A Simple French Treat

These buttery, sweet melt-in-your-mouth treats will take you to Paris without having to leave your home. Paired with a cup of hot tea or cafe au lait, these delicate simple luxuries will please adults and kids both. Needless to say, over this past weekend, my sweet tooth craving was more than satiated. Sweet dreams indeed!

Prior to my baking class at Sur La Table last month, my experience with palmiers was not pleasant. As my first memory was from a plastic bag that most likely sat on the shelf for months, the sticky, hard cookie was not worth the calories, money or effort. Thankfully, that is not what palmiers are supposed to taste like.
Emelia Hall, the Parisian Boulangerie instructor at Sur La Table, shared a list of French recipes that can be done at home, and one of them was sweet or savory palmiers (click here to see all of Sur La Table cooking class offerings).

Made with quick puff pastry (which can be made ahead of time, recipe is below), the process of making palmiers is very simple and requires few ingredients. Not sure I could successfully make them at home, I was thrilled to discover that while the chilling process takes time and patience, the actually skill needed is minimal. I couldn’t have been more pleased or delighted with out how they turned out. Have a look:

Palmiers (Sweet or Savory)
(French for their resemblance to palm frond. They are also called elephant ears or butterfly wings.)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 recipe (18 oz) Quick Puff Pastry (see recipe below)
• 1 cup (7 oz) sugar, plus more if needed OR 1 cup filling of your choice - comté and Dijon are my choice (you can incorporate whatever filling you like in the middle of the palmiers before baking, layer honey, mustard, prosciutto, parmesan cheese, etc)

Directions:

1. Generously dust your work surface with sugar. Place the dough in the center and sprinkle the top with one cup sugar (if making savory palmiers, add the savory ingredient just before you fold into the heart shape), covering it completely. Roll into a 16 by 10-inch rectangle, using additional sugar as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the surface.

2. Make a book fold (four layers). Using a ruler and the back of a knife, mark a line dividing the dough in half length-wise, each half measuring 8 x 10 inches.  Using the ruler and knife again, mark each half into quarters. Fold the two short edges to the quarter mark and fold over again until you are 1/4 of an inch away from the center (do this on both sides). Tighten each side to leave 1/4 inch space down the center of the dough. Fold one side on top of the other, forming a 10-inch long cylinder.

If you look at the end of the cylinder, you’ll see the shape of a heart. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

3. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and position an over rack in the center.  Place the remaining sugar in a small mixing bowl. Trim the ends of the cylinder if they are uneven or cracked, then cut twelve 1/4-inch thick slices from the chilled cylinder, dip each side in sugar, and place two inches apart on the baking sheet. (Any left over dough that is not going into the oven, rewrap and return to the refrigerator.)

4. Bake the cookies for 7-10 minutes, or until golden at the edges. With a spatula, flip each cookie over. Return to the over and bake for 9-12 minutes longer, until they are a beautiful golden brown. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Quick Puff Pastry
(The palmier recipe calls for half of this recipe; however, you can freeze the other half for up to 4-6 weeks for a variety of recipes. 

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 sticks (18 oz) cold unsalted butter
• 3 cups (15 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 oz) very cold water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Directions for Quick Pastry Puff:

1. Cut cold butter into 3/4 inch cubes. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer or a mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt, toss with your hands until the butter is coated. Chill the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Combine the water and vinegar and refrigerator for 20 minutes as well.

2. Fit the bowl with the butter onto the stand mixer with the paddle attachment or place butter and flour into a food processor. If using a stand mixer, place on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. If using a food processor, pulse until the butter is broken up into a variety of sizes but not too fine. In both instances, the largest size of broken butter bits should be 1/2 inch square – too big for pie dough, but perfect for quick puff pastry. Don’t overblend, as the butter will break into pieces two small to form the flaky layers you want in puff pastry.

3. With the mixer or food processor on low, slowly add the water-vinegar mixture, drizzling it in at different points around the bowl. In about 10 seconds, the dough will begin to come together in large chunks and feel slightly moist, but it will not look smooth or finished. Turn the dough and any dry bits at the bottom onto a work surface that has been dusted with flour (I used a pastry frame which is much less sticky and allows for easy clean-up – click here to buy).



4. Shape the dough into a rough rectangle about 6 by 8 inches and about 1-1/2 inches thick.  Dust the top with flour and roll the dough into a 14 by 16 inch rectangle. Brush any flour from the surface of the dough.


5. Make a letter fold (3 total layers after folding – see my example below). Brush off any excess flour as you fold. It will look shaggy – this is completely acceptable and expected. Roll your pin across the top of the dough briefly and gently one or two times, just to fuse the dough.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After the first 30 minutes, take out and roll out again to 14 x 16 inches and make the letter fold. Place back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

*You can do this entire process ahead of time and keep the dough in the fridge up to 48 hours.

*sweet palmiers

*savory palmiers with comté and Dijon

*Will keep for two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

Images; via The Simply Luxurious Life (last image taken by Allison Cornett)

A Decadent Dessert

I do love chocolate, so when I discovered Barefoot Contessa’s Brownie Pudding recipe a couple of years ago in her Back to Basics cookbook, I quickly added it to my recipes to go-to whenever a chocolate craving sets in.

So simple, so rich, and a must-pair-with-ice-cream dessert, impress your guests, family or enjoy yourself the next time brownies or chocolate are calling your name.

Brownie Pudding

(courtesy of Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup good cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

3. When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

4. Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

~Water bath, just before it goes into the oven.~

5. Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

~Just out of the oven, resting while the ice cream waits patiently.~

Key Things To Keep In Mind:

*For those of us with very hot ovens, check brownies at 45 minutes and test with a tooth pick.  If the top is crusted and firm, and the inside is still gooey – you can remove it from the oven.

*Having overcooked this recipe once, I can speak with experience and say it is better to have it too runny, than not enough. They key is to let the crust be your guide.

*Add the seeds of the vanilla bean can be expensive, so know that the recipe tastes just as delicious without it. And in this case, just add one teaspoon of vanilla extract.

*The perfect ice cream as a complement – vanilla bean!

A Sunday Treat

The first weekend in February has been a stunner. The sun has wrestled the sky all to itself, keeping any hint of a cloud free from sight, and the heightened mood and sighs of relief from the doldrums January may have created seem to have evaporated.

While there will be many Super Bowl gatherings taking place today, the only television I will be looking forward to watching this evening will be a new episode of Downton Abbey and an extra new episode of Elementary. Other than that, I’ll be stepping outside, tinkering in the kitchen, typing away on the laptop and doing a bit of leisure reading as I rest up for the week.

As I patiently wait for the last major piece of the kitchen facelift to arrive (the window treatments), I have been playing in the kitchen. On Friday, I pulled out Ina Garten’s most recent cookbook Foolproof and made her balsamic-roasted brussel sprouts (baked with pancetta) and paired with Chicken Picatta . . . scrumptious. A simple side dish and all-around meal that I highly recommend. If you’ve ever been curious about brussel sprouts, this recipe will promptly have you falling in love with them.

On Saturday morning, while watching Barefoot Contessa, she made a simple dessert that I was curious to try. And when I ventured to try them this morning, I was delighted – buttery, sweet, crunchy and a must-share. Her Raspberry Crumble Bars combine the comforting flavors of shortbread dough and sweet raspberry jam, along with an additional crunch to top it off. I thought what a wonderful treat to celebrate what is already quickly becoming a wonderful month of February. So simple. Let me show you.

Barefoot Contessa’s Raspberry Crumble Bars

*recipe found in Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof (2012)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10-12 oz good raspberry jam
• 2/3 cup good granola without dried fruit (I prefer Open Nature’ maple Pecan deluxe – 100% natural)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Using either a food processor or electric mixer with paddle attachment, mix sugar and butter just until combined. With processor or mixer on low, add vanilla.

3. Sift the flour and salt together, add to the butter mixture until it almost comes together in a ball. Place the dough out on a board.

4. Lightly pat two-thirds of the dough evenly on the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan and about 1/4 inch up the sides.

5. Spread with jam, leaving a 1/4-inch border to make sure the jam doesn’t stick to the pan making it difficult to remove the bars.

6. Mix the granola into the remaining dough with your hands. Break the dough into small bits and distribute it on top of the jam, covering most of the surface.

7. Sprinkle the almonds on top.

8. Bake the bars for 45 minutes, until lightly browned.

9. Cool completely.

10. Cut into 9 or 12 bars. Sprinkle lightly with confectioners’ sugar.

Grab a cup of your favorite tea or coffee and enjoy!

All images by TSLL

Apple Pie – The Simply Luxurious Way

No other dessert that reminds me of fall than an apple pie. There is something warm, cozy and comforting about not only the taste of a freshly made apple pie, but the aroma that flirts through out the house, teasing the taste buds as you wait for it come out of the oven.

While I have made many crusts in my day, I finally found a crust that is guarantee flaky and delicious, as well as an apple pie filling that has multiple flavors that make will make your guests ask, “What’s in this? It is delicious!”

Welcome fall and enjoy one of its many simple luxuries this weekend.

Apple Pie with a Twist

All Butter Pie Crust (from Lynn Sampson Curry of Rural Eating)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup very cold water

(The main secret to flakey pie crust is temperature. Chill! Chill! Chill! Feel free to chill all the dry ingredients as well as the butter.)

Directions:

1. Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and chill it in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes.  Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Use a pastry cutter, a food processor, 2 table knives or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour until it is broken up into pea-sized pieces.

3. Trickle in the (ice) water and stir with a fork or your fingers until it comes together into a shaggy dough.  Collect it into 2 equal sized balls and pat each one into a disk.  Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or until ready to roll.

Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• 6-7 apples, peeled, cored and cut into approximate 1-inch square pieces (Granny Smith or Golden Delicious)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, cornstarch or quick-cooking tapioca
• zest of one orange
• 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• OPTIONAL – 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Roll out and fit the bottom crust into the pie plate, roll out the top crust flat and slide it onto a baking sheet.  Chill both bottom and top pie crusts while you prepare the filling.

2. Mix the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, orange zest and flour in a large mixing bowl until the apple slices are well coated.  Taste and adjust sugar and spices, if necessary.  Add orange and lemon juice.

3. Mound the filling into the prepared pie crust and dot with 2 tablespoons butter.  Put on the top crust and seal the edges well together.  Crimp the edges.  Make slits in the top crust to vent.  Put the pie on the baking sheet to protect the oven floor from drips.

4. Bake the pie for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and continue baking until the crust is deeply golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes more.

Serve warm with French vanilla ice cream or cold for a fabulous breakfast or snack.

Image: Simply Luxurious

Perfect Dessert for Adults & Children

If you are trying to decide on which type of dessert to make that will impress the adults you have invited, but please the children that are looking for some chocolate, this is the recipe for you this summer. Served cold, filled with layers of chocolate chip cookies, and very simple assembly, you will be able to make this dessert the evening before and be ready to serve it whenever your guests arrive.

Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake
found in Barefoot Contessa’s cookbook – How Easy is That?

Ingredients:

2 cups cold heavy cream
12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese
½ cup sugar
¼ cup Kahlúa liqueur (optional)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Pernigotti
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 (8-ounce) packages Tate’s Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies (or bake your own – follow this recipe) 
Shaved semisweet chocolate, for garnish

Directions:
Time to assemble, excluding cookie baking – 10 minutes

1. Bake the chocolate chip cookies if you’re not buying them. While cookies are baking . . .

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, Kahlúa, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed, until it forms firm peaks (about 2-4 minutes).

3. To assemble the cake, arrange chocolate chip cookies flat in an 8-inch springform pan, covering the bottom as much as possible. Break up cookies to fill in the gaps. Spread a fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies. Place another layer of cookies on top, lying flat and touching, followed by another fifth of the cream. Continue layering cookies and cream until there are 5 layers of each, ending with a layer of cream. (Using this recipe, I was actually only able to have 4 full layers, but it came to the very top of my springform pan – how many layers is up to the baker.)

4. Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

5. Run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate, cut in wedges, and serve cold.

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Images: (1) Simply Luxurious (2) Barefoot Contessa

Strawberry Rhubarb Tartlet

One of the things I look forward to with the arrival of spring is rhubarb and being able to make one of my favorite desserts – strawberry-rhubarb anything.  I’ve adapted a pie recipe, sweetened up the crust a bit and made tarts instead this year, and I must say it is a huge improvement.  Feel free to make one large tart or four mini tartlets – either way, a delicious sweet luxury.

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart, 4 Tartlets or 8 mini tarts

Ingredients:

Crust:
*1/2 c. unsalted butter (chilled and cut into 1/4” cubes)
*1 1/4 cup flour
*1/2 Tbs. sugar
*1/2 tsp salt
*4 Tbs ice water

Filling:
*1 1/2 cup sugar
*1/4 cup flour
*1/4 tsp salt
*1/4 tsp nutmeg
*2 1/2 cups rhubarb (cut into 1/2” slices)
*1 1/2 cups strawberries (sliced)
*1 tablespoon butter

Topping:
*2 Tbs sugar
*2 Tbs brown sugar
*1/3 cup flour
*1/3 cup oatmeal
*3 Tbs butter – melted

Directions:

1. Mix together ingredients for the crust and roll into a ball. Chill while you make the filling and topping.
2. Combine in a bowl all of the ingredients for the filling except the butter. Set aside.
3. Combine the ingredients for the topping. (Feel free to taste test – it’s a sweet snack!) Set aside.
4. Roll out the dough into a 13” circle for a tart or divide the ball into four parts and roll out four tartlet pie crusts.
5. Using a tart pan or tartlet pans (the bottom is removable – very handy), grease with shortening for easy removal. Place the dough in the pans.  Fill with filling. Dot with butter (last ingredient for the filling) and top with the delicious crumbly topping.
6. Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 400 degree F.
7. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Images: Simply Luxurious

Double the Chocolate Goodness

The discovery of a chocolaty surprise when biting into a decadent homemade brownie is enough to bring me to my knees.  So when I came across this recipe which combined a simple recipe for brownies combined with the cook’s favorite chocolate candy bar, I couldn’t wait to try it.  And try it I have - many times.  While my favorite candy bar is Reese’s, a Snicker’s, 3 Musketeers, Whatchamakalit – anything your heart desires – will work. And of course, when I’m mixing up the batter, I have to pop a Reese’s in my mouth just to make sure it’s just as good as I’ve always remembered it. :)

Candy Bar Chocolate Brownies

(via David Lieberman)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus a little more for greasing the pan
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 10 mini chocolate-peanut candy bars, crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups), refrigerator cold (recommended - Snickers fun size)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease a 9 by 13-inch cake pan (aluminum is fine) with butter. Beat the 1 1/2 sticks butter and the sugar together in a large bowl until blended. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then stir in water and vanilla. Sprinkle the salt and baking powder over the mixture, then mix in. Do the same with the cocoa. Finally, stir in the flour until just blended.

3. Put the candy bars in a food processor or blender and pulse on low speed until all the bars have been reduced to a coarse crumble. Fold the crumble into the batter thoroughly. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the center is set, the edges look a bit crusty, and the top of the brownies start to crack a little. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!