CROQUEMBOUCHE

Croquembouche

The name of this classic French dessert means "crunch in the mouth"; Make the caramel and assemble the dessert as close to serving time as possible. Source: Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1995

Makes 1

YIELD

INGREDIENTS

FOR PASTRY PUFFS

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon sugar 

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 

7 large eggs

FOR PASTRY CREAM

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, mixed with 2 teaspoons hot water

FOR CARAMEL

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

DIRECTIONS

1.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. To make the puffs: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in 1 1/2 cups water with salt and sugar. Remove pan from heat, and add flour. Return pan to heat and, using a wooden spoon, beat vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. (A film should form on the bottom of the pan.) Cool slightly, and add 6 eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously.

2.
Make a glaze by beating the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water, and set aside. Using a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a 1/2-inch-wide plain tip, pipe out mounds that are 1 inch high and 3/4 inch in diameter on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg glaze, and smooth the tops. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on racks. (The puffs can be made ahead and frozen until ready to assemble.)

3.
Make the pastry cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks, gradually adding sugar, until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Beat in flour. Scald milk, and add in dribbles to egg mixture, reserving 1/2 cup. Place mixture in a clean pot over high heat, and stir vigorously until mixture boils and thickens. If it seems too thick to pipe, add reserved milk. Remove from heat. Using a hand whisk, beat butter into egg mixture, one tablespoon at a time.

4.
In a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt chocolate and espresso together until smooth. Add chocolate mixture to the pastry cream; let cool completely. Just before assembling croquembouche, fill a pastry tube fitted with a 1/4-inch-wide tip with pastry cream, insert tip into puffs, and pipe in cream to fill.

5.
To make the caramel: In a medium saucepan, combine 2/3 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup, and bring to a boil over high heat. Do not stir. Cover pan, and boil until steam dissolves any crystals. Uncover, and boil 5 more minutes, or until syrup is amber in color. Remove from heat. Dip the bottom of each puff into the caramel, and arrange puffs in a pyramid.

6.
To make a spun-sugar web to wrap around the croquembouche: Cut the looped ends of a wire whisk with wire cutters, or use 2 forks held side by side, and dip the ends into caramel. Wave the caramel back and forth over the croquembouche, allowing the strands to fall in long, thin threads around it. Wrap any stray strands up and around the croquembouche. Serve.

St. ANDRE CAKE

St. Andre Cake

Makes 1 8-inch cake

YIELD

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

4 ounces walnuts (heaping 1 1/4 cups)

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar,

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons kirsch

1 cup apricot jam

1 tablespoon Cognac

Freshly whipped cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round pan, and line with parchment paper. Butter paper, and lightly dust with flour. Place 1 cup walnuts and 3 tablespoons sugar in a food processor, and finely grind. Transfer to a bowl. Sift flour over nut mixture. Mix well to combine.

2.
In medium bowl, beat butter with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until soft and creamy; set aside. In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, and kirsch on medium speed until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 7 to 8 minutes. Place 1 tablespoon egg mixture into beaten butter, and mix with rubber spatula.

3.
Sprinkle one-third of the ground nut mixture over beaten eggs, and gently fold in. Repeat process, folding in remaining nuts in 2 batches. Add reserved butter mixture, and fold in evenly.

4.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

5.
Heat jam and cognac in a small saucepan over medium heat to liquefy. Strain through a fine sieve, and cool slightly.

6.
Transfer cake, right side up, to a serving plate or pedestal. Tuck paper under edges of cake. Pour glaze onto cake. Using an offset spatula, spread glaze over top and sides of cake. Remove paper. Serve with whipped cream.

PEACHES AND CREAM CAKES COOKIES

Crema (Peaches with Cream)

For a fanciful holiday dessert that's guaranteed to impress, try these beautiful but easy-to-make peach-shaped cakes f

 Rosetta Costantino's "My Calabria" cookbook. Source: The Martha Stewart Show, Episode 6057

Makes 24 "peaches"

For the Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk
            Zest of 1 lemon, removed in large strips with a vegetable          peeler
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar 

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Dough

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Grated zest of 1 lemon

For Assembling Peaches

1/2 cup light rum or 6 tablespoons Italian maraschino liqueur plus 2 tablespoons peach schnapps
Red and yellow food coloring
1 cup sugar, or more as needed for coating
Fresh peach leaves or decorative sugar or chocolate leaves

DIRECTIONS

1.
Make the pastry cream: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring milk and lemon zest to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow; add flour and whisk until well combined.

2.
Remove lemon zest from milk and discard; slowly whisk hot milk into egg mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and place over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until cream thickens and begins to boil.

3.
Transfer pastry cream to a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap, pressing down on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool completely.

4.
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Whisk eggs in another large bowl. Add sugar and whisk to combine. Whisk in milk, butter, and lemon zest until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing with a fork, until dough is smooth and stiff. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.

5.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with nonstick baking mats; set aside.

6.
Using a lightly mounded tablespoon of dough, roll the dough firmly between your palms to make a smooth round ball, about the size of a walnut. Repeat process, taking care to make sure all the balls are fairly uniform in size. Place balls on prepared baking sheets spacing about 1 inch apart; you should be able to fit 24 balls on each baking sheet. Flatten tops slightly with your fingertips.

7.
Transfer to oven and bake until bottoms are lightly browned, about 15 minutes; tops will remain pale. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly.

8.
Assemble the peaches: While the cookies are still warm, use a small, sharp knife to cut a circle about the size of a quarter on the bottom (flat) side of each cookie, taking care not to crack the edges. Use the tip of the knife to scrape out enough crumbs to make hollow and hold about 1 teaspoon pastry cream. Set cookies aside.

9.
Place rum or maraschino liqueur and schnapps in a small bowl. Add enough red and yellow food coloring to create your desired shade of peach; set aside. Fill a shallow bowl with sugar; set aside.

10.
Fill each hollowed-out cookie with 1 teaspoon filling. Sandwich two cookies together so that the filling comes just to the edge, taking care not to crack or break. Using a pastry brush, brush "peach" with colored liquor and roll in sugar to coat. Transfer to a large airtight container and repeat process with remaining cookies, liqueur, and sugar. Cover container and transfer to refrigerator; let chill overnight.

11.
Just before serving, pierce each "peach" with a toothpick where the two cookies come together and insert the stem of a peach leaf. Alternatively, you can garnish cookies with decorative or chocolate leaves. 

FRENCH VANILLA COFFEE COOKIES

French Vanilla Coffee Cookies




1 cup butter soft

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs room temp.

1 TBSP of ground french vanilla coffee

1 1/4 tea vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tea baking powder

ICING:

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp salt

2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted




In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar




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Small bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, and coffee mix fully

In another bowl add all dry items together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt

Begin to slowly add the egg mixture to the butter mixture.

Mix well Slowly add flour mixture until fully combined, do not over mix.

Place the dough in your refrigerator for at least one-two hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Roll out dough on floured solid surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a circle cookie cutter, punch out circles and place on a parchment lined baking sheet

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden

Allow cookies to cool completely before filling with the icing.






Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Once the butter is melted, add brown sugar and heavy cream. Stir the mix constantly over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Now add the salt. Make sure to allow it to bubble for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool( 1 hour minimum). Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, until you reach desired consistency.

PUNITIONS, FRENCH SHORTBREAD COOKIES

SHORTBREAD COOKIES (PUNITIONS)

Traditional French shortbread cookies taste best using a good salted butter with a high butterfat content, such as Kerrygold.

MAKES ABOUT 60 SMALL COOKIES

Ingredients

10 tbsp. salted butter, softened

1⁄2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour

Instructions

In a bowl, use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add egg and beat until smooth. Add flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Transfer dough to a work surface and form into a ball; halve ball and form each half into a flat disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350º. Transfer one disk to a lightly floured work surface; using a rolling pin, roll out to 1⁄4″ thickness. Using a 1 1⁄2″ round or fluted cookie cutter, cut out rounds and transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1″ apart; repeat with remaining dough disk. Bake, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through cooking, until cookies are set but not browned, 8–10 minutes. Let cool before serving.

CREAM CHEESE PECAN COOKIES

Cream Cheese Pecan Cookies

You could easily use walnuts, pistachios, or cashews in place of the pecans.

• 3 cups pecans

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 6 ounces cream cheese (not whipped), room temperature

• 1 1/4 cups sugar

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

METHOD

1 Bake the pecans to brown: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coarsely chop 1 1/2 cups of the pecans and spread them on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant. Set aside to cool.

2 Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl.

3 Make the cookie dough: Beat together the butter and cream cheese in an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the sugar and vanilla and beat for another minute.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Do not over-mix. Fold in the toasted pecans.

4 Shape into logs and freeze: Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide the dough in half. Roughly shape each half into a 8-inch log about 2 inches in diameter.

Wrap each log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, about 4 hours, but overnight is best. The dough can sit in the freezer for up to two weeks and about a month if wrapped and then placed in an airtight container.

5 Roll logs of dough in pecans, cut into rounds: Preheat the oven to 350ºF with racks on the upper and lower thirds. Finely chop the remaining 1 1/2 cups of pecans. Unwrap one of the logs of dough and roll in the pecans.

Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1-inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats.

6 Bake: Bake the cookies at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are a lightly golden. Rotate the cookies halfway through to ensure even baking.

Let cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

MÈRE POULARD FRENCH BUTTER COOKIES

French Butter Cookies

      1 cup (2 sticks butter), room temperature

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

      1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon salt

       1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

2 Add the egg and vanilla, mixing thoroughly.

3 Gradually add the flour, salt and lemon zest. Mix on low speed until just combined.

4 On three separate sheets of plastic wrap, roll the dough into three logs 1 1/2-inches thick. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour to overnight.

5 When ready to bake, place a rack into the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

6 Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment.

7 Remove one log from the fridge and roll it in the granulated sugar, making sure to coat it completely.

8 With a sharp knife, cut slices 1/4-inch thick.

9 Place the slices on the prepared cookie sheet 1-inch apart.

10 Optional – with a toothpick, make 4 decorative holes in each cookie. SEE NOTE

11 Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

12 Transfer cookies to a wire rack so that they can cool completely.

Recipe Notes

I poked each cookie with a toothpick which was time consuming. When they were removed from the oven, I couldn’t really tell that most of them had holes, so you may want to use something larger