The recipe for the macarons calls for grinding the almonds and sugar for one minute in the food processor to make a very fine powder. I noticed that this recipe uses icing sugar and ground almonds in a similar proportion (about 2:1) as David Lebovitz’ recipe. However, the reci...
This cake is the result of my search for recipes to use up apples and half-and-half.
I followed the linked recipe and substituted good quality jasmine tea leaves, increasing the steeping time to 10 minutes, and reheating the cream before pouring over milk chocolate. I didn’t want the strong flavour of bittersweet to overpower the delicate tea flavour. Even tho...
I made a half recipe of this using 70% bittersweet chocolate. Do pay close attention to the temperature of the custard, as it is crucial to achieving the proper texture. I like that you don’t have to bake these in a water bath and they taste extremely smooth and silky. Portion...
I got these hollow truffle shells from a cake decorating supply store. The tray is very flimsy so be careful when picking it up! Using a plain bittersweet chocolate ganache as a base, I added a small tin of sweetened chestnut purée. Let the filling cool until it is pipeable, t...
First, a note about pans: the recipes call for a 9” round cake pan, but I went ahead with 8” ones. The devil’s food cake was easy, but I didn’t mix the eggs in very well, so I had to pick out a chunk of cooked egg white from the baked cake! I made the white chocolate batter fi...
The chocolate batter is quite thick, like a brownie. With only a single mixing bowl, this cake is labour intensive because the upper layer requires beating the butter and sugar, then whipping the egg whites separately. I would omit the raisins from the top half if I made this ...
The shortbread crust is a no-brainer, although it is a bit dry. The citrus layer calls for a full quarter cup of orange zest; I should have used the full amount. The 3/4 cup of lemon juice is no match for all the sugar, and I found the filling to be too sweet. It uses flour as...
First, go read the mouthwatering description of this cake. Then, download the beautiful electronic cookbook from which this recipe is taken. The cake is quite simple and fast to make, provided you have a food processor or mandoline to slice the apples with. Do use a large bowl...
Making the pâte â bombe was interesting to say the least. I don’t have a hand mixer, so I carefully poured the hot syrup into the running stand mixer. Droplets of liquid scattered all over the bowl and then immediately hardened on the cold steel surface. Also, I didn’t let all...
These cookies are just like peanut butter cookies, except made with fresh ground cashew butter. I used unsalted roasted cashews so I threw in an extra half teaspoon of salt: not necessary as it turns out. I refrigerated the dough overnight so it would be easier to shape. They’...
For the final class of this course, Chef began by showing us how to make a flat sheet by spreading tempered chocolate on top of a piece of plastic. Using an offset spatula, he made a thin layer that he let set until the surface was dull, then cut it while it was still soft. We...
Another time-consuming but ultimately satisfying recipe from CI. I’m glad they provided a target temperature for the molten sugar, I often overcook caramel. It thickens considerably after cooling, but a brief zap in the microwave makes it pourable again. I needed almost 20 ext...
I used an 8” non-stick pan lined with greased parchment; this isn’t an ideal pan as the surface is dark making it hard to control baking time (the crust closest to the edge browns first). Also, it has a rounded edge which makes lining the pan difficult. On the plus side, the b...
I was hoping this would be the fruitcake that I would be baking and selling this year, but it was a bit of a letdown. First, the recipe is supposed to be baked in 12 mini-loaf pans, but I tried it in two 8×4” pans. They turned out fine, but a bit small. With that size pan, I t...
For class last night, we tried our hand at making 3D molds. Chef first demonstrated how to trim the plastic molds so that we could affix binder clips to hold it in place. For molds like a Santa Claus or snowman figurine, he cut out a small hole in the bottom. The procedure was...
The only differences from the recipe were that I used an 8” cake pan and used soy milk instead of cow milk. This cake requires much more effort than opening a tin of canned fruit, but I think it’s worth it. The caramelized fresh pineapple is vibrantly tart and sweet. I would c...