saveur Watching Laurent work with vegetables brings to mind tai chi. Central to the traditional Taoist martial art, which I've been practicing for a dozen years, is the notion of "movement with intention." The goal, difficult to master, is to relax, to make your movements purposeful and dense. This is how Laurent is peeling carrots, relaxed but focused, every gesture considered. Laurent doesn't start with a shopping list. "We want to keep the inherent properties of each ingredient, while enhancing the flavor in a very natural way," Laurent says, trimming radish leaves so only the smallest, most tender ones remain, removing any dirt trapped at the base of the stems with the point of his knife. "Vegetables are good as they are, so the goal must be to make them better by cooking them. Laurent's preferred method of cooking vegetables is pan-roasting them over high heat with salt and olive oil in a covered pot—known in French as cuisson à l'étouffée or "cooked in a crock." Get Picky Take Stock
Tutorial: Éclairs & Choux Paste | IronWhisk According to The Chambers English Dictionary, at least in a pre-1970s version, an éclair is “a cake, long in shape but short in duration”. In a standard French dictionary, you’ll find that an éclair is not only a pastry, but also a flash of lightning. Food historians don’t quite agree as to why the pastry’s name means a flash of lightning in French—some believe the pastry’s moniker is a result of how quickly its eaten (“eaten in a flash”), while others claim its due to the fact that it sparkles when coated with glaze, like lightning. Regardless of its name, éclairs are undoubtedly delicious if made correctly. The Five Deadly Sins of Éclair Baking A quick Google search will reveal that most éclair recipes available online have severe flaws. Under-baked: Éclairs should have a rich, brown colour. If your éclairs have any of the preceding problems, you shouldn’t be disheartened. But here’s a good question: why are we, collectively, okay with mediocre éclairs? Sources and Inspiration Baking
Danish Pastry Dough | Paul Hollywood Danish Pastry Dough Makes 1.1 kg: about 25 pastries Prep 14 hours, including overnight chilling This is my favourite pastry dough. It’s extremely versatile and can be used to make a variety of delicious ‘morning goods’, from apple turnovers to strawberry – and cream – filled pastries. It’s easy to shape in different ways too. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Like this? Puff Pastry Challenge yourself to make your own puff pastry. Passion Fruit Ganache Recipe Want more recipes like this delivered to your inbox? Sign up to our newsletter now and we'll send you a hand-picked round-up of the best seasonal recipes and features from the best chefs each week. We promise to never send you spam. We will always use your personal data in accordance with our terms and conditions and privacy policy . Thanks for subscribing
Best Homemade Eclair Recipe 110g butter 220C /190C When it comes to eclairs, homemade is always better. Bakeries have to chill their filled eclairs, which makes for soggy centers and mushy crusts; you can freshly fill yours at home and eat them right away. This recipe is adapted from pastry chef Scott Cioe from Park Hyatt New York. Featured in: 5 Simple Tips for Better Homemade Eclairs Classic Eclairs Crisp choux pastry, vanilla-scented pastry cream, and a rich chocolate icing make up these classics. makes 14 eclairs 2 hours For the Pastry 1⁄2 cup milk 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 eggs, at room temperature For the Filling and Icing 2 cups confectioners' sugar 2 tbsp. cocoa powder 1⁄2 tsp. unsalted butter 1⁄4 tsp. vanilla extract Instructions Make the pastry: Heat the oven to 425°. Using a piping bag, pipe 4-inch lines of dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. To assemble the eclairs: Make a wide incision in the side of each pastry. Video: How to Make Perfect Eclairs
The Fluffiest White Bread in the World Recipe In spite of plenty of snobbery, tender white bread remains a beloved staple of cuisines all over the world. Our version is aerated and fluffy like North American and Mexican packaged loaves, but with the enriched chew and structure of French pain au lait. We also borrowed a shaping technique from Japanese and Taiwanese bakers, which results in a delicate, feathery crumb. The result: an ethereally fluffy, generously buttery, and delightfully squishable loaf. The Fluffiest White Bread in the World An ethereally fluffy, generously buttery, and delightfully squishable loaf. makes 1 9-inch loaf 4 hours, 10 minutes Ingredients 1 large egg 2⁄3 cup (160 g.) whole milk at room temperature (about 75°), plus more for brushing 3 tbsp. (40 g.) slightly warmed water (about 85°F) 2 1⁄3 cups plus 1 Tbsp. (340 g.) bread flour 1⁄4 cup plus 1 tsp. (60 g.) sugar 1 1⁄4 tsp. (4 g.) instant dry yeast 2 tsp. (6 g.) kosher salt 1⁄4 cup (60 g.) unsalted butter, at room temperature Instructions Preheat the oven to 375°.
Gingerbread recipe | Gourmet Traveller recipe Gingerbread At A Glance Serves 8 people 15 min preparation (plus resting) You'll need 700 gm (4 2/3 cups) plain flour 190 gm each light brown sugar and dark muscovado sugar 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tbsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cloves 220 gm cold butter, cubed 180 gm golden syrup 2 eggs Method Process half of each of the flour, sugars, baking powder and spices in a food processor to combine well. Recipe:Emma Knowles Photography:Dean Wilmot Styling:Emma Knowles
PISTACHIO & RASPBERRY MACARON CAKE After last week’s course at Miele, I was feeling very inspired and racing to get back in the kitchen this week. I decided to tackle something that I had wanted to make for quite some time and to make a return to true patisserie, not that I haven’t enjoyed the muffins and the biscotti. I chose a macaron cake, you don’t see many macaron cakes and after a quick google search, I predominantly found pictures and recipes for cakes, with small macarons stuck to them. The recipe is quite labour intensive as the filling combines a creme patissiere with an Swiss meringue and some pistachio paste along with fresh raspberries. All of the recipes needed for this cake will be included at the end of the post as well as in the ‘Recipes’ section of the blog. I decided I also wanted to have another go at making tempered chocolate decorations and I have to admit, I’m really pleased with how this cake and it’s decorations turned out. Then more pistachio cream is added and the final macaron is placed on top.