February 3, 2010

Strawberry & Chocolate Mac-a-Verrines …From no feet to sweet dreams … & Macarons too!

“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”

Julia Child

And my mac addiction continues. January has been a month of sneaking into the kitchen when all the world is asleep, grabbing that aging egg white lying questionably on the counter, and whipping it up. The saga goes on, macronage and failed feet again and again. What for?? For MacTweets of course, where Jamie and me are calling for Mac-a-Valentines for the month of January for MacAttack 4. I present my failures and success for this attack … my love for macarons!!

Batch after batch, thankfully of single egg whites, seem to yield mixed results. I got 1 FEET in batch number 3??? Aaargh, at least get me a pair so I could come up with a decent picture! Strangely enough, one cookie sheet yields macarons in all hues. Some smooth shells/no feet, some cracked shells/yes feet, some blobs/no nothing …and so on! But mac-passionate me trudged along, and finally attempt 6 bore some feet. Well 6 pairs of feet, which is not bad from 1 batch. Sandwiched with a Nutella and milk chocolate ganache, the hub gave it 10/10! Not a bad apgar score for my new born feet huh?

He said he hadn’t tasted anything better! JOY!!

I’ve finally figured it was my oven. These fiddly creatures need an even heating throughout and my old dilapidated oven is not quite suited to these finicky creatures. Having folded the meringue and nut-sugar mix into a lava type macronage a million times at least, I know now that it’s not the whipping and folding that’s at fault. It’s become a 10 minute job for me now, from start to finish, using the Levobitz recipe. 1 egg white + 1/4 cup nut mixture + 1/2 cup sugar + 2.5tbsp granulated sugar…and I’m ready to pipe! You win some, you lose some. Er, in my case, I won some, lost loads.

These verrines are a result of 3 batches of failed macarons. Couldn’t stuff any more boxes. Besides, Meeta was away, so I had no one to give me any hiding suggestions. Racked my mac-weary brains and came up with something to put my feetless macs to good use. This seemed good enough for me. Thought I would do verrines, which are basically layered appetizers or desserts in a glass, so the layers are visible. Well, guess I’m not far from it here!

A verrine is a confection, originally from France, made by layering ingredients in a small glass. It can be either sweet or savoury, making a dessert or snack.

There are new words on every French lips: Verrines and apéritifs dînatoires. Verrines are a great ‘degustation’ of mixed flavours. The kids love them and its a great way also of using up the leftovers. And if you wanted to go full-French, you could have an apéritif dînatoire during which you would serve des verrines délicieuses. Verrines are a beautiful way to serve food, and as the name indicates, the food is served in a glass, which allow for playing with layering and transparencies. If using oven- proof glasses, verrines can be served cooked, but they are often served cold.

In my verrines, there is a layer of pink pepper crushed macarons, followed by a layer of chopped strawberries and Bavarian cream, a layer of chocolate Aztec chili crushed macarons, Bavarian cream cream, pink pepper crushed macarons … and finally a topping of a slightly tart, thick gelee of frozen strawberries blended with vanilla sugar! What better way could I have used these silly failed macarons?

The verdict … all you could hear was the sound of spoons scraping glass in the backdrop of pin drop silence. “There had to me more!! Scrape, scrape!!” After there was no more, the boy came to the kitchen to leave his glass for a wash. He declared, ” Today was a nice day Mama. Finally learnt how to somersault, and had really nice dessert. It was very very nice!” It was indeed. I reduced the sugar in the Bavarian cream recipe keeping in mind how sweet macaron shells can be. The strawberries and Bavarian complimented the pink peppercorn and Aztec chili chocolate very well! Thank you Anushruti for the pink peppercorn, and Val for sending me an assortment of pretty glass bottles filled with spice blends. They are from an artisanal food company, ‘Made With Love, and are gorgeous.

As I write this post, my mind is galloping in many directions, and I know in future you shall see more of these hodge podge desserts as MacTweets is a monthly affair! Having traced the problem to a finicky oven that doesn’t give uniform heat, I know I shall find a few feet each time, and lots of feetless ones!! To all those of you who are scared of mac-feet-failure, fear not. These verrines are a fine destination for them. Layer the verrines with mascarpone if you’d rather, but do give it a shot!

Strawberry & Chocolate Mac-a-Verrines
Makes 8 servings
Macarons – crushed, from a batch of 3 egg whites, recipe here.
(Or you can use biscuit/wafer/cake crumbs of your choice)
250gms strawberries, 100gms chopped, and the rest for the gelee
Bavarian Cream – 1 quantity (recipe below)
Strawberry Gelee – 1 quantity (recipe below)

TO ASSEMBLE:

Add 1-2 tbsps of pink pepper crushed macarons, followed by a layer of chopped strawberries and 1-2 tbsps of Bavarian cream. Then a layer of chocolate chili macarons, followed by another layer of Bavarian cream, and then one of crushed macarons again.

Top the verrines with 1-2 tbsps of gelee each, followed by chcolate shavings etc.

Bavarian Cream
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
300ml whole milk, hot
1/4 cup sugar
3/8cup cornflour
1 vanilla bean, scraped
200ml cream, whipped to soft peaks
Method;

Simmer the whole milk, scraped seeds from the vanilla bean, bean and 1/4 cup sugar in a pan for 15 minutes to infuse the flavours from the bean.

Whisk the yolks with 1/4 cup sugar in a mic\xing bowl, and then whick in the cornflour.

Remove the milk from the hat, whick in the yolk mixture, return pan to simmer and continue whisking till it thickens to a nice custard (about 4-5 minutes).

Take off, remove the bean and cool completely. You can hasten this by stirring the custard over a bowl of ice.

Once cool, fold in the unsweetend whipped cream, gently and thoroughly

Strawberry Gelee (faux)

150gms Strawberries (frozen)

1/4-1/2 cup vanilla sugar (depending on how sweet/tart the fruit is)

Method:

Make a faux gelee of frozen strawberries blended with vanilla sugar! Let it sit for about 30minutes to get into a gel like consistency.

I didn’t use gelatin because it is very cold these days, and so I got a good consistency for topping. You might consider using some gelatin in case the weather is warm.

Do you want to join us making MACARONS?? If you do, you are most welcome to join the challenge. You can find all the information at our dedicated macaron blog MacTweets. The rules for Mac Attack #4 can be found here. You still have until the 10th of February to join us with happy feet!

Chocolate Nut Macarons
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitzs’
Makes 12-15 macarons
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milled nut flour (from Linswood UK)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 egg white, aged
2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar (or 1 drop of lime juice)
Method:

Run the powdered sugar, nut mix and cocoa in a blender and then pass through a fine sieve.

Whip the egg white for a few seconds until just foamy. Add the cream of tartar and granulated sugar and whip to a glossy meringue. (If you hold the bowl upside dow, it shouldn’t fall out…try this at your own risk!!). Don’t overbeat the whites.

Add the sifted nut-sugar-cocoa mix to this and fold through gently to get a lava type macronage.

Pipe onto parchment paper, and allow to rest for 2 hours.

Bake at 140C for 12-15minutes, until they feel firm. Touch them lightly, and if they are still jiggly, give them a minute or two more.

Take out tray and transfer macarons to a cooling rack. You can spray the bottom of the parchment paper with water to help release the bottoms.

I sandwiched them with a milk chocolate ganache mixed with a tablespoon of Nutella.

Note: My failed macarons were made with almond meal. One batch had pink peppercorn flavouring it, and the other had an Aztec chili chocolate sugar blend added to it while blending.

♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

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February 13, 2008

TOMATO-CARROT SOUP…DELICATELY FLAVOURED WITH STAR ANISE

“Men are like soup: you always want to have one on the back burner, just in case.”
Unattributed feminist quote

Tomato-Carrot Soup with Star Anise

Tried my hand at a tomato-carrot soup this morning, flavoured delicately with a spice that has intrigued me endlessly over the past few days. None other than the pretty star anise ! A nice & gentle vegetarian soup, beautifully flavoured & great for the winter chill that has descended upon us. This is an adaptation of a soup my mother makes almost everyday in the winter months.

Star Anise…the pretty spice!

Star anise plays a key role in the slow cooked dishes that characterize Eastern Chinese cuisine. Its licorice flavor enhances red cooked dishes. It is also the secret ingredient in many Indian stews and curries.

And yes…literally…’No croutons required’!!

Ingredients:

Tomatoes – 8-10 medium / quartered
Carrots – 2 / chopped roughly
Onion – 1 / quartered
Garlic – 2 cloves
Red Lentil (Masoor dal) – 1 tbsp (optional/I add it to increase food value)
Star anise – 2 flowers
Salt to taste
Butter – 1 tbsp
Freshly ground white pepper

Method:

Put all the vegetables + lentils + star anise in a cooker or pan with salt & about 2 cups of water.
Cook until soft.
Remove the star anise (reserve for garnishing if you like) & run the soup in a blender . Strain.
Take some butter in a pan & saute the white pepper for a minute. Turn the soup into the pan & simmer till it comes to a boil. Serve with a drizzle of cream & freshly ground pepper.

Warm soup for the soul…pipe a heart on top & you’re all set for V-day!!

‘No Croutons Required‘ a new monthly food blogging event alternately hosted by Lisa’s Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes. Each month the host will invite bloggers around the world to submit a vegetarian soup or salad recipe, sometimes with a theme, sometimes not. The theme for February is simply vegetarian soups…which fits me in quite warmly! My entry’s on its way…

February 7, 2008

FRIENDSHIP, SPICE & THE CHINESE NEW YEAR!

“Condiments are like old friends — highly thought of, but often taken for granted.” Marilyn Kaytor

STAR ANISE FLAVOURED SWISS ROLL with MARMALADE SAUCE

I took some marmalade that I had made last month & spiced it up with star anise, cinnamon, ginger etc. Let it mature for a day…dreamt of a swiss roll last night & created my own dessert this morning. Very proud of this one because I thought it up in my mind, enjoyed the experience a lot & the roll came out looking quite nice. Tasted great too & is my entry for this month’s THINK SPICE!

MILDLY SPICY MARMALADE SAUCE…Sweet & different!

What would you do if the courier brings you a parcel & you open it amidst great excitement to see some starry creatures staring right back at you. Initial dismay of the star anise type!! Exactly what happened to me a few days ago. Arundati said she was sending me the ‘Arusuvai‘ friendship surprise ingredient looooooong ago…& it finally reached 2 days back (much after curiosity killed the cat in me many times over).

Beautifully packed…with the surprise ingredient, a lovely gift & 2 letters!
(Sorry Arundati, I couldn’t resist the bit about 2 letters!!) Arusuvai Friendship Chain is about sending along a surprise ingredient as a gift to your friends for them to prepare something tasty with it, share the recipe, and pass on other surprise ingredients to more people.

While Arundati was still trying to post her parcel, Sunita thankfully recovered her blog (PHEW) which she deleted in error & posted the spice for Feb…STAR ANISE!! O boy…I thought, maybe I would let this pass. Fate of course had other plans for me when the parcel arrived!! I burnt the midnight oil researching this pretty spice, sniffing it merrily, looking at it in wonder & trying to build the friendship chain!

Star anise, star aniseed, badiane or Chinese star anise, (Chinese: 八角, pinyin: bājiǎo, lit. “eight-horn”) is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of southwest China. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, in Indian cuisine where it is a major component of garam masala, and in Malay/Indonesian cuisine. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking.

Gung hay fat choy
(meaning “May you become prosperous)
While on the topic of this really exotic Chinese spice, wonder if you know that the Chinese New Year begins today, on Thursday, February 7, 2008. By the Chinese Calendar 2008 is the Year of the Rat.

HAPPY CNY TO ALL OF YOU!

This post is becoming longer than I would like it to be, but there seems little way out of this saga. Getting back … thank you Arundati (who’s in the line of fire & she knows it!!) for your favourite spice that awakened the creativity in me. I really really liked the pretty stars & wanted to make a sweet spice sauce for dessert. Here’s what I did.

Ingredients:

Marmalade – 1/2 cup

Star Anise – 3-4 flowers

Ginger – 1 inch piece / crushed roughly as it has to be discarded later

Cinnamon – 1 piece

Freshly crushed black pepper – a twist or two of the peppermill

Water – 1/8 cup (approx)

Method:

Mix all of the above & simmer on low heat in a pan.
Leave to cool overnight for the flavours to mature.
Discard the ginger; remove the cinnamon & star anise & reserve for garnishing.
This mildly spicy sweet sauce can be also be used as a topping for ice-cream, dessert sauce for a panna cotta etc too. Star anise has a very mild flavour almost like fennel (saunf).

SWISS ROLL
Ingredients:

Eggs – 3
Castor sugar – 1/2 cup
Flour – 1/2 cup
Star anise powder – 1 tsp ( I ground some in the coffee grinder & sieved it)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
Line a swiss roll tin with non-stick parchment.
Beat the eggs & sugar well for about 10 minutes till they become thick & mousse like.
Sift 1/3 of the flour into the beaten mixture & gently fold in. Repeat 2 more times.
Gently turn into lined tin & bake for 10-12 minutes till light golden brown.
While the roll is baking, sift sugar & a little star anise powder over a piece of parchment, slightly bigger than the roll, & place over a cloth kitchen towel.

Remove from oven & turn the roll onto the parchment, & peel off the lining (which should be now on top)
Roll the kitchen towel with the second parchment & roll on it firmly & leave to cool.

Filling :

Whipping cream – 200ml
Hung curd – 1/2 cup (optional)
Orange essence – 1 tsp (optional)
Castor sugar 2-3 tbsps

Method:

Put everything together in bowl & whip till thick.

Assembling the Swiss Roll:

Unroll the swiss roll & spread a layer of the marmalade sauce evenly over it.
Next spread the cream filling. Don’t put too thick a layer or it will ooze out while rolling it back. Some cream will get left. Reserve it for the topping.
Now gently & firmly roll it back & place in a tray with the overlapping end underneath.
Drizzle remaining cream over the roll, sprinkle some star anise powder & some orange zest if you have some. garnish with th reserved star anise flowers & cinnamon stick.
( I cut my roll into slices before drizzling the cream; just a personal choice since the excitement generated by the kids prior to serving makes my slices get cut all wrong!)
Chill well, & serve with slices of orange & remaining cream.

A slice on a roll!!

P.S. Thank you Srivalli for the great chain! I have sent my surprise ingredient to Miri at Peppermill…thanks for adding a link to the chain!