Apple Beignets

Michael likes when i make fried foods and he hates when i make fried foods. I made these once a while ago and i think we'll have them again this weekend. Now you can use almost any fruit, a hard flesh fruit works best like Apples, Pears or any stone fruit. I have used berries but do not precook the berries, just wrap them whole in the dough and fry.

Apple Beignets

Ingredients

4 large apples, pealed, cored and cut into doughnut slices, sprinkled with lemon juice
3 table spoons of unsalted butter
2 table spoons raw sugar

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
3/4 cup of pale beer
1/4 veggie oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raw sugar

Veggie oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place apple slices on a parchment lined baking sheet, dot the butter evenly over all the slices and sprinkle with sugar and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the apples just become soft but not too soft, you will need to handle them later and if they are too soft this will be very hard to do. remove from the oven and let cool.

While the apples are baking start to the dough.

Separate the eggs; in one bowl place the yolks the other whites, you will be whipping the whites so it should be the bowl from the stand mixer. Whisk the egg yolks until smooth, now add the salt, oil and beer and continue whisking until smooth. Next add the flour whisk until thick and lump free.

Now start whipping up the egg whites as they start to firm up add the 2 teaspoons of raw sugar and the cream of tartar. Whip until you get slightly stiff peaks. Now fold the egg whites until the egg yolks until both have become one and are smooth.

Now its time to make the doughnuts.

Place enough oil in a deep skillet to be about 2 inches deep. Bring the oil to about 325 degrees. Now lets line up everything you will need. In a small bowl place the 3/4 cups of raw sugar and cinnamon, whisk to combine and set it next to the stove, you will also need plates with paper towels and a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on top. Also get the dough ready next to the cooled apples slices. You know the oil is hot and ready when you drop a bit of the dough in it and it puffs up.

Ok let cook, dip each of the slices into the dough, coating booth sides and place in the hot oil. Do not over crowd the skillet, i do two at a time; also do not pre-coat the apples, dip them before you fry them. The apples should stay in the oil about 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and let them rest about 1 minute on the paper towel before being rolled in the cinnamon sugar and then placed on the wire rack to cool.

Enjoy cooking

Bread Pudding

I love to make this and variations of the below recipe at this time of year. It just says winter to me. It is pretty simple to make.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients

1 Italian panettone, about 1.2 pounds
Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
4 extra-large whole eggs
8 extra-large egg yolks
3 cups half-and-half
2 cup crème friache
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup raw sugar
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
½ cup dried Cherries
½ cup currents


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the Panettone loaf into 1-inch cubes and place on a sheet pan in a single layer. Toast the panettone for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Grease a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish with the butter. Place the panettone cubes in the baking dish. Add the nuts, cherries and currents to the pan and toss.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, crème friache, vanilla extracts, cardamom, basil and sugar. Pour this custard mixture over the panettone. Set aside for 10 minutes so the bread soaks up the custard.

Place the baking dish into a larger pan and add very hot tap water to the larger pan until it's halfway up the side of the baking dish. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, making a tent of the foil so it doesn't touch the pudding: I use takeout chop sticks to hold up the foil. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake the pudding for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes, until the custard is set and the top of the pudding is light golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I have also made this with apricots, pumpkin and fresh berries. Depending on the time of year you may need to use a nice bread if the panettone is not available.

Enjoy Cooking

Dark Chocolate Raspberry pots de creme

Well i am back from my trade show and planning our Thanksgiving Meal and I though this recipe is always a good one around the holidays. I know below I do not use my standard Green & Blacks chocolate but they do not make a 100% bar, at least I can not find one.


Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pots de Creme

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream (you can use half and half to save some calories but what is the point)
1 teaspoon of orange water
1 teaspoon of orange zest
6 egg yokes
1/2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 & 1/2 bars 4oz bar of 100% chocolate, Ghiradelli
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 10oz package of frozen raspberries defrosted and mashed
(you will need 1 1/2 cups if you use fresh, you will still need to mash them up)
1 table spoon of flour
4 table spoons of warm milk

Topping
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon of orange extract


Directions
Preheat oven to 350
Place heavy cream, orange water, orange zest and the vanilla bean and the seeds into a medium sauce pan. Heat over med to low heat for about 4 to 6 minutes, you want the cream very warm but not boiling, you want to infuse the favors into the cream. After the cream is warm reduce the heat to very low and remove the vanilla bean.
In a medium bowl wish together the egg yokes, sugar and salt. Set aside
Over a double boiler melt chocolate, melt do not boil the chocolate.
Mix flour and milk together so that there are no lumps.
Once chocolate is complete melted stir in milk and flour mixture until completely blended.
Now blend the chocolate into the cream mixture until very smooth and creamy.
Next whisk in by hand, slowly, the chocolate mixture into the eggs. Do this very slowly and whisk quickly so that the egg/sugar mixture does not scramble.
Once complete blended now add the mashed raspberries.
Now ladle the mixture into ramekins, i use a 5oz one and this will fill about 8 of them.
Place filled ramekins into high sided baking pan, next fill the pan with water so that it comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes until custard is set.
Remove pan from oven and allow the ramekins to cool while still in the water about 1 hour.
Remove the ramekins from the water and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I usually make this the night before.

Topping -
place a ingredients into a medium bowl and blend on high speed into firm. You could add a 1/4 cup of powder sugar to the cream, but i like it with out the sugar, i like the freshness of the cream against the sweetness of the pots de creme

Enjoy Cooking