Recipes I like: 2018

Thursday 27 December 2018

Tuesday 18 December 2018

Sunday 9 December 2018

Ingredients

For the Choux Pastry
250 ml (1 cup + 2 tsp) water
70 grams (5 tbsp) butter
150 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
For the pastry cream
350 ml (1 1/2 cup) cold milk
30 grams (3 3/4 tbsp) corn starch
100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
75 grams (1/3 cup) butter at room temperature
200 ml (3/4 cups + 2 tbsp) heavy whipping cream, cold
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate glaze
150 grams (3/4 cups (it depends on what size of chocolate chips you are using. ¾ cup is for the regular size)) chocolate chips
125 grams (1/2 cup plus 2 tsp) heavy cream

Instructions

Prepare the choux batter:
Preheat the oven to 400 F and line two sheet pans with a parchment paper.
In a medium non-stick pot combine water with salt and bring to a boil.
Add butter and bring to a boil one more time.
Add flour and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain and the batter thickens, about 1 minute.
Remove pot from the heat and let the batter cool for 5 minute.
Whisk in the first egg and mix with a wooden spoon until the egg is fully incorporated into the batter with no white lumps. Continue whisking in the remaining eggs, one at a time
Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (I use Wilton #1A), pipe fat lengths of dough (about ¾ - 1 inch thick and 4 inches long) onto the lined baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space between them.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 340 F and bake for another 15-20 minutes until eclairs are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the wire rack.
Prepare the pastry cream:
In a small bowl dissolve a cornstarch in 3-4 tablespoons of milk.
To a small sauce pan add the remaining milk and bring to a simmer. Add 50 grams (1/4 cup) of sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.
When milk starts to boil, add a dissolved cornstarch and whisk until no lumps remain. Remove from the heat and cool until just slightly warm or completely cold.
In a large bowl beat the butter with the remaining 50 grams (1/4 cup) of sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture turns almost white.
Combine the whipped butter with the milk and cornstarch mixture. Mix well and set aside.
In a large bowl and using the electric mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the butter and milk cream.
Using the tip of a small knife, cut 3 small Xs along the top of each pastry. Using a small tip (I used Wilton tip #32), pipe the pastry cream into the shells through each opening.
For the chocolate glaze:
Melt the chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream in a medium saucepan set over a pot with about 1 inch of boiling water. Whisk until the mixture is nice and smooth. Alternatively, you can heat chocolate and cream in a microwave for about 30 seconds and whisk until smooth.
Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes.
Dip the top of each eclair into the chocolate glaze and set aside to allow the glaze to harden.

Wednesday 28 November 2018

Brocollii Salad with crisp bacon

Caesar Salad

Friday 23 November 2018

Greek Baklava cheesecake

THE GREEKS INVENTED CHEESECAKE

The first “cheese cake” was created on the Greek island of Samos. Physical anthropologists excavated cheese molds there which were dated circa 2,000 B.C. Cheese and cheese products had most likely been around for thousands of years before this, but earlier than this goes into prehistory (that period in human history before the invention of writing) so we will never really know. In Greece, cheesecake was considered to be a good source of energy, and there is evidence that it was served to athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. Greek brides and grooms were also known to use cheesecake as a wedding cake. The simple ingredients of flour, wheat, honey and cheese were formed into a cake and baked – a far cry from the more complicated recipes available today!

The writer Athenaeus is credited for writing the first Greek cheesecake recipe in 230 A.D. (By this time, the Greeks had been serving cheesecake for over 2,000 years but this is the oldest known surviving Greek recipe!) It was also pretty basic - pound the cheese until it is smooth and pasty - mix the pounded cheese in a brass pan with honey and spring wheat flour - heat the cheese cake “in one mass” - allow to cool then serve.

When the Romans conquered Greece, the cheesecake recipe was just one spoil of war. They modified it including crushed cheese and eggs. These ingredients were baked under a hot brick and it was served warm. Occasionally, the Romans would put the cheese filling in a pastry. The Romans called their cheese cake “libuma” and they served it on special occasions. Marcus Cato, a Roman politician in the first century B.C., is credited as recording the oldest known Roman cheesecake recipe.

BAKLAVA CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Crust:
1 12-ounce package sugar cookies, finely crumbled
1/2 cup butter, softened
Filling:
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
Baklava:
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Fillo:
15 sheets Krinos 9″ x 14″ Fillo Dough, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted
Syrup:
1/2 cup light corn syrup, heated

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare crust, combine cookie crumbs and butter with fork. Press crumbs on bottom and up sides of 9″ springform pan.
To prepare cheesecake, in large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on high speed for about 10 minutes until fluffy. Add lemon juice, vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Beat until smooth. Pour into springform pan.
To prepare baklava, combine walnuts, sugar, butter and cinnamon in bowl.
To cut fillo sheets into 9″ rounds, cut a pattern out of wax paper that is 9″ round, and fold in half. Fold 15 fillo sheets in half so short ends meet. Place the straight edge of the wax paper round on the folded edge of the fillo. Cut the fillo following the pattern. Layer and butter 5 sheets and place on cheesecake filling. Spread the walnut mixture over the fillo. Layer and butter another 5 sheets of fillo including top layer and place on top of walnut mixture. Layer and butter another 5 sheets, lightly score into 10 equal sections without cutting all the way to center or outer edge. Place on top of cheesecake. Trim fillo rounds to fit pan, if needed.
Bake in preheated 325°F oven for 1 1/2 hours or until golden brown. Slowly spoon warm syrup over cheesecake to avoid runoff. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours before slicing.