mulled wine plum rose tarts with dark chocolate ganache

You guys I have an internship!!! I have a place to live!!! Things are coming together and I'm unbelievably excited.  I want to share with everybody, but I'm going to wait until I'm completely set up to tell all.  Every moment I'm trying to calm myself down and concentrate on wrapping up things here in Vermont, but it's difficult.  I keep wandering around on the internet, looking at what my life might be like in just a few weeks. 

I'll do a post on it soon, I swear, but for now - more cozy winter sweets.

This season, I'm all about plums and cranberries, I love the rich color and tart flavor the two can provide, and each time I'm wondering what flavor I want to use, my mind immediately jumps to one of the two.  So, when asked for a new tart idea - oh I'll make plum roses! The rose is beautiful and quite easy to accomplish.

M u l l e d   W i n e   P l u m   R o s e   T a r t s 

Makes 12 tarts

12 plums

2 cups Mulled Wine

1 cup dark chocolate ganache

Chocolate Tart Dough

I.  Make and par bake 12 chocolate tart shells.  Martha's recipe works well.

II.  Begin reducing 1 1/2 cups mulled wine.

III.  Slice all 12 plums so that each slice is about 1/4" thick, and place in pot with 1 cup of sugar and about 1/2 cup of mulled wine.  Put on medium low heat and stir until the plums have softened enough that they are flexible, about 15-20 minutes.

IV. Spoon in the dark chocolate ganache into each tart shell so that it fills about 1/4 of the tart.

V.  At this point the mulled wine should have reduced to a thick syrup.  Drizzle in the reduction onto the layer of ganache.

VI.  Now you can make your plum roses!  Begin by taking about 5 slices of the plums and laying them so that they are nearly upright, skin side facing up towards you, around the perimeter of the tart.  Then continue to do this along the perimeter of the plums you just added, alternating the order so that the peak of each slice is placed right on where the previous two slices meet.  Continue to do this until you get to the middle.  When it is no longer possible to layer them, take one plum slice and roll into a little scroll, place the scroll skin side up right in the middle of the tart and there you go!  Beautiful roses.

VII.  Bake the tarts for about 8 - 10 minutes and then there you go!  Warm and rich winter sweets.

< 3

chocolate and cardamom croissants with chocolate ganache and poached plums.

My finale for advanced pastry required that we create a laminated day of our choosing - the only requirement being that the dough is laminated!  As usual, my brain began churning for something that was going to be a bit outside the realm of the doughs we'd been doing in class.  I thought of chocolate croissant dough, then wanted to push it further.  I recalled a laminated bread I saw once that alternated plain and chocolate yeasted dough - creating a black and white striped look.  If you could do it with bread, you can certainly do it with a croissant, right?  So I tried it - with great results.  I put cardamom in 1/2 of the plain dough and dutch processed cocoa in the other half.
Then, to take it another step further I put shaved dark chocolate and cardamom in the beurrage (the square of butter).
And to finish it all off, and make it all super decadent I poached plum halves in red wine, sliced them, and filled the croissants with them and a dark chocolate baton with a little bit of chocolate ganache piped underneath.

Once again, another set of trials, but this may be one of my favorite things I've ever made!  It was so, so mmm gooey chocolatey, filled with delicious red wine plums, and pretty to look at!

C h o c o l a t e   C a r d a m o m   C r o i s s a n t s

C h o c o l a t e    D o u g h 

All purpose flour   - 540 grams

Milk  - 270 grams

Water - 45 grams

Fresh Yeast - 7 grams

Salt - 11 grams

Sugar - 34 grams

Dutch Processed Cocoa - 20 grams

C a r d a m o m   D o u g h 

same measurements as above but without the chocolate and with the addition of 20 grams of cardamom!

B u t t e r    B e u r r a g e

Butter at room temperature - 270 grams

Shaved dark chocolate - 30 grams

Cardamom - 30 grams

For further directions click here!  The method I used is a bit different than hers, but it will all result in a delicious croissant, and if anyone wants to try to replicate this recipe please feel free to write me and I can post further instructions!

Mm mm mmm mmmm.

squash blossom pesto potato skillet

Through the miracle of transferring credits - I've managed to find myself with 3 weeks off of school and not much to do. I've been doing my best to find a balance between getting things done and still relaxing.  This is the first week and I wrote myself up a mighty to do list, which I've been a bit neurotic about trying to cross everything off.  But the reward is next week I'm touring around New England and then heading down to visit all my old friends in North Carolina! I'm pretty excited, I'll be able to see all the people I've missed since living on the western coast much sooner than I thought (I thought I was going to have to wait until Christmas!)

But today commences my first day of the relaxation time.  I made myself a breakfast perfectly designed around all of my favorite foods: potatoes, pesto, greens, eggs, garlic - and then I tried out squash blossoms for the first time!  I think they're going to be a new favorite.  They really do just taste like summertime.

S q u a s h   B l o s s o m   P e s t o   P o t a t o   B r e a k f a s t    S k i l l e t

3 medium sized potatoes

3 eggs

2 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup of homemade or storebought pesto 

a handful of squash blossoms

1 cup of swiss chard, chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper

I.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice your (thoroughly cleaned) potatoes into thin slices.  Pour your olive oil into a skillet.  Crush the two cloves of garlic and throw them into the skillet along with your potatoes.  Toss them in the olive oil, along with some salt and pepper.

II.  Heat your potatoes about 10-15 minutes or until they are cooked and crisp on the edges.  During the last few minutes throw in the chard and allow it to sauté a couple of minutes.

III. Crack your eggs into a pourable container (I used measuring cups, ramekins are also ideal) and set aside.

IV.  Put the potatoes and chard in a casserole dish  (or if you used a cast iron pan, leave them in the pan!) and toss the pesto into your potatoes until it has evenly spread.
V.  Put into the oven for 5 minutes to allow the top to brown.  Place the eggs on top,  top with salt and pepper, and bake about 15 minutes, or until the eggs have just set.

Most people dip their squash blossoms in some sort of batter and fry them, but since this was just an addition to the skillet - I fried plain in some olive oil!  Still tasted incredibly delicious and gave the blossoms a roasted flavor.

 F r i e d   S q u a s h   B l o s s o m s  

I.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet and allow the oil to get hot.

II.  Carefully place the squash blossoms onto the pan.

III.  Step back and allow the blossoms to fry for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Then flip them and allow the other side to fry for 30 seconds to a minute.

III.  Use a slotted spoon and place the squash blossoms onto a plate lined with a paper towel.

While I was there I used the same method to fry up some basil leaves!  I highly recommend it.

Place the squash blossoms on top of the skillet dish and enjoy warm!

have a great weekend!    < 3

iced coffee with homemade maple sweetened condensed milk

If you are anywhere near New England you are probably well aware that it is h o t  outside.  Even all the way up here in Vermont it was 97 degrees (36 degrees celsius) yesterday -ugh, so sticky and humid.  When I'm not furiously drinking iced chais,  I'm experimenting with iced coffees to make all this hot weather more bearable.  

And I think I've developed something nearly perfect.  Iced coffee with coffee cubes and homemade sweetened condensed milk using Vermont fresh maple syrup.  This recipe is very similar to traditional Vietnamese iced coffee but instead of pouring the hot coffee condensed milk mixture over ice, I made cold brewed iced coffee.  I love the cold brew taste and this recipe satisfies my unending sweet tooth.

*Also, for everyone who is starting to be confused about whether or not this is a food blog - I'm right there with you. When I started this blog I hoped for it to be a way to keep all my family and friends updated on what I was doing up here in New England.  Since then it's evolveñd from food to travel to homesteading to photography to lifestyle, sometimes fashion, and the list goes.  But recently (as in yesterday) my black sesame macarons were featured on foodgawker.com, and with that bit of encouragement,  I've decided that I'm committing to posting 1-2 recipes a week!  I mean, with school, I'm making new food creations 40 hours a week, plus, I love this stuff. Taking pictures of food is really fun for me.  

We're not making a full ~ food blog~ transition though.  I'm an amalgamation of interests that include things all over the spectrum from food to literature to fashion to politics to art - so the conclusion is that that this is going to be a 'me' blog until further notice - and you can take it or you can leave it.

But you can at least count on 1 recipe a week.

C o l d   B r e w   I c e d   C o f f e e 

4 1/2 ounces coarsely ground coffee

3 1/2 cups cold water

I.  Place the coffee grounds in a 2 quart pitcher, pour the water in, and let steep for 12 hours or up to a day.

II.  Fit a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter over a medium bowl.  In stages, slowly pour the coffee into the filter until all the coffee has been filtered and all you are left with are grounds.  It goes rather slowly, but don't force it!  Discard the grounds  (they're great for compost!).

III.  Pour grounds into cleaned pitcher and refrigerate until chilled!

Use any extra for making coffee cubes!

M a p l e   S w e e t e n e d  C o n d e n s e d  M i l k

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2/3 cups maple syrup

3 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I.  Combine the maple syrup and whole milk in a medium saucepan.  Heat until nearly boiling and then reduce to low temperature.  Stir every so often.

II.  After 45 minutes add the vanilla extract and mix.

III.  Continue to cook on low heat for 2 hours until the milk has reduced by half.  

IV.  When fully reduced stir in butter until fully incorporated.

V.  Chill overnight and pour into your coffee until desired sweetness!

have a sweet weekend!

Crystallized Ginger Curry Truffles

During all of last week's frustration, we started the delicate art of tempering chocolate - something that, if you're not a patient person, or prepared to be working on one thing for an hour and up, you should probably just not even attempt.  I like precise work like this, and am generally a pretty patient person, but even I would get frustrated when, despite that I'd followed the entire process to the 'T', the chocolate was still mysteriously not in temper, and then I have to start all over again.  I'm pretty sure the word temperamental was coined by a chocolatier.

But, when it does come into temper it's a beautiful thing, and, thankfully, stays in temper for hours afterward.  Then you get to have all the fun thinking of what you'll fill your chocolate molds with - my favorite part.  I found a recipe for traditional madras curry truffles and adapted it from being in squares to being in molds, with the addition of crystallized ginger.  It ended up being a delicious combination. 

Also, a pro tip:  it really helps if you pretend you're Vianne from Chocolat during the entire process.

There are a few different ways to temper chocolate, but the seeding method is the most accessible and least messy.  You can learn more about it  here and here  or just ask me questions! Through all the times I had to re-start the procedure this week, I'm quickly becoming an expert.

C r y s t a l l i z e d   G i n g e r   C u r r y   T r u f f l e s

160 grams Butter, very soft

1 tbsp  Curry Powder (preferrably Madras)

350 grams  White Chocolate, melted, tempered

190 grams Cream of Coconut

150 grams crystallized ginger

- - - - - - -

6 lb dark chocolate, melted, tempered - or as needed

I.  Buff the insides of your chocolate molds and and brush your tempered dark chocolate onto the sides and the bottom. Ladle the dark chocolate into each mold until full and then promptly turn the mold over and let all the excess stream back into the bowl.  The sides and bottom of the mold should be coated, but without a thick layer. Take a bench scrape and scrape the excess chocolate off of the sides and the surface of the mold.  Place mold in fridge for a few minutes to let the shell set.

II.  Now you can start on the filling.  By hand, mix together the butter and curry powder until well combined.

III.  Stream the white chocolate into the butter mixture while stirring, taking care not to allow chunks of chocolate to form.

IV.  Stream in cream of coconut, stirring until mixture is homogenous.

V.  Fill a piping bag with your the curry mixture and pipe into your set chocolate molds until they are halfway full.

VI.  By hand,  place the crystallized ginger on top of the curry white chocolate until the molds are 2/3 full, taking care not to have the ginger piled above the surface.

VII.  Ladle the tempered dark chocolate so that it is overflowing out of each mold a bit and then take your benchscraper and scrape the excess chocolate off of the surface and sides of the mold, making sure to thoroughly scrape off any excess on the surface, especially in the area surrounding the candies.

VIII.  Place your chocolates in the fridge for about 10 - 20 minutes or until set.  You can check by flipping the mold over and looking to see if they don't appear to be sticking to the bottom.

IX.  Take the chocolates out, flip them over, and bang the mold onto a parchment paper - the chocolates should pop right out with a few bangs!

And then you get to enjoy the sweet, savory combination of curry and ginger in dark chocolate c:

**this recipe was adapted from chocolate & confections

Sage & Almond Flour Crepes with Wilted Greens, Apple, Leek, & Goat Cheese

Making breakfast a friend who doesn't eat wheat means experimenting with new recipes! It was another occasion where I decided - I'm just going to go all out.  So, here are  Sage & Almond Flour crepes, gluten free in a delicious way, and then filled with swiss chard, sweet potatoes, caramelized apples, leeks, and goat cheese, phew.

S a g e   &   A l m o n d   F l o u r   C r e p e s

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp fresh sage

5 eggs
cocunut oil or butter for greasing the pan

Pour the almonds and sage into a blender and blend up until it's a flour consistency - not for too long though too avoid almond butter!  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Grease and heat a non stick pan on high and then reduce down to medium.  Make sure pan is hot, then add  1/3 a cup of the batter and swirl around to reach the edges of the pan (the first one will always look bad).  Cook for one minute and then flip using spatula.  Cook the other side for one minute.  Remove from pan.

W i l t e d   C h a r d   A p p l e   L e e k    &    S w e e t   P o t a t o

6 cups swiss chard

1 leek, chopped

1/2 sweet potato, boiled

1 large gala apple, chopped

1/4 cup fig balsamic

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Heat large sauce pan. Add leek and saute until translucent.   Add greens and saute until wilted, then add garlic and cook for another minute.  Remove from pan and set aside in bowl.

In the same pan add the apples and a 1/4 cup of fig balsamic (or just plain balsamic)  Saute until apples are soft and the balsamic has nearly entirely reduced.  Add the sweet potatoes to warm them up.  Add the greens ond leeks mixture and heat back up on the pan.

Then lay the crepe flat, put the filling in the center and roll the edges up - and voila!

    

** this recipe was adapted from the roost blog