Lemon Pudding with Fresh Almond Milk

I love lemons and always have, so it's lucky for me that we live just a short drive away from the pretty sea side town of Menton, France where some of the world's best lemons grow. 

But that's not all.

For the past 80 years, Menton has hosted a charming festival called,  La Fête du Citron.  It's pure heaven for a lemon lover like me.

To showcase the humble lemon, a team of workers create enormous, elaborate sculptures made from sturdy iron frames and chicken wire that they then cover with plump lemons and oranges using millions of thick, wide elastics.  These days, the lemons and oranges come from Spain since they're cheaper and more plentiful than the ones grown in Menton.  In all, they use about 120 metric tons to decorate the sculptures on display in the Jardin Biovès and to coat the parade floats that circle the downtown core a few times a week during the three week festival.

Everyone in Menton gets into the act.  The restaurants serve dishes with Mentonaise lemons, bakeries do a booming business in lemon tarts and the local market is filled with baskets of Menton's famous lemons for sale.

For years I've wondered what the town does with all those lemons and oranges when the festival is over and today I found out.  About 90% of them are still considered edible and are up for grabs for a Euro or two per kilo, about half the price of the fresh ones.  The day they disassemble the sculptures you just need to show up with a basket, a grocery cart or pickup truck and fill 'er up.  The mind boggles!

I know what I'd to do with a ton or two:  make a giant bowl of my Lemon-Almond pudding for everyone in Menton.

 Lemon Pudding with Fresh Almond Milk

I make almond milk all the time and it couldn't be easier.  Its bright white colour and clean, rich taste pairs perfectly with lemon. 

Serves 4-6

Equipment

Lemon zester or fine grater

Fine sieve or cheesecloth

Blender

Medium saucepan

Ingredients

3/4 cup (105g) raw almonds, soaked for a few hours or overnight

3 cups (750ml) water

2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1/2 cup (85g) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

1/4 cup (28g) cornstarch

2 1/2 (590g) cups almond milk

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter

Method

1.  Prepare the almond milk.   Suspend a fine sieve* (see Tip #1 below) over a 1 litre bowl.  Rinse the soaked almonds until the water runs clear, place them in a blender with the 3 cups (750 ml) water and blend on high for 3-4 minutes.  Pour the mixture through the sieve and measure 2 1/2 cups.  Set aside.

2.  Add the lemon zest to the sugar and rub the two together with your fingers.  This will release the oils in the zest and give the pudding a lovely flavour.

3  In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Suspend a fine sieve over a bowl large enough to hold the pudding and keep it by the stove. Stir the mixture on medium heat until it just starts to boil and continue stirring the pudding for a minute more.  Pour the hot pudding through the sieve into the bowl and press it through the sieve.  Press some cling film directly on to the surface of the pudding and refrigerate until serving.

Tips

1.  To make a smooth, silky pudding, you need to remove as many of the fine particles of almond that remain after you process them in the blender.  If you don't have a really fine sieve, pour the blended mixture through 3-4 layers of cheesecloth.  Alternatively, you can let the almond milk sit for an hour or so to allow the particles to settle to the bottom.  You can then ladle the milk off the top, leaving the particles at the bottom.

2.  I sometimes garnish these puddings with candied lemon zest that I make by simmering the zest of one lemon in 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar for about 15 minutes.  You could also sprinkle on some crushed commercial Amaretti biscuits, slivered toasted almonds or just enjoy it unadorned.

Huckleberry Curd Tartelettes

I'd never seen huckleberries live and in person before so when I spotted a "Huckleberries" sign at Needham's Market Garden Stand at the Ottawa Farmers' Market in Brewer Park recently, I zoomed in for a closer look. 

Just last week I saw chefs on the Food Network show, Chopped, use them as a surprise ingredient in combination with octopus.  Very weird!

Mr Needham's huckleberries were beautiful.  They were shiny, fresh, dark purple, almost black, and very tempting.  I was about to learn their deep, dark secret...

Before buying them, I asked for a taste and popped a few in my mouth.

What a mistake that was!  They tasted awful.  They also brought an unpleasant, astringent, oily, spicy sensation to my mouth. 

Then I did something I haven't done since I was 6 years old.  I spit them out on the ground.  In broad daylight.  With other people standing around.  I couldn't help it.

I'm not certain what Mr Needham thought about my breach of etiquette but the following week, I noticed that he'd placed a sign in front of his huckleberries that read, "Not to be Eaten Raw."   I guess I wasn't the only one who had tried the darned things!

Instead of discouraging me, I was even more motivated to explore their attributes.

Once cooked, the unpleasant flavours disappeared and lovely, complex sweetness emerged.  Redemption!

I think this recipe does the enigmatic huckleberry justice and brings out their unique flavour. 

If you don't have time to make the tarts you can still eat the curd on its own.  It's delicious on toasted baguette, scones, or straight from the spoon.

Who knew that something so delicious would come from something that tasted so bad?

 

Huckleberry Curd Tartelettes

Makes 10-12 Tartelettes

375°F/195°C

Equipment
Fine grater
10-12  2" (5cm) fluted tart tins
Round cookie cutter, 3" (8cms)
Rolling pin
Large fine meshed sieve
Small fine sieve
Potato masher
Hand held beaters or stand mixer
Parchment or waxed paper
Baking tray
Offset spatula

Optional:  food processor with a food mill attachment or a food mill
2 Piping bags, each with a Wilton 2A plain tip (10mm)


Curd
1 pint huckleberries to make: 1/2 cup (120g) huckleberry purée
1/2 cup (120g) water
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon (20g) strained lemon juice
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
pinch of salt


Pastry
(pâte sucrée)
50g cold, unsalted butter

1/8 cup (25g) sugar

3/4 cup (100g) all purpose flour, sifted

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 small egg yolk or 1/2 large yolk

1/2 teaspoon cream

Whipped Cream
1/4 cup (57g) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon (3g) sugar

Optional:  dragées to top the tarts.

METHOD

Prepare the pastry

1.  Mix together the egg yolk and cream.  Set aside.

2. Using your hands or a food processor, mix the butter, salt, and sugar together into a paste. There shouldn't be any lumps of butter visible.  If you're using your hands, work quickly so you don't melt the butter. Combine the butter and egg mixtures.
3.  Mix the flour gently into the paste until the two are just combined.  Don't overwork the dough or it will become tough.
4. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper to 1/8" thick. 
5. Remove the top paper and using your cookie cutter, make circles in the dough but don't remove the circles.  Re-cover the rolled dough with the paper you removed earlier and place it in the fridge to firm up. Place your tart tins in the fridge at the same time.

Prepare the huckleberry purée
1. Wash the huckleberries and cut off the tough stems. (it's OK to leave the small ones that attached directly to the berries)
2. Place the huckleberries and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan.  Cover the saucepan and cook the berries over low heat.  After 10 minutes of simmering, mash the berries in the pot and add a bit more water, just enough to ensure that the berries won't boil dry.  When you mash them they'll squirt their juice - be careful - the juice stains. Cover and repeat the process one more time.  The berries are finished cooking when all the little seeds have burst out of their skins and the skins become soft.  Let the cooked berries cool completely.

Good all by itself

3. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, or food processor with a food mill attachment.  If you've used a food processor, pass the purée through a fine meshed sieve afterwards to make it smooth.  Measure 1/2 cup of purée.

Prepare the Curd
1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar and egg yolks, corn starch until well blended. Add the lemon zest, huckleberry purée, lemon juice and pinch of salt.  

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. Be careful not to let it boil or it will curdle.  If you notice it nearing the boiling point, remove it from the heat and stir it to let it cool a bit.  Remove from the heat and pour the curd through the fine meshed sieve into a bowl.

3. Press some plastic wrap directly on the top of the curd and refrigerate.

Prepare and pre-bake the tart shells

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F(190°C)

Roll the dough between waxed paper and make pastry circles

2.  Remove the rolled pastry from the fridge.
3. One by one, peel off the pastry discs and gently press them into the tart tins, trim any overage and refrigerate them as you make them.

4.  Re-roll the leftover dough between the paper sheets and repeat the process until you've filled all your tins.
5.  To bake them, arrange the tins on a cookie sheet.

6.  Bake the shells for 14-16 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove from the oven, set aside to cool.

7.  One at a time, flip the tins over onto your palm and very gently squeeze the sides of each of the tart tins.  The shells should pop out easily.

Whip the Cream
1.  Whip the chilled cream together with the icing sugar to firm peaks.

Assembly

1.  Stir the curd a bit to soften it.  Spoon or pipe the curd into each of the tart shells, top with the whipped cream and finish with dragées if you're using them.  You'll probably have some curd left over.
2.  Refrigerate the tartelettes if you're not serving them right away.


Tips

Huckleberries stain like the dickens!  If you have a dark apron on hand you may want to wear it.

Beauty and the Beast: Chocolate Truffles on Artichoke leaves

All summer I've been enjoying bars of unique, sensuous, and completely addictive Hummingbird Chocolate and I always pick up a few bars from Drew and the mysterious Erica on Sundays at the Ottawa Farmers' Market in Brewer Park.  In my household, they don't last long!

Wanting to share this new find with friends, I was transforming a few of their Hispaniola bars into chocolate truffles as the grand finale to a dinner party later in the day and I had a light bulb moment.

Also on the menu was a salad made with some of Acorn Creek Farms' magnificent globe artichokes and while I was pulling off leaf after tough outer leaf to get to the delicate, edible centre, the modern day mantra of "reduce, reuse recycle" was running through my head.

I was thinking about how that huge pile of artichoke leaves had a dim future on the compost heap when an idea struck.  Why not use them as a base for the chocolate truffles?

Out came my scissors and voila!  In no time at all, I had a bowl full of practical truffle bases.

A last minute pardon from the compost heap

Interestingly enough, turning Drew and Erica's chocolate into truffles intensified the fruity, intense flavours characteristic of some of their bars.

Needless to say, the truffles were a big hit, especially after I served everyone some delicate Darjeeling tea.  The conversation paused as the truffles melted in our tea-warmed mouths.

This presentation worked really well at the dinner table and it would work well at cocktail parties too.  As you pass the plates of truffles, guests can grab a leaf and pop a truffle into their mouths without getting their pinkies covered in cocoa powder.

Just make sure you make a lot of them for your guest's happy, appreciative mouths!

Chocolate Truffles on Artichoke Leaves

You won't need to add liqueur or butter to these truffles as most truffle recipes call for.

Hummingbird chocolate is complex and smooth enough to stand on its own.  Don't mess with perfection!

Makes approximately 15-20-1/2" truffles. 

 

Equipment

Piping bag, or a melon baller or a small spoon (to preform truffles)
Baking sheet covered in parchment (on which to pipe the ganache)

Disposable rubber or latex gloves (optional)
Fine meshed sieve

Ingredients 

100g (2 bars) Hummingbird chocolate.  Bolivia, Hispaniola, Ecuador...
50g   heavy cream (2 ounces or 1/4 cup less one teaspoon)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (Droste, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, Van Houten)
Artichoke leaves

Method

Chop the chocolate into very small pieces

1.  Finely chop the chocolate and place in a medium bowl.  The pieces should be smaller than blueberries. 

2.   Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan or microwave and when it starts to boil, pour it over the chopped chocolate.  Let it sit, undisturbed for 1 minute.

Smooth, shiny, silky ganache, ready to pipe into mounds

3.  Create the ganache.  Starting in the middle of the bowl, stir the cream and chocolate together vigorously in small circles, and then continue stirring outwards until the mixture is smooth.  If you have pieces that are not melted, let the mixture sit for a minute or two.  The heat of the cream should melt these pieces.  If not, sit the bowl in a bit of hot water for a minute or two and stir again.  Repeat this process if needed.

Coating the truffles in cocoa powder

4.  Cover the ganache with plastic pressed to the surface and let it sit, undisturbed for about 1 hour until it solidifies. It may take longer to firm up depending on the ambient temperature in your kitchen.  If the mixture is taking too long to cool or you're pressed for time, place it in the refrigerator but only for a few minutes at a time, checking it and stirring it. If you're piping the ganache, you'll want to harden the mixture somewhat but leave it soft enough to pipe. If you're using a melon baller or spoon, you can keep it in the fridge until it hardens completely.

5.  Either way, while you're waiting for the ganache to firm up, trim the bases of your artichoke leaves and arrange them on a serving plate.  Sieve the cocoa powder into a bowl or plate.

6.  Place the ganache into a piping bag and pipe rows of mounds onto your parchment lined baking sheet about the size of a large grape.  If you're not using a piping bag, use your melon baller or small spoon to scoop the mixture into mounds.

7.  Put the mounds in your fridge for a few minutes to firm up.

8. Drop the mounds, 3-4 at a time into the cocoa and make sure they are completely coated. Form each them into smooth, round balls by rolling them between your palms. Wearing gloves will help keep the balls from melting too quickly.  As you form them into balls, gently drop them back into the cocoa, no more than 3-4 at a time. 

9.  Roll the balls around gently in the cocoa, making sure they're completely coated.  Use a spoon to transfer the balls into a fine meshed sieve and gently shake the sieve to remove some of the extra cocoa powder.

10.  Place a truffle in each of the artichoke leaves or set the truffles aside, at cool room temperature or refrigerate if you wish until serving.  

If you do refrigerate your truffles, be sure to cover them well and let them temper at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.

Tips
If you can't find Hummingbird chocolate bars, poor you, you'll get good results from other "bean to bar" chocolate such as SOMA or Olivia.

Mandarin Orange Curd Tartelettes

Remember the all those fabulous Mentonnaise mandarins I rescued recently from my neighbour's garden?  Well this afternoon I locked myself in the kitchen, sun streaming in,  to  create a few recipes with them.  Happy work indeed!

These little tartelettes are filled with a tangy, creamy curd made with fragrant, perfumed Mentonnaise mandarins and lemons.  If you're lucky enough to get your hands on some, this recipe will do them justice although mineolas and tangerines work well too.  Either way, I think these have a pleasing balance of sweet and sour, and aren't so rich that you wouldn't reach for a second one.

To concentrate the flavour of the mandarins, you'll boil the juice gently to reduce it by half and then add the lemon juice.

Sublime!

Mandarin Orange Curd Tartelettes

Makes 9 Tartelettes

360°F/185°C

Equipment
Fine grater
9 -  3" (7½ cm) Fluted tart tins
Round cookie cutter, 4" (10cms)
Rolling pin
Medium sized, fine sieve
Small fine sieve

Pastry
(Pâte sucrée)
100g cold, unsalted butter

70g icing sugar

200g all purpose flour, sifted

⅛ teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon milk

Mandarin Curd (makes 14oz (400ml))

2 tablespoons(22g)  lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

1 cup mandarin juice (225g), about 12

Fine zest of one lemon 
2 teaspoons mandarin  zest

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons(4g) corn starch

4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons (26g) cream

4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter at room temperature

Pinch of salt

Finishing
2 teaspoons (4g) icing sugar OR
1 cup (250ml) lightly sweetened whipped cream

Method
1. Put the tart tins in the refrigerator to chill.

Prepare the pastry

1.  Mix together the egg yolks and milk.  Set aside.

2.  Using your hands or a food processor, mix the butter, salt, and icing sugar together until well mixed. There shouldn't be any lumps of butter visible.  If you're using your hands, work quickly so you don't melt the butter.  The final mixture will be a thick paste.

3. Add the flour and mix gently or pulse a few times.  Add the egg yolk and milk mixture and mix until just incorporated.  Do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.  Knead once or twice to bring the mixture together. 
 4.  Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to rest while you prepare the curd.

Prepare the Curd

1.  In a saucepan over medium heat, boil the mandarin juice gently to reduce it to 1/2 cup.  This should take about 10 minutes.  Pour the reduced mixture into a bowl,  then add  the lemon juice and the zests.

2.  Place the medium sized, fine sieve over a medium bowl and set aside.  In a medium saucepan, mix the egg yolks, sugar, salt, corn starch and cream.  Add the juice mixture and stir well.

3.  In a medium bowl over simmering water, the mixture stirring constantly until thick and translucent. Remove from the heat and pour  the curd through the fine sieve into a bowl.
4.  Add the butter in small pieces and stir until melted.  Press some plastic wrap directly on the top of the curd and refrigerate.

Prepare and pre-bake the tart shells

1.  Lightly flour your work surface and pin and roll out the pastry dough to about 3mm thick.

2.  Using your cookie cutter, make about 9-10 circles. Gently press each of the circles into the tart tins, trim any overage and refrigerate them for at least 1/2 hour.

3.   Preheat the oven to 360°F(185°C)

4.   Prick the dough on the bottom of each pastry shell a few times.  Line each with foil or parchment and fill with baking weights.  Arrange them on a cookie sheet. 

5.   Bake the shells for 15 minutes, then remove them from the oven, remove the foil and baking weights, and return them to the oven  for another 5-8 minutes until golden brown.  Remove and set aside to cool.

6.  One at a time, flip them over onto your hand and very gently squeeze the sides of each of the tart tins.  They should pop out easily.  Set them aside

Assembly

1.  Stir the curd a bit to soften it.  Spoon the curd into each of the tart shells, placing each onto a cookie sheet as you go.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

Serving 

1.  Put the icing sugar in the fine sieve and tap it gently to evenly dust top of the tarts.   Arrange them on a serving plate.  These tarts are also great with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Tips

• Don't over mix the pastry dough, your tart shells will be tough.
• Keep an eye on the mandarin juice when you're reducing it.  It can go from ready to syrupy and overcooked in a few minutes.  Set a timer at 5 minute intervals just to be sure!
• Because there is corn starch in the curd mixture, you can cook it directly on the stove instead of a double boiler but  you should still keep an eye on it though - if it boils it will still curdle.
• Refrigerating your tart tins will make it easier to line with dough.
• Tea pairing:  an aged Pu'er goes well with these tarts and balances out the acidity of the curd quite nicely.

Pass the Whipped Cream, Les Gariguettes sont Arrivées!

Ahhh... Spring in the South of France...  

Just about the time the Mimosa have stopped  propelling pollen everywhere, coating everything in a fine yellow dust and sending everyone to the Pharmacie for allergy meds, Les Gariguettes are making their first appearance on the scene.  Rejoice!

Today was my first heavenly taste of this season's Gariguette de Plougastel from Plougastel-Daoulas in Brittany.  I remember the first time I ate them.  I couldn't believe my mouth, it being accustomed to the hardy Canadian, Spanish or American varieties.  It was a revelation at the time, as though someone turned up an invisible strawberry flavour knob.

I've been buying them for years from the Place d'Armes Market in Monaco and my regular vendeuse smiles knowingly when I approach, euro in my hand like an addict seeking a fix.  "Ah, oui, les Gariguettes"... she purrs, placing them gently into a crinkly paper bag.  Sometimes they never make it as far as home.

In France, strawberries aren't just strawberries, they have names, and deservedly so.  My three favourite are the Gariguette, which appear from March until June, the Ciflorette which straddle the Gariguette season and linger until July, and the sweet little Mara des Bois which hit the scene in April and May and are available into October. Many French producers now use greenhouses to manipulate the growing season and to ensure reliable growing conditions and thank goodness for that!

The Gariguette are a balanced mix of sweet and sour with a slightly perfumed finish and a soft texture that yields in the mouth.  In fact you can eat them by using only your tongue to break them up.  This brings me comfort because when I am really, really old and have no teeth I'll still be able to enjoy them. 

Worth the price

Years ago, I passed bowls of Gariguette as hors d'oeuvres at a cocktail party  with only whipped cream as an accompaniment and friends are still talking about them to this day.

How do you tell a Gariguette apart from the others?  First is the price.  At €32 per kilo or about €5-6 per pint when they first appear it's a bit of a shock to the system but thankfully they become cheaper later in the season.  Not that I wouldn't think twice about paying full pop for them and eat them all like a little piggy.

Some of the best Gariguette are often sold individually so you can buy as many as you can afford.  I like the ones I buy in the outdoor markets with in little pint sized wooden baskets lined with pink tissue.  Peel back the tissue and voila! There they are, slightly elongated, orange-red, and very shiny.  Each berry is conveniently topped with a calyx that stands straight up like a little hat, so you can pinch it like a handle and bite the fruit into your mouth.

You can often find Gariguettes by larger producers such as  Rougeline in your local supermarket.   Just look for the proud producer's face on the box, eating strawberries, making you jealous.

It's rare to find these strawberries outside of France because they're so fragile and not meant to be shipped any distance.  This way the French get to keep them all to themselves.  How lucky are they?

They're best served at room temperature, all by themselves or with something creamy and simple like lightly sweetened whipped cream or fresh ricotta.

If you do ever find them where you live, buy them, run home, call your friends, and share them.  That is, of course, if you don't eat them all yourself.

They'll thank you.  

And if you didn't eat them all yourself, here are some recipes:

Swedish Roll Cake with Berries and Cream
Fraises des Bois in Meringue Nests
Cream Filled Genoise with Strawberries

Lemon Sponge Pudding. Easy, Delicious

Lemons, lemons everywhere!  At least that's what it seems during the 19  fun-filled days of Menton's annual Fête du Citron or Lemon Festival.  

I got caught up in the lemon frenzy this Sunday when I bought  a big bag of lemons from the Menton market and then poked through my recipes for a lemon dessert that could be made by anyone, including my dear friend Puddy, who never believes me when I say that something I served her was easy to make.

This pudding is magic.  During baking, it separates into two layers. The top becomes a lighter than air sponge cake and underneath is a luscious lemon curd.  It's fabulous served warm or cold but I think warm is better.

Citrus vendor in Menton

I found the recipe in my late mother's recipe collection.  For the life of me, I can't remember her ever having made it but there it was, mixed in with all of her other fruit dessert recipes.

Since finding it, I've made it often at home, for my Seniors' baking group, and given it out to friends who often ask for it.  It always get rave reviews.  The last time I made it was for lunch during our annual Olive Harvest Party and It was devoured minutes after I set it on the table.

Puddy, this pudding is for you!

Lemon Sponge Pudding

You can make this pudding with lemons or Meyer lemons with the same results.  Sometimes I add 1/4 teaspoon of zest from a Keffir lime and it turns it into something more exotic.  If you find lemons from Menton, definitely use them!

325°F/175°C

30-35 Minutes

Serves 6

Equipment

9"x9" baking dish or 8" (20cm) round dish or 6- 6 ounce (8cm) ramekins

Roasting pan large enough to accommodate your baking dish or ramekins with room for water

Microplane or other fine grater

Whisk

Stand mixer or hand held mixer

Ingredients

3 tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup (150g) granulated sugar

pinch of salt

3 large eggs, separated

3 tablespoons (26g) all purpose flour

1 cup (225g) full fat or partly skimmed milk

6 tablespoons or 3 ounces (50 g) fresh lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 325°F/175°C.  Set your oven rack to the lowest level.  Butter your baking dish or ramekins and set aside.

2.  Put some water on to boil.  You'll need enough boiling water to come up halfway up the sides of your baking dish once you place it in the roasting pan.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, zest, egg yolks and salt until the mixture is smooth and uniform.  Whisk in the lemon juice, flour and finally the milk.  Set aside.

4.  In your mixer or with hand held beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.

5.  Add the beaten egg whites to the first mixture and using a spatula, gently mix the two together.  Use your whisk and whisk the mixture to make sure the egg white is fully incorporated and the mixture is uniform.   The mixture will look curdled but that's OK.

6.  Pour the batter into the baking dish or divide it evenly amongst the ramekins.

7.  Place the baking dish or ramekins into the roasting pan.

8.  Place the roasting pan into the oven and add boiling water to it to come up to half way up the sides of your baking dish or ramekins.

9.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

10.  Remove the baking dish from the roasting pan.

11.  Allow to the pudding to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Tips 
I recommend that you place the baking dish or dishes in the roasting pan, put it in the oven and then add the boiling water.  Carrying a roasting pan with boiling water is a recipe for burns!  When the baking is done, remove the baking dish from the roasting pan and leave the roasting pan with the water in the oven to cool.  If you need the oven and have to remove the roasting pan, do so after you've removed the baking dish.  The water level will have lowered  somewhat and be safer to remove.

Crown Someone. Serve the Cake of Kings.

Some modern day fèves from my favourite Paris pastry supply shop, MORA

Today is Epiphany in France so don't put away those holiday fat pants just yet!

There is one more delicious cake to indulge in during the coming week, the Galette des Rois or Kings' Cake.  Larousse Gastronomy calls it "Twelfth Night Cake" but most people call it Epiphany Cake since it's  meant to celebrate the Christian observance of Epiphany.

So why all the fuss?  Well, baked into each cake is a fève or trinket and along with each cake comes a crown. You've got to love a cake that comes with its own accessories!

 

With the Epiphany cake, the fun really starts when the cake is cut and served:  the one lucky person who gets the portion with the fève inside is crowned king.  Aside from getting to wear the crown, being king comes with the royal responsibility of buying the next Epiphany cake.  Precisely when this next cake should appear on the scene varies depending on whom you ask.  As I recall, the last time we served an Epiphany cake in our home, the second cake never appeared, the king kept the fève, posed for photos and gave a long-winded speech.

A Provençal Epiphany cake with candied fruit and violets

Traditionally, Epiphany cake is made with layers of pâte feuilleté or puff pastry filled with frangipane, a rich almond cream, but some regions of France have their own style.

Here in the south, you'll find a special Provençal version  made by topping a golden ring of brioche with candied fruit.  Usually there's candied fruit inside too.

One of my favourite bakeries, Le Baiser de Mitron in Menton makes four versions of the Epiphany cake including a special, praline coated ring of brioche.  As an unusual bonus, they put 2 fèves in each of their cakes, perhaps so the cost of buying the next cake can be shared between the two kings.  Unfortunately, they provide only one crown.

A French friend of mine enjoyed the Galette Franche-Comté as her customary Epiphany cake, popular in Besançon near the French/Swiss border.

Instead of puff pastry the Galette de Franche-Comté is made from pâte à choux, or cream puff dough, collapsed into a pancake that's quite thin so sometimes you can see a bump where the fève is.  Her family had a lovely tradition when it came time to serve the Galette. The youngest child in the household would sit under the table and as her mom apportioned the cake, the sequestered child, unable to see the slices and perhaps a bump where the fève was, got to chose to whom each slice was served.  How's that for a sweet childhood lesson in égalité !

Polar bear fèves

In her great-grandmother's time, the fève in her Epiphany cake was a modest little dried bean and I'll bet she never would have predicted that the fève would evolve the way it has and become a collector's item.  For example, the Paris pâtisserie, Lenôtre, offers a chic boxed set of fèves depicting Aston Martin in place of the humble bean.

The venerable Parisian pastry supply shop, Mora, (a personal favourite of mine) has a great selection of  fèves and crowns that you can order by mail. Keeping apace with modern times they stock ceramic race cars, cupcakes, coffee makers, spices, bees, childhood songs, hand bags, and dairy products.  Something for everyone.

Another local pastry shop  I popped into  today is baking a  polar bear fève into each of its cakes this year.  Why a polar bear?  Why not?

Supermarket Intermarché has cakes stacked like cord wood and an Epiphany cake promotion from January 3rd to the 10th.  For every €10 you spend you get a scratch card for a chance to win a free cake.  I lost.

If vintage is more your style you can always find fèves in antique shops and usually there's a box or two to poke through at the weekly brocante or flea market.

Fèves  for sale at the Brocante

For the true enthusiast, this January 8th in Paris you can attend the 22nd annual Fèves des Rois World Collectors Expo.  Imagine what miniature fun that would be surrounded by millions of fèves.

Epiphany cake promo at Intermarché

If you have the time, why not try your hand at making your own Epiphany cake? French company Vahiné has a handy little Epiphany cake kit available from most supermarkets.  Each kit includes the necessary ingredients for a frangipan filling with your choice of either chocolate or praline, a crown, and a little fève of a Japanese girl in a kimono. You just need to add a few basic ingredients of your own, a bit of puff pastry, and some imagination.

A crown and fève from Vahiné's Epiphany Cake kit

Just for fun, why not put a little fève or trinket into your next dinner party dessert? It can be something fun or something expensive...

Just remember to warn your guests before they dig in!

Grab and go cakes at the local Intermarché

Operation "Voulez-Vous a Pumpkin Pie?"

Even though I'm Canadian, I feel for the Americans who live here in Monaco, about 300 in total, who don't bake and can't find a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.  Quite sad really.

Pumpkin pie is completely unknown here and generally viewed by the French with anything from suspicion to curiosity depending to whom you are describing it.  They don't know what they're missing!

Well something had to be done so this year I'm putting my oven where my mouth is and I'm offering to make pumpkin pies for anyone who wants one, well, any 20 people at least.  I have launched, operation ""Voulez-Vous a Pumpkin Pie?", whereby for a €50 donation, you can have a pumpkin pie, lovingly made by me, delivered to you in a pretty box on November 24.  For €5 more, you can have real whipped cream too.

All of the proceeds from operation ""Voulez-Vous a Pumpkin Pie?" will go towards either Monaco Aide et Presence or the Nepal Youth Foundation, just like the proceeds from the cakes I make through my charitable bakery,  Cakes for a Cause.  If you'd like to order a pie, just click on the small pie on the top right of the page for more information.

I'm really looking forward to firing up the oven, savouring the heady aroma when I grind the spices and of course having my house smell like pumpkin pie for a few days.

Hopefully all 20 pies will be scooped up.  Well, maybe 19.  That way I can keep one for myself.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Classic Swedish Baking: Jelly Roll Slices with Berries and Cream

During a "let's catch up" drink this Friday, my Swedish friend surprised me with a lovely gift from a recent trip to her native Sweden:  a classic Swedish baking book entitled, Sju Sorters Kakor by Ica Bokförlag. 

After a bit of research and setting up a short cut key for an umlaut, the whole sweet picture came into focus.

Sju Sorters Kakor was first published in 1945 as the result of a baking contest held after the end of World War II and since then 3,657,000 copies have been printed.    In 2008 it was translated into English and was renamed, "Swedish Cakes and Cookies."  My Swedish friend translated it as, "Seven Kinds of Cookies" even though there are far more than that in the book.

Some of the goodies from Sju Sorters Kakor

The minute she gave it to me I flipped through it and became inspired.  I know nothing about Swedish baking so here was something new to explore and play with.  There were so many interesting recipes that I'd like to try but the first one I chose is Rulltårtsbakelese Med Bär or Jelly Roll Slices with Berries and Cream.  It's a pretty cake that could be served at a formal tea or as a luncheon or dinner dessert.

I translated and interpreted the recipe from Swedish, added some vanilla and salt to the sponge and some details to the method for clarity but the essence and final product remain the same.  I was stymied by one word however, Vispgrädde.  My Swedish friend says its a thick cream with a fat content of 40%.  Yowza!  I wish I could find Vispgrädde here in France!

The biggest difference I found between Swedish and English recipes was that Swedish measurements are in decilitres (dl) which is a liquid measure.  One dl = 100 ml.  If you have a liquid measuring cup you should use it.  I've left the "dl" measurements in the recipe so you can measure in Swedish too.

When was the last time you made something from Sweden?  Give it a try - it's delicious!

Rulltårtsbakelse Med Bär  
or 
Jelly Roll Slices with Berries and Cream

Serves 10-12

Preheat to 250ºC/480ºF then bake at 200ºC/390ºF for 5 minutes

The original recipe in Swedish

Equipment

1 - 12" x 16" (30 x 40 cm)  jelly roll pan

Wide parchment paper

Medium offset spatula

Hand held beaters, whisk or stand mixer

Piping bag with the tip or your choice

For the Sponge Roll 

3 large eggs

2dl or 200 ml or 174g granulated sugar  

2dl or 134g all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2dl or 46g milk or cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Filling

2dl/280g seedless black currant or seedless raspberry jam or 

2dl/280g strawberry jam

Topping

3dl/ 720g whipping cream

1dl/55g powdered sugar 

2 pints fresh berries such as raspberries, red currants, strawberries, blackberries or a combination

2 teaspoons powdered sugar for dusting (optional)