GATEAU AU YAOURT RECIPE

We featured Gateau au Yaourt or Yogurt Cake recipe in the second issue of Desserts Magazine by Paola Westbeek, of In my Life. The Gateau au Yaourt, is a traditional French cake made of yogurt, it is an easy, quick and simple cake to make. The cake is moist, not too sweet and a perfect pairing with your favorite tea or coffee, especially when served warm. Gateau au Yaourt is great any time of the day and occasion. Makes about 8 servings.

250 g all- purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
fat pinch fleur de sel
225 ml vanilla yogurt
3 large eggs
2 tbsps creme de cassis
175 g caster sugar
100 ml sunflower oil

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (355 degrees F). Lightly butter and flour a 22-cm springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of baking paper.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the fleur de sel, grinding it well between your fingers, and stir to combine.
3. In another bowl, beat the yogurt, sugar and creme de cassis. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat until combined. Add oil and beat again.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared springform pan and bake the gateau for 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

STEP-BY-STEP FRENCH MACARON

Fear no more, Helen of My Tartelette wrote a detailed how-to article with step-by-step recipe and photos in the second issue of Desserts Magazine, Issue #2. She demystified the making of macarons. Read more

STRAWBERRY MIRROR CAKE RECIPE

Peabody of Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, was the host for July’s Daring Bakers Challenge. Peabody chose something that will be difficult enough that people feel challenged by but not overwhelmed by it. Something that taste good and they will actually eat. Since pink is her favorite color and strawberries are her favorite fruit, it is only fitting that she chose to make this light, creamy mousse cake scented with strawberries, Strawberry Mirror Cake. She broke up the recipe into two days. She froze the cake layers and made the puree one day ahead. Then she did everything else the next day. Furthermore, she made mini strawberry mirror cake, using 4-½ inch springform pans. Do not be intimidate by this recipe, it is well worth the time! This recipe has been featured on the second issue of Desserts Magazine

Strawberry Mirror Cake Recipe
(Adapted from Cakes and Pastries At The Academy by the California Culinary Academy, 1993)

Cake
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2 TBSP sugar
2/3 cup sifted cake flour
½ cup water
1/3 cups sugar
2 TBSP kirsch or strawberry liqueur

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Butter and flour the sides of an 11 x 17-inch jelly roll pan(rimmed baking sheet). Line bottom of pan with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit bottom pan exactly.
2. Beat eggs, egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar together in a medium bowl until thick and light. Beat in the vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, ad cream of tartar and beat until whites begin to form peaks. Add the 2 TBSP sugar and beat until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks(do not over beat).
4. Sift flour over the egg yolk mixture and fold in. Stir in one fourth of the whites. Then carefully fold in the remaining whites.
5. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake until light brown and springy to touch (7 to 10 minutes). Cool in pan 5 minutes. Run a knife along edge to loosen. Invert cake tin to cut out 8-¼ inch circles of cake. Wrap the cake layers, separated with waxed paper, and set aside. Cake may be frozen at this point.
6. To make soaking syrup: Combine water and the 1/3 cup sugar in saucepan; bring to a boil to dissolve sugar. Cool to room temperature; flavor with liqueur. Set aside or refrigerate in glass jar until ready to use.
7. To assemble cake: Brush sides of 10-inch springform pan lightly with flavorless salad oil or almond oil. Cut out a cardboard circle that is exactly the same size as the bottom inside of the pan; cover cardboard with aluminum foil and fit into bottom of pan. Center one layer of the cake bottom of pan. Brush the cake with some of the soaking syrup to just moisten(not drench) the cake; set aside.
8. Prepare Strawberry Bavarian Cream. Immediately pour about half of the Bavarian Cream over the first layer of cake in the pan. Set the next layer of cake on top of the cream. Pour remaining Bavarian Cream over cake and smooth top of the cream with spatula. Refrigerate until the cream sets(1 to 2 hours).
9. Prepare the Strawberry Mirror.
10. To serve: Wrap a hot towel around the outside of springform pan for a few minutes. Run a small sharp knife tip around the edge of the Strawberry Mirror to separate it form the sides of pan. Mirror will tear when sides are unlatched if it is stuck at ANY point. Slowly unlatch the pan and slide it off the cake. Slice cake in wedges and serve in upright slices.

Strawberry Bavarian Cream Recipe
2 ½ TBSP unflavored gelatin
1 ½ cups strained strawberry puree(1 ½ baskets)
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 ½ cups milk
1 TBSP lemon juice
several drops of red food coloring
1 ¾ cups whipping cream

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over the strawberry puree
in a small bowl and set aside until spongy.
2. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat until light. Bring milk to a boil in sauce pan. Pour hot milk into yolk mixture ans stir with a wooden spoon (it doesn’t say so but I would temper the egg mixture first to be safe). Return this mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until your finger leaves a clear trail in sauce when drawn across the back of the spoon.(Do not boil or mixture will curdle.)
3. Immediately remove from heat and stir in softened gelatin mixture. Pour into a stainless steel bowl places over a bowl of ice water. Stir in lemon juice and a few drops of red food coloring. Cool over ice water, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens to the consistency of softly whipped cream.
4. White gelatin mixture is cooling, whip the whipping cream until it holds soft peaks. When the gelatin mixture resembles softly whipped cream, fold the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture.

Strawberry Mirror Recipe
1 tsp lemon juice
1 TBSP kirsch
1 TBSP water
1 TBSP unflavored gelatin
Few drops of red food coloring

1. Prepare strawberry juice.
2. Place lemon juice, kirsch, and water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over this mixture; set aside until spongy and soft.
3. Measure 1-½ cups Strawberry juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer; pour over gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve gelatin. Tint to desired color with red food coloring. Place bowl over bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until the mixture is syrupy and just beings to thicken(do not let jell); remove from ice water.
4. When mixture is syrupy, pour a 1/16-inch layer over the top of cake. Refrigerate until set.

Strawberry Juice Recipe
1-½ pints of strawberries(18 oz)
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup water

Wash and hull strawberries; coarsely chop. Place strawberries in saucepan; crush to start juices flowing. Place over low heat; add sugar and water; simmer slowly 10 minutes. Pour juice and pulp through damp jelly bag or cheesecloth-lined colander and drain into a bowl for 15 minutes (Do not press down on fruit).

TARTE TATIN RECIPE

Molly Wizenberg of Orangette provided this Tarte Tatin recipe adapted from David Rosengarten’s Taste and Julia Child’s The Way to Cook. We featured the recipe in our second issue of Desserts Magazine. Molly Wizenberg wrote a memoir, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, with stories revolving around food, family, and friends, and of course she couldn’t leave out recipes, with illustrations by Camilla Engman. Makes 8 servings.

5-6 large apples, preferably Golden Delicious or Ginger Gold
Juice of 1 lemon
1-½ cups granulated white sugar
6 Tbs unsalted butter, divided
About 14 ounces puff pastry (store-bought, such as Dufour brand, is just fine; if frozen, be sure to let it thaw for about an before using)

1. Peel and quarter the apples, removing the cores such that each quarter has a flat inner side. Toss the apple quarters in a large bowl with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. In a 9-inch cast-iron skillet set over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar, along with a few tablespoons of the apple-lemon juices. Stir to mix. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon, for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is a smooth, bubbly, pale caramel color.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add apple quarters, arranging them rounded-side-down in a decorative pattern. Arrange a second layer of apples on top wherever they fit, closely packed. This second layer need not be terribly neat. Top the apples with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into dice.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Cook the apples over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, occasionally spooning the bubbling caramel liquid over them. Press them down gently with the back of a spoon and watch to make sure that no one area of the pan is bubbling more than another. (Don’t worry if they shift a bit in the liquid; just move them back to where they were.) Shift the pan as necessary so that the apples cook evenly. They are ready when the liquid in the pan has turned to a thick, amber ooze. The apples should still be slightly firm. Do not allow them to get entirely soft or the liquid to turn dark brown. Remove the pan from the heat.
6. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a thickness of about 3/16-inch. Using a sharp, thin knife, trace a circle in the pastry about 10-inches in diameter (1/2-inch wider all around than the skillet), and trim away any excess. Carefully lay the pastry circle over the apples in the skillet, tucking the overlap down between the apples and the inside of the pan.
7. Place the skillet on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the pastry has risen, and is dry and golden brown. Remove the skillet from the oven, and let it to rest for a minute or two. Tilt the pan and look down inside the edge: if there is a lot of juice, pour most of it off into the sink. (Do not pour it all off, or the apples may stick to the pan.) Place a serving platter upside-down over the skillet and, working quickly and carefully (It’s hot!), invert the tart onto the platter. Rearrange any apple slices that may have slipped or stuck to the skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature, preferably with a tokaji, a Hungarian wine from the region of Tokaj.

SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM RECIPE

Bi-Rite Creamery, in San Francisco, make the best Salted Caramel Ice Cream. For those of us who do not live in San Francisco. Try making David Lebovitz’s Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream with or without bits of Caramel Praline. For variation, Lebovitz suggests adding some strong liquid espresso (or instant espresso powder) to the custard to taste, prior to churning the ice cream to make Coffee-Caramel Ice Cream. Other options for some of the mix-ins, try gooey Dark Chocolate Truffles*, crackly chocolate Straciatella*, or Oatmeal Praline* folded in at the last minute. Or try serving with warm Mocha Sauce*. For a “double-whammy” caramel try over sauteed apples or alongside a wedge of apple pie or Tarte Tatin. How ever you decide to eat the Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream is great!

Caramel Praline
1/2 cup (100 gr) sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt, such as fleur de sel

1. To make the caramel praline, spread the ½ cup (100 gr) of sugar in an even layer in a medium-sized, unlined heavy duty saucepan: I use a 6 quart/liter pan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or brush it sparingly with unflavored oil.

2. Heat the sugar over moderate heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it – there may be some lumps, which will melt later.) Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn.

3.Sprinkle in the ¾ teaspoon salt without stirring (don’t even pause to scratch your nose), then pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet and lift up the baking sheet immediately, tilting and swirling it almost vertically to encourage the caramel to form as thin a layer as possible. Set aside to harden and cool.

Ice Cream Custard
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk, divided
1-½ cups (300 gr) sugar
4 tablespoons (60 gr) salted butter
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cups (250 ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.

2. Spread 1-½ cups (300 gr) sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized, using the same method described in Step #2.

3. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go. The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk.

4. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 degree F (71-77 degree C).

5. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

6. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

7. While the ice cream is churning, crumble the hardened caramel praline into very little bits, about the size of very large confetti (about ½-inch, or 1 cm). I use a mortar and pestle, although you can make your own kind of music using your hands or a rolling pin.

8. Once your caramel ice cream is churned, quickly stir in the crushed caramel, then chill in the freezer until firm.

Note: As the ice cream sits, the little bits of caramel may liquefy and get runny and gooey, which is what they’re intended to do.
* These recipes are available in Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments, by David Lebovitz.

Recipe and photograph by David Lebovitz, printed with permission. This recipe is featured in the 2nd issue of Desserts Magazine.

SUMMER BERRY FRIANDS RECIPE

Jenni the blogger of I Love Milk and Cookies, shares her Summer Berry Friands recipe. Friands or Financiers are light French tea cake, made of almond flour and beurre noisette (brown butter). Gather some friends over for tea and serve some Summer Berry Friands.

125 unsalted butter, diced
1 cup almond meal
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. baking powder
5 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries), sliced

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Prepare a friand tin or 6 individual dariole molds by lightly brushing them with butter.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat until golden in color. Set side to cool.
4. Place almond meal, icing sugar, flour and baking powder in a bowl and stir to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add the egg whites to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
6. Then add the cooled butter and stir until thoroughly blended.
7. Spoon the mixture into the tin/moulds, dropping some berries halfway through. Fill the tins/molds 1.5cm from the top. Place a berry on top.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops are golden brown and springy to touch.
9. Cool for 10 minutes and unmold the friands by tapping the bases lightly a couple of times until they are released. Dust with icing sugar.

Recipe and photograph by Jenni, of I Love Milk and Cookies. This recipe has been featured in the 2nd issue of Desserts Magazine.

MICHAEL LAISKONIS

Michael Laiskonis was initially trained in visual arts at Wayne State University and started baking professionally, without a formal culinary degree, while in college working in a friend’s bakery. He then moved on to work as both Pastry Chef and Sous Chef under Rick Halberg at Emily’s. In 1997, he joined the critically acclaimed Tribute starting as a line cook for Takashi Yagihashi. He became Tribute’s pastry chef in 1999, where for the next five years he honed his skills as pastry chef. Since 2004 he has been the executive pastry chef at Le Bernardin, 3-Michelin star restaurant, working under Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze. Now Laiskonis has found an ideal venue where he can express his interests in the arts, architecture, and science through the alchemy of his innovative dessert-making. In the midst of his busy schedule he still find time to purse his other passions: art, music, film, and photography. Visit Laiskonis’ blog, Notes From the Kitchen.

Laiskonis’ recipe, The Egg, has been featured in the second issue of Desserts Magazine

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