Pumpkin Macrons

Let the pumpkin baking begin!

Well if you have made these before then you will have had a failures and some causalites..I find aging your egg whites is key and processing the almond flour and confectioner's sugar then sifting get the best results. I also suggest that you have everything prepared and ready before you start mixing I'm talking everything like parchment on your baking sheet and have a pastry bag ready!

 

I added pumpkin spice to my macron recipe and orange food coloring. I add my color to the eggwhite mixture before folding in my almond flour mixture. Most recipes will tell you to mix it in your kitchenaid but I pull the whipped eggs {at a medium-thick whip} and incorpate the dry ingredients. This allows the eggs to stay fluffy for piping.

 

For the filling a mixed in my favorite pumpkin butter!

To my cream cheese icing recipe...Love it!

Harvest Tart

Fall my favorite season is here and so its time for harvest flavors. Every year I do the "staple fall" recipes but I also try at least two new ones. This is a spin on the traditional fruit tarts I did in school.

 

You start off by making your pie crust and fully baking it. Now pie crust is not a friend of mine probably because I love butter and I never use a recipe that involves shortening. My pie crust is hit or miss for that reason. A lot of times I buy pie crust from the store if I know I don't have time to mess with it. Yes its a cop out!

While  the crust is baking I make a bourbon vanilla cream. During the process I have to keep whisking {hence the lack of action shots}.The key element is to whisk until you can whisk no more if you don't incorporate enough air you wont have the stability in the cream

 

Recipe:

2 cups Half and Half and 6 tablespoon  of fine sugar in a sauce pan heat on medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture gets to a low simmer. Meanwhile you WHISK your 6 eggs yolks with 2 tablespoons of sugar for 30 seconds.Add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch  to eggs and whisk again for 60 seconds. Temper your egg mixture the add it to the cream whisking!!!! Then add 1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla and a 4 tablespoons of cold cut butter WHISK! pour mixture into cold stainless steel bowl and put a piece of saran wrap on cream to not form a skin on the cream, Refrigerate at least 4 hours but I do it overnight.

A trick I picked up from school was to paint some melted chocolate with a bit of butter in it on the cooled crust this keeps the crust from getting soggy and just add that yum factor!

I toasted some pecans added brown sugar and coarse salt. Then I chopped very fine and coated the edges of the crust the warm chocolate helps it stick. I then sliced some earthy fruits like peaches, plums, blackberries and apricots.  Everything must be cooled. Fill your crust with cream then design your fruit slices on top. After warm apricot jam and water in a sauce pan to thin it out. Once its like a glaze you paint it on the fruit on top of the tart. This makes it shiny and retards browning. I also think it add sweetness as well! I refrigerate another hour and then serve! Perfect for Thanksgiving :)

Making cupcakes

Inspired by Lisa Clark. Raspberry Lemonade and French Vanilla Oh La La

Chocolate Flourless Cake

In the mood for a decadent chocolate dessert that is Gluten free? This is your match! This rich cake is like the moistest brownie you will ever have. Perfect for a Sweet heart dessert or an Anniversary celebration! It takes a little more time to prepare but worth it!

Most people don't have a convection oven so I made a make shift one. Filling a hotel pan with hot water and setting my oven             * Pre heat 300 degrees

While the oven  preheats I prepare my pans.I decided to do individuals,you can also use a 9'inch cheesecake spring form pan.I line the bottom with parchment and place them on a baking sheet.

Then I melt on med heat my butter and chocolate in a double boiler.In the meantime I whip{by hand} my eggs and sugar until thick and wait to incorporate the melted chocolate and egg mixtures. *Be careful to not over mix because it can souffle your cake.

Then your ready to bake. Bake 20 min the rotate and bake additional 15 min. the top will shrink after cooling and may be a little uneven.

 

Pull them out, let cool for 20 min. then refrigerate over night before removing them from pan (s). Once removed  and cold you can slice the top to make it even. I decided to dust the top with powder sugar but it is wonderful with ganache on it too!

 

My Ratios

 

9.25 oz sugar

7 whole eggs

 

2 sticks of butter plus 1.5 tbsp.

9.25 oz  60% Cacao Chocolate

 

I'm back

 

 

 

 

Can you believe I'm alive? After a long time without a blog who would of thought I would start again...I came close to deleting it but with lots of  personal struggles and changes since my last post enduring life's darkness I came to realize that during the healing process you have to find inner peace and identity.My blog reminded me when I was happy............. sharing my art and love of baking with others.

In the past year and a half I have had some sucess' along the rough ride. Kansas was good to me I graduated the Pastry and Baking Program at Johnson County under the hard hand of Chef Doug Flick.I never blogged about my accomplishment because I didn't even think I was going to finish.

Just before graduating  I start working under Lisa Clark Pastry chef and owner of

Cupcake A LA Mode

I learned a lot about production and design. I threw myself into work so I could get through my trials.Along the way I meet lots of fun people and made some good friends!

 

I had so much fun making specialty cupcakes and managing the shop on the country club plaza in Kansas City. Leaving it was hard.

 

Now that I'm back in California I hoping to get back into the field soon but in the mean time I'm taking sometime to bake, heal and enjoy the sunshine :)

 

 

 

Back to the drawing board......

Update

Well with my personal hour glass speedily coming to an end {end of May to be exact}. I have be waging war with many possibilities for Shabby and where to make it happen. I'm not going to lie last week I might of told you I'm no longer interested in being a baker or that I'm going to do something completely off the wall instead.
Like with any struggling artist/passion {ist} you will have many moment of insanity. I thankfully kicked myself in the butt and dusted the chocolate off my chef's jacket and is finding {that is still in the process} a new ray of light. Last week I decided to quit my beloved Dean and Deluca. Many people first reaction is WHY? Then.... well what are you going to do now? My answer? I do not know!
All I know is that I need some time to melt down and temper and remolding myself. Anyone in this industry know you don't do it for the money this is clearly not the issue. It does take lots to get started. My worst enemy at the moment is location! My heart and soul is in California but my head and reasonableness {when present} is here in Johnson County KS.
With many supporter {you know who you are}I'll be making a final decision soon. Sticking to the final decision will be the hard part.

Puppy Love

Confectionery arts has been fun. We have made things out of chocolate,molding chocolate and this past week marzipan. I made 3 doggies...they came out okay I know if I practiced more that I would of made them better!
My Chef made some petite fours and as a joke he made some of them with L on them {Like my jacket! :) } He also made sugar flowers. We will be doing sugar pulling later in the semester.

{Beautiful!}

Visiting Chef Series

This week at school we had an opportunity to sit in on the first visiting chef series at JCCC. The Charming Chef Michael Smith was talking about Tapas and demoing several recipes. His life experiences and travels were inspiring! Some of his favorite foods are not any of mine like roasted rabbit brains and blood sausage just to name a couple.
He gave all the recipes that he made that night. My favorite was Chickpea Salad 'Pinotxo' Style

Makes 4 quarts
1 quart cooked chickpeas
1/3 cup white raisins-soaked in water for 20 min-then chopped
1 piece Morcilla sausage-peeled and minced
1 whole onion-fine diced and sauteed 1 min
1/4 cup toasted pistachios- rough chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Method

cook chickpeas in salted water until soft 3-4 hours.Mix all remaining ingredients together.Adjust acidity and salt and pepper.

heart stopping week....

On Wednesday I created a Love statue made out of ALL Chocolate! It was really fun but messy. I love the whole love note thing and the question of Be Mine. I carved the hearts out of white chocolate and sign is made of Almond paste {the only exception to All Chocolate}.


Thursday the production for the BIG weekend started with dozens of Tuxedo Chocolate dipped strawberries and lots of love filled recipes...I was so busy that I really could get too many pictures! Our Cases was probably the most beautiful it has ever been!

We had so many item it was almost too much to fill of two cases! It would lie if I didn't say it that there was stress and a small amount of tears{from me...I was truly exhausted this week and having a hell of a time with writing chocolate! There was also some creative differences that can be frustrating!}

But all in all we came together and kicked butt and had a steady line out the door for about an hour! Thank goodness I'm off to a new production list {makes it interesting}.

Cheesecakes and Othellos

Well this week in school I had Cheesecakes, Othellos and Rosemary bread.
I chose to do a plain cheesecake this week....next week I'm thinking raspberry white chocolate?We'll see.
To play with my Chef I told him that my signature L would be the design on the Othellos...He wasn't amused!

No worries this is what they looked like. I really like these ...french macaroons sandwiched with mocha buttercream dipped in chocolate.
It was a strange week but I made it through I'm hoping to get through this winter slump and start kicking butt!LOL