Mini Pièce Montée (Daring Bakers Challenge)

By the burning of my thumbs, Something saucy this way comes.

Pièce montée means 'mounted piece.' A croquembouche is an assemblage of pastry cream filled puffs held together with caramel or chocolate sauce.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Ice Cream Tart

Hi. First of all, Lost. I'm not sure what to think. The ending was amazing but upsetting all at the same time. I'm still confused about some things but maybe it wouldn't be Lost if it didn't leave a few loose ends, even in the finale.

Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream

"Ice Cream," by Sarah Mclachlan

Your love is better than ice cream
better than anything else that I've tried.
And your love is better than ice cream
Everyone here knows how to cry.

And it's a long way down
It's a long way down
It's a long way
Down to the place where we stared from.

Your love is better than chocolate
Better than anything else that I've tried.
And oh love, is better than chocolate.
Everyone here knows how to fight.

Oh late '90s, you procured some the best music & memories. Thank you.

I'm not an ice cream fanatic but, if the yearning hits, it's with a ferocious intensity. When the insatiable desire for frozen bliss comes calling (in chocolate form), my favourite has always been french silk. This handsome deity, however, has shuffled the playing cards. The flavour is sultry, rich, creamy chocolate bliss; and all it asks for is cream, whole milk, eggs & bittersweet chocolate. It's quite verily sensuous. (And don't worry if you don't have a bulky machine!)

Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream
(recipe found in Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients
6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup of whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar

Method
Put the chocolate in a 2-quart liquid measuring cup or a large heatproof bowl. Bring 3/4 of the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit a minute, then, using a rubber spatula, and starting in the center of the mixture, slowly stir the cream into the chocolate in ever-widening concentric circles. When the ganache is smooth, set it aside.

Bring the milk and the remaining 3/4 cream to a boil in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until well blended and just slightly thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in about one third of the hot liquid-this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle, Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon: if you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard should not run into the track. The custard should reach at least 170 degrees F, but no more than 180 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer (this took about 8-10 minutes on my stove.) Immediately remove the pan from the heat and slowly and gently stir the custard into the ganache.

David Lebovitz method for making ice cream without a machine


1)1. Prepare your ice cream mixture, then chill it over an ice bath.

2. Put a deep baking dish, or bowl made of plastic, stainless steel or something durable in the freezer, and pour your custard mixture into it.

3. After forty-five minutes, open the door and check it.

As it starts to freeze near the edges, remove it from the freezer and stir it vigorously with a spatula or whisk. Really beat it up and break up any frozen sections. Return to freezer.

4. Continue to check the mixture every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously as it's freezing. If you have one, you can use a hand-held mixer for best results, or use a stick-blender or hand-held mixer.

But since we're going low-tech here, you can also use just a spatula or a sturdy whisk along with some modest physical effort.

5. Keep checking periodically and stirring while it freezes (by hand or with the electric mixer) until the ice cream is frozen. It will likely take 2-3 hours to be ready. *It took mine about 5 hours to get to that perfect consistency, But the bowl I was using was deep and narrow. The process would be faster in a wide, shallow bowl.*

Makes about 1 Quart (to enjoy all to yourself)!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Quick Classic Berry Tart

Did anyone else go through a Strawberry Shortcake doll phase as a child? No? What about My Little Pony? I used to force the dolls to ride the poor, pastel coloured equines. They also had tea parties with Transformers (I was a girly tomboy.)

Mad Hatter Chocolate Chip Cookies

What originally started out as a recipe for Alice Medrich's chocolate chunk cookies quickly began morph into a smorgasbord of past chocolate chip cookie posts.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

I don't know if it's the fact that this was my first homemade ice cream, or if the recipe is just that amazing. Perhaps it's both? This frozen custard deity is marvelous; better than my beloved Häagen-Dazs black walnut, and Ben & Jerry's classic vanilla. As the name indicates, you caramelize sugar until it turns a seductive, deep amber colour. This gives it a sugary, almost dulce de leche-like flavour. The next time I make it (and there will be a next time!) I will omit the vanilla extract & allow the caramel to take the lead.

Making ice cream without a machine is quite easy, albeit very time consuming. But it's something I will force myself to do several times over the next few months. Hopefully this wasn't just a case of beginners luck. I'll be sure to keep my blog updated on this pressing news flash.

Burnt Sugar Ice Cream
(from Baking: From My Home To Yours, by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp water
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method
Stir the sugar and water together in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil, without stirring, until the syrup turns a deep amber color (watch it carefully - too dark and it will be too bitter!)--from time to time, brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush and swirl the pan. (Depending on the size of your pan and the intensity of the heat, it could take about 8 minutes for the caramel to color properly.)

Stand back--things can get a little wild--lower the heat and add the milk and cream. Don't be concerned when everything bubbles and seethes and the caramel hardens; it will calm down and smooth out as you heat and stir. Continue to heat and stir and when the mixture is smooth, remove the pan from the heat.

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks and salt together until very well blended and just slightly thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in about one third of the hot liquid--this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they don't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon; if you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard should not run into the track. the custard should reach at least 170F, but no more than 180F, on an instant read thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard into a 2 quart glass measuring cup or clean heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract.

David Lebovitz's method for making ice cream without a machine

1. Prepare your ice cream mixture, then chill it over an ice bath.

2. Put a deep baking dish, or bowl made of plastic, stainless steel or something durable in the freezer, and pour your custard mixture into it.

3. After forty-five minutes, open the door and check it.

As it starts to freeze near the edges, remove it from the freezer and stir it vigorously with a spatula or whisk. Really beat it up and break up any frozen sections. Return to freezer.

4. Continue to check the mixture every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously as it's freezing. If you have one, you can use a hand-held mixer for best results, or use a stick-blender or hand-held mixer.

But since we're going low-tech here, you can also use just a spatula or a sturdy whisk along with some modest physical effort.

5. Keep checking periodically and stirring while it freezes (by hand or with the electric mixer) until the ice cream is frozen. It will likely take 2-3 hours to be ready. *It took mine about 5 hours to get to that perfect consistency, but the bowl I was using was deep and narrow. The process would be faster in a wide, shallow bowl.*

Key Lime Sablés

My Cinco de Mayo may be spent serving on jury duty this year so I wanted to post about something light, tart, and sunny...just in case. I even have the Tuesdays with Dorie post all set to pop up at the stroke of midnight Tuesday morning.