Violet and Blueberry Eclairs

Choux is one of those things I have been meaning to try but have been discouraged by one too many television disasters. If my first attempt is anything to go by, it really isn't hard, and given the relatively cheap ingredients making up the batter, you can afford to have a couple of goes if you aren't blessed with beginner's luck.

Since it was my first foray into choux I decided to go for the whole caboodle of a flavoured creme patissiere filling rather than simply whipping some cream. I personally much prefer this type since the cream filling is far to reminiscent of the supermarket version.

I used the basic recipes for choux and creme patisseire in Prue Leith's 'How to Cook' - a fantastic self teaching cook book that I would thoroughly recommend. The step by step photographs are particularly reassuring with something like choux pastry which, though not particularly difficult, requires a rather different technique and looks pretty strange/inedible at certain points!

The blueberry and violet flavour combination is excellent, with the potent berry taste of the icing faintly underlined with floral notes. These flavours can however, easily be substituted with whatever you like. I would quite like to experiment with a coffee and aniseed filling and chocolate icing next time...

See the recipe I used below (from Leith but with flavourings added) and an icing recipe of my own.

Choux Pastry Recipe (makes around 16 eclairs)

Ingredients:

220ml water

85g butter
105g plain flour, well sifted 

a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar

3 eggs, beaten

Method:

1. Put the butter (chopped into small pieces) and water into a saucepan. Heat slowly to melt the butter then turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Sieve the flour, salt and sugar three times. (As soon as the rolling boil is reached you want to get the flour in to stop too much water evaporating, so have your flour, ready-sieved, ready in a jug to pour in as quickly as possible.) 

2. When the mixture is boiling really fast, tip in all the flour with the salt and remove the pan from the heat.

3. Working as fast as you can, beat the mixture hard with a wooden spoon
(no electric mixers yet - and you might want to start with a few slower stirs to incorporate the flour rather than sending it puffing across the kitchen): it will soon become thick and smooth and leave the sides of the pan. This mixture is called the panade. (At first the mixture will look lumpy and vile. Within 20 seconds it looks thick and smooth.)

4. Spread the paste (panade) over a plate with the wooden spoon in a thin layer to cool to room temperature. (This takes a few minutes only. You can wash up or get your eggs ready while you are waiting.)

5. When the mixture is at room temperature or thereabouts, return it to the pan and start adding the eggs a little at a time, beating after each addition. (This is where you use your electric whisk unless you want to build your biceps, or don't have one, or are a Leith's student, in which case use a wooden spoon).

You might not need all the eggs. The mixture should be of (reluctant) dropping consistency - not too runny. Dropping consistency means that the mixture will fall off a spoon rather reluctantly and all in a blob; if it runs off, it is too wet (start again), and if it will not fall off even when the spoon is jerked slightly, it is too thick (add more egg).

6. To cook the eclairs, heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.  

7. Put the mixture into a piping bag with a 7-8mm nozzle and sausages around 6-7cm long. There are quite a few useful youtube videos for this. Pipe the eclairs around 5cm apart from each other. 

8. Bake in the top third of the oven for 20-30 minutes until well-risen and puffed, and a deep golden brown all over, checking after 20 minutes (no earlier or they may collapse). The choux buns should also be very firm to the touch on the base where they sit on the baking tray. If they are soft and pale golden, cook for longer.

9. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 170 degrees celsius. While hot, use a skewer to make a hole in the side about 5mm in diameter to allow the steam to escape. Place the eclairs back in the oven for 5-6 minutes to dry the insides. Take out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Violet Creme Patissiere (makes 300ml)

Ingredients

300ml whole milk
2 tablespoons of violet liqueur (to taste)
3 medium egg yolks

50g caster sugar

15g plain flour

15g cornflour

Method
1. Put the milk in a saucepan. Scald, by gently heating until steaming. Just before it bubbles, take off the heat and remove any skin that forms

2. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl and mix well. Add a splash of scalded milk, then the flours. Mix well to combine and ensure there are no lumps. Gradually stir in the remaining milk

3. Return the mixture to a clean saucepan and place over a low medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. It will go lumpy, but persevere and stir vigorously and it will become smooth. Turn the heat down and simmer for two minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and add the violet liqueur to taste (there is a huge variety in the strength of these so please take my measurement as a loose guideline only). Transfer the mix to a bowl and place a disc of greaseproof paper on top, in contact with the surface of the custard, to prevent a skin forming. Set aside to cool. 

5. Once cool discard the greaseproof paper with the skin and whisk the creme patisseire until it is soft enough to pipe but still firm

Blueberry and Violet Icing

Ingredients
125g blueberries
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of violet liqueur (to taste!)
240g icing sugar

Method
Boil the blueberries down with the sugar, stirring occasionally and making sure they do not burn until you have a nice thick coulis. Sieve the blueberries for a smooth sauce. Add the violet liqueur and then work in the sieved icing sugar until you have an icing that will not run down the sides of the eclair when you dip it in (add more icing sugar if it is too runny)

Assembling the eclairs... 

When the eclair pastry is cooked and cooled, pipe the mixture in through a hole in the side of the eclair. Finally, dip the eclairs in the icing for a smooth finish and leave the icing to set

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Showstopper Pavlova

This is dish is the perfect party dish, a fantastic focal point for any pudding table, and, importantly, a breeze to whip up. 

It is a little retro but there is something timelessly opulent about the glossy peaks of meringue.This one isn't just pretty though, it really packs a punch and is a far cry from those rather anaemic, cream-filled desserts that grace supermarket shelves and school canteens. 

The secret ingredients are curd cheese and Drambuie, giving the filling a tartness that cuts through the meringue and a luxurious boozy finish that leaves you wanting another helping. The alarming rate at which this pudding disappears is testament to the above.

I cannot claim credit for the recipe since it is one of my catering client’s classics that I make for her Christmas party every year. I have however improved the meringue to filling ratio, and added my own Italian meringue method for greater stability when trying to assemble the layers.

Recipe (serves 20)

For the Filling

This is best made a few hours before serving but can be made the evening before if kept refrigerated.

Ingredients

500g curd cheese

130g caster sugar

4 tablespoons soured cream

4-6 tablespoons Drambuie (to taste)

300ml double cream
Berries (see end of recipe)

Method:

Whisk together the curd cheese, soured cream and sugar (an electric whisk makes life a bit easier). The curd cheese will loosen with whisking.

In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until it forms peaks but taking care not to over-whisk to the point of it separating / becoming granular.

Mix the curd cheese mix into the double cream and stir in the Drambuie. The mix is now ready. Keep in the fridge until needed.

For the Meringues

Ingredients

900g caster sugar

450g free range egg whites

3 tsp rosewater (should be in the baking section of a large supermarket)

Method

Preheat oven to 200C/Gas mark 6.

Spread sugar evenly on large oven tray lined with baking sheet. Place in the heated up oven for 8 minutes (you should start to see it dissolving at the edges)

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with an electric whisk on high speed for 1 min or so, so the whites really froth up.

Decant the hot sugar into a bowl and add slowly while whisking the whites.

Add the rosewater and keep whisking on high speed for 10 minutes until it is completely cool. It should then be very silky and keep its shape.

Turn the oven down to 110C. Line a baking tray, sticking the baking sheet down with a few dabs of meringue mix between it and the baking tray.

Draw around a 20cm cake tin on a sheet of greaseproof paper that you have stuck to a baking tray using dabs of the meringue mix. Scoop half of the mix into the middle of the circle and work the mix outwards with a large metal spoon until it fills (or goes over) the circle in random, sweeping peaks. I like to make two peaked meringue circles, decide which I prefer and then smooth out the other one with a spoon so that it can form the bottom layer easily.

Place in the preheated oven and leave for about 2 hours, check if they are done by tapping them to see if they sound hollow. If not, cook for longer. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven while it cools for several hours. This makes them easier to lift off. If you will need the oven in the meantime, just let the meringues cool out of the oven but make sure they really do sound hollow when you tap them. 

To assemble: 

Extra ingredients:

2 punnets of blueberries

2 punnets raspberries

1 punnet of red currents to decorate

Method

To assemble, place the flat meringue on a plate. Spoon the filling mix into the middle of the meringue, spread it out evenly with a spatula. Scatter half of the berries (excluding the red currents) over the cream filling. 

Carefully place the top layer of meringue on top of the layer of filling (if it breaks a little it should still be able to sit on top of it. 

Sprinkle berries over the top of it and dust with icing sugar.

As you can see from the picture below, I didn't have red currents or icing sugar but it looks even prettier when you do

Flo and Elle's Tuscan Recipe 3: Nonna’s Tiramisu

Don’t worry I am not going to do a Nigella – the nonna in this case is not mine! 

Tiramisu, n.

An Italian dessert consisting of layers of sponge cake soaked in coffee and brandy or liqueur and a filling of mascarpone cheese, topped with cocoa powder.

Etymology:  Italian, ‘pick me up’ < phrase tira mi su.

The name of this dessert is first cited in the early eighties and its origin hotly debated. Some believing its birthplace to be Treviso, near Venice, and others Siena. Nevertheless, the best Tiramisu I have ever had, has to be in the Tuscan Town of Volterra where Ombra della Sera have been making the owner’s grandmother’s recipe for several decades.

What is wonderful about this particular version is that it feels like you are eating clouds. It is light, almost frothy and nowhere near the heavy, over-chilled, stodgy versions you get all over the UK. 

The owner let me in on their technique of using zabaglione, whisked egg whites and mascarpone to get that delicious texture. This may not be the definitive traditional method, but I firmly believe it is the best, and in a dish that can only be around 40 years old, this method has its own venerable family tradition.

If you compare the recipe below to, for example, Nigella’s method from Nigella Express, you can instantly grasp the difference. Where Nigella (who I love with the exception of her Express book) uses 2 whisked egg yolks and 1 whisked egg white to 500 grams of mascarpone, I use 5 whisked yolks and 5 egg whites to 300g mascarpone. 

You can see how much more aerated my mix will be. Delia Smith too, has a less airy ratio. Moreover, because both the zabaglione and the Italian meringue mixes involve heat (the zabaglione is made over a Bain Marie and the Italian meringue mix uses hot sugar) they are more stable, meaning the air is much harder to punch out of them. 

So, here my recipe. It is worth noting, before you start, that it should be left around an hour before eating and that it shouldn’t be made any more than 5 hours in advance, since the savoiardi biscuits will begin to disintegrate.

Prep time: 45 mins – 1 hour

Resting time: 1 hour (up to 4 hours)

Serves 10

Ingredients

For the coffee liqueur mix

1 teacup of espresso coffee – I brewed mine using Lavazza and a percolator but any strong coffee will do

2/3 of a teacup of Vin Santo (or other)

These measurements don’t need to be precise since you won’t use all of it

For the zabaglione

5 egg yolks

5 tablespoons of sugar

5 tablespoons of Vin Santo (you can also use other liqueurs but I like the taste of Vin Santo)

For the Italian Meringue 

5 egg whites

80g sugar

For the rest

300g mascarpone

2 packs of savoiardi biscuits (around 20)

3 teaspoons of cocoa powder

2 squares of dark chocolate (optional)

Coffee Liqueur Mix

• Brew your espresso and allow to cool

• Mix in the Vin Santo

Zabaglione

• Put a saucepan of water on the boil

• Put your egg yolks and 5 tablespoons of sugar into a glass bowl that fits over the saucepan

• Measure out your 5 table spoons of liqueur into a glass

• Turn the heat down so you have a gentle simmer and place the glass bowl over the top of it

• Using an electric whisk at top speed, whisk until foamy 

• Add the Vin Santo and continue whisking for 5-8 minutes, taking off the heat every now again so the eggs don’t cook and scramble! I also turn the heat off after a minute of whisking so that the water doesn’t get any hotter

• You are aiming for a thick and foamy texture that will hold the shape of a swirl in it for around a second, like a thick hollandaise sauce. Just keep whisking until it reaches that consistency. It should have tripled in volume. 

• Take off the heat and put aside until required

The Italian Meringue Mix

• Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius electric or 180 degrees Celsius fan 

• Line a baking sheet and pour in 80g sugar (or use an unlined pyrex dish). Make sure the sugar is in an even layer

• Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes to heat up – make sure it doesn’t burn or liquidise – you will see from the edges if it starts to so take it out straight away of that happens

• Put the egg whites in a large, clean mixing bowl. 

• Using an electric mixer, start to whisk them vigorously. 

• When they are foamy, add the sugar a little at a time until the mixture is stiff, fluffy and glossy like satin

• Put aside until needed

Combining the Tiramisu Filling

• Put the mascarpone in a bowl and whisk using an electric hand held whisk

• Slowly incorporate the zabaglione whilst whisking 

• Vigorously stir in 3 tablespoons of the Italian meringue mix

• Fold in the rest of the Italian meringue with a metal spoon and a folding motion, dragging the marscapone-zabaglione mix over the egg whites until the whole mix is smooth and fully incorporated

Assembling the Tiramisu 

• Slice your savoiardi biscuits lengthways so you have 2 long thin pieces. This creates a thinner, more delicate sponge layer

• Arrange along the bottom of a squareish glass dish so that they cover as much of it as possible

• Using a teaspoon, delicately spoon the coffee-liqueur mix over the biscuits so they are all uniformly brown. I do this rather painstaking technique to avoid soggy, wet sponge layers which really do ruin the overall effect. I used 2-3 small teaspoons per biscuit

• Spoon over half the Tiramisu filling and flatten with a spoon

• Arrange another layer of savoiardi biscuits and spoon over the coffee liqueur mix as before

• Spoon over the rest of the Tiramisu filling

• Flatten with a spoon

• Put the cocoa powder in a very fine sieve or tea strainer and sprinkle over the top

• Grate the chocolate on a fine setting and sprinkle that over too

• Keep in the fridge but make sure you take it out 15 minutes before serving so it is not too cold

The 10 Pillars of Macaron Making and the Perfect Salt Caramel Filling

At last, I feel that  I have cracked macaron making as much as I ever will and to a level that makes me very happy. The perfect, chewy, firm but gooey macaron has long been my nemesis and my sporadic attempts over the years have gradually built me up a list of do's and don'ts. This means that mine should now come out as well as they did in my most recent attempt every time, but lets see! 

I have listed these nuggets of knowledge below followed by my basic macaron recipe and a salt caramel filling recipe. I have used Ottolenghi's basic macaron recipe in the past but have been converted by La Duree's which have greater proportion of almond in them. That makes it harder to get a smooth texture but gives you a chewier result but I have found a way around this, which brings me onto my 10 pillars.

The 10 Pillars

1. Only use very fresh eggs

2. Either print the image below so it fills a sheet of A4 paper and place under your baking sheet to guide your piping or use something slightly bigger than a 2 pound coin to draw circles on your baking sheet. If your baking sheet isn't greaseproof on both sides, make sure you draw on the non greaseproof side before turning your baking parchment over when you use it to avoid getting marks on your macarons' bases. 



3. For a delicate, smooth macaron shell, whizz the almonds in a food processor for around 10 minutes and then another 5 minutes with the icing sugar as well this brings out perfectly smooth ones.

4. Don't over-whip your meringue mix - you want it to be firm enough to just hold its peaks but not be dry

5. Fold the almond-icing sugar mix into the meringue mix in thirds using a metal spoon or plastic spatula.

6. Glue your baking sheet down with blobs if macaron mix in the corners so that you have a secure base to pipe onto.

7. Pipe your macarons out of a 1cm nozzle AFTER watching a few YouTube tutorials such a this totally whacky but useful one

8. Only cook one tray at a time

9. Turn the tray around half way through cooking in case your oven cooks unevenly

10. After 15 minutes they shouldn't have any moist slightly greyish bits and you can check the inside by smashing just one of the macarons on the baking sheet and seeing if they are too molten/moist.

Macaron Shell Recipe adapted from La Duree
Makes 25-30

165g ground almonds
165g icing sugar
125g egg whites (I used around 4 eggs)
125g caster sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for a caramel cream coloured macaron or a few drops of food colouring if making another kind of filling

To make the macarons, Preheat your oven to 150 degrees celsius with an oven rack in the middle (move down if they tend to brown). Prepare your baking paper with small circles to guide your piping later on (see pillar 2 above) 

Blend your ground almond. Combine it with your icing sugar and blend some more. Sift the mixture through a medium gauge sieve.

In a large mixing bowl, beat your egg whites until foamy with soft peaks. Then slowly add the caster sugar beating on medium speed. Once the sugar has disolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms that is not too dry. Add the cocoa powder or colouring and beat briefly to combine.

With a large flat rubber spatula, fold one third of your sifted almond/sugar into the egg whites until combined. Repeat, until you've added all the almond mixture and it is consistently mixed throughout.

Pipe your macarons onto onto baking paper that has been stuck to the baking sheet using macaron mix in each corner. Allow each batch to rest for 10-30 minutes before baking - you want a dry skin to have formed (you can check this by touching to see if it doesn't stick to your finger anymore).

Bake one sheet at a time for 15 minutes. To prevent hollows shells, take one macaron from the oven and break it open before removing the whole sheet. If the inside is still very moist or molten, leave the cookies in the oven for 1-5minutes more until the insides are set. This will prevent the insides from collapsing during cooling and forming hollows.

Allow the macarons to cool completely on the baking sheet before attempting to remove them (I mean completely!).

Fill the macarons with a small dollop (1/2 a teaspoon) of filling and then smudge them together. Anything too wet will make your macarons go soggy. Keep them in an air tight container. Refrigerate them overnight to amalgamate a bit. Then bring to room temperature and serve.

Salt Caramel Filling

If you are still feeling brave, caramel, like Macarons is a notoriously difficult kitchen feat. This recipe has split on my once but I have since adapted the recipe to include less butter and use a hand held whisk instead of an electric whisk. This involves quite a bit of perseverance but pays of when you have a beautifully emulsified filling at the end of it.

Ingredients
125g double cream
175g caster sugar
5g Fleur de Sel
150g butter 

Chop your butter into small cubes

Weigh your sugar into a medium saucepan

Weigh your cream into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, remove from heat as soon as it starts to boil

Commence cooking your sugar stirring very occasionally to ensure that it caramelises evenly

When the sugar reaches a dark brown consistency remove from the heat and slowly pour in the hot cream whilst continuing to mix with a spatula

Let the caramel cool for 5 minutes and then stir in the butter, a few pieces at a time. Pour into a shallow container and allow to cool in the fridge.

Once TOTALLY COOL (could split otherwise), begin to whisk with a hand held non electric whisk (again I find it is less likely to split) and show a lot of perseverance, whisking until it suddenly emulsifies, goes pale in colour and almost like whipped cream in texture.

Finally, spoon or pipe small blobs onto one of the macaron shells and sandwich with another. These keep in the fridge for a few days 

M


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