crispaf - Tumblr blog

[crispaf]

Spice Donuts

These donuts are baked in a pan with 6 donut molds like this one. I call them spice donuts because they have the cinnamon-y and clove-y taste of the typical spice cakes you expect in fall, but with a bit of a twist.

I add cardamom, whose peppery citrus flavor is often paired with cinnamon and has played a prominent role in Scandinavian baking since the Vikings brought it back from Asia 1000 years ago (like in these traditional buns). You can also find it in Kulich, a Russian Easter bread (x).  In its native western India it’s used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes - perhaps most famously as an integral component of the spice blend garam masala - and it’s a popular addition to coffee throughout the Middle East.

I also add Chinese 5 spice for a subtly sweet licorice note and a bit of heat. Typically, Chinese 5 spice is comprised of fennel, cloves, star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, and cinnamon.  It really just lends the donut a HINT of licorice; I don’t like licorice by itself at all and I love these donuts. Most people who try them say “Oooh there’s something in here that I like but I can’t put my finger on it” rather than “Oh these def have licorice in them.” 

Recipe:

1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup oil 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 egg 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp cardamom 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cloves 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice

Sift all the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients together and add to the dry. Pipe into donut tins and bake at 177C/350F for 10-12 minutes.

[crispaf]

Cream Puffs!

These cream-filled desserts are made from pâte à choux, a light and airy French pastry dough. “Choux” means cabbage - probably because the dough looks a little crinkly and cabbage-like when it’s cooked:

The pâte à choux is simple to make and requires the following ingredients:

-½ cup water

-½ cup whole milk

-½ tsp salt

-1 tsp sugar

-8 Tbsp/113g unsalted butter

-1 cup/142 bread flour (i.e. high protein flour)

-230g/approx 4 eggs

I found this recipe here - she makes eclairs, but the dough is the same.

Bring the water, milk, salt, sugar, and butter to a boil. Stir in the bread flour and continue cooking for 1-2 min to dry the dough out slightly. Transfer the dough to a bowl and add eggs one at a time using a handheld mixer. Use a piping bag to transfer the choux dough to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Cook at 350F with convection (or 375 without) for 30 minutes.

The cream filling is a vanilla crème pâtissière mixed with some whipped cream. For the crème pâtissière you’ll need:

-1 cup milk

-1 vanilla bean, scraped

-1 Tbsp whiskey

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-3 egg yolks

-¼ cup sugar

-3 Tbsp corn starch

-2 Tbsp butter

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, corn starch, whiskey, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Add the milk and vanilla bean seeds to a saucepan and heat over medium until it starts to steam. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking - if you do this too quickly, you’ll cook the eggs, which will make your custard lumpy and gross. Then return everything to the saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it thickens. Once thickened, strain the mixture into a bowl with 2 Tbsp of butter in it and mix until the butter is melted. Refrigerate for one hour. 

I prefer to lighten up the cream filling by adding some heavy cream. In a small bowl or a stand mixer, whisk 1-2 cups of heavy cream until thickened. Add some powdered sugar. Once whipped to medium/stiff peaks, fold in the crème pâtissière. There you have your filling!

For the chocolate glaze, you’ll need:

-125g dark chocolate chips

-½ cup heavy cream

-1 Tbsp light corn syrup

Microwave ingredients for 1 minute then stir vigorously until smooth. Dip filled cream puffs in the chocolate mixture and let dry for 30 min!

[crispaf]

SCONES!

Here’s my basic scone recipe, from which lots of tasty variations can be made:

2 cups of flour

1/3 cup of sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

6 Tbsp cold butter, cubed

1/2 cup cream (or whole milk)

1 egg

1.5 tsp vanilla

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse until combined. Empty contents into a large bowl. In a liquid measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup cream and whisk in one egg and 1.5 tsp vanilla extract. Pour about 3/4 of the cream mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and gently fold in with a spatula or your hands until just combined. If the mixture doesn’t come together completely, add some more liquid a little bit at a time. You may not need all of the liquid (but it’s fine if you do). Press into a 7 inch circle and cut into 8 triangular pieces by cutting vertically, horizontally, then in between each quarter.

For the icing, mix powdered sugar, corn syrup, and water until you get the desired consistency.

Now the fun part - variations!

Lemon Rosemary - add the zest of one lemon and 2 bunches of rosemary to the food processor; replace water with lemon juice in icing

Strawberry Thyme - add one Tbsp of strawberry jam and some fresh thyme to the food processor; substitute the vanilla for 1 tsp strawberry extract and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; instead of icing, you can make a hole on top of the scone and fill it with jelly before cooking:

Cranberry Orange - add the zest of one orange to the food processor, and fold in 3/4 cup craisins to the batter; replace water with freshly squeezed orange juice in frosting

Blueberry - fold 3/4 cup fresh blueberries into the batter

Pistachio Rose - add 2 Tbsp of pistachios to the food processor and replace the vanilla extract with 1 Tbsp honey and 2 tsp rose water; add a tsp of rose water to the icing

[crispaf]

Salted caramel frosting:

This frosting has a pastry cream base so it’s not super sweet and it’s very smooth. To make the caramel pastry cream you’ll need:

-4 egg yolks

-1/2 cup sugar

-1/4 cup cornstarch

-1 cup milk

-1 cup heavy cream

-2 Tbsp water

-1 tsp vanilla bean paste

In a medium sized bowl, mix the egg yolks, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and 1/2 cup of milk. Place the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a saucepan with 2 Tbsp water and cook on medium heat (don’t stir!) until sugar turns an amber color. Whisk in 1 cup of cream and the remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Stir in the vanilla bean paste. Slowly transfer half of the hot liquid to the egg mixture while whisking (if you do this too quickly or add to much hot liquid to the egg mixture you might accidentally cook the eggs, which you don’t want to do). Then transfer the bowl mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool in fridge for 2 hours.

Once you have your cooled pastry cream, you’ll need the following for the frosting:

-1/2 cup caramel pastry cream

-1/2 cup salted butter

-2 Tbsp powdered sugar

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

[crispaf]

I altered my chocolate custard filling and strawberry buttercream recipes and I’m really happy with the results. For the custard you’ll need:

1 cup whole milk 1-2 Tbsp Kahlua 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste 3 egg yolks 3 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp corn starch 2 Tbsp unsalted butter ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a saucepan over medium heat bring the milk, kahlua, and vanilla bean paste to a gentle simmer, but don’t let it boil. SLOWLY add half of the hot milk mixture to a bowl with the egg yolks, sugar, and corn starch, whisking constantly. Then pour this mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture and whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and put the mixture through a sieve into a bowl with the butter and semisweet chocolate, and mix until combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 min before use.

For the strawberry buttercream you’ll need:

6 large egg whites 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar 1 ½ cups + 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 4 Tbsp shortening 1 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp strawberry extract

Whisk the egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixture over a pot of simmering water until it reaches 160F, about 5 min. Then beat on high speed with whisk attachment for 10 min until you get a meringue and the bowl isn’t warm anymore. Swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and on medium speed at the butter and shortening one Tbsp at a time. Add the powdered sugar and then the extracts.

[crispaf]

Raspberry Custard

-1 cup of fresh raspberries

-2 Tbsp pomegranate juice

-1/2 of a blood orange, juiced

-2/3 cup of sugar

-2 eggs

-2 Tbsp cold water

-1 tsp gelatin

-3/8 lb of salted butter (1.5 US sticks)

-1/4 cup whole milk

Put the raspberries, pomegranate juice, blood orange juice, and 2/3 cup of sugar in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add 2 eggs and blend again. Pour the mixture into a saucepan. While it’s heating up, sprinkle 1 tsp of gelatin over 2 Tbsp of cold water in a small bowl. Let the gelatin sit for 5 minutes and whisk the fruit mixture in the saucepan while you’re waiting, adding 3/8 lbs of salted butter and a little less than 1/4 cup of whole milk. Once everything is melted and the mixture just starts to boil, put it back in the blender along with the gelatin and blend. Transfer to heat-proof bowl and refrigerate for a few hours. It will seem too thin at first but it will firm up in the fridge.

This custard makes a great filling for cakes and cupcakes! If you want it to be a bit thicker you can omit the whole milk.

[crispaf]

Citrus sponge cake with a rosewater saffron drizzle. First make the rosewater saffron syrup, for which you’ll need:

-3 tsp saffron water

-1 Tbsp rose water

-1/2 cup water

-1 cup sugar

First, to make the saffron water, put a pinch or two of saffron in a small dish and add 1/4 cup of boiling water to it, then let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Then put 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of regular water in a small pot and boil it until it thickens, but don’t let it carmelize. This will take a few minutes. Add 1 Tbsp rose water and 3 tsps of the saffron water, boil for an additional 3 minutes, and then let the syrup cool.

For the sponge cake you’ll need:

-4 eggs

-1 1/2 cups white sugar

-1/2 cup rosewater saffron syrup

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 tsp orange extract

-1 cup boiling milk

-2 Tbsp salted butter

-2 cups flour

-2 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp salt

Beat 4 eggs and 1 1/2 cups of white sugar with the whisk attachment of a mixer for a few minutes, then slowly add 1/2 cup of rosewater saffron syrup. Then add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp orange extract. Bring 1 cup of whole milk to a gentle boil (be careful not to let it curdle and/or scald the bottom of the pot too much - stir often and keep an eye on it) and add 2 Tbsp salted butter to the hot milk, stirring to melt it. Pour this milk and butter mixture into the sugar mixture, whisking on med-low speed while you do it. In a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt, and then fold it into the rest of the batter, mixing only enough to combine.

Cut the cake into slices and drizzle it with leftover syrup. Enjoy!

[crispaf]

Ahh thank you @spikeygorgeous I totally forgot to add the temperature and cook time. Cook at 177C/350F for approximately 20 minutes, but the exact time will depend on how big your cupcakes are so I would check them after 14 or so!

To make the margerita cake:

-¾ lb unsalted butter

-2 ¾ cups sugar

-¼ cup blue agave nectar

-1 Tbsp triple sec or cointreau

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-6 eggs

-juice of 4 limes (approx ¼ cup)

-1 ¼ cups whole milk

-3 ¾ cups flour

-1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder

-½ tsp salt

-zest of 3 limes

Cream the butter and sugar on med high speed, add the agave, vanilla, and triple sec, beat for 5 min until light and fluffy. Add eggs 2 at a time. Squeeze 4 limes into a measuring cup (it’ll be about ¼ cup) then fill it up to 1.5 cups with whole milk. Whisk together the flour, zest, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and add it to the batter, alternating with the milk and lime mixture.

To make the coconut filling:

First you make kaya, a coconut jam that’s popular in Malaysia and Singapore. To make kaya, you’ll need:

-3 eggs

-¾ cup sugar

-13oz coconut milk

Whisk the ingredients in a bowl and run it through a sieve. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water (don’t let it touch the water, just let it sit above it) and stir it until it thickens - approx 45 min - and then refrigerate it. You don’t really have to be actively stirring it the whole time, but keep an eye on it. Once you’ve made the kaya, you can make the coconut filling, for which you’ll need:

-1 cup heavy cream

-¼ cup sugar

-½ cup kaya

Whip the heavy cream until it starts to thicken. Slowly add sugar. Fold in kaya.

To make the lime and orange liqueur frosting you’ll need:

-5 egg whites

-1 ¼ cups sugar

-1 lb unsalted butter

-2 tsp lime extract

-1 Tbsp triple sec/cointreau

Whisk the egg whites and sugar over a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes until it gets foamy. Then whip with a mixer at high speed with a whisk attachment for approx 8-10 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and meringue-like. Once the meringue has cooled down completely, swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time while mixing on med/med high. Add the triple sec and lime extract and whip on medium high for an additional 4-5 min.

[crispaf]

To make the margerita cake:

-3/4 lb unsalted butter

-2 3/4 cups sugar

-1/4 cup blue agave nectar

-1 Tbsp triple sec or cointreau

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-6 eggs

-juice of 4 limes (approx 1/4 cup)

-1 1/4 cups whole milk

-3 3/4 cups flour

-1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder

-1/2 tsp salt

-zest of 3 limes

Cream the butter and sugar on med high speed, add the agave, vanilla, and triple sec, beat for 5 min until light and fluffy. Add eggs 2 at a time. Squeeze 4 limes into a measuring cup (it'll be about 1/4 cup) then fill it up to 1.5 cups with whole milk. Whisk together the flour, zest, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and add it to the batter, alternating with the milk and lime mixture.

To make the coconut filling:

First you make kaya, a coconut jam that’s popular in Malaysia and Singapore. To make kaya, you’ll need:

-3 eggs

-3/4 cup sugar

-13oz coconut milk

Whisk the ingredients in a bowl and run it through a sieve. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water (don’t let it touch the water, just let it sit above it) and stir it until it thickens - approx 45 min - and then refrigerate it. You don’t really have to be actively stirring it the whole time, but keep an eye on it. Once you’ve made the kaya, you can make the coconut filling, for which you’ll need:

-1 cup heavy cream

-1/4 cup sugar

-1/2 cup kaya

Whip the heavy cream until it starts to thicken. Slowly add sugar. Fold in kaya.

To make the lime and orange liqueur frosting you’ll need:

-5 egg whites

-1 1/4 cups sugar

-1 lb unsalted butter

-2 tsp lime extract

-1 Tbsp triple sec/cointreau

Whisk the egg whites and sugar over a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes until it gets foamy. Then whip with a mixer at high speed with a whisk attachment for approx 8-10 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and meringue-like. Once the meringue has cooled down completely, swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time while mixing on med/med high. Add the triple sec and lime extract and whip on medium high for an additional 4-5 min.

[crispaf]

French Buttercream for Macarons

I like making this frosting with Macarons (recipe) because it uses up the 4 egg yolks that you’ll have left over from making the macarons.

First, heat 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 3 Tbsp of water over medium heat:

Meanwhile, whip 4 egg yolks on high speed until they’re light and frothy, about 2-3 min:

When the sugar water reaches about 235F, slowly pour it into the egg yolks while whipping on high speed:

Whip on high for 6-8 minutes, until the bowl is cool to the touch. Then swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment, and add 1 cup of unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.  After all the butter is added, whip on high for 2 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or bean paste.  I couldn’t really take good pics of these steps, but it will look like this when you’re done:

Pipe them onto the macarons and you’re done! I used food coloring on mine but you don’t have to.

[crispaf]

Macarons

First sift together 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1.5 cups of almond flour:

Next, start whipping 4 egg whites with an electric mixer, gradually going from low to high speed. Save the yolks for frosting. Have a bowl of ½ cup of granulated sugar ready, and start by adding ½ of the granulated sugar (¼ cup) once the egg whites get frothy like this:

Keep mixing on high for 30 seconds to a minute, then add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and mix for an additional 2 minutes, at which point you should have something that looks like this:

The mixture still isn’t ready (it needs to be stiffer), but now is a good time to add 1 tsp almond extract and food coloring (if you want). Then keep beating until the mixture is stiff and it forms stiff peaks when you remove the whisk attachment like this:

Now gently fold half of your meringue into your dry ingredients:

and the other half:

This is too thick - it falls off the spatula in clumps. Mix it more by sort of pressing your spatula against the bowl and flattening the meringue.  You’re done once it falls off the spatula in ribbons like this:

Pipe the mixture onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet and then bang the cookie sheet against the countertop a few times to get any air bubbles out. Let the raw macarons sit for at least 30 min to an hour until they form a bit of a shell and you can poke them without batter sticking to your finger. Then bake at 300F for 15 minutes:

[crispaf]

Perfect Homemade Pitas pt. 2

First roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface and press down like this to get air bubbles out:

Then cut into roughly equal pieces:

form them into balls then squish into thick disks:

Then stretch them out by pulling your fingers away from the center from underneath the pita:

and then flatten them more with a rolling pin. They should be thinner than your desired pita thickness bc they’ll thicken when you cook them:

Cook them on medium high in a lightly oiled skillet:

About 2 min each side:

[crispaf]

Perfect Homemade Pitas

First, mix 2 ¼ teaspoons (¼ oz or 7g) active dry yeast, 1 cup of warm water (about 35 degrees Celsius/95 Fahrenheit), and 1 cup (4.5oz) flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it sit for about 15 minutes until it gets bubbly:

Then whisk in 1.5 Tablespoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of salt. Once it’s combined, add 1.5 cups of flour to the mixture, and reserve another ½ cup of flour in a separate bowl. Start mixing using a dough hook attachment:

The dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, so you need more flour.  Somewhere between an extra ¼ cup to ½ cup of flour is ideal, so keep pouring the flour you’ve reserved in the bowl into the mixer until the dough doesn’t stick to the sides anymore and forms a relatively firm, smooth ball:

Once your dough is this ideal consistency, keep mixing on medium high for at least 5 minutes.

The dough should easily form a ball and not stick to your hands too much:

You might not use all the flour, or you might use it all. As long as the consistency is ok you’re good. Put the dough back in the bowl and coat it with olive oil:

Then cover it with tin foil for 2 hours, until it has doubled in size:

And now your dough is ready to be made into pitas!

[crispaf]

-20 thai chiles -1 jalapeño -3 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons vegetable oil -1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil -1 clove of garlic -Juice of 1 lime -1 tablespoon of rice vinegar -Onion powder and salt (optional)

[crispaf]

Spooky lime cake pops!

1) Bake an 8 inch yellow cake with the zest of 2 limes (my recipe here).

2) Make lime custard (my recipe here).

3) Crumble up the cake and add equal parts lime custard and vanilla frosting (the canned kind works best) to the crumbs until the consistency is dough-like.

4) Roll the doughy cake into balls and insert sticks, then freeze them for about an hour before dipping them in candy coating (or white chocolate with a bit of coconut oil if you don’t have those)

[crispaf]

Lime custard! First whisk the following together in a heat-proof bowl:

-the juice of 4 small limes

-1 cup of sugar

-4 egg yolks

-1 egg

Whisk the mixture over simmering water (but not touching the water - see first picture) for 20-30 minutes, until it thickens. Then add 4 Tbsp of unsalted butter and stir until it melts. Place in fridge until it cools, and whip 0.5-1 cup of heavy cream until it’s fluffy (see pic 4).  Fold the cooled lime mixture into the heavy cream. 

The custard makes a great pie or cake filling!

[crispaf]

I used some of the peppers I have laying around from my garden for a hot sauce inspired by la jiao jiang (辣椒酱) a condiment used in many Chinese dishes. I added lime juice and onion powder to a more traditional recipe: 20 Thai chiles 2 jalapeños 1 clove garlic 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp onion powder