Peach pecan entremet

Some of my favorite projects are ones where creativity meets technique, and in which I can explore how a flavor pairing can work together in different ways. This peach entremet checks all of these boxes, which is why I wanted to share some of my process and the recipe for each component.

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This year I've really focused on using the freshest and most in season fruit in my baking. Sourced locally, I can not only get them at the peak of ripeness and flavor, but I get the opportunity to visit farms and pick my own, such fun for me and the kids as well! First came strawberries, then cherries, and then it was apricot and peach season. I got a large box of fresh local peaches and got to work, after playing with them in a few different ways this is the creation that emerged.

These are Goldensweet peaches from Frog Hollow farms, they are sweet and juicy freestone peaches, though firm enough to slice neatly. First, I picked out a few of them, halved them and baked them in the oven until the peel pulled off easily, they were soft throughout (but not mushy) and the juices caramelized slightly on the edges - I then pureed them and put the puree in an airtight container in the fridge to use a bit later. 

A few more of the peaches got chopped up (bowl in that first pic above) and I turned them into a fun and quick compote - a small dash of brown sugar just to draw out the juices because the fruit were sweet enough on their own, a splash of bourbon, some cinnamon and a little cornstarch to thicken. I cooked this all together until softened and slightly thickened, then spooned into hemispherical moulds and put in the freezer to set. 

For the next component I don't have any good pictures, I do need to plan my recipe development a bit more carefully that's for sure. I made a simple gelee with sparkling rose wine, peach puree, brown sugar and gelatin, and let it set on a quarter sheet pan covered in clingwrap. Note to self, lightly oiled foil may work better here, but it was workable. I let this set in the fridge while I whipped up a basic cremeux, then flavored it with a hearty dose of toasted pecan butter. Pecans made another showing in the cake base - a classic joconde sponge, only made with pecan flour.

Last but not least, the piece de resistance, the peach mousse to bring it all together. I used the oven roasted peach puree, gelatin and whipped cream to make a smooth and airy mousse in which I layered all the other components. I made a trial personal sized entremet (3") first to get a taste and decide, and I really do love how well peaches and pecans come together in all this.

For the finishing touch, I wanted to make a mirror glaze, but didn't want to stick with the classic white chocolate one as it felt like it would be too sweet for the subtle flavors of the entremet. Instead, I made a salted caramel mirror glaze with a touch of peach puree and poured it on the warmer side for a thin finish.

Last but not least, I wanted to talk about the theme I centered this dessert around. The larger sharing size entremet was assembled in a 6" hemispherical pan. I actually included the cremeux both underneath the compote as in the mini, and immediately on top of the sponge, with the rose gelee and a layer of mousse in between. I wanted to set up this gelatin based dessert as a jelly-fish, so I made tentacles out of gelatin, use cake scraps and chocolate candies as the bottom of the sea in a vase, and set up a blue backdrop. Not my tidiest work, but pretty fun, what do you think?

Sometimes less is more, even though I spent an eternity adding golden dragees on the bottom of the entremet for an extra touch, I ended up liking it all more without, but presented here is the most dressy version of this jellyfish before I got enjoyed at the table.

I partnered with a friend with experience in mixology, and she came up with two cocktails that paired with this dessert. The first one, refreshing and light, a little tart - puréed peach, peach bitters, rye, creme de peche, angostura bitters, lemon, and tarragon syrup. The second one, recommended to be served with dessert itself, was a strong drink, simple and sophisticated - rye, Lillet rouge, peach bitters, tarragon syrup, red vermouth. Cheers!

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Peach pecan entremet

~ Peach compote ~

Ingredients

• 2 peaches, chopped in even pieces
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp bourbon
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

1. Mix peaches and brown sugar in a small pot, let sit for a few minutes to draw out juices.
2. Put pot on medium heat, stir occasionally as you bring it to a simmer.
3. Add cinnamon and salt, mix.
4. Add bourbon (off the heat to avoid flame-up), then cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Make slurry with corn starch, add and stir for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
6. Let cool slightly, then chill in the fridge or put in forms in the freezer for entremet layering.

~ Bubbly gelee ~

For ratios and method, I referenced this recipe, only used 1.5 cups Chandon reserve rose for the bubbly, only 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tbsp of peach puree along with the 3 tbsp of powdered gelatin.

~ Pecan cremeux ~

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 40 g granulated sugar
• 200 ml milk
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 160 g white chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp pecan butter

Method

1. Beat together yolks and sugar until pale and increased in volume slightly.
2. Combine milk and cream in a pot and bring to a bare simmer.
3. Temper the yolks carefully, pouring in the hot milk a bit at a time while whisking.
4. Return to heat set to medium-low and stir occasionally until thickened (back of spoon test or 180F).
5. Let cool slightly, then add chopped white chocolate and leave for a minute or two until it melts throughout.
6. Incorporate melted chocolate well, use stick blender if needed.
7. Add pecan butter and mix.
8. Transfer to piping bag, secure the end with an elastic and place in fridge until needed.

~ Pecan joconde ~

Ingredients

• 185 g pecans or pecan flour
• 185 g powdered sugar
• 5 eggs, separated yolks
• 50 g all purpose flour
• 25 g granulated sugar
• 45 g butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat oven at 350F. Prepare a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. If using whole pecans, grind up until fine in a food processor.
3. Beat together powdered sugar, egg yolks and ground pecans in stand mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add flour and mix until just combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks.
6. Gradually add granulated sugar while whisking on high speed until fully incorporated and the meringue has achieved stiff peaks.
7. Carefully fold meringue in pecan mixture, trying to keep as much air into the meringue as possible.
8. Drizzle in the melted butter while folding until incorporated.
9. Gently pour batter in prepared pan and level using a large offset spatula.
10. Bake 8-10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean close to the center of the pan.
11. Invert on cooling rack, remove parchment and let cool.

~ Peach mousse ~

Ingredients

• 150 g granulated sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup peach puree
• 4 sheets of gelatin, soaked in cold water (or 4 tsp gelatin powder)
• 1.5 cups heavy cream

Method

1. First, make an Italian meringue: start by heating up sugar with a splash of water until melted.
2. Put egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. When the temperature of the syrup reaches 240F, turn on the stand mixer on medium.
4. When the syrup reaches 250F, remove from heat. Make sure the egg whites are already frothy, and start pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl while mixer is still going.
5. Continue to whisk on high until meringue is glossy and it holds stiff peaks.
6. Warm up peach puree slightly in the microwave or in a small pot and add gelatin to melt.
7. Let puree cool slightly, but not set (80-85F), then carefully fold into Italian meringue.
8. Whip the heavy cream until light but still a bit runny, just below soft peak stage.
9. Fold cream into peach mousse and use immediately before it starts setting.

~ Caramel mirror glaze ~

I followed this tried and true recipe for the mirror glaze, blooming the gelatin in half water, half peach puree to tie in the flavors.

Assembly

I'm including the instructions for a straightforward, ring mould cake, the hemispherical cake or a silicone form require assembly upside down.

• Line ring mould with acetate or cling wrap to prevent sticking.
• Cut a circle of joconde to fit the ring mould, then place at the bottom of the prepared ring.
• Pipe a disc of cremeux on the joconde, leaving 0.5"-1" of space to the edges.
• Cut a disc of gelee the same width as the cremeux and place on top.
• Pipe or spoon peach mousse to cover the cremeux and gelee, making sure it fills all the spaces around the edges of the ring.
• Place frozen peach compote in the middle, then spoon/pipe more peach mousse until the compote is well covered by at least 0.5"-1" of mousse.
• Set in the freezer a couple of hours or overnight to set well.
• Bring mirror glaze to desired temperature for pouring (85F or just slightly warmer).
• Unmould cake, place on top of a rack or stable cup/ramekin smaller than the cake placed inside a baking pan to catch the excess glaze.
• Carefully but swiftly pour mirror glaze on top, making sure the sides are well covered. Alternately, you can pour the mirror glaze before unmoulding for a naked sides look.
• Let cake thaw at room temperature for an hour or in the fridge for a few hours, serve chilled.

Savory muffins egg surprise

You can call it a savory muffin, you can call it a vegetarian scotch egg, or even portable breakfast, but these easy to make treats are as delicious as they are pretty. Read on for the recipe on how to make them and what variations I've tried so far.

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One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it comes together quickly, in only one bowl. I grate the zucchini on the coarse side of the box grater so it doesn't turn to mush, then squeeze it thoroughly. The carrot goes on the fine side and doesn't need squeezing out quite as much - I used white carrot in this batch as you can see below:

The recipe makes 12 regular muffins, or 8 egg surprise muffins (portable breakfast). I like it make it half and half, that way everyone can get their favorite version - 4 egg filled and 6 regular muffins.

The nutritional yeast gives the batter a cheesy flavor, you can sub in 1/4 cup of finely grated cheese instead if you prefer. I do love the cheese sprinkled on top for both flavor and texture.

More detail coming soon :) 

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Savory muffins (egg surprise)

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup finely grated carrots
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated zucchini, squeezed
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• handful of grated cheese
• Optional: 4 or 8 eggs, see notes

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with paper liners or parchment.
2. If you want to make the scotch egg/egg surprise version, boil the eggs until whites are set and middle is very creamy, see notes. Cool completely.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add eggs and whisk for 15 seconds. Add applesauce, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, baking powder, baking soda, salt and whisk well to combine.
4. Add carrots and zucchini and stir a few times.
5. Add oats and whole wheat flour; gently mix until combined. Do not over mix.
6. For plain muffins, distribute batter evenly among 12 cupcake liners. For egg surprise muffins, scoop a spoonful of batter into each of 8 liners. Place egg on top, press slightly, then spoon enough batter on top to just cover the egg on all sides. I like to make half and half (4 egg muffins, 6 plain from one batch.
7. Sprinkle cheese on top, to taste. A sharp cheese like cheddar, fontina or parmesan works well.
8. Bake in the preheated oven 24-26 minutes until golden and set. Add 3-5 min if you prefer your egg yolk to be cooked through
9. Enjoy warm, or cover and store in fridge, then reheat slightly before serving.

Notes

• To cook the eggs for including in the recipe, follow these simple steps: bring water to a boil. Gently lower the eggs in the water, and set a 5'30" timer. When timer is up, immediately cool eggs in either running cold water or a bowl of ice water. Let cool then peel carefully as they're very soft inside.
• I love a runny yolk, but it's best served warm from the oven. To keep a runny yolk, chill the eggs in the fridge before peeling and encasing in the muffin batter to bake. For a semi-set yolk, cool to room temperature after boiling and use directly. For a well cooked egg, leave in the oven a few exta minutes.
• You can use whole milk and/or regular all purpose flour in the recipe.
• Cheese is optional, but adds a delicious flavor and great melty crust on top. It also tends to prevent the muffin batter from splitting over the egg, which causes uneven cooking

Grandma's Walnut Cake Bars

At grandma's house, every special occasion, every out-of-town guest visit, was marked by her pulling out her hand grinder the night before, grinding walnuts and making her delicious cake bars. 

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With only a few ingredients, every flavor is allowed to shine and it's such a delight you can never just have one bite. I am grateful I got this recipe passed on by my grandma a few years ago and I started making it around the holidays every year. It ages well too, so if you don't finish it all in the first day like I usually do, as it dries it becomes a wonderful accompaniment to coffee or hot tea.

The list of ingredients really is very simple - eggs, butter, sugar flour and nuts, with vanilla and chocolate flavors lovely bonus light touches on top. It also scales up and down pretty easily, so feel free to make it a bit thinner (in my mis-en-place above I made a 3/4 recipe in the same pan for a thinner bar, for example) or in a smaller/larger pan.

The first, and really important step is to ensure all ingredients are at room temperature before beginning. The sugar and butter need to whip together until light and fluffy and that's really not possible without a very creamy butter to start. Next go in the nuts and flour - I usually cheat and use nut flours (see notes), but for a bit more texture go ahead and grind up your own. As you can see above, at this step your mixture will be quite thick, but here come the egg whites to the rescue! Whip the whites just until you get stiff peaks. A touch of cream of tartar helps the whites along, but you want to make sure you don't go too far and let them break up or they'll deflate as you incorporate them into the batter. 

Start with one third (I call this the sacrificial fraction), and mix thoroughly to help lighten up the buttery nutty base. Then add the remaining thirds one at a time, folding gently but only just until incorporated to get a thick but creamy and fluffy batter. Spread this evenly in a pan prepared with lightly oiled parchment paper (or butter+flour coated) and bake halfway in a preheated oven. You're looking for the cake to be just set but still have a shine in the middle (undercooked) at this stage.

While the cake is doing its first stage of baking, prepare the delicious topping that really sets these bars apart - whip the egg yolks with sugar until very pale and light. They should triple in volume and fall in soft ribbons from the beaters when lifted from the bowl. My easy cleanup secret here is that I just reuse the beaters from the whites as trace amounts of white won't compromise the yolks (unlike whites, which will not whip if there is any yolk in them, beware!). My grandma used to flavor these with a Romanian kitchen staple - vanilla sugar. I don't find this in stores in the US very often, so I just use a dash of vanilla extract or the seeds from half of a vanilla pod if I'm feeling fancy.

Hot tip: Don't throw away the vanilla pod left over after you scrape out the seeds! You can put it in a mason jar with granulated sugar and shake it now and then, and voila! You have vanilla sugar in your pantry which you can use in this recipe next time or in any other baking application to add a touch of vanilla flavor.

Carefully pull out the partially baked cake from the oven and pour the fluffy yolks over the top, making sure to spread them edge to edge. Return to the oven until set and barely starting to change color to a golden brown.

Finally, the signature look of this cake comes from the way my grandma always decorated it - grated chocolate over the top as soon as it comes out of the oven. The warm cake melts the chocolate flecks beautifully so they adhere to the cake and meld with the rich yolk topping. Let this cool completely (if you can resist it for that long), then cut in small bite sized shapes and serve. I try to only remove as many pieces as I want to serve at one time so the rest stay moist and fresh, but a batch of this goes pretty quickly at our house :)

Enjoy with hot coffee, herbal tea or just on its own.

German Crescent Cookies

I discovered these wonderful cookies when a friend baked me a batch a few years ago after my daughter was born, and I've been hooked ever since. They're tender, flakey and nutty but not overly sweet, the perfect snacking treat around the holidays, and frankly any time of the year. Excellent companions to hot tea or coffee as well, and incredibly easy to make. 

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The dough starts out almost like a pie crust, except it involves equal parts butter and cream cheese - the cream cheese makes the dough more tender and gives it a lovely tart and creamy note. It comes together in no time and all and you can use a food processor to make this part of the process even quicker. Chilling it after mixing is important, to give the flour a chance to properly hydrate and the fat to solidify so it maintains its structure through rolling and baking.

   

After the dough is chilled for 2 hours or overnight, cut it in quarters and shape it into discs. Ideally, you'd rolls this out into an even circle, but honestly perfection is not needed here, the cutting and rolling process is quite forgiving and the cookies will look wonderful even if they're not perfectly even in size. 

Here's where the magic comes in though - the dough doesn't get rolled out on a floured surface like any old cookie, but rather on a mix of nuts and sugar (cinnamon and lemon zest optional). This gets embedded into one side of the dough as it rolls out and coats it in flavor and texture. Don't worry too much if the mixture ends up on the top as well as you move the dough around and the rolling pin picks up some of the sugar-nut mix, but keep it on the same side as you roll it all the way out to a ~10" circle. The dough will be quite thin, but keep it as even in thickness as you can.

Cut the circle of dough into 16 triangles, like you'd cut a pizza (in half, then quarters etc to ensure roughly even slices) - you can see in the picture above an example. Then, take each triangle and roll it from the short edge towards the opposite tip as you would a regular crescent roll, with the nut encrusted side on the outside and the (nearly) plain side on the inside. Repeat with the remaining 3 discs, you should end up with 64 little cookies ready to bake.

Place these close together in a pan, I like to use parchment or a silicone mat to ensure easy cleanup. They don't grow a lot in the oven, so in a standard cookie sheet pan I usually fit 32 of them, two rounds in the oven total. 

Bake in preheated 350F oven for 12-14 minutes until baked through and slightly golden on the bottom. They won't take on a lot of color when baking, so keep that in mind as you judge when they're done. Enjoy warm or cooled.

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German Crescent Cookies

Ingredients

• 300g flour
• 200g butter
• 200g cream cheese
• 60g sugar
• 60g brown sugar
• 60g ground hazelnuts
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• lemon zest (to taste, optional)

Method

1. Knead a smooth dough from the flour, butter and cream cheese. 
2. Wrap in cling film and put in the refrigerator for at least two hours or better overnight.
3. Mix both sugars, ground hazelnuts, cinnamon and lemon zest in a bowl.
4. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare two cookie sheets with either parchment paper or silicone mats.
5. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, quarter it and shape it into balls.
6. Sprinkle a little hazelnut-sugar mixture on your work surface and start rolling out one of the dough portions on top. Move around as needed to ensure it doesn't stick/the coating is everywhere under your dough. Keep rolling into an even thickness until you get a 10" disc.
7. Cut into 16 parts (like a pizza) and roll up into crescents.
8. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes.

Notes

• I often skip the cinnamon and lemon zest, especially when I want the flavor of the nuts to really shine through. You can also use other spices and adapt the recipe to your taste.
• You can use any nut flour/ground nuts you prefer. Almonds and pecans work really well.
• The recipe is easy to scale up and down as needed, just make sure the amount of dough you roll out into a 10" disc is roughly the same as the original recipe.
• These cookies freeze really well, and they keep in a covered container at room temperature for several days.

Jaffa Cake Roll

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Chocolate and orange have long been one of my favorite combinations. So are raspberry and (dark) chocolate and more recently passion fruit and ruby chocolate, but I digress. Naturally, I was drawn to the Pim's cookies during my study abroad time in France and I loved the Jaffa cakes during my visit to Dublin a while back. There's even a debate on which one is best, but I'll stay out of that one. :)

Inspired by this combination, I started playing around with ideas on how to bring it together in a home made dessert. I made some muffin sized sponge cakelets topped with orange jelly and chocolate, but though they were tasty the ratios were off and the sponge texture wasn't quite what I envisioned.

Later on, I decided to steer away from the individual dessert format and into something that could work well as a centerpiece dessert, where I could focus on the flavor and texture components without the tedious piecewise assembly. Thus, I settled on the swiss roll. 

I made a pretty simple angel food cake style sponge, which is light, moist and flexible so it holds up to rolling and works as a great flavor canvas. For the rendition pictured here, I actually gave the whole thing a fall flavor twist, I'll include the variation details in the recipe notes - the sponge got a good dose of pumpkin spice mix to set the tone.

While the sponge cooled, I worked on the next essential layer - the orange jelly. For jelly made from scratch, the ratio I used is 1 tsp of gelatin powder to 1 cup of liquid - in this case, orange juice, orange zest and rooibos tea combined for the base, in which I dissolved bloomed and melted gelatin powder. For my fall inspired version, I used a pumpkin spice rooibos packet. I lined a pan the same size as the sponge with plastic wrap and poured the jelly mix inside, then set in the fridge to set. 

Finally, it was time for the chocolate - I of course planned to melt and temper some chocolate for the signature shell on top, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to include it inside the roll as well, after all what's a swiss roll without a creamy filling? I made a simple chocolate mousse using chocolate and cream - melted the chocolate using part of the cream (I also melted a bit of gelatin to help stabilize the mousse), then let it cool to almost room temperature. Then, I whipped the remaining heavy cream and folded the ganache gently and gradually. I let it chill in the fridge before spreading it on the sponge and jelly for final assembly.

Last but not least, a Jaffa cake is not complete with the snap of a layer of chocolate - I tempered some dark chocolate and drizzled it over the roll to create a hay effect for the fall theme. you could also just pour a thin layer all over for a shell on top. This is a pretty well explained step by step to temper chocolate, I'm still working to hone my own skills so I claim no expertise in this area.

I wish I had more progress shots to illustrate these steps, but I was a bit too eager to get to the decorating part for the fall inspired jaffa roll so I put it together quickly while running ideas through my head of how I would decorate it. I made a batch of these fantastic pumpkin spiced marshmallows, which I topped with orange and white sprinkles and cut in the shape of pumpkins and leaves.

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Jaffa Cake Roll

Sponge Ingredients

• 2 eggs, separated
• 30g sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 35g milk
• 23g oil
• 7g cornstarch
• 30g flour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325F, line a quarter sheet pan with parchment.
2. Separate eggs into two medium bowls, set whites aside for the moment.
3. Whisk oil and milk into egg yolks until smooth.
4. Sift flour and cornstarch into yolk mixture, whisk until well combined.
5. With clean whisk or hand mixer attachments, whisk egg whites until foamy.
6. Gradually add sugar while continuing to whisk, until soft peaks are achieved.
7. Add lemon juice and keep whisking to stiff peaks.
8. Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture in 2-3 additions, careful not to deflate the whites too much.
9. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes until set and lightly golden.
10. Transfer sponge to a cooling rack with the parchment lining and lay another sheet of parchment on top to prevent drying out. Let cool completely.

Jelly Ingredients

• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup water (or an herbal tea, if you's like some floral notes)
• 1 tbsp powdered gelatin

Method

1. Mix gelatin and water/tea in a small bowl and let sit for the gelatin to bloom.
2. Gently warm up to melt gelatin - this can be done in the microwave in short 20s intervals or over a bowl of hot water.
3. Pour melted gelatin in a medium bowl along with all the remaining ingredients (orange juice, zest, honey).
4. Line a pan the same size as the sponge (quarter sheet pan for this recipe) with plastic wrap and pour enough of the jelly mixture to achieve 1/4" thick layer. Let this chill in the fridge until set.
5. When ready, use plastic sheet to transfer jelly to the top of the sponge layer.

Chocolate Mousse

I used this recipe, except I mixed in darker chocolate with the semisweet for more depth of flavor.

Assembly

- lay out cooled sponge on work surface on a piece of parchment

- place jelly sheet on top, leaving 1/2" from one short edge and trimming the other end to make it just a bit smaller than the surface of the sponge

- spread chilled mousse on top with an offset spatula to a uniform thickness of about 3/4"

- using the parchment, roll the sponge tightly starting with the edge where the jelly left 1/2" space, careful not to let the jelly slip out as you do this

- twist the ends of the parchment sheet to secure the roll seam side down, and place in the fridge to set

- before serving, drizzle or spread tempered chocolate on top and decorate as desired

- slice with a clean knife to serve (dipping in warm water and wiping off with a kitchen towel before cutting ensures a clean line)

Notes

- for a fall themed variation, I made the following changes to the recipe: added 2 tsp of pumpkin spice seasoning to the sponge  at the same time as the dry ingredients; I used pumpkin spiced rooibos tea instead of water in the jelly mix; I added a pinch of nutmeg to the chocolate mousse

- I like desserts that are more subtly sweet, so I didn't add a lot of sweetness to the orange jelly. Consider including up to 1/4cup of sugar to the jelly to taste if you prefer.

Grandma's Apple Pie

 Sometimes nostalgia strikes - it's fun to be transported back to the time and land of my childhood through food. Based on a recipe for Hungarian apple pie and adding a bit of my own spin on it, I tried to recreate the apple pie bar my grandma would make in Romania. 

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Hosting guests was always a big event at my grandma's house, she would always go all out to impress - from a generous array of appetizers, soup, hearty main course and sides, and home made dessert, as well as ensuring appropriate drink pairings. Did you know the best way to start a meal in Romania is with smoked pork belly, red onion and a shot of plum brandy (palinca)? Now you do :)

Her desserts weren't particularly elaborate, but they had that homey goodness of a tried and true treat, passed down from one home cook to another. The additional perk of that is that the ingredient list is usually very accessible, mostly with everyday items that I can have on hand at any time at home. This apple pie is one of those recipes. This is not your classic American pie, not even close. It's somewhere between an apple bar and breakfast pastry, with a flaky yeast leavened dough (though I've heard of it made with baking soda as well) and a pre-cooked apple filling thickened with semolina, a staple in Romanian cooking. 

The dough starts similarly to classic short crust of American pies - cut fat into flour, add flavor and wet ingredients, knead briefly. I used cream cheese for half the fat component for a creamier, more tender crumb, but also added lemon zest for flavor and the wet ingredients include egg and a mix of yeast, warm milk and sugar. The egg adds richness, and the yeast provides the signature fluffiness of this pie bar. Mix the egg and yeast into the flour mix first with a spatula/fork to incorporate without fully melting the butter, then knead briefly to bring together without overworking it. Bring into a rough ball, cover and rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes to get the yeast a chance to work its magic. 

While the dough rests, it's time to work on the filling. My grandma used to grate her apples, and recipes I've found recommended slicing them, I split the difference and cubed mine, I love the uniformity of a smaller cut in any apple bake I make. I also included a pear because I love the flavor and texture, and cut it the same size as the apples. Sautee the apples (and optional pear, or just use another apple) with sweetener of choice and flavorings until softened and the juices start to thicken, around 5-10 minutes on medium-low heat. I used maple syrup for that cozy fall vibe, and added vanilla paste, cinnamon and nutmeg. I don't think I ever encountered maple syrup before moving to the US, so my grandma definitely just used regular sugar, but I couldn't resist the toasty caramel flavor to pair up with the warm spices. Remove from heat, stir in semolina to thicken the filling and set aside to cool.

Roll out half the dough to the shape of your pan in a thin, uniform sheet - you're aiming for something large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides about an inch, just like any other pie. Spread filling in to reach every corner of the pan and press gently to fill in all the gaps. Since this is a closed top crust pie, things won't move around and shouldn't sink as you cook, so what you arrange now is what you'll get when it's done. This is the step where you can also add marzipan if using, or you can choose to sprinkle some chopped lightly toasted nuts - almonds or pecans would work great. Roll out the remaining dough to the size of the pan, then pinch the edges to seal. 

For color and shine but also flavor, finish the crust with an egg wash - a whole egg or just a yolk works great. A tip I found is to brush the egg wash, let it sit for 5-10 min to slightly dry, then brush on an additional layer of egg wash - it will be smooth and uniform but richer than just one pass. Lightly poke the crust in a few places for steam to escape. I also make squiggly lines with the back of the fork across the crust for a fun design effect. Certainly not necessary but fun nonetheless.

Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 35-40 minutes, until gloden brown on top and baked through. For best structure/clean cuts, cool completely before serving. However, this is so good still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, so pick your favorite option and dig in!

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Grandma's Apple Pie

Makes a 10"x10" pie

Ingredients

• 250g flour
• 4 tbsp butter, chilled
• 4 tbsp cream cheese
• 65g powdered sugar, divided
• zest of one lemon, divided
• 1.5 tbsp warm milk
• 3.5g instant yeast (half a packet or 1 tsp)
• 1 egg
• 3 medium apples
• 1 medium pear
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 30g maple syrup
• vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp semolina
• 1 egg/yolk for brushing on top
• 2-3 tbsp marzipan (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven at 325F.
2. In a small bowl, mix 5g powdered sugar, the warmed milk and the yeast and set aside for 5-10 min to activate.
3. Cube butter and cream cheese and add into flour. Cut them in using a pastry cutter or butter knife until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
4. Mix in 60g of powdered sugar, half the lemon zest and a pinch of salt, combine lightly.
5. Add yeast mixture and one egg, then knead lightly until it comes together.
6. Cover bowl and let this rest for 30 minutes.
7. Chop up apples and pear in small cubes, then mix in medium pot with the maple syrup, remaining lemon zest and a splash of vanilla extract.
8. Bring apple mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then cook a few minutes until the fruit is softened and the liquid thickened.
9. Remove from heat, add semolina and set aside to cool.
10. Roll out half the dough in a thin sheet, then lay in the greased pan to cover the bottom and 1" up the sides.
11. Gently press in cooled filling, and top within thin slices of the marzipan, if using.
12. Roll out the second half of the dough and lay on top of the filling, press together around the edges to seal.
13. Brush on top with egg or just egg yolk, then create a pattern on top using a fork.
14. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the bar is cooked through and the top is golden brown.
15. Let it cool for a bit before cutting in squares to server.

Notes:

• I added cream cheese in the crust for a lighter, most tender crumb. however, if you prefer a more crisp crust you can use all butter.
• If you don't have/want the pear, you can always just use 4 apples. Play around with the varietals to get some variety of texture. I used two Gala and one Granny Smith. 
• I couldn't resist and added some nutmeg to the fruit as well. Any combination of warm spices you enjoy would work well.
• I used an adjustable square form with parchment to get the 10"x10" size, but this would turn out quite well in a 9"x9". A rectangular 9"x13" would be ok too but the dough may be so thin that it wouldn't hold up.

Chestnut donuts

Some kids like pancakes, but mine seem to prefer more structured treats - waffles, (baked) donuts and (preferably dinosaur shaped) muffins are breakfast staples. This week started out strong with a delightful batch of chestnut donuts which the kids promptly devoured, with sprinkles of course.

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One of my earliest childhood memories is climbing on my grandparents' garage roof and picking fresh chestnuts off the tree. I wasn't in the loop on how they were cooked, but I vividly remember the beautiful shine of the fresh picked fruit and the toasty creamy experience of eating its contents. This weekend I got to relive part of that by purchasing fresh chestnuts at the farmer's market and turning them into delicious donuts.

I took the sage advice of the farm stand attendant and cooked the chestnuts the way she told me - 20 minutes in boiling water, then I slit each one and baked them at 500F for another 10 minutes. Most of the chestnuts cracked open and were easy to break up with bare hands, and others remained a bit more stubborn, but the insides were nutty and soft in all of them. I used a strawberry corer to remove all the contents into a clean bowl then measured out what I needed for this recipe.

I chose a light but flavorful milk option - unsweetened vanilla almond milk - to make the chestnut puree. You might have to use a bit more to get a smooth consistency, an immersion blender worked really well to get this task done with minimal cleanup. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, oil and sugar together with the flavor extracts (vanilla with rum optional) to create a light and creamy base for the batter - you're looking for a paler color than you started out with and a lightened up texture. Mix in chestnut puree, yogurt and applesauce - I added these to fill in for leaving out some of the oil and sugar from the original recipe to lighten it up.

Mixing the dry ingredients in a separate bowl is optional but a good idea to get them mixed together uniformly and break up any clumps - that way you can minimize the amount of mixing for the final batter and get a lighter, more tender crumb. I used cake flour, though AP flour would probably work just fine. See notes for cake flour substitution using all purpose flour and corn starch. Pipe or spoon in the lightly oiled donut pan, then bake at 355F for 14-16 minutes, until cooked through. You can test by poking a toothpick through the thickest part of the donut, if it comes out clean then it's ready to come out. Turn out on a cooling rack and let the donuts come to room temperature (if you have that sort of patience :) ).

Dip in the glaze and sprinkle with preferred toppings right before serving, or save in an airtight container if you have any donuts left over. I made two options, both were delicious in their own right - a white glaze made simply from greek yogurt and maple syrup, perfect canvas for chocolate or rainbow sprinkles and a chocolate glaze made with black sesame paste, maple syrup and cocoa powder. We couldn't wait so we served them with fruit as dessert, only a pair made it to breakfast the next day. They were still fluffy and tender the next day, the kids loved them just as much!

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Chestnut donuts

Makes 6 thick donuts

Ingredients

• 110 g cooked chestnuts, shelled (see notes)
• 50 ml almond milk 
• 1 egg
• 1 oz vegetable oil
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 oz greek yogurt
• 1 oz applesauce
• rum extract
• 110g cake flour (one scant cup)
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• Glaze and toppings of your choosing (see notes)

Method

1. Preheat oven at 355F.
2. Blend chestnuts and milk into a smooth paste - I used an immersion blender, which make cleanup a bit easier, but a blender or food processor would work too. Add a bit more milk as needed, you're aiming for peanut butter consistency.
3. In a bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and airy. 
4. Add yogurt, applesauce and chestnut puree and mix until well incorporated.
5. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
6. Add dry ingredient to wet mixture and fold gently, careful not to overmix.
7. Spoon into lightly oiled donut pan.
8. Bake 14-18 minutes, or until donuts are cooked through (passing toothpick test).
9. Remove from oven, turn over onto cooling rack and let come to room temperature.
10. Dip in glaze as desired and decorate with sprinkles or fresh fall fruit.
11. Enjoy!

Notes:

• I boiled the chestnuts for 20 minutes, then cut a slit at the bottom of each one and roasted in a 500F oven for 8 minutes. At that point most of them had cracked more, had a lovely aroma and were easy to split open by hand (they're HOT so let them cool first). I used a strawberry corer to get them out of the peel when they were more stubborn, though many came loose of their shell on their own.
• Vanilla almond milk lends a beautiful flavor to the chestnut puree. You can use any plant or dairy milk you prefer, but add a dash more vanilla extract if you use plain flavor.
• Original recipe calls for 50ml oil and 90g sugar and no yogurt/applesauce, but I wanted to lighten up the batter a bit and I loved the light moist crumb I got. 
• If you don't have cake flour, all purpose would work pretty well too, consider substituting 1tsp of the AP flour with corn starch as a good cake flour substitute for a softer crumb.
• I dipped my donuts in one of two easy glaze options: maple yogurt (greek yogurt, a dash of maple syrup) and black sesame chocolate (black sesame paste, maple syrup, brut cocoa, milk as needed to get a silky consistency), and topped with chocolate and rainbow sprinkles to the kids' preferences.
• These donuts are so moist they would be delicious plain, dipped in a simple ganache or simply drizzled with a dark and flavorful maple syrup.

Cheesecake Brownie Bars

 This little creation is a collaboration with my son, and it's hardly a recipe but I documented what we used for our own future reference and to share a starting point to what is a very flexible and adaptable treat - no bake brownie cheesecake bars.

Jump to recipe

Last week my son learned that it was National Children Take Over the Kitchen Day and he enthusiastically embraced it and came up with dishes he could cook almost completely on his own and fed us all day. He's not even 7 yet so I was very impressed with both his determination and level of skill. He made soft boiled egg with toast and butter for breakfast, ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Pretty well rounded day!

For dessert we collaborated in coming up with a no bake, recipe free treat we could all enjoy, and it started with his idea to crush up some madeleine cookies that went uneaten because we've been so busy baking in our kitchen over the past few months. We mixed them with some cocoa, some coconut flakes and added almond butter and coconut oil for binding, then pressed them in the bottom of a parchment lined loaf pan and let it set in the fridge while we worked on the next layer.

I was sort of thinking cheesecake as a starting point, and as it happened I had instant pudding with a cheesecake flavor, but I figured it wouldn't set firmly enough to cut as bars on its own, so we started with room temperature cream cheese, we thinned it out with almond milk then whipped it up with the pudding mix. The resulting cream was smooth but thick and rich, and we spread it over the brownie base then put it in the freezer to set more firmly and more quickly. 

Finally, the fruit topping - we cleaned out the fridge for this one and used strawberries, blueberries and peaches cut up to be about evenly sized with the smallest of them (the blueberries). A splash of cranberry juice (water would be ok too) and a bit of cornstarch were all they needed to soften and thicken on the stove for a quick and delicious final layer. Sweeten to taste if needed, our fruit was sweet enough that we didn't add anything else, but a bit of sugar or honey would work here to balance out the flavors. After spreading the fruit we returned the pan for a final hour in the freezer to set together, then sliced while still cold and let it warm up a bit before enjoying. 

These bars work well straight out of the freezer almost like ice cream sandwiches, or warmed to fridge/room temperature as indulgent cheesecake bars. All of us were big fans of the final result and my son was incredibly proud of the fruits of his labor - all day, not just dessert. I love seeing him embrace a love of cooking.

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Cheesecake Brownie Bars

Ingredients

• 4-5 crushed madeleine cookies
• 2-3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 tbsp toasted coconut flakes
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil

• 3 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 packet cheesecake flavored instant pudding 

• 1 lb mixed fruit, chopped
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice
• 2-3 tbsp cornstarch

Method

1. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper for easy removal
2. Crush up cookies - for the individually packaged madeleines, pressing them in the packet works well, then open each bag and pour into medium mixing bowl.
3. Add all the other crust ingredients - cocoa powder, coconut flakes, almond butter and coconut oil and mix well. Only add as much coconut oil as you need to bind all the crumbs together in a smooth dough.
4. Press mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan and chill to set.
5. Whisk cream cheese with hand mixer to soften and smooth out before adding milk to get a thinner creamy consistency. 
6. Add pudding mix and whisk until well incorporated and it starts to set. 
7. Spread over brownie base, then return to fridge or place in freezer to set.
8. Mix all three fruit layer ingredients together and cook on medium heat to a simmer, stirring frequently. 
9. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until thickened and the fruit is softened, stirring constantly to prevent burning or clumping.
10. Let cool to room temperature, then spread over set cheesecake layer.
11. Return to freezer until firm, then pull out of pan using parchment and cut up in serving portions.
12. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

• If you don't happen to have a lot of forgotten madeleine cookies in your pantry, crushed graham crackers or other stale treats could work as well, just tweak the amount of wet ingredients accordingly to get a thick paste consistency
• Coconut flakes are optional, you can also include chocolate chips, dry fruit or nuts for extra flavor and texture.
• Any nut butter works well, as well as melted butter instead of coconut oil if you prefer.
• White chocolate instant pudding or even vanilla would work well here, it just helps set the cream cheese mixture without egg or baking.
• We used strawberries, blueberries and peaches for the fruit layer, but almost any combination would work here - depending on the amount of pectin in the fruit, you may have to adjust the amount of cornstarch needed to thicken the mixture appropriately. If the bars are served frozen there's a lot of room for error in this part :)

Fruity Upside Down Magic Cake

Recently I've been playing around with making renditions of a childhood favorite dessert that my mom used to make and I always enjoyed. She simply called it ✨ Magic Cake✨. 

Jump to recipe

This started with me thinking up ways to use seasonal fruit in new ways after a few trips to you-pick farms ended up with way more fresh fruit than we could consume in a few days. First fruit rendition involved peaches, but it came out overall too wet, I had messed with the recipe a bit too much and including applesauce was not a good idea. An important lesson learned, I find that yogurt is a better way to lighten up the butter in the recipe.

Inspired by the classic strawberry rhubarb flavor combination, I made this recipe by laying strips of rhubarb at the bottom of a large loaf pan lined with parchment (4" x 9") and I baked it briefly to soften just slightly as I couldn't get them to lay flat otherwise. I then layered thinly sliced strawberries on top and moved on to the actual magic cake. 

I can't help but feel the recipe originally came about by accident, but what a happy accident it is. Essentially, it's your classic pound cake technique of whipping butter+sugar, adding the yolks, flour, and milk then folding in the egg whites whipped separately for a light, springy texture. But someone somewhere may have gone heavy handed with their milk measurement and this was born. As the base of the batter is quite liquid before the egg whites go it, it separates beautifully in the oven and creates these layers of separation with distinct textures - a denser, rich custard on the bottom, a light, milky custard in the middle, and a fluffy springy cake layer on top. It's magic because it's a one bowl batter that bakes into a 3 layer cake. The strawberry rhubarb cake would present these layers in reverse as I planned it to be an upside down cake of sorts.

I adapted the recipe from the magic cake write-up on the Jo Cooks blog to remind me of the proportions my mom used. My mom's key to getting the light springy cake on top (on the bottom if you do an upside down version like this) is to start the cake in a hotter oven and finish cooking in softer heat - her old recipe helpfully said "somewhat hot, then moderate heat. It turns out with the right steady heat that's not really necessary, so that's one thing I don't have to worry about anymore - preheat the oven to 325F to get it ready.  I tried for an ombre look but as it was on the bottom the colors blended a bit more than I'd like. Also a bit unexpected (but really cool), the layer of strawberries floated up as they baked and settled right in the middle layer, so it's beautifully layered top to bottom rhubarb-custard-strawberry custard-cake. 

Start out by separating the eggs - set aside the whites for the moment and whisk up the yolks with the sugar until fluffy and lightened up in color. Add in melted (and cooled) butter and vanilla and whisk some more, then mix in all the flour until well incorporated. Finally, gradually add warm milk until well combined - the warmth of the milk helps maintain a smooth texture at this stage. With a clean whisk (or mixer beaters), whip up egg whites and cream of tartar until lightened up, then continue whisking at high speed until you get stiff peaks. Don't overwhip or it will separate and not hold its volume. Fold the meringue in the batter in stages until no lumps of egg whites remain, it's ok if it's not completely incorporated or if there seems to be batter at the bottom of the bowl, it's meant to separate a bit as it bakes anyway. Pour into lightly greased or parchment lined pan and bake for 40-60 minutes - times vary based on the material of your baking dish, oven temperature stability and overall thickness, but you're looking for a lightly golden color on top and set on the edges, but still wobbly in the middle. It will set perfectly as it chills in the fridge.

A further variation that I love is the chocolate take on it - simply sub out half the flour for cocoa powder, the richer the cocoa the more chocolatey the final result you'll have. I made the chocolate version you see here with peach and pineapple for a golden-dark striped look to honor World Honey Bee Day, it was also sweetened with honey alone, so yummy! Since I used the cake ring and parchment, I didn't invert it either so it's a reversed upside down cake aka regular cake with fruit on the bottom and middle :)

Garnished for serving with white chocolate honeycomb and a honey dark chocolate patty, you can never have too much chocolate!

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Fruity Upside Down Magic Cake

Makes a 6" square or large loaf (4"x9")

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• 6 tbsp flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• (Optional) fruit of choice - peach, strawberries etc

Method

1. Preheat oven at 325F and line you baking pan with parchment paper (or oil lightly, pieces won't come out quite as cleanly though).
2. Melt butter in the microwave and set it aside to cool slightly. Measure out yogurt to come to room temperature. Warm up milk 40 seconds in the microwave as well to prepare for use.
3. (Optional) Thinly slice any fruit you want to use and line the bottom of the baking dish with it in a thin and even layer.
4. Separate eggs into two bowls, yolks in the larger one. 
5. Whisk yolks with sugar until fluffy and paler in color.
6. Add butter and vanilla, whisk well.
7. Incorporate flour, then gradually whisk in milk until smooth.
8. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
9. Gradually fold into the batter until most of the meringue is incorporated, don't overmix.
10. Pour into prepared pan and bake until edges are set and top is lightly golden. It should still be wobbly in the middle when it comes out of the oven.
11. Let it come to room temperature before setting in the fridge several hours or overnight. Serve chilled or take out a few minutes early to warm up slightly.

Notes

• I have tried this recipe with several fruit already - if it's baking friendly (i.e. you can include it in a cake/pie), then it will probably work ok for this as well, your limit is your imagination!
• You can go full butter and just use 4tbsp of butter in the recipe. Any milk is ok, I love using a nut milk but full fat dairy will yield a richer result.
• For the chocolate variation, I used 3 tbsp of flour and 3.5 tbsp of cocoa for a rich color and flavor.
• I wrote up the recipe for the basic sugar version, I've used maple syrup and honey as 1:1 substitute before and it turned out great. Note that the yolks won't really whisk up in volume or turn pale with a liquid sweetener, and the cake will be a little more custardy and have a thinner cakey layer as a result, but equally delicious.