Saturday, January 20, 2007
Mastering the art of perfection – Riz au lait parfumé à la vanille
I am a real
perfectionist; the kind that would throw away a sheet of paper whenever something looks wrong: either the writing, the colours... just about anything in fact.
I’ve been known to remake things entirely for
un petit rien [barely anything] from school notebooks to cakes; from paintings to recipes.
Indeed when it comes to recipes I’m rarely satisfied. It has to and it needs to be P-E-R-F-E-C-T.
Though, sometimes it clearly isn’t. But in this case, I could do anything to achieve perfection; and
if it involves staying, covered with chocolate, flour and sugar, in a kitchen all night, then I don’t mind.
Riz au lait perfume à la vanilleIt took me a long time to find the perfect recipe for riz au lait à la vanille.
Indeed, I did find my redemption in riz au lait au chocolat, but really wasn’t satisfied with the white kind of riz au lait.
It’s something quite tricky: too much rice and it’ll end up rock-hard; too much milk and what you’ll get will be looked over as a soup.
This riz au lait is just as it should be: creamy, beautifully flavoured and very comforting.
What makes it special is its cooking technique inspired by the lovely Dorie Greenspan. Parboiling the rice in water makes for an almost starchless grain which is unlikely to get sticky resulting in a perfectly balanced ratio of 'rice grains' and 'vanilla cream'.
For extra comfort, you can have it while it’s still warm. And then, you’ll understand what perfection really means.Riz au lait parfumé à la vanille
serves 2
75 g arborio rice
400ml water
350 ml milk
1/2 vanilla pod, scraped
60 g caster sugar
Put the rice and water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the temperature and cook the rice, uncovered for 10 minutes.
Drain the rice in a strainer and rinse it; set aside.
Rinse out the saucepan, then pour in the milk, sugar and the scraped vanilla bean. When it boils, stir in the cooked rice. Reduce the heat and let the mixture bubble away for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Remove the pan from the heat and transfer either into a large bowl or two small ramekins.
You can eat it warm or cold from the refrigerator.
Labels: favourites, recipe inside, spoon desserts, vanilla
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Une délicieuse bûche de Noël – Vanille, marron glacé et macaron moelleux à la châtaigne
[A delicious Christmas log – Vanilla, candied chestnuts and fluffy chestnut macaron]
We all know
one of those people who dream about Christmas all year long and when it’s finally time to celebrate - around mid-October (because, yes, these people start to act much earlier than others) -, spend days and nights thinking about the dinner, the presents, the decoration...
Well, I am one of these people.
Hi, my name is Fanny and I am a Christmasholic.It usually starts from the
26th of December, occasionally from the 27th.
I know and feel
it’s not sensible, but can’t help.
Without I even notice it, I’m already in the mood for next Christmas.
Whether it’s about the tree ornaments, the Christmas cards or the menu, I can’t stop my brain coming up with tons of ideas.
Thus, I keep hundreds (and I’m only slightly exaggerating) of Moleskine notebooks to write down every single one of these ideas.
When Christmas finally - and actually – arrives, I just have to leaf through these paper treasures to set all the variables of the equation:
ax + by + cz = BCPE
(BCPE standing for Best Christmas Party Ever)
A week ago, while searching for some inspiration for
la bûche I remembered
les petites notes griffonées sur un coin de feuille.
It reads -
une délicieuse bûche de Noël: vanille, marron glacé et macaron à la châtaigne.
PS – I would understand now if you consider me a
chestnut aficionado.
Bûche à la vanille et au marron glacé sur un macaron à la châtaigneThis bûche is made of a candied chestnut mousse encased in a vanilla mousse and wrapped in a stripped joconde.
Regarding the joconde biscuit, the result didn’t turn out as beautiful as expected. I guess the use of my father’s glue comb (self-note: buy a set of decorating combs!) has something to do with the almost disaster.
Both the mousses are delicious and complementary: the chestnut mousse is rich and sweet while the vanilla one is slightly tangy and more firm making for a balanced and delicate pudding.
The macaron is probably the best part of the bûche: satisfyingly sweet with caramel undertones and a pleasant chestnut flavour; definitely the real winner of the unforgettable Christmas Eve dinner.
Culinary speaking I’m not sure it would qualify as macaron though. Dacquoise would probably be more accurate, but the chewy texture, shiny crust and little ‘feet’ exude the macaron-attitude.Macaron à la châtaigne
170g ground almonds
140g icing sugar
60g flour
4 large egg whites
100g light muscovado sugar
60g caster sugar
70g cooked chestnuts, in small pieces
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Line a 30 x 40cm pan with baking paper.
Blitz the ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor. Mix in the flour.
Whip the egg whites until stiff, add the sugars and continue whipping until they form firm peaks.
Pour over the almond mixture and incorporate gently. Mix in the cooked chestnut bits and pour the batter into the lined pan.
Bake for 18 minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Note – you could also pipe the batter into small rounds for a macaron-look.
Labels: christmas, entremets, pierre hermé, recipe inside, vanilla
Monday, December 18, 2006
Fétichiste, moi? – Emotion infiniment vanille
[Fetishist, me? – Emotion infiniment vanille]
Inspired by Pierre Hermé and adapted from:
Lisa Yockelson’s babas, Damien Pignolet’s chiboust and Bill Granger’s panacotta
Since I saw a television program about vanilla the other day, my dormant love for this delicate spice has been stimulated and definitely awaken.
There must be
something unique about this plump, dark and oily pod; which makes it a
fetish for every food lover.
Pierre Hermé says nothing less than
‘j’aime la vanille pour la pureté de son goût’ and it shows: November’s fetish collection was all about vanilla; from macarons to tartes, from éclairs to émotions.
Mais pourquoi faire simple quand on peut atteindre la perfection?Because perfection there is: Pierre Hermé created a blend of three different vanilla types to achieve the perfect
‘goût vanille maison’.
Les vanilles
beloved Bourbon vanilla beans
La vanille du Mexique – Vanilla planifoliaIt seems logical to start with mexican vanilla as it’s considered to be the ‘mother of all vanillas’.
Indeed, the first vanilla crops were found in Mexico where the Aztec would call it
tlixochtitl - black flower.
Back to the kitchen, Mexican vanilla is creamy and sweet with woody undertones and has lots of seeds; which makes it perfect for uncooked puddings: from blanc-manger to ice creams.
La vanille de Madagascar – Vanilla bourbon (though, scientifically
Vanilla bourbon is the same specie as
Vanilla planifolia)
This one is perhaps the most sold over the world.
I guess its strong and rich vanilla flavour and its fat pod are the reasons for this success.
I am myself a self-proclaimed addict of bourbon vanilla – I throw it in nearly everything and the results are always lovely. Especially with baked goods; while with other vanillas the flavours can be altered by high temperatures, the strength of bourbon beans makes for a beautifully perfumed cake/bread...
La vanille de Tahiti - Vanilla tahitensisI have a strange relationship with Tahitian vanilla – although it’s very different from the two species mentioned above I really like it.
Do you think the fact that my mother was born in Papeete has got something to do with it?The pods are short and very plump (due to high water content – almost 35%) and have a pleasing floral and fruity fragrance. In few words: perfect with fruits – as part of a glaze brushed over the juicy berries of a tart or in syrup poured over a freshly-baked baba to serve with a dollop of whipped cream and caramelised pineapple slices.
Emotion infiniment vanilleThis recipe is inspired by Pierre Hermé’s Emotion created for the Fetish Infiniment Vanille collection (14-26 nov. 2006).
As I had no recipe for it, I went ‘par-ci et par-là’ and came up with somewhat a recipe.
Yes, I know the actual Emotion has mascarpone in it – but I ran out of mascarpone so I went for the chiboust option and I’m glad I did as it brings creaminess to the whole thing.
It entremet is basically made of three layers (from top):
- Bourbon vanilla chiboust
- Bourbon vanilla baba infused with Tahitian vanilla syrup
- light Mexican vanilla 'gelée'
It’s not as time-consuming as the lengthy recipe suggests. You just need to prep up the things:
1. make the babas
2. while the babas are baking, make the vanilla syrup
3. make the vanilla gelée
4. make the crème patissière
5. make the Italian meringue and fold into the crème pâtissière to get a light yet creamy chiboust
6. ‘montage de l’Emotion’ = place each baba over the light vanilla gelée and top witn pipped chiboustEmotion infiniment vanille
serves 6 (makes 6 x 170ml glasses)
1. for the baba5g dried yeast
30ml tepid water (35°C)
1/4 tsp + 40g sugar extra
40g butter, melted and cooled down a little
1 egg
25g sugar
seeds from half a Bourbon vanilla pod
250g flour
Mix the yeast, water and 1/4 tsp of sugar. Stir well and let stand until the yeast swells.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg with the remaining sugar and vanilla. Mix in the melted butter. Combine the flour, a little at a time (fanny: more flour can be added if necessary) until you get a soft dough (fanny: it shouldn’t be sticky though).
Knead for 5 minutes and transfer to a well buttered bowl; loosely cover with foil and let the dough to rise at room temperature for an hour.
When doubled in size, lightly press the dough with the palm of your hand.
Butter and flour the inside of six cooking rings (of the same diameter as the glasses in which you’re going to serve your Emotions) or line them with baking paper.
Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and form each piece into a ball. Place a ball of dough at the bottom of each cooking ring; repeat with the remaining balls.
Allow to rise for another hour and preheat the oven to 180°C.
Bake the babas into preheated oven for 20 minutes or until puffy and golden. Transfer to a wire rack, unmould and place them in a deep baking dish and drench with vanilla syrup (fanny: try to coat them evenly).
2. for the vanilla syrup240ml water
200g sugar
half a Tahitian vanilla pod
Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds. Mix both the sliced pod and the seed to the syrup and simmer for 3 minutes until thickened but not coloured.
3. for the vanilla gelée250ml semi-skimmed milk
40g sugar
2 leaves gelatine
seeds from half a Mexican vanilla pod
180ml single cream
Place the milk, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat, then bring to the boil before removing from the heat.
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft. Squeeze out the excess water and drop the gelatine into the hot milk mixture and whisk until dissolved.
Add the cream and whisk until smooth.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and divide between six glasses (capacity of 170ml) and chill for at least three hours.
4. for the crème pâtissière250ml milk
half a Bourbon vanilla bean
3 egg yolks
40g sugar
20g cornflour
Put the milk into a saucepan, scrape out the seeds from the vanilla bean and ass to the pan along with the pod. Bring to the boil and set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until white and fluffy; mix in the corn flour.
Return the milk to the boil and beat into the egg mixture. Put this back into the pan and place over moderate heat.
Bring it to the boil, stirring constantly – until thick.
Place the crème into a bowl and mixing from time to time, bring it to room temperature.
5. for the vanilla chiboust100g + 20g white sugar
50ml water
120ml egg whites (fanny: I used the three whites left after having made the crème pâtissière)
pinch of salt
1 quantity of crème pâtissière (see above)
In a sauce pan, place 100g of the sugar and water and bring to the boil.
When the temperature of the sugar syrup reached 110°C begin to beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff then add the remaining sugar.
As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 120°C (fanny: I usually spot this stage without a thermometer – the bubbles are smaller and the steam has disappeared), immediately add it to the meringue while beating continuously until the mixture cools down to room temperature.
Fold into the crème pâtissière and refrigerate for half an hour.
6. Montage des EmotionsFor each glass, place a disk of soaked baba over the vanilla gelée, pressing down slightly in order to make it fit.
Place the chiboust in a piping bag (with a 1cm nozzle) and pipe it to cover the baba.
Chill for at least an hour.
Labels: favourites, pierre hermé, recipe inside, spoon desserts, vanilla
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Glace à la vanille fondante with black cherries
Very creamy, very sweet, very melted, but oh-so-good
From "Vos desserts glacés par
LENÔTRE avec magimix" (page 7)
Would you like to eat a very creamy, very sweet thing on a very hot summer day? Let me guess, the answer's NO, unless it's a delicious vanilla icecream.
As you can see on the pic, the icecream is melting. But it is on deliberate purpose. Since i was a child i had always loved melted icecream. It's was like a milk shake to me. I even used to wait an hour to then delight myself with a perfect melted icecream. Ah souvenirs, souvenirs...
Here i tried to recreate my childhood memories using a recipe from "Vos desserts glacés par LENÔTRE avec
magimix".
So here is the translation of the recipe:
Vanilla icecreammakes 0.8L
1/2 L full fat milk
1 vanilla pod
210g caster sugar (fanny : i would use much less next time, lets say around 150-180g)
6 egg yolks
1/4 double cream (fanny : i used "crème fraiche liquide
(fanny : i'm not gonna translate everything but give you all the main steps)
Put the milk, half of the sugar and the vanilla pod sliced lengthways in a pan. Bring to the boil, stiring from time to time until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk at medium speed the egg yolks and remaining sugar until white and frothy (fanny : the recipe calls for 1 minute, i would say 5).
Now make your custard by pouring the hot milk over the egg yolks and pouring back this mixture into the pan. Back over low-medium heat for 10 minutes or so, stiring all the time, until the custard "nappe" the wooden spoon (fanny : it means that the custard coats the spoon: if you have a thermometre you should know this : cook until the temperature reaches 83°C, then remove from the heat for 2 minutes, still stirring).
When your custard's done, mix in the cream (it stops the cooking process) and put the pan into a sink filled with cold water (fanny : i added ice in the sink). Leave to cool for a good 30 minutes.
Put the cold mixture into the prepared icecream maker and leave it to do its job for 30 minutes (fanny : i guess the length depends on the brand of the icecream maker; mine is a
magimix "turbine a glace")Labels: ice creams and other iced delights, recipe inside, vanilla
