Tag: powdered sugar

Madeleines

On By lukephillaryhIn ClassicoLeave a comment
Madeleines powder sugar David Lebovitz
Powdered perfection for any occasion

If you haven’t noticed yet, Hillary and I love a good *dusting* of powered sugar. Our breakfast palačinkes, afternoon canelés, and xmas linzer cookies always come with a light coating of sugar. The act of “dusting” has recently reached the big stage thanks to a certain Turkish chef aka #Saltbae. We’re glad to see he salts his steak with the same care as we do with our delicately powdered desserts. In our attempt to share some of Saltbae’s spotlight, we recently whipped up some dusting-friendly madeleines. These desserts are great with a lemon or chocolate glaze, but a subtle coat of sugar is really all you need.

The recipe is adopted from one of our favorite chefs / Instagrammers David Lebovitz. His recipe makes 24 medium sized madeleines – the perfect amount for any party or dessert/breakfast combo.

Ingredients:

  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 small lemon
  • 9 TBS of unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature + a bit of butter for the baking sheet molds

Directions:

  1. Begin by brushing melted butter into each madeleine baking sheet mold. Dust with flour and put in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
  2. With a standing mixer or hand mixer/bowl, whip the eggs, sugar and salt until thick and frothy (about 5 mins)
  3. Pass the flour through a mesh sifter into a small bowl. Gradually fold the flour into the egg mixture until incorporated. Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  4. As the batter sits in the fridge, prepare the melted butter and lemon zest mixture. Start by melting the 9 tablespoons butter and let it cool to room temperature (15-20 mins). Add lemon zest to cooled butter and let sit.
  5. Remove batter from the fridge. Gradually spoon butter into the batter and simultaneously fold until incorporated. Add honey and vanilla as you fold in butter mixture. Return to fridge and let sit for another 1 hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 425°F. Plop enough of the batter to fill 3/4th’s of the baking sheet indentation. Do not spread, but give the baking sheets a few knocks on the counter-top before placing in the oven.
  7. Turn oven to 400°F and bake for 8-9 minutes, keep a close eye on the edges to make sure the bottoms don’t burn. Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar.

Details: Makes 24 medium sized madeleines. Store uncovered or loosely covered so they don’t loss their crisp.

Canelés de Bordeaux

On By lukephillaryhIn Luke's Dishes, Uncategorized4 Comments
Cannelés de Bordeaux Mimi Thorisson Trader Joes
Powder sugar perfection

Canelés are the perfect treat. They’re bite-sized, super sweet, crunchy and custardy. You can enjoy with a morning coffee, as an afternoon snack, or have a couple after dinner for a little sweetness. And when sprinkled with powdered sugar, they’re très photogenic – perfect for Instagram.  We discovered this recipe via Luke’s mother, who mastered making canelés by following a recipe in Mimi Thorisson’s A Kitchen in France. Proper French pastry chefs use copper molds, but a silicone mold (recommended by Mimi) makes life a lot easier. The only qualm we have with canelés is that they require some serious patience! You must make the batter at least 24 hours in advance. We suggest making the batter Saturday morning so that you can enjoy these little gems with Sunday brunch…and lunch, dinner, and midnight dessert!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups + 2 TBS whole milk
  • 1-2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 TBS unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup dark rum (tip: we bought two mini bottles of Kraken Black Spiced Rum)

Directions:

  1. Note! Batter must be prepared at least 24 hours before baking, so plan ahead.
  2. In a medium saucepan set at medium-low temp, whisk together milk and vanilla seeds. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let it rest for 5 minutes then transfer to a large bowl.
  3. Whisk in the sugar and flour slowly, avoiding any lumps. Add egg yolks one at a time and mix until incorporated. Stir in the melted butter. Pour in the rum and whisk the batter until smooth. The batter should have the same consistency as palachinkes (aka crepes).
  4. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours (can be up to 48 hours).
  5. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  6. If using silicone canelés molds, you do not need to brush with butter. Copper/metal molds are trickier to use. Consult more professional canelés-makers for suggestions.
  7. Fill molds about to 2/3, be very careful to not fill too much. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes then turn down the oven to 350°F and bake for additional 50 minutes.
  8. Let canelés cool in their molds for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar when you’re ready to enjoy!

Details: Most silicon molds hold 15 or 16 canelés, we had a bit of batter leftover once our mold was filled.

Baka’s Palačinke

On By lukephillaryhIn Luke's Dishes2 Comments
Crepes Croatian food nutella
Luke demonstrating perfect palachinka form

I am a proud half-Croatian, which means even though I can’t speak a full sentence, I can still root for the soccer team and visit family on the beautiful Dalmatian coast. One of the biggest treats of growing up with a Croatian mother was the occasional palachinka (known as crepes to most) breakfast. This recipe comes from my grandmother, “Baka” in Croatian, who happened to celebrate her 85th birthday earlier this week. Baka’s recipe calls for seltzer or club soda, which gives the palachinka a perforated appearance. As I demonstrate above, the key technique for palachinka making is a tight roll and an even sprinkling of powdered sugar. Jam and nutella make the perfect filling for this classic Croatian breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 TBS sugar
  • 1 1/4cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • Dash of vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup seltzer
  • 1/4 cup canola oil for pan/skillet

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients. flour, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
  2. Whisk the wet mixture with the dry ingredients, being sure to add slowly or in couple of batches. After fully incorporated add the seltzer. It is important that it be added last! The palachinka batter should have the texture of melted ice cream. If it does not, adjust with extra milk or flour. You can refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 24 hours or start cooking right away. A crepe pan is ideal for cooking, but a small skillet will also do.
  3. Heat the pan to medium-high and add about a teaspoon of oil. Swirl the oil around the pan.
  4. Lift the pan off the flame and pour about 1/4-1/3 cup of the batter to the center of the pan. Swirl the batter around until it covers the pan evenly. Cook on one side for 2 minutes and then flip with a silicone spatula or spoon (wooden spoon works well too, just don’t use anything with sharp edges!) and cook on the other side for 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Important note! Cooking time will get shorter and shorter as you go because the pan will get hotter. Adjust accordingly. Check out these visuals to study up on the swirling and flipping technique.

Serve with a variety of jams and ideally Nutella. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top for a little flair and extra sweetness.

Details: Makes 8-10 crepes.