i've been nursing a cough-cold for a few days and being cooped up in my apartment made me a bit stir-crazy. i needed a little kitchen time to distract myself from the growing pile of tissues and ricola wrappers and fast-emptying purell bottle. since i've been keeping well-hydrated with lots of hot water and tea, i thought it'd be nice to bake something that would go well both: madeleines, the perfect shell-shaped tea cake-cookie.
now, what flavor should i make? of course i could go traditional with a classic honey madeleine, but i was in the mood for something more creative. i've made chocolate and lemon before, but i wanted to save my lemon for brewing. i considered earl grey but didn't have orange zest (i think i would have missed it if i omitted it). lavender? too floral. apple cinnamon? too autumn-y. i was starting to turn back to a basic honey until i landed on espresso! how did i not think of this sooner? espresso madeleienes were just the thing to quell my need to bake and my recent coffee obsession.
i used a recipe from pastry studio and made 15 madeleienes (5 less than the recipe says). the espresso flavor wasn't as strong as i would have liked, so next time i might up the espresso powder to a full teaspoon or more. other than that, the cake-cookies came out great--perfectly domed on the back and nicely defined shells on the front; just dense enough for a good bite and to pair with a hot drink.
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:: espresso madeleines ::
(recipe adapted from pastry studio)
makes about 20. (*i made 15)
6 tablespoons (3oz) butter
3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) dark brown sugar (*i used light because it's what i have)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder (*i would add more for a stronger flavor)
preheat oven to 375ºF. generously butter madeleine mold pan(s) and lightly dust with flour.
melt the butter, remove from
the heat, and set aside to cool.
sift together flour, baking
powder, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.
beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture has tripled in volume and forms
a thick ribbon. slowly beat in the vanilla and espresso powder until blended.
using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs
in 3 equal additions. then fold in the cooled melted butter in 3 equal additions until thoroughly blended.
fill the wells of the prepared madeleine pan(s). bake until the cakes spring back when touched, about 10 –12 minutes (*mine were done at 11 minutes). remove from the oven and let them cool for 1 minute, then tilt the pans to dislodge them. cool completely on a wire rack.
since winter seems to be rather stubborn this year, i thought i'd move things along and bring some hints of spring into my life. for me this means flowers. bright, frilly flowers.
it may seem frivolous to some, but i love having fresh flowers around my apartment. they brighten up the place and last a while if you're diligent about fresh water in the vase and the occasional wilted stem removal. i remember when i first bought flowers for myself; it felt like such a grown-up moment, buying flowers for no apparent reason. they were nothing special (probably a simple bouquet from trader joe's), but they made me smile...such a small thing to make me happy :) i don't go for anything extravagant: no florists, no crazy arrangements, just a store-bought bouquet that appeals to me that day. sometimes that's easier said than done (as sean can attest). i've been known to stand and stare and deliberate for WAY too long in front of a flower stand. what am i feeling today: single flower or mixed bouquet? bright and poppy or understated? something new or the tried-and-true favorites? so many choices! in the end whatever i choose i'm usually happy with once i get them home. a little rearranging and they're all set.
so in an attempt to welcome in the spring i prettified my place with some petal action.
now, how long until things start to thaw and buds start poking up from the ground? come on, spring, get here!
with winter still lingering around, i've felt a bit restless and in need of some warm-weather distractions. while july may be national ice cream month, i thought i'd bring a little bit of summertime into this wintry mix. so let's pretend it's summer and travel to faraway places...by way of frozen treats! a tropical paradise via passion fruit frozen yogurt? a taste of asia with a chunky red bean ice cream? or how about keeping it all-american with some peanut butter ice cream with chocolate freckles? better yet: why not all of the above!
first up, a passion fruit frozen yogurt. i love the flavor of passion fruit and have been obsessed with chobani's passion fruit greek yogurt (actual passion fruit seeds!). since it's hard to find fresh passion fruit--and kind of pricey when you do find it--i opted for frozen passion fruit pulp. i've used it before with my chocolate passion fruit ganache, so i knew the flavor would be just right. this recipe comes from jeni's splendid ice creams and blends together the tart, fruity pulp with a creamy, milky yogurt base. it's hard not to eat scoop after scoop of this and daydream of hot, sunny days. a trip to the islands, anyone?
next, i thought i'd go the asian route and make a red bean ice cream. i've made a number of asian flavors before--black sesame, taro, pandan, milk oolong, thai tea--so red bean was long overdue. it's funny it took me this long, since as a kid i craved sweety's red bean popsicles. those were seriously the best--full of red beans and just sweet enough; they came in a box of four and were promptly inhaled by me and whoever else was around to share :P
for the ice cream i found a simple recipe from userealbutter. it calls for sweetened red bean paste which i didn't have, but i *did* have dried red beans and sugar so i made my own. boiled the beans for a LONG time, added sugar and a dash of salt, and mashed up most of it. i left it fairly chunky since i wanted the ice cream to mirror the popsicles with their bits of beans. i swirled the paste into the ice cream base and knew i was headed in the right direction. the ice cream was exactly like a sweety's red bean popsicle but in scoop form! i guess this ice cream took me on two trips: asia and back in time.
last up, let's bring things back to the states and pay tribute to jeni's splendid ice creams with their buckeye state ice cream. hailing from ohio, jeni included a recipe for honeyed peanut ice cream with dark chocolate freckles which resembles the buckeye candy (peanut butter and honey balls dipped in chocolate). i've never tried a buckeye candy, but i have always been a big fan of chocolate and peanut butter so this flavor was sure to be a winner. the recipe uses half a cup of natural peanut butter, two spoonfuls of honey, and a quarter pound of dark chocolate...i mean, how can you go wrong? the resulting ice cream was full of peanut flavor, light on honey (not sure if it could have used more or if the other flavors overpowered it), and nicely speckled with chopped chocolate freckles.
that concludes my adventures through ice creams for now, but there are definitely more new flavors on the way~
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:: passion fruit frozen yogurt ::
(recipe from jeni's splendid ice creams)
makes a generous 1 quart
frozen yogurt base
1 quart plain low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup (i used agave syrup)
passion fruit syrup
6 large or 8 medium passion fruits (i used frozen passion fruit pulp)
3 tablespoons sugar
advanced prep for the frozen yogurt base:
fit a sieve over a bowl and line it with two layers of cheesecloth. pour the yogurt into the sieve, over with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours to drain. discard the liquid, and measure out 1 1/4 cups of the strained yogurt; set aside.
for the passion fruit syrup:
set a sieve over a bowl. slice each passion fruit in half and scoop the flesh of the fruit into the sieve. using a spatula or wooden spoon, push the fruit through the sieve, leaving the seeds behind.
measure out 1/2 cup of the passion fruit pulp and combine it with the sugar in a small saucepan. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. remove from the heat and let cool.
for the frozen yogurt base:
mix about 3 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.
fill a large bowl with ice and water.
combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. remove from the heat.
gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. add the reserved 1 1/4 cups drained yogurt and the passion fruit syrup and whisk until smooth.
pour the mixture into a 1-gallon ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
(*i usually skip the ice bath and let the mixture cool on its own then refrigerate it overnight.)
pour the yogurt base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.
pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.
:: red bean ice cream ::
(recipe from userealbutter)
makes about a quart
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups red bean paste
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
beat the sugar and egg yolks together in a medium bowl until pale yellow. bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan and remove from heat. whisk into the egg mixture and scrape back into the saucepan. stir constantly over medium-low heat with a whisk until the custard thickens (about 5 minutes) making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. strain the custard into a clean bowl. mix in the red bean paste and then stir in the cream. cover and refrigerate completely before churning in your ice cream machine.
:: honeyed peanut ice cream with dark chocolate freckles ::
(recipe from jeni's splendid ice creams)
makes about 1 quart
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (less if using saltier peanut butter)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (i used agave syrup)
2 tablespoons honey
4 ounces chocolate (55% to 70% cocoa), chopped
mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
whisk the cream cheese, peanut butter, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
fill a large bowl with ice and water.
combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes.
remove from the heat, and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. remove from the heat.
gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. pour the mixture into a 1-gallon ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and begin to spin the ice cream.
meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. remove from the heat and let cool until tepid but still fluid.
when the ice cream is thick and creamy and almost finished, drizzle the melted chocolate slowly through the opening in the top of the ice cream machine and allow it to solidify and break up in the ice cream for about 2 minutes. (this process was pretty neat.)
pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.
