Sunday, June 29, 2025

Galette Bressane

Ingredients:
    4 C cream
    1/4 C buttermilk
    1 C milk
    6 T butter
    13 eggs
    1 750 ml bottle dry white wine
    2 vanilla beans
    stone fruits:
        3 peaches
        3 nectarines
        3 plums
    5 oz sliced almonds
    1 packet or 2 1/4 t active dry yeast
    500 g flour
    700 g sugar
    coarse sugar
    powdered sugar
    salt

Caramel Wine Sauce
    417 g sugar
    2 vanilla beans
    1/2 C water
    1 750 ml bottle dry white wine
Sabayon Ice Cream
    6 yolks
    2 C crème fraîche
    1/2 C whole milk
Brioche Dough
    438 g flour
    2 1/4 t active dry yeast
    5 eggs
    1/3 C milk, warmed to 100-110°
    67 g sugar
    1 t salt
    6 T butter, room temp
Crème Fraîche Custard
    2 C crème fraîche
    2 eggs
Tart Assembly
    1 egg white, beaten with 1 T water
    Sprinkling of coarse sugar
    200 g sugar
Finishing
    5 oz sliced almonds
    1/4 C powdered sugar

Two days before: assemble fruits and make crème fraîche
    Buy stone fruits for ripening.
    Stir together 4 C cream and 4 T buttermilk.
    Cover and let cure at room temp 12-24 hours.
    The next day, stir and let thicken in refrigerator.

Day before: make brioche dough, caramel wine sauce, and ice cream base
    Weigh out flour and place about 1 C of it into a stand mixer bowl.
    With a spatula, gently stir in yeast, 1 egg, and warm milk.
    Sprinkle 1 C flour over this mixture and leave bowl uncovered.
    After about 35 mins, the flour should have deep cracks.
    Meanwhile, lightly beat together 4 eggs, sugar, and salt.
    Once flour cracks, add egg mixture and another C flour to the bowl.
    With the dough hook, mix on low for 2 mins, scraping bowl as needed.
    Sprinkle in remaining flour.
    Increase speed to medium and beat a full 15 mins.
    Dough should become very thick, stretchy, and glossy.
    Do not be alarmed if your stand mixer becomes very hot.
    If dough is too warm, allow to cool to room temp.
    Turn the mixer to medium low and beat in butter 1-2 T at a time.
    When dough breaks, increase speed to bring it back together.
    Dough will be very sticky.
    Transfer dough to a large greased bowl and cover tightly.
    At room temp, let rise 2 - 2 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.
    Once puffy, gently deflate around edges and divide dough in half.
    Place in two greased bowls, cover tightly, and proof overnight.

    Place 417 g sugar in a heavy saucepan.
    Scrape vanilla beans, adding seeds and husks to the sugar.
    Place on stove and very gently add water around edges of pan.
    Turn the heat to high and don't stir.
    (Note - it's impossible to ruin this caramel because of the wine.)
    Once caramel is liquid and beginning to brown, gently swirl pan.
    Once deep golden, remove from heat and add wine.
    Caramel with seize; remelt until uniform and remove husks.

    For the ice cream base, place 6 yolks the bowl of a double boiler.
    Off heat and whisking constantly, slowly pour in 2 1/4 C hot syrup.
    Reserve remaining caramel wine sauce for next day.
    Whisking constantly, cook yolks in double boiler until 160°.
    Off heat, whisk in 2 C crème fraîche.
    Whisk in 1/2 C whole milk.
    Chill until ready to churn.

Day of: make ice cream, bake brioche tart, simmer fruits
    Churn ice cream in 2 batches, storing in freezer when finished.

    Shape dough using plenty of flour and working quickly.
    Prepare two large round pans with parchment.
    Roll each dough ball into a circle 3" larger than pan.
    Trace bottom of pan and crimp inwards tightly along this edge.
    Create a puffy, tall rim so there's more room for the custard.
    Transfer brioches to pans and set aside for the third/final proof.
    At room temp, let rise uncovered 45 mins or until doubled in size.

    Meanwhile, preheat oven to 250° convection bake.
    Whisk together crème fraîche with 2 eggs and set aside.
    Once brioches are puffy, press down the centers, redefining edges.
    Brush pastry edges with egg white and decorate with coarse sugar.
    Gently pour crème fraîche custard into both brioches.
    Sprinkle about 1/2 C sugar evenly over the surface of each tart.
    Bake 40 mins or until pastry is golden and custard jiggles slightly.
    Transfer to cooling rack and remove tarts from pans after a few mins.

    Gently simmer remaining wine sauce with a 1/4 t salt.    
    Cut ripe stone fruits and cook very gently for 2-5 mins.
    In a dry skillet over low heat, toast almonds, stirring frequently.
    To serve, cut a slice of brioche tart.
    Top with fruit sauce and ice cream.
    Finish with toasted almonds and a dusting of powdered sugar.


Note:
Nancy Silverton's original recipe makes one tart with one extra crust.
It uses 275° regular bake for one tart, not 250° convection for two.
It also makes a sabayon légère in place of sabayon ice cream.
The sabayon légère is called the "white secret sauce."

Friday, June 13, 2025

Ice Box Cake

1 1/2 sleeves graham crackers
2 family size packages instant pudding
5 C milk
1 C half and half

In a glass bread pan, arrange a layer of graham crackers.
(This is a nice size for this recipe and the glass shows off the layers.)
Read the packages of instant pudding.
For every 2 C milk suggested, use 1 C milk and 1/2 C half and half.
Separately make both puddings by whisking in milks.
Pudding will thicken in 5 mins.
Each batch of pudding can be divided into 2 or 3 parts.
Layer one part pudding, followed by one layer of grahams.
Repeat the process, ending with pudding on top.
This should fill the bread pan nicely with about 5 layers.
Decorate any way you wish; I love mini chocolate chips.
Let cake set in refrigerator at least 6 hours.

LTK
Make with your kids :)

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cornflake Bars

1/2 C butter
2 C or 506 g creamy (I use crunchy) peanut butter
1 C or 312 g light corn syrup
2/3 C or 146 g C light brown sugar
1/2 t salt
9 C crushed corn flakes
2/3 C or 104 g salted peanuts, chopped
1 T vanilla
10 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with pam and parchment.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter.
Add peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and salt.
Stir until melted and smooth.
Stir in corn flakes, 1/2 C peanuts, and vanilla just until combined.
Spread into prepared pan.
Melt chocolate in microwave, keeping temper.
Spread over top of bars and top with remaining peanuts.
Chill at least an hour.
Serve cold.

Caramel Cornflake Crunch

315 g granulated sugar
250 g heavy cream, hot
125 g salted butter, cut into pieces
1 t vanilla
200 g cornflakes

Make something to put this on; brownies are recommended.
(The original recipe uses a thin layer of brownie in a 9x13.)
Cook sugar over low medium heat, gently stirring with a wooden spoon.
Once boiling, continue cooking until 245 F.
Add hot cream, stirring slowly; once incorporated, add butter.
Continue cooking until caramel reaches 250 F.
Gently fold in cornflakes.
Spread on top of brownies, or whatever you're doing with this.
Let set 30 mins, then refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Slice with a hot knife.

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Water Pie

pie crust dough
400 g sugar
64 g flour
1 t salt
3 C water
2 T apple cider vinegar
4 t vanilla
4 T cold butter, sliced into 6-8 pats

Make and shape one pie crust dough; consider making it extra thick.
Blind bake convection at 375 for 30 mins only.
Preheat oven to regular bake 400.
Whisk together sugar, flour, and salt.
Place pie crust on baking sheet and cover with pie crust shield.
Carefully pour water into pie.
Patiently, sprinkle sugar and flour evenly into water.
Drizzle in vinegar, then vanilla.
Evenly spread out cold pats of butter.
Bake at 400 for 30 mins.
Turn temperature down to 375 and bake an additional 30 mins.
Pie is ready to take out of oven when jiggly and brown.
I continued to bake mine at 300 for an additional 45 mins.
It will be very bubbly and a thin layer of butter will be on top.
You're supposed to leave it, but I like to soak it up with a paper towel.
Let pie cool at room temperature for 2 hours.
Once at room temp, chill in the fridge for another 4 hours.


Notes:
Because of the high temp cooking times, other recipes don't blind bake.
Artificial vanilla will retain more flavor at these temperatures.
Without the salt or vinegar, the pie tastes even more sweet/bland.
My pie crusts are very large; the original recipe uses
    200 g sugar
    32 g flour
    1 1/2 C water
    2 t vanilla
    5 T cut into 5 pats

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Chia Seed Jello Parfaits

4 Bonne Maman jars
1 C fresh fruit
1 3-oz box jello
1 15 oz can coconut milk
1/3 C chia seeds
1/4 C frozen grated coconut (shredded coconut will work)
2 T maple syrup
1 T vanilla extract

Wash and chop fruit and distribute evenly in jars.
Place in the freezer.
Boil 1 C water and pour in a measuring cup.
Thoroughly dissolve jello, stirring vigorously.
Add 1/2 C strained ice water (not 1 C water from package directions).
Stir well, ensuring no cold spots, and pour evenly into jars.
Chill in freezer about half an hour.
Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients.
Let cool in fridge with whisk.
Go do something else until jello has set.
Gently pour chia pudding over jello.
This will fill the jars perfectly :)
Chill in fridge at least another hour, or until set.

Saturday, April 26, 2025

Chuy's Creamy Jalapeño Dressing & Salsa Fresco

.4 oz packet hidden valley ranch
1 C buttermilk
2 C mayo
3/4 C tomatillo sauce
3/4 C pickled jalapeños, sliced
2 T jalapeño juice
1 oz cilantro, washed and chopped

Immersion blend.

Chuy's


2 large serrano peppers, stemmed & seeded
1/2 large onion
6 roma tomatoes (can remove liquid for a thicker salsa
1/2 batch packed cilantro
1/3 C lime juice
1 t salt
1 t garlic salt

Food process; doesn't have to be all at once.