into the mixture. 5. Add the sugar to the mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and one egg yolk. Then, add that in to the mixture. Gently mix with a spatula until the dough comes together in a ball. 6. Lightly flour a work surface and carefully place the pastry ball on it. Knead the pastry until it is smooth and soft. 7. Shape the pastry into a square, and leave in the fridge to cool at least an hour, or even overnight. 8. Lightly flour a work surface again and roll the pastry out to 2-3 mm thick and line the tin leaving an overhang of pastry. Place greaseproof paper over the top and fill with baking beans, dried rice, popcorn kernels, or dried beans. 9. Rest the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes. 10. Once chilled, place the tart on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the oven and lift out the paper and beans. Brush with one beaten egg yolk, and bake for another 8 minutes. 11. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes. Trim the edges and lift out onto a cooling rack. Pastry Cream 1. In a medium saucepan, whisk the eggs, sugar, corn starch, and salt until well combined. It should be smooth with no lumps. 2. Whisk in the milk. 3. Heat the mixture on medium high heat for around 2-4 minutes until it thickens. Be sure to stir constantly 4. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. 5. Whisk in each piece of butter separately. Add the next piece of butter only after the previous piece is completely melted. 6. Pour the cream into a bowl and cover tightly. Let it chill in the fridge for two hours, until chilled through. Assembly 1. Spoon the cream into a piping bag and pipe into the pastry with any wide nozzle tip. 2. Place the fresh and cut fruit on the cream. 3. OPTIONAL: Brush the fruit with a fruit glaze as follows: 1. In a small saucepan, combine 4 tablespoons of fruit jam (apricot is a favorite) and 1-2 tablespoons of water. 2. Heat it slightly until it becomes more liquid like. Then brush the fruit with it.
Butter Croissants Ingredients: 500g bread flour (plus extra for dusting), 10g salt, 80g caster sugar, 10g instant or active dry yeast, 300ml cool water, 300g chilled unsalted butter, and 1 medium egg 1. In a mixer with a dough hook, put the flour and add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl. Then, add the yeast to the other side. Add the water and mix for two minutes on slow speed. 2. Mix for six minutes on medium speed. The dough should be fairly stiff. 3. Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it. Shape the dough into a ball and put the dough in a sealed plastic bag. Cool it in the fridge for an hour. 4. Flatten the butter in a rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper. It should be about 40 x 19 cm. Then cool the sheet of butter in the fridge while working on the dough. 5. On the lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle of out 60 x 20 cm (it should be about 1 cm thick). 6. Place the sheet of butter on top of the dough, so that the short side of the butter matches the short side of the dough. Fold the long sides of the dough over the butter, then fold the dough into the thirds, starting with the side that has the extra dough. There should now be three layers of dough and two layers of butter. Pinch the edges to seal off the butter, then put the dough back in the bag and in the fridge for an hour. 7. Take the dough out and put it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to 60 x 20 cm. Fold the dough into thirds again into a square. 8. Put the dough in the bag and chill for an hour again. You just completed a single turn. 9. Repeat this process twice more and putting it in the fridge for an hour in between each, which makes a total of 27 layers. 10. Put the dough back in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight. 11. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and spray it lightly with nonstick spray. 12. Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it out to 42 x 30 cm. Trim the edges 13. Cut the rectangle lengthways into strips and cut out the triangles. The bases should be 12 cm wide and 15 cm high. Use the first triangle as a template to cut out the others. You should get 6-7 triangle per strip. 14. Gently tug on the dough to create tension in the dough. Then, roll the croissants and curve the corners in for the traditional shape. You can also add a few small chocolate chips in the middle before rolling if you want. 15. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and let rise once more for two hours, or until doubled in size. 16. Heat the oven to 200 C and make an egg wash and add a pinch of salt. Brush each croissant top with the egg wash. 17. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown, and serve warm.
Arlettes makes 8 cookies, recipe from Paul Hollywood Ingredients for dough: 60g strong bread flour, 60g plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 40g unsalted butter (melted) for Butter Layer: 125g unsalted butter (at room temp), 25g strong bread flour, 25g plain flour for the Filling: 50g sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, powdered sugar 1. Put the flours, salt, butter and 50ml (2fl oz) cold water in a bowl and gently mix to form a dough. 2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Shape the dough into a square, wrap in cling film and chill for an hour (or freeze for 20-30 minutes). 3. For the butter layer, cream the butter and flours together using an electric mixer. 4. Sandwich the mixture between two sheets of cling film and roll out to a rectangle the same width as the square of dough, but twice as long. Chill in the fridge for 25 minutes. 5 .Unwrap the chilled dough and butter layer. Place the chilled butter layer, short end facing towards you on a lightly floured surface and place the square of dough in the center of the butter sheet. Make sure it is positioned neatly and covers almost to the edges. 6. Lift the exposed butter sheet at the top and fold it down over the dough, then fold the exposed butter sheet at the bottom up over the top, so the dough is completely enclosed in the butter sheet. 7. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, short end towards you. Roll out to a rectangle, keeping the edges as even as possible. Fold the top quarter down and the bottom quarter up so they meet neatly in the center. Then fold the dough in half along the centre line. This is called a book turn. 8. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 25 minutes. 9. Remove the dough from the fridge and make another book turn. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 25 minutes. Filling 1. Mix the granulated sugar and the cinnamon together in a bowl. On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to a rectangle as before and sprinkle over the sugar. 2. Make another book turn to incorporate the sugar, then roll out the pastry 1cm (½in) thick, to a rectangle 12x20cm (4½ x 8in). Roll up the pastry from the short end like a Swiss roll. Wrap in cling film and chill for 25 minutes. 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking trays lines with silicon sheets or non-stick baking paper. 4. Trim the ends of the roll and cut into 8 x 1cm (½in) thick slices. Dust the work surface heavily with icing sugar and roll each piece of dough out very thinly, turning to coat in the sugar and to prevent sticking. 5. Place the biscuits on the prepared trays and bake for 5 minutes. 6. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the biscuits and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Classic (and Delicious) French Macarons Ingredients: 140g of almond flour, 130g of powdered sugar, 100g of egg whites and room temperature (about 3 large eggs, save the yolks for frosting if making a French buttercream),90g of granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of flavoring (ie. vanilla extract or lemon extract), 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar, pinch of salt Makes about 2 dozen 1. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the almond flour and the powdered sugar into a bowl. Whisk together. 2. Whiz the almond flour and powdered sugar together in a food processor on high for a few moments. Then, press through the sieve again, back into the bowl. Repeat this step twice more for a total of three times in the food processor and four times through the sieve. This will make your macarons silky smooth! 3. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl with whisk attachment. 4. While it is still mixing, add in the salt and slowly add in the granulated sugar, one spoonful at a time. 5. Mix until soft peaks stage, then add in any flavoring and colored food gel. 6. Once the meringue starts to collect within the whisk and is close to stiff peaks, take out the bowl and continue to mix the mixture by hand. The mixture should reach STIFF peaks, have a glossy finish, feel like marshmallow, and will not fall from the bowl when turned upside-down. 7. Add a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold in with a rubber spatula. Then, add the last of the almond flour and continue to fold gently. It will start out lumpy, but keep folding and it will get smooth. 8. It’s ready when it has a “lava-like” consistency and forms a thick ribbon that slowly blends back into itself when drizzled from your spatula. A figure “8” test will tell you when the consistency is correct. The batter should drizzle off the spatula and form an eight. Stop immediately at this point. 9. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper and splotch a little bit of batter into the corners to hold the paper down. Then pipe perpendicular to the surface and when done, stop squeezing and pull up in a sharp circular motion. 10. Slam the trays onto the counter a few times to remove the air bubbles. Allow to sit for 40-60 minutes so they form a shell. You should be able to touch it and feel a dry surface. Preheat the oven to 300F. 11. Bake for 12-15 min. You’ll know they’re done if the shells don’t wobble when you jiggle the pan. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes on the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Pipe your filling onto the back of half the shells. Form a sandwich and enjoy!
Fill with frosting of your choice: With lemon flavor, you can also make a raspberry filling with french buttercream, as seen in the image above.
Eclairs Makes 2 - 2.5 dozen Ingredients for filling: 2 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 6 egg yolk, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1 tbsp unsalted butter Ingredients for dough: 1 cup water, 8 tbsp unsalted butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 cup flour, 3-4 eggs (plus 1 egg and 1 1/2 tsp water for egg wash) Ingredients for Chocolate Glaze: 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate Make the filling first: 1. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and the vanilla. Bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, turn off the heat and let sit for fifteen minutes so the vanilla can infuse. 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth and lighter in color. It should have a thick texture. 3. Sift the cornstarch into the egg/sugar bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth. 4. Whisk about 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture until combined. Slowly whisk in the rest of the egg mixture. 5. Pour the mix through a strainer and back into the saucepan. 6. Over medium-high heat, whisk the mixture constantly until it thickens. Add in the butter and continue to whisk until it melts. 7. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Cover with cling wrap, pressing down so that the film touches the surface, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 24 hours. Optional: When the custard is completely cooled, you can whip up about 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and fold it into the custard. This is now called Diplomat's Cream.
Make the dough: *Preheat oven to 435 F* 1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, butter (just put the whole stick in), salt, and sugar and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. 2. Once it begins to boil, remove from heat. Stir with a wooden spoon and add in the flour in all in one go. Stir for 30-60 seconds until flour is incorporated. 3. Return the pan to heat and cook for 30 more seconds while stirring constantly. 4. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer with a pedal attachment. Mix at medium speed and add in the three eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each egg. 5. Mix until the eggs are fully incorporated and smooth. The mixture should be smooth and thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift it out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until it’s fully incorporated. 6. Fit a piping bag with a wide star tip. Pipe long logs of dough on parchment paper. Use clean scissors to cut the dough while piping. You can wet your fingers and move the dough around as needed afterwards. 7. Combine the last egg and 1 1/2 tsp of water in a small bowl. Then brush each eclair. 8. Bake for 15 minutes at 435F. Then turn the oven to 375F and cook for another 15-25 minutes until golden brown and puffy. 9. Immediately after removing, poke the bottom of each eclair with a skewer so the steam can escape. Then leave to cool on wire racks, bottom side up so they don't get soggy.
Assembly and Glaze: 1. Once cool, place a medium sized, regular piping tip over your index finger and poke holes into both sides of the eclairs. 2. Use either a regular piping tip or a filling tip to fill each eclair from either end. You can also poke a hole in the middle of the bottom and pipe the custard in there too. 3. For the glaze, heat the cream in the microwave. Then add in the chocolate and let sit for a few minutes before stirring until glossy and smooth. 4. Dip the top of each eclair into the glaze and let sit to dry. Enjoy!
Gingerbread Cream Puffs makes about 3 to 3.5 dozen Ingredients for Craquelin: 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), Pinch of kosher salt, 4.5 oz light brown sugar, 4.5 oz all-purpose flour Ingredients for Gingerbread Diplomat Cream: 2 cup milk, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 6 egg yolk, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, zest of 1/2 an orange, 1 tsp Cinnamon, ½ tsp Ginger, ¼ tsp Cloves, ½ tsp all spice, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 cup whipping cream Ingredients for Choux Pastry: 1 cup water, 8 tbsp unsalted butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 cup flour, 3-4 eggs (plus 1 egg and 1 1/2 tsp water for egg wash) To make the Craqulin: 1. Place the softened butter, salt, and sugar in a bowl and cream the ingredients together until creamy and fluffy. 2. Add the flour and mix until the mixture looks crumbly. Using your hands, bring the crumbly bits of dough together to form a dough. 3. Split the dough into two equal sized portions, dye one red and the other green. Place each portion inside a 12 x 12 inch ziploc bag. Roll out each piece inside the ziploc bag until it’s about 2 - 3 mm thick. Remove excess air in the ziploc bag and close it. Place both ziploc bags on a flat tray and keep them in the freezer overnight (OR until completely frozen). To make the filling: 1. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and the vanilla. Bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, turn off the heat and let sit for fifteen minutes so the vanilla can infuse. 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth and lighter in color. It should have a thick texture. 3. Sift the cornstarch into the egg/sugar bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth. 4. Whisk about 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture until combined. Slowly whisk in the rest of the egg mixture. Pour the mix through a strainer and back into the saucepan. O5. ver medium-high heat, whisk the mixture constantly until it thickens. Add in the butter and continue to whisk until it melts. Turn off heat and add in the spices. 6. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Cover with cling wrap, pressing down so that the film touches the surface, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 24 hours 7. Whip the whipping cream to stiff peaks and once the custard is cool, fold in carefully to keep as much air in as possible. To make the choux pastry: Preheat oven to 435 F 1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, butter (just put the whole stick in), salt, and sugar and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. 2. Once it begins to boil, remove from heat. Stir with a wooden spoon and add in the flour in all in one go. Stir for 30-60 seconds until flour is incorporated. 3. Return the pan to heat and cook for 30 more seconds while stirring constantly. 4. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer with a pedal attachment. Mix at medium speed and add in the three eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each egg. 5. Mix until the eggs are fully incorporated and smooth. The mixture should be smooth and thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift it out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until it’s fully incorporated. 6. Fit a piping bag with a wide tip. Pipe dough on parchment paper. Use clean scissors to cut the dough while piping. 7. Carefully place a disc of craquelin on top and gently press it into the choux to make sure it sticks and is stable. They should be sitting flat on top of each mound of dough. 8. Bake for 15 minutes at 435F. Then turn the oven to 375F and cook for another 15-25 minutes until golden brown and puffy. Immediately after removing, poke the bottom of each eclair with a skewer so the steam can escape. Then leave to cool on wire racks, bottom side up so they don't get soggy. 9. Once completely cool, fill with diplomat cream.