Simplicity of dessert - Chocolate éclair

Lately I became really obsessed with choux pastry. But what is choux? Well it's wonderful recipe for kind of puff pastry used to make those amazing things like éclairs, profiteroles, choux swans, clurrels and of course infamous St. Honore cake.

The classic is to make it sweet, but since I love to twist recipes I already tried savory version, filled with blue cheese or kind of pate. 

But it's not about what I will be write today. Today is an éclair day on my blog. So since those lovely puffs speaks for themselves I am done with writing. Just want to say one thing - eating them for breakfast with strong espresso will definitely make your day, especially now in Poland - it's raining for almost 3 weeks or so. Depressing. Anyway - meet the lovelies.

CHOCOLATE COVERED ELAIRS

Choux pastry (for 35-40 small one):

½ cup (125g) whole milk
½ cup (125g) water
100gram butter, cut into small pieces
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
120gram flour
2-3 large eggs, at room temperature

Chocolate hard glaze:

100 gram of dark chocolate

1 tablespoon of thick heavy cream

1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar ( home made by adding vanilla beans to caster sugar, closed for some time to mix a flavor)

Preheat oven 320F/180C.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan pour the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt and bring to the boil.  If a mixture is boiling add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to mediumand start to stir the mixture quickly with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together almost at once. Now -  carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. The dough should be smooth, silky. Turn off the heat and transfer the dough into a bowl.  Using your handmixer add the eggs one at a time,beating after each egg. Watch again - the dough will start to separate into small pieces, it's normal so do not worry. After a while of mixing the dough will be all together again. Ended effect should be thick and shiny, but also quite runny.The dough should be still warm.  Now the tricky part - you need a pastry bag or at least thick plastic bag with cutted corner. Make small hole. Put the dough into pastry bag and pipe onto parchment-lined bakingsheet. Make bigger free-spaces than you think you need - the pastry will raise, a lot. Bake them until golden brown and raised like twice. If they are browning to quickly turn down temperature to 150C and bake until they will dry. Cool down.

Glaze - melt chocolate with cream and sugar in a bowl placed on a high saucepan with shimmering water. Take from a heat and cool down just a little. Deep your lovelies and place to dry them. Serve on a breakfast with thick heavy cream and strong espresso.

I did not filled mine since I made them really small, but the chocolate is a must so I glazed them :)

Crepes with creamy chicken filling

People are funny about their traditions. We can easily see ourselves as modern as you can imagine, but when it comes to traditions - we are very closed for changes. Of course we like (well, most of us)to explore, like to visit different places, meet new people, but just to some extend.

The same with the food. Home-connected food, to be exact. New tastes are amazing, but nothing can beat dishes from our homes.

Almost any stranger, asked randomly on a street, can name few, which could brings him some memories. But some dishes, not strong settled in past with one event or person, are more like a lifesaver. 

When we are in pain, we feel down and not want to do anything or see anybody. We can't remember when we taste them first time, who cook it for us, but we have special place in heart for those.

Since we just hit like 3rd or 4th week of non-stop raining I felt down today. So in that situation usually I had one solution - to cook something very tasty, very simple and very warm. Warming your body is first step to warming your heart - believe me.

Crepes with creamy chicken pate and barszcz( traditional polish beetroot clear soup)

For crepes:

2 eggs (I used farm ones)

3 tablespoon of melted butter

100 ml of sparkle water

150 ml of milk

200-220 gram of flour

For filling:

100 gram of cream cheese (could be one with herbs)

2 tablespoon of sour cream (if you can't find it in your country try thick Greek yogurt)

500-600 gram of cooked chicken (mine was leftover from making chicken broth)

one small onion

piece of bread, soaked in small amount of water (the best is not fresh one but 1-2 days old bread)

Spices - I use some sumac, salt, pepper and dry garlic flakes 

Start with making crepes. In high bowl mix (I whisk it with electric blender) eggs, flour, milk and water. Salt to taste and break taste with pinch of sugar. Now - do not be nervous about texture. Making crepes is very, very easy but it comes with a time. Try and see - add some milk or water if  batter is too thick. Add some flour if it's too runny. Don't panic.

Now take a nice 20-25 cm skillet and brush a little with butter and oil. You make your crapes on almost dry skillet. Again - don't panic. It is easy but you must be quick. Just pour batter ( I usually use 30-40 ml for one) and taking from a heat swirl your pan to cover its bottom. Put on a heat and cook until you can easily flip it on a second side. I use my hands - don't do it if you're sensitive or are freshman cook. I live in eastern Europe, I have asbestos hands.

After using all batter cover your crapes and set them aside.

Now - the filling. Chop onion and fry on 1-2 tablespoon of butter until it will be soft. Add chopped chicken, season it with spices and fry for another 1-2 minutes. Cool down. Using blender mix soaked bread, chicken, onion, cream cheese and sour cream. You want to get nice, smooth texture of unbaked pate, but do not over do it. It's not soup.

Put one, big tablespoon of filling over a crepe. Roll in favorite shape. Serve cold or fry on a butter and serve hot. Best with homemade barszcz. 

So what - doesn't you feel better know? I told you so.

Green peas filo cups

Green overload continue. After trying asparagus I attacked another veggie. This time green peas. Its sweet taste and smooth texture works very nice in almost any dish you would imagine. Think about classic risotto, cream soup, puree or savory tart. 

I am big baking addict so when I found, never used before, pastry - Filo - I knew I must buy it and try it.

Filo is ideal pastry for spring and summer baking. In winter we tend to eat more heavy and it's fine. But when spring hitting our doors we're searching for something lighter, something fresh and more delicate. This flaky pastry, on plate crunchy, melt in your mouth immediately.

Filo cups with ricotta-green peas filling

100-120 gram of frozen filo pastry (of course if you're so lucky to find fresh one USE IT!)

200-220 gram of green peas (could be canned or fresh, boiled before)

100 gram of cottage cheese

100 gram of ricotta cheese

some sea salt to taste, black pepper and favorite herbs (i use dry mint and some sesame seeds)

3-4 tablespoon of melted butter

Defrost filo using instruction from producer package. Preheat oven 180C/320F.

Blend until smooth green peas, both cheeses and season it with herbs. Now - tricky part : preparing filo cups. I use my muffin tins but any small, heatproof cups would works. Take one leaf of filo pastry - in size 5cm*5cm for 2,5cm bottom size muffin - grease lightly with butter one side, using brush (silicon are the best), and put into a muffing cup (buttered side up). Don't be too precise - messy edges will brown nicely in oven. Put one big teaspoon of filling into your filo cups and brush edges with butter (even easier with spray). Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges will be dark brown and your filling will be hard(but not until it will brown too much). Serve with sour cream.

Paddington's Sandwich

Like most people who cook I also love to read about cooking. Well, I love books in general so while reading interesting, moving book I can find here and there some culinary-interesting parts, I am in heaven. But...I must confess something. I also have secret love interest in children books - since I always wanted to be designer or illustrator I look at them from different perspective. That's why on my shelves are many children books. And one of the best is Paddington series. Those warm and little old-fashioned books are amazing. 

When people are thinking about recipes from books plot usually they came up with recipe for Proust's Magdalenes or other grown-up book's recipe.

But this time try something simpler, something what Paddington would love to try. 

Paddington's Marmalade Sandwich 

2 bread slices cut into triangles

2 tablespoon of Blood Orange Marmalade*

It couldn't be easier - take one triangle, put on tablespoon of marmalade and connect with second triangle. Or take two slices, pour marmalade on one on inside part, cut into triangles. 

Blood Orange Marmalade

1 kilogram of Blood Oranges

600 gram of sugar

Take big saucepan with thick bottom. Take of skin and white skin from your oranges, cut into small pieces, removing as much white skin as you can. Put into saucepan and add sugar. Mix well and turn on heat. Stir occasionally, just not to burn. It would take up to 60 minutes to turn oranges into wonderful marmalade. Serve on Elevenses.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

3 tablespoon of cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar

3 tablespoon of sugar

pinch of salt (which is very important, don't be surprised)

100 ml of hot water

350 ml of full fat milk

Start by mixing water, cocoa powder, pinch of salt  and both sugars in saucepan and bring to boil. Stir often and be careful not to burn. And milk and bring just to boil. Take off from heat. Pour into cups and add some chocolate pieces if you like.

Do not forget about salt - it add something special to cocoa and take sweetness of it to another level.

IN SEASON - May: Asparagus Tasting Plate

I decided to do every month post about what is in season. 
For me seasonal eating is ideal situation - environment friendly, taste friendly. Unfortunately polish situation in veggies and fruits area is not that friendly. We can easily buy oranges from Israel, but do not have choice to choose different kinds of potatoes. Around the world there are tens, hundreds kinds of veggies, fruits, meats, but it is like we almost forgot about that. 

So - may. May, although still rainy and wet, came and welcomed us with arms full of amazing asparagus.

Tasting plate of asparagus

Here on a plate - asparagus cream soup with goat cheese. Asparagus terrine with zatar (spice mix, you can read about it here), simple steamed asparagus with farm butter and whole wheat crumble. And my favorite - Asparagus Napoleon with tortilla-based pastry.

Those will be not recipe kind of posts. Those will be post rather for inspire and to think about what in season. To look around at your local market and cook with best things you will find there. I hope you will like it.

April's Daring Bakers Challenge - Steamed Puddings

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet

                 I must admit that I was scared. This was my first challenge, plus it was something very traditional process-making wise (not baking, but steaming). Also the fact that recipe recommend using suet was scary enough. 

Suet is specific kind of fat - usually beef or mutton fat, hard one placed around loins and kidneys.It has low melting point so that's why, hard in solid form, it's great alternative for butter. Especially if we are making puddings.

Yes - the puddings. I have some issues with, what you can call, traditional British kitchen. If we left all those greats, post-imperial and post-immigrants kitchens, we face quite heavy and simple dishes. But don't get me wrong - i love simple kitchen, but usually for me it means Tuscany kind not fish-and-chips one. Oh well...

Puddings has very strong position in Great Brittany. They even have Pudding Club. 

                     I decided to make classic pastry with filling. And as a secret Dulche de Leche lover the choice for feeling was easy. 

See how sticky filling was ? It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g filling...

Dulche de Leche Pudding (for 4 small ramekins)


1 cup of flour (about 250 gram)
100 gram of suet (if you can't find it - replace it with butter)
3 tablespoon of caster sugar
pinch of salt
50 ml of milk (or that amount to get pastry hard enough to place into ramekins)
150 gram of condensed milk tube (sweetened one!)

Mix flour with sugar and salt. Chop with suet and add milk to get pudding dough (easy to roll and quite stiff).

Cool in fridge. 

Now time for secret - easy to make Dulche de Leche. Usually I make one with sweetened 450 gram of canned milk, boiling it in shimmering water for 1,5-2 hours (40-45 minutes for 150 gram tube). But now, since pudding will be steamed on their own for some amount of time, I had to change this process. I just

boiled it for 10 minutes, so its changed color from white to light brown. But still it wasn't Dulche. 

Divide dough into 4 ramekins (left pastry enough to make 4 tops) and place runny milk into those. Make toppings. Be sure it's closed very good - without any holes.

Place into steamer over a pan with shimmering water. Steam for about 30 minutes - check if it's ready, if not steam for another 5-7 minutes. Steaming time depends on how big your ramekins are and how thick you rolled your dough.

The verdict: i still prefer baking pastry not steaming but it was great lesson, plus i liked how easy it was and messy-free.

I like the idea so much that i made additional pudding - this time sponge one with strawberries on a top. I make little twist here by replacing 50-60 grams of flour with Azuki beans puree. Recipe here.

Plesniak ( Polish Rustic Pie with Jam filling )

                This has to be one of my favorite cakes. In my brain it has easy connection with my Grandma. She made it many times. Especially in hot august, when air was full of smell of sweet apples, worm wind was playing with our mind bringing pictures of sweet Toscany and unexpected storms are strong, quick and refreshing.

Grandma is a very good cook and wonderful baker of many pies, but among others this pie is a winner. 

White tart pastry, next level of sour jam, meringue made from sweet egg white beated until it will be stiff and topping made from "black" pastry. It is truly amazing. In many homes people would add hazelnuts or walnuts as a additional level (after jam , before meringue). I bake it and you know what? - it was very worm day today with this wind - it must mean something. I think I smelled summer...

Plesniak

3 cups of flour 

200 grams of butter

2 tablespoon + 100-120 grams of caster sugar

4 eggs (yolks and whites separated)

pinch of salt

2 tablespoon of cocoa powder ( if you can use black one, use it )

250-270 grams (one jar) of some sour jam ( i use black currant one)

optional - 2 apples (for baking I usually use some sour ones)

Preheat oven 180C/320f.

Chop cold butter with flour, 2 tablespoon of caster sugar, pinch of salt and 4 egg yolks. Quickly knead dough, it it will be too brittle or too loose - add 1 tablespoon of sour cream. 

Divide it into two parts (you can also divide into tree parts and made two layers of white pastry and one black). Add cocoa powder into one part and knead. Form the balls and cool them in a fridge for about 30 minutes. 

Now time for apples if you use them. Chop them nicely and fry a little on butter (they shouldn't be over-fried, not like form Applepie). You can add some cinnamon. Cool down.

Beat the whites stiff, adding at the end sugar. Beat until you get nice meringue, but not too stiff.

Take a baking mold (classic 24 cm * 32 cm would work) and place bright part of dough on a bottom. Spread a thick layer of jam (if you use nuts, sprinkle them onto jam). Now layer of apples. Now spread egg whites on them. End with black part of dough grated on them. Bake for 35-40 minutes.